Course Code : BCS-011

Course Title : Computer Basics and PC Software

Last Date of Submission : 15th October, 2019 (For July, 2019 Session)

15th April, 2020 (For January, 2020 Session)

Q1. Explain the von Neumann Architecture with the help of a diagram. Is this
architecture used in the current personal computers? Justify your answer. Explain the
role of integrated circuits in design of computers. Also, explain the classification of
computer on the basis of technology.

Ans:- Von Neumann Architecture also known as the Von Neumann model, the computer
consisted of a CPU, memory and I/O devices. The program is stored in the memory. The CPU
fetches an instruction from the memory at a time and executes it.

thus, the instructions are executed sequentially which is a slow process. Neumann m/c are
called control flow computer because instruction are executed sequentially as controlled by a
program counter. To increase the speed, parallel processing of computer have been developed
in which serial CPU’s are connected in parallel to solve a problem. Even in parallel computers,
the basic building blocks are Neumann processors.

The modern computers are based on a stored-program concept introduced by John Von
Neumann. In this stored-program concept, programs and data are stored in a separate storage
unit called memories and are treated the same. This novel idea meant that a computer built with
this architecture would be much easier to reprogram.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
An integrated circuit, or IC, is small chip that
timer, microprocessor, or even computer memory.
silicon, that can hold anywhere from hundreds
capacitors. These extremely small electronics can
either digitalor analog technology.
can function as an amplifier, oscillator,
An IC is a small wafer, usually made of
to millions of transistors, resistors, and
perform calculations and store data using

Digital ICs use Logics Gate, which work only with values of ones and zeros. A low signal sent to
to a component on a digital IC will result in a value of 0, while a high signal creates a value of 1.
Digital ICs are the kind you will usually find in computers, networking equipment, and most
consumer electronics.

Classification of computer based on technology:

Analog Computers: An analog computer can perform

arithmetical operations by using some variable physical
quantity. Such as mechanical movement or voltage, to
represent numbers. It can be used to solve various types of
problems. It is used in solving problems in relationship of
changing variable quantities. The analog system is set up
according to initial conditions and then allowed to change
freely. These have been used in various ways simulating the
operation of aircraft and the like.

Digital Computers: Digital computer is known as. digital because of the quality of performing
calculations and logical operations with quantities represented as digits, usually in the binary
number system. It can accept data in discrete manner. The data is represented internally in
binary notation in a digital computer thus enhancing its speed and storage capacity.

Hybrid Computers: Hybrid computer is a digital computer that accepts analog signals, converts
them to digital and processes them in digital form. This integration is obtained by digital to
analog and analog to digital converter. A hybrid computer may use or produce analog data or
digital data. It accepts a continuously varying input, which is then converted into a set of discrete
values for digital processing.

2. b) Explain the term binary digit. How binary number system is different from decimal
number system? How do you represent a computer instruction in binary? Explain with
the help of an example. List and explain the role of various components of a computer
instruction. What is the role of bus and registers in instruction execution?

Ans:- A binary digit, or bit, is the smallest unit of information in a computer. It is used for storing
information and has a value of true/false, or on/off. An individual bit has a value of either 0 or 1,
which is generally used to store data and implement instructions in groups of bytes. A computer

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
is often classified by the number of bits it can process at one time or by the number of bits in a
memory address. Many systems use four eight-bit bytes to form a 32-bit word.

d) What is the role of memory in a computer system? Why are primary and secondary
memory needed in a computer system? What is RAM? How is it different to ROM? Which
of the two, RAM or ROM is volatile?

Ans:- Memory” to refer to RAM (Random Access Memory). A computer uses RAM to hold
temporary instructions and data needed to complete tasks. This enables the computer’s CPU
(Central Processing Unit), to access instructions and data stored in memory very quickly. A
good example of this is when the CPU loads an application program – such as a word
processing or page layout program – into memory, thereby allowing the application program to
work as quickly and efficiently as possible. In practical terms,
having the program loaded into memory means you can get
work done more quickly with less time spent waiting for the
computer to perform tasks.

Primary Storage: RAM, cache memory, etc…

Secondary Storage: Mechanical disks, SSD, DVD, etc…

The main reason is cost and speed and their relationship to

each other. Memory is fast but very expensive to make
compared to disk technologies. The solution was to create
systems where you could load information off secondary storage into primary storage, so things
would run fast enough, and bring the cost of computers down.

Today it’s becoming less of a concern. I foresee a time in the not very distant future (not distant
at all) where we will not be using mechanical disks whatsoever. However, in the older days it
was very expensive to get fast memory technologies versus mechanical disk technologies, but
we needed much more storage. The cost would have been prohibitive.

RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in a computing device where the operating
system (os), application programs and data in current use are kept so they can be quickly
reached by the device's Processer. RAM is the main memory in a computer, and it is much
faster to read from and write to than other kinds of storage, such as a hard disk drive solid-state
drive or optical drive.

The differences between ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) are:

ROM is a form of permanent storage while RAM is a form of temporary storage.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
ROM is non-volatile memory while RAM is volatile memory.

