Computer Hardware and Software: A Comprehensive Overview, Lecture notes of Introduction to Computers

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Module

CONCEPTS RELATED TO INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Module

1.1 Hardware Concepts

Computer elements are categorized as software and hardware. Physical parts of the computer are called as Hardware. Motherboard, RAM, display card, hard disk, keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner are examples of hardware

Servers

Companies and organizations need servers for management of data base applications, e-mail services, web services, file and printer operations. Servers work permanently, safe and secure A computer or computer program which manages access to a centralized resource or service in a network Server, network computer, computer program, or device that processes requests from a client (see client- server architecture). On the World Wide Web, for example, a Web server is a computer that uses the HTTP protocol to send Web pages to a client's computer when the client requests them

Servers

What is a server and examples? Servers. Servers are computers that run services to serve the needs of other computers. There are, for example, home media servers, web servers, and print servers. There are also file servers and database servers.

Workstations

Used as servers with in the network Used for single operations(e.g. Graphic applications) A desktop computer terminal, typically networked and more powerful than a personal computer.

Network Computer

Cheap personal computers used in networks Consists of main hardware Managed centrally Called as thin client Recent name is network information processor A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other.

Tablet PC

A tablet PC is a portable PC that is a hybrid between a personal digital assistant (PDA) and notebook PC. Equipped with a touch screen interface, a tablet PC usually has a software application used to run a virtual keyboard. However, many tablet PCs support external keyboards. Tablet PCs have built-in Web browsing capabilities, multiple connectivity options, capacitive touch screens and multimedia - including high definition (HD) support.

Personal Digital Assistants

Personal digital assistant is a term for a small, mobile, handheld device that provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, often for keeping schedules, calendars and address book information handy. A personal digital assistant, also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in particular those based on iOS and Android

Portable Media Center

Portable media center is a term for a handheld multimedia device that can play digital music, image, and movie files that have been downloaded from the Internet or stored on a personal computer

Main Components of Personal

Computers

Central Processing Unit(CPU) The central processing unit (CPU) is the unit, which performs most of the processing inside a computer. To control instructions and data flow to and from other parts of the computer, the CPU relies heavily on a chip set, which is a group of microchips located on the motherboard. The CPU has two typical components: Control Unit: extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): handles arithmetic and logical operations

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Random access memory (RAM) is a type of data storage used in computers that is generally located on the motherboard. This type of memory is volatile and all information that was stored in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off. Volatile memory is temporary memory while ROM (read-only memory) is non-volatile and holds data permanently when the power is turned off Random access memory (RAM) is a computer's short-term memory , which it uses to handle all active tasks and apps. None of your programs, files, games, or streams would work without RAM

Graphics Card

A graphics card is a type of display adapter or video card installed within most computing devices to display graphical data with high clarity, color, definition and overall appearance. A graphics card provides high-quality visual display by processing and executing graphical data using advanced graphical techniques, features and functions

CD-ROM Driver

Also called a CD-ROM player, it is a device that can read information from a CD-ROM. Short for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory, a CD- ROM (shown right) is an optical disc which contains audio or software data whose memory is read only. A CD-ROM Drive or optical drive is the device used to read them

Sound Card

Alternatively referred to as an audio output device, sound board, or audio card. A sound card is an expansion card or IC for producing sound on a computer that can be heard through speakers or headphones