Introduction to Computers (c)

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   Chapter      Computer      computer      data      device      devices      Devices
     elements      file      function      functioning      inserting      instructed      job
     Likewise      manipulating      Normally      output      process      processed     
required      requires      retained      similar      specific      tape      tapes     
transfer      transferred      vary      version      volume      whereby   

Auxiliary Storage

What is is some form of additional (auxiliary) storage for all the programs

and they can be on a permanent basis. These

auxiliary storage (also called secondary or backing stores) are magnetic
, to music cassette and long-playing records.

Information stored on magnetic can be used time and time again, as with

LP records which can be played over and over again with-out losing the original. On

such , information may be held permanently in a system.

When information on a magnetic is , it must be passed into the

main or central memory of the CPU before it can be . In other words,

only a copy of the information is , leaving the original still

intact.

There are two main types of auxiliary storage , magnetic and

magnetic disc. One large can hold between 10 and 40 million characters; a

large magnetic disc may contain in excess of 200 million characters. These

are far cheaper than the main memory of the CPU and are discussed in 5.

Some people get worried about the vast of information held on auxiliary

storage . They feel that, since the main memory is limited in size, the

information which flows into it from auxiliary might flood or swamp the main
memory. This could indeed be the case. However, programmers have to organise the

information held on secondary storage into smaller units or groups, or

blocks as they are more formally called. Suppose that a is running a

payroll program. The information ( ) is held on magnetic .

, a few, perhaps three, records (see 7), one for each

employee, are into main memory. The program will these

three and then the results to the . The next three

records will be brought in and , the results being onto

the same . This is repeated until all the records of all
the employees have been . In this way, by breaking up the

into blocks, the entire can be a few records at a

time.

Hardware and Software

At a installation, the various units which we have discussed can be seen

and touched. They will in colour, size and shape, depending upon the

imagination of the manufacturer. These units are called the hardware of a

. But by themselves they are useless, in the way that a taxi standing in the
road is. By itself it cannot do anything. What is is a taxi driver to come

along and turn the hardware into a whole by the

ignition key, pressing the various pedals, and the gear lever and the
steering wheel. hardware a driver in order to make the

hardware correctly. This “driver” is called software. The software operates

and controls the hardware units and makes certain that they all work in unison. The
more formal term for this special software is operating system software.

Even so, the taxi with its driver is not per-forming a service nor will the taxi driver earn
his living. What is is a passenger. the with its
hardware and operating system software cannot perform a useful service until it is

to perform a . It is the application program

(such as a payroll, traffic control, space exploration) which turns the hardware and
software into a useful system. Thus, there are three by any

system:

- The hardware units

- The operating system software

- The application program(s)

(Introduction to Computers by John Shelly & Roger Hunt)

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