ROM can hold data even without electricity, while RAM needs electricity to hold data.

If you’re not an alien reading this from a galaxy far, far away, then you probably hear these
terms on an almost daily basis: RAM and ROM (albeit, of the two, RAM is more commonly used
in daily life). You would have heard mentions of their purpose and even read at least a little
about them to know that these are related to computers. However, there’s a fair amount of the
populace that doesn’t know a RAM from a ROM and wouldn’t be able to tell if a ROM jumped up
and hit them in the face!

f) Compare and contrast the following technologies

(i) Light Pen and Touch screen

(ii) Scanner and Optical Mark Reader

(iii) LCD monitor and LED display

(iv) Printers and Plotters

Ans: Light Pen and Touch screen

A light pen is a computer input device in the A touchscreen, or touch screen, is

form of a light-sensitive wand used in an input device and normally layered on the
conjunction with a computer's cathode-ray top of an electronic visual display of
tube (CRT) display. an information processing system. A user can
give input or control the information processing
It allows the user to point to displayed objects system through simple or multi-touchgestures
or draw on the screen in a similar way to by touching the screen with a special stylus or
a touchscreen but with greater positional one or more fingers.[1] Some touchscreens
accuracy. A light pen can work with any CRT- use ordinary or specially coated gloves to work
based display, but its ability to be used while others may only work using a special
with LCDs was unclear (though Toshiba and stylus or pen. The user can use the
Hitachi displayed a similar idea at the "Display touchscreen to react to what is displayed and,
2006" show in Japan[1]). if the software allows, to control how it is
A light pen detects changes in brightness of displayed; for example, zooming to increase
nearby screen pixels when scanned the text size.
by cathode-ray tube electron beam and The touchscreen enables the user to interact
communicates the timing of this event to the directly with what is displayed, rather than

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
computer. Since a CRT scans the entire using a mouse, touchpad, or other such
screen one pixel at a time, the computer can devices (other than a stylus, which is optional
keep track of the expected time of scanning for most modern touchscreens).
various locations on screen by the beam and
infer the pen's position from the latest
timestamp.

(ii) Scanner and Optical Mark Reader

An image scanner—often abbreviated to optical mark reading or optical mark

just scanner, is a device that optically scans
images, printed text, handwriting or an object
and converts it to a digital image. Commonly
used in offices are variations of the
desktop flatbed scanner where the document
is placed on a glass window for
scanning. Hand-held scanners, where the
device is moved by hand, have evolved from
text scanning "wands" to 3D scanners used for
industrial design, reverse engineering, test and
measurement, orthotics, gaming and other
applications. Mechanically driven scanners
that move the document are typically used for
large-format documents, where a flatbed
design would be impractical.
recognition, OMR is the process of gathering
information from human beings by recognizing
marks on a document. OMR is accomplished
by using a hardware device (scanner) that
detects a reflection or limited light
transmittance on or through a piece of paper.
OMR allows for the processing of hundreds or
thousands of documents per hour. For
example, students may recall taking tests or
surveys where they filled in bubbles on paper
(shown right) with a pencil. Once the form had
been completed, a teacher or teacher's
assistant would feed the cards into a system
that grades or gathers information from them.

(iii) LCD monitor and LED display

A liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor is a
computer monitor or display that uses LCD
technology to show clear images, and is found
mostly in laptop computers and flat panel
monitors. This technology has replaced the
traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors,
which were the previous standard and once
A LED display is a flat panel display that uses
an array of light-emitting diodes as pixels for
a video display. Their brightness allows them to
be used outdoors where they are visible in the
sun for store signs and billboards. In recent
years, they have also become commonly used
in destination signs on public transport vehicles,

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
were considered to have better picture quality
than early LCD variants. With the introduction
of better LCD technology and its continuous
improvement, LCD is now the clear leader
over CRT, in terms of color and picture quality,
not to mention capabilities for large
resolutions. Also, LCD monitors may be made
much more cheaply than CRT monitors.
(iv) Printers and Plotters
a printer is such a device that takes an input
such as text, images and other formats from
the computer and then displays as output on a
piece of paper that have a standard. They
have many types and each has their uses and
prices therefore, one fixed category is
impossible. These printers are designed for
low-volume, short-turnaround print
employments, requiring negligible setup time
to create a paper copy of a given report.
Nonetheless, they are simple devices ranging
from 6 to around 25 pages for every moment
(ppm), and the cost per page is also high. The
distinction for them comes as impact a non-
impact printers where the process of accepting
the output differs.
g) Explain the characteristics/functions of the following in the context of a computer
system:
(i) Disk Defragmenter
(ii) Motherboard of a computer
(iii) Disk Checkers
as well as variable-message signs on highways.
LED displays are capable of providing
general illumination in addition to visual
display, as when used for stage lighting or other
decorative (as opposed to informational)
purposes.
A chief attribute of this device is that it draws
continuous lines that are point to point and
come directly from the file command within the
graphics. The prices of such devices are
greater than others because of the
complicated structure. In short, a plotter helps
with drawings more than text and therefore
takes more time to complete the processes
running. Rather than toner, plotters utilize a
pen, pencil, marker, or another composition
device to draw numerous, consistent lines
onto paper instead of a pro gression of speaks
like a conventional printer. Plotters are utilized
to create a printed copy of schematics and
other comparative applications. Pen plotters
print by moving a pen or other instrument over
the surface of a bit of paper.
www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
(iv) Uses of "My Computer" and "My Documents" on a Windows Desktop

