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Motherboard (cont.)
Attachments to the motherboard include:
Main Memory: types of main memory include:
RAM - temporary (includes virtual memory storage). Include RAM cache ROM - permanent CMOS - semipermanent battery powered Memory chips attach with either a DIP (dual inline pin - old PCs) or as a SIMM (single inline memory module) board When add main memory, make sure add-on chips are compatible
Real time clock (current date and time) Microprocessor or CPU (central processing unit)
Control Unit: traffic cop portion of the CPU ALU: arithmetic logic unit processes all math and logical operations performed by the computer
Motherboard (cont.)
Expansion slots/add on boards - allow cards that attach various peripheral devices to the motherboard
monitors, hard drive, internal fax/modem, network cards,etc PCMCIA slots: special slots developed for laptops to attach devices and add on RAM
Expansion devices may provide an external port which you connect a cable to. Device ports will either be from an internal or external bay in the system unit.
Serial Port: transmits data one bit at a time (modem) Parallel Port: transmits 8 bits simultaneously (printers, backup devices, etc.) SCSI Port: allows several devices to be chained together and connected through a single SCSI (small computer system interface) MIDI Port: musical instrument digital interface
Main Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM): allows data and instructions to be accessed randomly from any memory location (address). Primary storage.
Volatile - lost when power is turned off
Read Only Memory (ROM): usually contains programs that help the computer system operate:
can only be read: cannot be written to or altered by the user (usually) ROM is not volatile
Main Memory
Data and instructions are stored as BITS (binary digits). Everything from our world is translated into a computer recognizable format called binary (zeros or ones)
The combination of binary digits represents our letters or numbers. One character represented is equal to a byte.
Bytes are composed using either the ASCII coding system (7 bits = character) or EBCDIC (8 bits = character)
Microprocessor Families
Intel (IBM) and Motorola (Macintosh 68000) two main manufacturers Microprocessors are families - upward increases in speed (early SX vs DX chips) Increase in bus capacity indicates a new generation
Storage
Required because main memory is limited, expensive and volatile.
Sequential Access Storage Devices (SASD): data is stored in sequential order. Retrieval is also sequential. Storage media is magnetic tape. Supports batch processing environment Excellent form of backup Direct Access Storage Devices (DASD): data can be stored and retrieved randomly. Storage capacity is referred to as density. How tightly packed data is on the disk. DASD is required for transaction processing. Memory capacity is measured in bytes. Todays most common measurement is kilobytes, megabytes and gigabits.
Printer Considerations
Dot matrix - low price & inexpensive to operate. Lower quality. Impact - can print carbon forms. Color option. Slow. Ink jet - moderate price & better output. Color option. Nonimpact. Quieter. Laserjet - more expensive. Faster. High quality. Nonimpact.
Display Considerations
Screen size- diagonal measurement from corner to corner. Popular sizes are 14, 15 and 17 Dot pitch - measure of image clarity. The smaller the dot pitch, the crisper the image or resolution. Video adapters/cards impact image resolution and display speed. Today, most monitors are Super VGA (1024 x 768)and use non-interlaced projection technology (flicker) Laptop - liquid crystal display (LCD). Passive matrix vs active matrix screen (display method which impacts image quality). Active matrix is much better but more expensive and can have problems.
DASD
Floppy Disk: removable DASD. Most common density is 1.44Mb. Hard Disk: usually dont remove (but newer devices you can). Higher storage capacity than floppy disks. Faster access.
Winchester drive architecture is not removable. Can be drives that have removable disk platters. Optical disk: CD_ROM (read-only) Erasable optical disk is also available. WORM - write once, read many. Flash memory: main memory on a card. Non volatile. PCMCIA card.
DASD cont.
All data stored on DASD media is stored in pieshaped sectors that determines how much data is moved into and out of main memory at a time. Virtual storage: operating system uses hard disk drive as an extension of main memory. Cache memory: operating system assumes that most data used by an application is accessed over and over again. Cache is a special area in main memory where such data is put instead of paging it back and forth to DASD.
DASD cont
WORM: write-once, read many. (CD ROM). Also have rewriteable CD ROM. Floptical Disk: optical storage capacities on floppy disk. DVD: Digital video disk Hierarchical Storage: use of many different types of DASD & SASD devices to achieve storage requirements.
Other considerations:
Desktop vs Laptop - expansion slots and capability
Port replicators vs docking station Pointing device. Track ball, touch pad, erase point. Power management & battery considerations (hot swap)
Multimedia devices - sound cards, speakers and MPC standards Bundled software
Anatomy of a Filename
Rules for creating valid filenames (appropriate characters, length of names, etc.) depends on the operating system being used. Components of a filename consist of:
File name from you Drive Designation
C:/foldername/filename.ext
Folder/subdirectory name File extension supplied by the program
File Storage
Logical Storage: How you perceive that data is stored on an auxiliary storage media File/disk directory No indication of fragmentation
Physical Storage How data actually resides on your auxiliary storage media File Allocation Table (FAT) Fragmentation is normal
Word size: number of bits/bytes manipulated at once. Same as the bus width. Other determinants include main memory capacity, MIPs. This is not the same as throughput but it can affect throughput..