Hardware: Input, Processing, and Output Devices

IFIM Business School

Principles and Learning Objectives

Assembling an effective, efficient set of computer hardware devices requires understanding their role in supporting the underlying information systems and the needs of the organization; the computer hardware objectives are subordinate to, but supportive of, the information systems and the needs of the organization
Describe how to select and organize computer hardware components to support information system (IS) objectives and business needs
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Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)

When selecting computer hardware, you must consider the current and future needs of the information systems and the organization; your choice of a hardware device should always allow for later improvements to meet evolving organizational needs
Describe the power, speed, and capacity of central processing and memory devices Describe the access methods, capacity, and portability of secondary storage devices
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Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)

Discuss the speed, functionality, and importance of input and output devices Identify popular classes of computer systems and discuss the role of each

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Why Learn About Hardware?

Can improve productivity, increase revenue, reduce costs, and provide better service Managers are expected to know about hardware
To help define business needs To ask questions and evaluate options when buying equipment

IFIM Prof. Rupesh Kr Sinha

Introduction
Hardware: any machinery (most of which use digital circuits) that assists in the input, processing, storage, and output activities of an information system When making hardware decisions, businesses must consider how the hardware can support:
Objectives of the information system Goals of the organization
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Computer Systems: Integrating The Power of Technology

Choosing the right computer hardware requires understanding its relationship to the information system and needs of the organization Hardware objectives are subordinate to, but supportive of, the information system and the current and future needs of the organization

IFIM Prof. Rupesh Kr Sinha

Hardware Components
Central processing unit (CPU) Input devices Output devices

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Hardware Components (continued)

Communications devices Primary storage devices Secondary storage devices

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Hardware Components (continued)

Figure 3.1: Hardware Components

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Hardware Components in Action

Step 1: Fetch instruction Step 2: Decode instruction Step 3: Execute instruction Step 4: Store results

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Hardware Components in Action (continued)

Figure 3.2: Execution of an Instruction

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Processing and Memory Devices: Power, Speed, and Capacity

System unit
Houses the components responsible for processing (the CPU and memory)

All other computer system devices are linked either directly or indirectly into the system unit housing

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Processing Characteristics and Functions

Machine cycle time is measured in:
Nanoseconds (1 billionth of a second) Picoseconds (1 trillionth of a second) MIPS (millions of instructions per second)

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Processing Characteristics and Functions (continued)

Clock speed: series of electronic pulses produced at a predetermined rate that affects machine cycle time
Often measured in:
Megahertz (MHz): millions of cycles per second Gigahertz (GHz): billions of cycles per second

Microcode: predefined, elementary circuits and logical operations that the processor performs when it executes an instruction
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Physical Characteristics of the CPU

Digital circuits on chips Electrical current flows through silicon Moore s Law: transistor density of chips will double every 18 months

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Physical Characteristics of the CPU (continued)

Figure 3.3: Moores Law

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Memory Characteristics and Functions

Main memory
Located physically close to the CPU, but not on the CPU chip itself Rapidly provides data and instructions to the CPU

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Storage Capacity

Table 3.1: Computer Storage Units

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Types of Memory
Random access memory (RAM)
Temporary and volatile

Types of RAM
EDO (Extended Data Out) DRAM (Dynamic RAM) SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)

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Types of Memory (continued)

Types of nonvolatile memory
ROM (read-only memory) PROM (programmable read-only memory) EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory)

Cache memory: high-speed memory that a processor can access more rapidly than main memory
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Types of Memory (continued)

Figure 3.4: Basic Types of Memory Chips

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Types of Memory (continued)

Figure 3.5: Cache Memory

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Multiprocessing
Multiprocessing: simultaneous execution of two or more instructions at the same time Multiprocessing using coprocessors
Coprocessor: speeds processing by executing specific types of instructions while the CPU works on another processing activity

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Parallel Computing
Parallel computing: simultaneous execution of the same task on multiple processors to obtain results faster Massively parallel processing:
Speeds processing by linking hundreds or thousands of processors to operate at the same time, or in parallel Each processor has its own bus, memory, disks, copy of the operating system, and applications
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Parallel Computing (continued)

Different approaches to achieving parallel computing
Single instruction/multiple data (SIMD) parallel processors Multiple instruction/multiple data (MIMD) parallel processors

Grid computing: use of a collection of computers, often owned by multiple individuals or organizations, to work in a coordinated manner to solve a common problem
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Secondary Storage
Compared with memory, offers the advantages of nonvolatility, greater capacity, and greater economy Access methods, storage capacities, and portability required are determined by the information system s objectives

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Access Methods
Sequential access: records must be retrieved in order
Devices used are called sequential access storage devices (SASDs)

Direct access: records can be retrieved in any order

Devices used are called direct access storage devices (DASDs)

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Devices
Magnetic tapes Magnetic disks RAID Virtual tape Optical disks

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Devices (continued)
Digital video disk (DVD) Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) Memory cards Flash memory

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Enterprise Storage Options

Attached storage Network-attached storage (NAS) Storage area network (SAN)

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Enterprise Storage Options (continued)

Figure 3.9: Storage Area Network

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Input and Output Devices: The Gateway to Computer Systems

Through input and output devices, people provide data and instructions to the computer and receive results from it Selection of input and output devices depends on organizational goals and IS objectives

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Characteristics and Functionality

Data can be human-readable or machinereadable Data entry: converts human-readable data into machine-readable form Data input: transfers machine-readable data into system Source data automation: capturing and editing data where the data is initially created and in a form that can be directly input to a computer
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Input Devices
Personal computer input devices
Keyboard Mouse

Speech-recognition technology Digital cameras Terminals

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Input Devices (continued)

Scanning devices Optical data readers Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) devices Magnetic stripe card Point-of-sale (POS) devices

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Input Devices (continued)

Automated teller machine (ATM) devices Pen input devices Touch-sensitive screens Bar-code scanners Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

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Output Devices
Display monitors Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) Printers and plotters Digital audio player

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Special-Purpose Input and Output Devices

Computer-based navigation systems Multiple function printers Eyebud screens

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Computer System Types, Selection, and Upgrading

Special-purpose computers: used for limited applications by military and scientific research groups General-purpose computers: used for a wide variety of applications

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Computer System Types

Handheld computers Portable computers Thin client Desktop computers

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Computer System Types (continued)

Workstations Servers Mainframe computers Supercomputers

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Selecting and Upgrading Computer Systems

Dispose of old equipment properly Consider factors such as speed, cost, and performance when upgrading
Hard drive Main memory Printer DVD burners

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Summary
Hardware: machinery that assists in the input, processing, storage, and output activities of an information system Hardware components: central processing unit (CPU), input and output devices, communications devices, primary storage devices, and secondary storage devices Random access memory (RAM): temporary and volatile ROM (read-only memory): nonvolatile
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Summary (continued)
Multiprocessing: simultaneous execution of two or more instructions at the same time Sequential access: records must be retrieved in order Direct access: records can be retrieved in any order Examples of secondary storage devices: magnetic tapes and disks, DVDs, memory cards, etc. Enterprise storage options: attached storage, network-attached storage (NAS), and storage area network (SAN)
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Summary (continued)
Examples of input devices: keyboards, mice, voice-recognition devices, terminals, scanning devices, and touch-sensitive screens Examples of output devices: display monitors, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), printers, and plotters Computers can be classified as either specialpurpose or general-purpose Computer system types: handheld computers, portable computers, desktop computers, workstations, servers, etc.
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