Ans:- Microsoft Disk Defragmenter software assists you in keep reorganizing your disk drives.
After files are saved, deleted and resaved again, the disk can become fragmented --- available
space is in small blocks located throughout the disk. Disk defragmenters gather those free spots
and put them together to enable you to continue to save your data in the most efficient manner.

Disk defragmenter utility reorganizes non contiguous files into contiguous files and optimizes
their placement on the hard drive for increased reliability and performance. There are many
hardware and software accelerators available to enhance performance in a particular area. For
example, download accelerators are software tools to increase the download speed, while
graphic accelerators are coprocessors that assist in drawing graphics

(ii) Motherboard of a computer:

Motherboard : The motherboard is the main circuit board of a

microcomputer. It is also known as the main board or system
board. It is the circuit board in which all the components are
connected through cable within a personal computer. Many
devices are connected with motherboard directly or indirectly.
Motherboards usually provide the interface between the CPU
memory and input/output peripheral circuits, main memory, and
facilities for initial setup of the computer immediately after power-
on

A motherboard (sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, main circuit board, system
board, baseboard, planar board or logic board,[1] or colloquially, a mobo) is the main printed
circuit board (PCB) found in general purpose computers and other expandable systems. It holds,
and allows, communication between many of the crucial electronic components of a system,
such as the central processing unit(CPU) and memory, and provides connectors for
other peripherals. Unlike a backplane, a motherboard usually contains significant sub-systems
such as the central processor, the chipset's input/output and memory controllers, interface
connectors, and other components integrated for general purpose use and applications.

(iii) Disk Checkers

A disk utility is a utility program that allows a user to perform various functions on a computer
disk, such as disk partitioning and logical volume management, as well as multiple smaller tasks
such as changing drive letters and other mount points, renaming volumes, disk checking, and disk
formatting, which are otherwise handled separately by multiple other built-

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
in commands.[1] Each operating system (OS) has its own basic disk utility, and there are also
separate programs which can recognize and adjust the different filesystems of multiple OSes.
Types of disk utilities include disk checkers, disk
cleaners and disk space analyzers

It increases the amount of information that can be stored

on a hard disk drive of given size. Unlike a file
compression utility which compresses only specified files
– and which requires the user designate the files to be
compressed – an on-the-fly disk compression utility
works automatically without the user needing to be
aware of its existence.

When information needs to be stored to the hard disk,

the utility will compress the information. When
information needs to be read, the utility will decompress the information. A disk compression
utility overrides the standard operating system routines. Since all software applications access
the hard disk using these routines, they continue to work after disk compression has been
installed. The compression/expansion process adds a small amount of overhead to disk access
and may complicate error recovery on the affected volume. Also, if the compression utility's
device driver was uninstalled or became corrupted, all data on the disk would be lost.

(iv) Uses of "My Computer" and "My Documents" on a Windows Desktop

My Computer is a section of Microsoft Windows first found in Window 95 and included with all
later versions that allows you to explore and manage the contents of your computer Drives The
picture to the right shows examples of the My Computer icon in Microsoft Windows Although the
name has changed, "This PC" still has the same functionality as "My Computer."

Using My Computer
Once My Computer (This PC) is open, you will see all available drives on your computer. The
primary location of all your files is the Local Disk (C:), which is the default hard drive that stores
all files. Double-click this drive icon to open it and view its contents.

My Documents Not to be confused with a written document, My Documents and Documents are
Microsoft Windows folders that store computer documents and other files associated with
programs on your computer. For example, when saving a file in Microsoft Word, the
default folder is My Documents. Saving all your files into the My Documents folder makes them
easier to backup and locate.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
Q2. (Covers Block 2)

Explain the Client/Server architecture with the help of a diagram. Explain how this
architecture is similar to/ different from cloud computing.

Ans:
Client/server architecture is a computing model in
which the server hosts, delivers and manages
most of the resources and services to be
consumed by the client. This type of architecture
has one or more client computers connected to a
central server over a network or internet
connection. This system shares computing
resources.
Client/server architecture is also known as a
networking computing model or client/server
network because all the requests and services
are delivered over a network.
Client server is a process where data processing is distributed between a client and a server.
The best example of client/server is – emails and RDBMS based web applications. In simpler
words, client server is a kind of application architecture whereas cloud computing is the way that
defines how applications are hosted. Cloud is the latest technology that allows businesses to
abstract software from the hardware, and scale up/down the applications as per the business
demands
Cloud computing" is a blanket term meant to do two things: first, to abstract all possible uses of
a client-server model behind a single term, as opposed to more specific use cases like "file
servers", "database servers", "web servers", "application servers" etc.; and second, to abstract
the server architecture itself, in terms of hardware, topology, location, and even ownership.

a) Explain the differences between structured programming and non-structured

programming with the help of example code. List and define the three important
concepts of Object oriented programming.

Ans:-
In Structured programming statements are organized in a specific manner to minimize error or
misinterpretation. It enforces logical structure of the program. Here large routines can be broken
down into smaller, modular routines. It discourages GOTO statements. Non Structured
programming is the earliest programming paradigm in which program usually consists of
sequentially ordered commands, or

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
statements, usually one in each line. It does not enforce any logical 42 Basics of Computer
Software structure of the program. Its needs discipline on programmers part to write readable
and understandable code. Here the whole code is written in one module. It makes extensive use
of GOTO statements that leads to spaghetti code.

Object Oriented Programming is more abstract than procedural programming because it looks
for patterns and reusability. There are three main concepts that any language needs to support
to be an object oriented language.

Encapsulation: is a mechanism through which a protective wrapper is created to hide the

implementation details of the object and the only thing that remains externally visible is the
interface of the object. (i.e.: the set of all messages the object can respond to). Encapsulation
prevents code and data from being arbitrarily accessed by other code defined outside the
wrapper.

Inheritance: is the process by which a new class is created using an existing class. It is a way to
compartmentalize and reuse code since it allows classes
to inherit commonly used state and behavior from other
classes. The new classes are called the derived classed
and the main class is called the parent class. 20 Basics
of Computer Software

Polymorphism: Polymorphism is the characteristic of

being able to assign a different meaning specifically, to
allow an entity such as a variable, a function, or an object
to have more than one form. It is the ability to process
objects differently depending on their data types and to
redefine methods for derived classes. Following are the
few terms that will help you understand object oriented
programming: A class is a set of functions that work together to accomplish a task. It can
contain or manipulate data, but it usually does so according to a pattern rather than a specific
implementation. An instance of a class is considered an object.

C. Define the basic functions of the following software:

(i) Compiler
(ii) Device Driver
(iii)Diagnostic Program
(iv)Anti-virus software
Ans:
(i) Compiler

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
A compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming
language (the source language) into another language (the target language). The
name compiler is primarily used for programs that translate source code from a high-level
programming language to a lower level language (e.g., assembly language, object code,
or machine code) to create an executableprogram.[1][2]:p1
However, there are many different types of compilers. If the compiled program can run on a
computer whose CPU or operating systemis different from the one on which the compiler runs,
the compiler is a cross-compiler. A bootstrap compiler is written in the language that it intends to
compile. A program that translates from a low-level language to a higher level one is
a decompiler. A program that translates between high-level languages is usually called
a source-to-source compiler or transpiler. A language rewriter is usually a program that.
translates the form of expressions without a change of language. The term compiler-
compiler refers to tools used to create parsers that perform syntax analysis.
(ii) Device Driver

device driver is a computer program that operates

or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a
computer.[1] A driver provides a software interface to
hardware devices, enabling operating systems and other
computer programs to access hardware functions without
needing to know precise details about the hardware being
used.
A driver communicates with the device through
the computer bus or communications subsystem to which
the hardware connects. When a calling program invokes
a routine in the driver, the driver issues commands to the
device. Once the device sends data back to the driver, the
driver may invoke routines in the original calling program.
Drivers are hardware dependent and operating-system-specific. They usually provide
the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware
interface
(iii)Diagnostic Program

A diagnostic program (also known as a Test Mode) is an automatic computer

program sequence that determines the operational status within the software, hardware, or any
combination there of in a component, a system, or a network of systems. Diagnostic programs
ideally provide the user with guidance regarding any issues or problems found during its
operation.
Diagnostics programs may be simple or complex, operating unknowingly within everyday
devices or awaiting their invocation to make more complex performance assessments.
Everyday examples are a microwave oven that displays code F6 to warn of a shorted
temperature probe[1] or a garage door opener that flashes its control board's LED four times
warning of critically misaligned safety sensors and impending shutdown.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
Diagnostic programs are also inserted into consumer electronic products and electronic
games. Sometimes if the owner of an electronic device asks the manufcaturer how to access
the hidden diagnostic program, they usually reply to the consumer saying that the information is
considered to be 'propitary' and cannot be shared
(IV)Anti-virus software

The purpose of antivirus (AV) software is to detect, neutralize or eradicate malware (malicious
software).

AV software not only will identify and destroy the computer virus, but it’s also designed to fight
off other kinds of threats such as phishing attacks, worms, Trojan horses, rootkits and more.

How does AV software work?

It will first scan (either on automatic timer that the user selects or manual) the computer’s files to
seek out any viruses that fit the description that’s in a virus dictionary.
Using a method called heuristic analysis, it will also try to detect suspicious activity from any
program that might seem to be infected.
Antivirus programs come in different flavors, but the common denominator is that they seek out
viruses and other malware, and neutralize them.
The computer’s hard drive and external drives are also included in the scanning process.
What’s really important is that you make sure that your AV software is set for automatic
updates—and on a daily basis at that—so that any new viruses or malware can be quickly
pounced upon and rendered disabled

d) List the functions of the following in the context of Operating System

(i) Graphical User interface and its advantages
(ii) File management
(iii)Process
(iv)Batch Processing
(v) Time sharing
(vi)Input/ Output Services

Ans: (i) Graphical User interface and its advantages

Advantages of GUIs:

• A major advantage of GUIs is that they make computer operation more intuitive, and thus
easier to learn and use.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
• GUIs generally provide users with immediate, visual feedback about the effect of each
action.

• GUI allows multiple programs and/or instances to be displayed simultaneously.

• Users do not need to know any programming languages.

(ii) File management

The concept of a file is central to the effective use of a computer system. A file is generally loosely
defined as a collection of related information such as students records employee database. It might
contain graphical usage. A file may be organized internally into records or it may simply be a stream of
bytes. A file constitutes a logical unit of storage, that is, logical to the person or program using the file.
The file management system provides and maintains the mapping between a file logical storage needs
and the physical location where it is stored. Users and programs simply access the files by the name, and
the file management system handles the details The file management system identifies and manipulates
files by the names provided by their users determines the physical requirements of the file, allocate
space for it, stores it in that space, and maintains the information about the file so that it may be
retrieved partially or in full, later. The file management system keeps track of the available space on
each device connected to the system. The user and the user’s program need not be aware of the
underlying physical storage issues. The file management system allows the retrieval and storage of files
by name, keeps track of the mappings, allocates and frees space, allows the mounting and unmounting
of file structures, and provides other functions required to maintain the structures of the file system.
(iii)Process

A process is an executing program. It is considered the standard unit of work within a computer system.
Every executing program is treated as a process. This includes not only application programs, but the
programs within the operating system itself. The process concept considers the program, together with
the resources that are assigned to it, including memory, I/O devices, time for execution, and the like.
When admitted to the system, each program is assigned memory space and the various resources that it
initially requires to complete its work. As the process executes, it may require additional resources, or it
may release resources that it no longer needs. The operating system performs various functions with
processes, including scheduling and memory management, by providing the various services. Processes
must often be synchronized, so that processes sharing a common resource do not step on each other’s
toes by altering critical data or denying each other needed resources. Systems also provide
communication capability between different processes. Processes may cooperate with each other by
sending messages back and forth using interprocess messaging services.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
(iv)Batch Processing
The central idea behind the batch processing system was the use of a piece of software known as the
monitor. With the use of this type of operating system, the user no longer had direct access to the
machine. Rather, the user submitted the job on cards or tape to a computer operator, who batches the
jobs together sequentially and places the entire batch on an input device, for use by the monitor. Many
important breakthroughs in operating system design occurred in the early 1960s which laid the
foundation for design of modern operating system. In 1963, Burroughs design of Master Control
Program (MCP), which included design of many of the features of modern systems such as support for
multiprocessing (with two identical CPUs) as well as multitasking capabilities. IBM introduces OS/360 as
the operating system for its new System/360 in 1964. OD/360 provided a powerful language to expedite
batch processing known as Job Control Language. It introduced a simple form of multiprogramming or
multitasking feature that facilitated loading several jobs into main memory, so that other jobs programs
could use the CPU when one job was busy with I/O. By this time,
disks were also becoming available. To take its advantage the OS
introduced features to cards onto disk while the CPU executed its
jobs; thus, when a job completed, the OS could load another job
from disk into memory, ready to run. This improved the OS
scheduling capability. Multiprogramming or multitasking is the
central theme of modern operating system.

(v) Time sharing

Time Sharing System With the use multiprogramming, the batch
processing can be quite efficient. However, for many jobs, it is
desirable to provide a mode in which the user interacts directly with the computer. Indeed for some
jobs, such as transaction processing, an interactive mode is essential. 55 Today, the requirement for an
interactive computing facility can be, and often is, Operating Sytem met by the use of a dedicated
microcomputer. That option was not available in the 1960s when most computers were big and costly.
Instead time sharing was developed. Just as multiprogramming allows the processor to handle multiple
batch jobs at a time, multiprogramming can be used to handle multiple interactive jobs. In this latter
case, the technique is referred to as time sharing, because the processor’s time is shared among
multiple users. In time sharing system, multiple users simultaneously access the system through
terminals, with the operating system interleaving the execution of each user program in a short burst or
quantum of computation.

(vi)Input/ Output Services

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
Input/Output Services Every operating system, large or small, provides input/output services for each
device in the system. The operating system includes I/O device driver programs for each device installed
on the system. These drivers provide services to the file management system and are also available,
through the API, to other programs for their use. The I/O device drivers accept I/O requests and perform
the actual data transfers between the hardware and specified areas of memory. Devices drivers for
newly installed devices are added and integrated into the operating systems. In Windows, this capability
is known as plug-and-play.

Q3. (Covers Block 3) (6×4=24)

(a) What are the advantages of using Computer Networks? Explain the following terms in the context
of computer networks: (i) Circuit switching (ii) Half Duplex transmission (iii)Guided Channels
(iv)Infrared transmission.
Ans : Computer network is defined as a set of interconnected autonomous systems that facilitate
distributed processing of information. It results in better performance with high speed of processing.
Advantages of Network:
These are main advantages of Computer Networks:
Central Storage of Data –
Files can be stored on a central node (the file server) that can be shared and made available to each and
every user in an organization.

Anyone can connect to a computer network –

There is a negligible range of abilities required to connect to a
modern computer network. The effortlessness of joining makes it
workable for even youthful kids to start exploiting the data.

Faster Problem solving –

Since an extensive procedure is disintegrated into a few littler
procedures and each is taken care of by all the associated gadgets,
an explicit issue can be settled in lesser time.

Reliability –
Reliability implies backing up of information. Due to some reason
equipment crash, and so on, the information gets undermined or
inaccessible on one PC, another duplicate of similar information is
accessible on another workstation for future use, which prompts smooth working and further handling without
interruption.

It is highly flexible –
This innovation is known to be truly adaptable, as it offers clients the chance to investigate everything about
fundamental things, for example, programming without influencing their usefulness.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
Circuit Switching: This terminology has started from telephone network, where switching offices were
places having switches that were used to create connection from one source to destination. Circuit
switching involves creating a switched path for entire communication, for example, when you make a
telephone call the connection is established by switching and is available for the whole communication.
Whereas in packet switching a message is broken in small packet which are handed over from a source
to destination through many small steps.

Half Duplex: Half duplex communications occurs when data flows in both directions; although in only
one direction at a time. An example of a half-duplex system is a Walkie-Talkie system used a two-way
radio normally by Police. You may use the word "Over" to indicate the end of transmission, and ensure
that only one party transmits at a time. In such systems sender and receiver both transmit on the same
frequency.

Guided Channels: Guided media provide a physical connection between two devices. A signal traveling
through guided media is directed and contained within the physical limits of the medium. There are
several different Guided media, however we define only the most popular as given below: a) Twisted
pair cable b) Optic Fiber cable
a) Twisted Pair Cable Twisted pair cable is still the most common transmission media. A twisted
pair cable consists of two conductors which are normally made of copper. Each conductor has its own
plastic insulation typically 1 mm thick. These cables are twisted together
b) Optical Fiber An optical fiber consists of two concentric cylinders: an inner core surrounded by a
cladding. Both the core and the cladding are made of transparent plastic or glass material which
transmit signals in the form of light.

c) Infrared transmission

Infrared Infrared signals range between 300 Giga-Hertz to 400 Tera-Hertz. These can be used for short
range communication. High range infrared rays cannot be used for long range communication as it
cannot penetrate walls. This also helps in avoiding interference. Infrared signals are generated and
received using optical transceivers. Infrared systems represent a cheap alternative to most other
methods, because there is no cabling involved and the necessary equipment is relatively cheap. Data
rates similar to those of twisted pairs are easily possible. However, applications are limited because of
distance limitations (of about one kilometer). One recent use of infra-red has been for interfacing hand-
held and portable computing devices to Local Area Networks. It cannot be used outside building as rays
of sun contain infrared which leads to interference in communication. Infrared having wide bandwidth

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
can be used to transmit digital data with a very high data rate. Infrared signals can be used for
communication between keyboards, mouse and printers.

(b) Explain the differences between the following, giving one application of each:

(i) Ring Topology, Bus topology and star topology

(ii) LAN, MAN and WAN

Ans (i) Ring Topology, Bus topology and star topology

Ring Topology Bus topology star topology

Ring topology is also known
as circular topology. This
layout is similar to the linear
bus, except that the nodes
are connected in a circle asIn
this topology, each node is
connected to two and only
two neighboring nodes. The
ring does not have an end. It
is made of short segments
that connect one PC to the
next PC and so on Data is
accepted from one of the
neighboring nodes and is
transmitted 15 Networking
and Internet onwards to
another node
1) It performs better than a
star topology under heavy
network load.
2) It can create much larger
network using Token Ring.
3) It does not require
network server to manage
the connectivity between the
computers.
Bus topology is a single In star topology, each
common communication to computer on a network
which all the computers are communicates with a central
connected. It has a single hub (also called as a
length of cable with a concentrator) that re-sends
terminator at each end. It is athe message either to all the
passive topology which computers or only to the
means only one computer at destination computer. A hub
a time can send a message. expands one network
Hence, the number of connection into many. For
computers attached to a bus example, a four-port hub
network can significantly connects up to four
affect the speed of the machines. A single hub is
network. A computer must sufficient for a small network;
wait until the bus is free however large networks
before it can transmit. require multiple hubs. But, it
increases hardware and
1) It requires least amount of cabling costs.
cable to connect computers
together and is therefore less 1.It is easy to replace, install
expensive than other cabling or remove hosts or other
arrangements. devices, problem can be
easily detected-It is easier to
2) It is easy to implement and modify or add a new
extend using connectors. 2.computer without
disturbing the rest of the
network by simply running a
new line from the computer
to the central location and
plugging it to the hub.

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in

(ii)
LAN
LAN is generally limited to
specific geographical area
less than 2 Km., supporting
high speed networks. A wide
variety of LANs have been
built and installed, but a few
types have more recently
become dominant. The most
widely used LAN system is
the Ethernet system based
on the bus topology.
1.It connects computers in a
single building, block or
campus, i.e. they work in a
restricted geographical area.
2.LANs are private networks,
not subject to tariffs or other
regulatory controls. For the
Wireless LANs there are
additional regulations in
several countries.
3. LANs operate at relatively
high speed when compared
to the typical WAN (.2 to 100
MB /sec).
(c) Explain the characteristics of the following networking devices:
(i) Routers
(ii) Modem
3) If one computer on the bus 3.It has good performance
fails, it does not affect the
rest of the traffic on the bus
LAN, MAN and WAN
MAN WAN
Metropolitan area networks, Wide Area Network is a
or MANs, are large computer network system connecting
network that spans a cities, countries or continents,
metropolitan area or campus. a network that uses routers
Its geographic scope falls and public communications
between a WAN and LAN. links. The largest and most
They typically use wireless well-known example of a
infrastructure or Optical fiber WAN is the Internet.
connections to link their sites.
1) It generally covers large
1) It generally covers towns distances (states, countries,
and cities (50 kms) continents).
2) It is developed in 1980s. 19 2) Communication medium
Networking and Internet used are satellite, public
telephone networks which
3) Communication medium are connected by routers.
used for MAN are optical
fiber cables, however it may 3) Routers forward packets
use other media too. from one to another on a
route from the sender to the
receiver.
www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
(iii)Gateways

(iv)Switches

Ans:

(i) Routers

A router translates information from one network to another; it is similar to an intelligent bridge. Router
selects the best path to route a message, based on the destination address and origin. The router can
direct traffic to prevent head-on collisions, and is smart enough to know when to direct traffic along
shortcuts. Routers can even ―listen‖ to the entire network to determine which sections are busiest—
they can then redirect data around those sections until they are removed. If you have a LAN that you
want to connect to the internet, you will need to purchase a router. In this case, the router serves as the
translator between the information on your LAN and the internet. It also determines the best route to
send the data over the internet. Routers maintain a map of the physical networks on a Internet
(network) and forward data received from one physical network to other physical networks.

(ii) Modem

Modem is an acronym for modulator demodulator. The meaning of the word modulator is to change
and the meaning of the word demodulator is to restore to an original condition. A modem is a
communication device that converts (i.e., modulates) Network Interface Card 23 Networking and
Internet binary signal into analog signals for transmission over telephone lines and converts (i.e.,
demodulates) these analog signals back into binary form at the receiving end.

Modems are of two types: Internal and External. Internal modems are hardware cards and External
modems, are kept outside of your computer, connected either by a USB or Serial Port. Internal modems
are good for general usage, as they take up less desk space, and do not require a power supply, and for
most purposes, internal modems work fine

(iii)Gateways :

Gateway Interconnects networks at higher layers than bridges or routers. A gateway usually supports
address mapping from one network to another, and may also provide transformation of data between
the environments to support end to end application connectivity. Gateway typically limits the
interconnectivity of two networks to a subset of the application protocols supported on either one.
Routers exemplify special cases of gateways. Gateway, also called protocol converters, can operate at
any layer of the networking model. The job of a gateway is much more complex than that of a router or
a switch. Typically, a gateway must convert one protocol into another. The main function of a gateway is
to convert protocols among communications networks. A router by itself transfers, accepts and relays

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
packets only across networks using similar protocol. A gateway, on the other hand, accepts data
formatted for one protocol and convert it to data formatted for another protocol before forwarding it. A
gateway can be implemented in hardware, software or both, but they are usually implemented by the
software installed within a router. A gateway must understand the protocols used by each network
linked into the router. Gateways are slower than bridges, switches and (non- gateway) routers.

(IV) Switches:

A switch does essentially what a hub does but more efficiently. By paying attention to the traffic that
comes across it, it can ―learn‖ where particular addresses are. For example, if it sees traffic from
machine A coming in on port 2, it now knows that machine A is connected to that port and that traffic to
machine A needs to only be sent to that port and not any of the others. The net result of using a switch
over a hub is that most of the network traffic only goes where it needs to rather than to every port. On
busy networks this can make the network significantly faster.
A switch (or Switching Hub) is a device that can segment a larger local area network to reduce the traffic
load. One should implement a switch when you have a network with 20 or more users that have bogged
down the network by excess traffic. It splits the network into two or more segments with devices that
normally talk with each other. Conceptually – switching takes data from one interface and delivers it to
another interface.

(d) Explain the layers of TCP/IP Model. What is an IP address? Explain the role of subnet mask with
the help of an example. How does DNS translate a web address? Explain with the help of an example.

Ans:

The OSI Model we just looked at is just a reference/logical model. It was designed to describe the
functions of the communication system by dividing the communication procedure into smaller and
simpler components. But when we talk about the TCP/IP model, it was designed and developed by
Department of Defense (DoD) in 1960s and is based on standard protocols. It stands for Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The TCP/IP model is a concise version of the OSI model. It contains
four layers, unlike seven layers in the OSI model. The layers are:

Process/Application Layer

Host-to-Host/Transport Layer

Internet Layer

Network Access/Link Layer

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
The diagrammatic comparison of the TCP/IP and OSI model is as follows :

IP address: 192.168.1.97 in various forms:

IPv4 address is a series of four numbers separated by dots (.). The four numbers ranges between 0 and
255. So IPv4 address takes only 4-bytes (or 32-bits) of computer memory. Not all the IPv4 addresses may
be used to identify a computer. Some addresses of IPv4 are not used at all due to certain restrictions. In
addition, some addresses are reserved, for example; the IP address 255.255.255.255 is used for
broadcasts

The subnet mask is similar to an IP address - it is also a 4-byte (or 32-bits) field and can be represented
using dot notation. In binary, it always comprise a series of ones, followed by sequence of zeros. The
total number of bits is 32, but the number of ones and zeros determines the nature of the mask. By
comparing any IP address with a 32 Internet Technologies given mask, you can split addresses into two
parts, a network ID and a device ID. The following example explains this concept in more details.
Suppose your computer has an IP address of 193.168.1.35 and you want to access a location
193.168.1.56, as your subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, it will give you following answers:

An Internet or Web address is used to view a web page. When you are viewing a Web page, the web
address of the page appears in the Address bar in the browser. In the previous section, you have gone
through the concept of IP addresses. What do you think about the IP address? Are they not very
cumbersome to remember? For example, to visit IGNOU website the address www.ignou.ac.in is far
simpler than that of an IP address like 190.10.10.247. Obviously, what we want to use are simpler
textual domain addresses instead of complex IP addresses. However, to enable the use of simple textual
address, you will require a service that will map these text based names to respective IP addresses

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
automatically. Such a service was designed in 1983 by the University of Wisconsin with the name
Domain Name System (DNS).

(f) Explain the following in the context of Internet and its applications:

(i) E-learning and Moodle

(ii) Electronic Educational Resources

Ans:

(i) E-learning and Moodle

E-learning is one of the most used terms on the Internet that describes any form of learning that is
facilitated academically by the electronic means. Such means may be in the form of multimedia rich
contents, web based lectures and web based tutorials or training programmes. In general, E-learning is
strongly supported electronically by the administrative, academic and assessment processes. Some of
the activities that may be done using such electronic form using web sites include providing multimedia
based contents, providing assignments, conducting on line tests, lectures or discussions through web
conferencing, feedback on students work, student progress report to faculty etc.
MOODLE is a free and open-source e-learning software platform. It provides feature for Learners and
content management. In the past decade, it has become very popular for the delivery of e-learning
content and student management. You can get access to information related to Moodle for the website
http://www.moodle.org Alternatively, you may download the Moodle software and create your own
server having Moodle

(ii) Electronic Educational Resources:

you can get access to a large number of electronic educational resources through the web. These
resources may be on different specialized areas. These resources include the electronic journals,
encyclopedias, dictionaries, digital libraries, educational resource databases, indexing and abstracting
databases and electronic books. However, please note that some of these resources require paid
subscription. These resources allow you to browse through the abstracts, search on various topics, and
access the complete information for research in specific areas. Some of these electronic resources are
listed below: E-Journals and Databases
 ACM Digital Library
 EBSCO database
 IEL Online
 JSTOR

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in
  Lawyers Collective Magazine
 Lecture note in Mathematics
 Maths Sci_net
 Project Muse
 ProQuest
 Springer Link
 Taylor and Francis

WIKI Wiki’s are a powerful tool for creating collaborative knowledge resources created by the
community. A wiki is a page or collection of Web pages designed to create and edit contents. Wiki
supports hyperlinks and has simple text syntax for creating new pages. Wiki’s are also used to create
websites, to enhance the features of community websites and for knowledge management
MediaWiki As discussed earlier, Media Wiki is the software in which Wikipedia and IOCG wiki of IGNOU
have been developed. It is a very simple tool that allows multiple people to make and commit changes
in a document. It keeps the version of each change. Many Universities have used this software to
develop a collaboration space.

Disclaimer/Note:

These are just the sample of the answers/solutions to some of the questions
given in the Assignments. These sample answers are submitted by students /
private tutors. These sample answers may be seen as the Guide/Help for the
reference to prepare the answers of the questions given the assignment. Student
should read and refer the official study material provided by the university.
http://www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in

www.ignousolvedassignment.co.in

DRM Software Review