Information Technology Computers

Information Technology (IT): is a broad term which covers all aspects of the use
of computer technology. It is the technology that uses computing with a high speed
communication links to spread information from one place to another. It is a
technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store and communicate information.
It merges computing with high-speed communication links, carrying data, sound,
and video.

Communication Technology: it consists of electromagnetic/optical devices and

systems fir communicating over long distances.

Computer: a digital electronic device that receives, stores, and processes data to
produce results quickly. It also converts data into information.

Types of Computer 2. Digital Computer: comes with a

1. Analogue Computer: recognizes very fast, big memory which works
data as a continuous measurement with numbers, it breaks all types of
of a physical property. It has no state information into tiny units and use
and its output is usually displayed on numbers to represent those pieces
a meter or graphs. Ex: analogue of information. Everything in digital
clock, speed of car, thermometer (for computer is described in two states,
measuring temperature).
either ON (1) or OFF (0).


Computers for Individual Use

1. Desktop Computer (or Personal Computer ‘PC’): the most common type of
computer which sits on the desk or floor and are their cost has been fairly
steady. Performs a variety of tasks. Operating systems such as Linux and
Windows were designed specifically for PCs. A typical PC consists of a main
unit housing the CPU and disk drivers, a VDU (Video Display Unit), a keyboard,
and a mouse.

2. Workstation Computer: come with a large high-resolution graphics screen at

large amount of RAM, built-in network support, and a graphical user interface.
Specialized computers, optimized for science and graphics, and more powerful
than a desktop. Most of them have a mass storage device such as a disk drive,
but a special type of workstation comes without a disk drive is called Diskless
Workstation. The common operating systems for workstations are UNIX and
Windows NT. Starts at $1500 to $3000 for a high-end machine.

3. Notebook Computer (Laptop): (main future) small portable computers,

weights approximately between 1 to 4 kg. Screen size is about 8 by 17 inches.
Typically as powerful as desktop. The lid contains a screen. The keyboard is
build into the base. They make use of a touchpad instead of a mouse. Laptops
are similar to personal computers except that they comprise an integrated unit.
Commonly used by managers, students, and journalists.

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Information Technology Computers

4. Tablet Computer: newest development in portable computers. Input is through

a pen. Run specialized version of office products.

5. Handheld Computer (or PDA which stands for Personal Digital Assistant,
or Palmtop, Pocket Computer): very small computers. Note taking or contact
management. Data can synchronize with a desktop.PDAs were largely
discontinued in the early 2010s after the widespread adoption of highly capable
smartphones which use iOS and Android systems. Most of them are connected
to PCs so that data can be exchanged. A common future is synchronization,
where software on the PC automatically updates both the PC and PDA at the
same time. PDAs have much less storage capacity and are slower than
personal computers.

6. Smart Phone: hybrid of cell phone and PDA. Web surfing and email access.

Computers for Organizations

7. Network Computer (or client, dumb terminal): generalized powerful fairly
cheap desktops which provide access to a mainframe via network, and the
actual processing would be done on the mainframe. Multiple servers called
Server Farms. Their speed depend on:

a. The speed and capacity of the mainframe.

b. The speed of the network to which they are attached.

c. The number of users accessing the mainframe.

8. Mainframe: used in large organizations for large database systems such as the
accounts of a municipality or students records at a university. Users access
through a terminal. Mainframes have the largest capacity in terms of data
storage and processing speed. Can cost $75000.

9. Minicomputer (or midrange computer): powerful between mainframe and

desktop. Used in small organizations. Users access through a terminal.

10. Supercomputer: the most powerful computer made. Handle large and complex
calculations. Processes trillions of operations per second. Used in research
organizations.

Operating System (OS): is a program that installed on a computer to manage the

hardware and the software components. The three most common operating
systems for PCs are: Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS, and Linux. Modern
operating systems use a Graphical User Interface, or GUI (pronounced gooey). A
GUI lets you use your mouse to click icons, buttons, menus, and etc. Before GUIs,
computers had a command-line interface, which meant users had to type every
single command to the computer and the computer would only display text.


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Information Technology Hardware

Hardware: are the physical components of computer, such as keyboard, mouse,

monitor, cables, printer, power supply, memory, and CPU.

The important components (hardware) of computer system are:

1. System Board (Motherboard)

2. System Unit: It is a box that contains different components of a computer

system. All electronic components in the system unit are connected to
motherboard.

a) CPU (Central Processing Unit, Processor, Microprocessor): the brain of

computer. The performance of processor is measured in Giga Hertz (GHz),
number of cycles per second. CPU is made up of millions of electronic
components called transistors (active component of the CPU), capacitors,
and resistors. The word microprocessor comes from the combination micro
and processor, where micro means small in size and processor is a device
that process or manipulate numbers, specifically binary numbers. The model
of the CPU and its speed are the first factors that determine computer
performance. Consists of:

a. Control Unit (CU): manages the fetching and executing of programs

held in RAM.

b. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): performs +, -, *, and / calculations.

Makes AND, OR, NOT and IF decisions. Handles FOR, loop intils.

c. Registers (or Cache): storage locations on the processor chip for

storing instructions temporarily. Measured in mega bit. Cache is very
high speed memory that is used by the CPU in executing the individual
instructions of the program. It is used to hold items such as
instructions that are next in line to be executed and data that is likely to
be needed by the CPU.

b) Main Memory (primary memory): used to store programs and data.

Processor cannot store the whole program and needs its main memory to
store parts of the program.

a) RAM (random-access memory): is volatile memory. If a computer

does not have sufficient RAM, it has to make use of the hard disk to
store intermediate data that it would normally store in RAM. This is
referred to as virtual memory. Since hard disk access is much slower
than access to RAM, this will slow down the computer. The more RAM
a computer has, the less need there will be to make use of virtual
memory. There are two common types of RAM:

a. Static RAM (SRAM): a bit of data is stored using the state of flip-
flop. More expensive to produce. Faster and requires less power. It’s
often used as cache memory for the CPU.

b. Dynamic RAM (DRAM): a bit of data is stored using a transistor

and capacitor pair. Less expensive to produce than SRAM. It is
predominant form of computer memory.

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Information Technology Hardware

b) ROM (read-only memory): is non-volatile (permanent) memory,

meaning ROM stores data by permanently, such that memory cannot
be altered. ROM is a class of storage medium used in computers and
is mainly used to distribute firmware. BIOS (basic input & output) is the
most visible form of ROM which tells the CPU how to access hard
drive, video, and basic input devices. contains certain key routines
(small programs). One example, is the set of start- up routines. These
take control of the computer when you switch on and ensure that the
computer boots-up. Booting-up is the process of starting the computer
up so that it is able to load and run computer programs. Ex: floppy
disk, hard disk, CD-ROM.

3. Storage Devices (secondary memory): a storage device is a piece of

hardware that is used to store data permanently when the computer is turned
off. We require backing storage to store programs, because without backing
storage, all our data would be lost when the computer is turned off. Ex:
magnetic tape, floppy disk, hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and USB flash pen.

Storage Capacities
1 bit = ON of OFF
Bit = 0 & 1

8 bits = 1 byte
Nibble = 4 bits

1024 bytes = 1 Kbyte

Byte = 8 bits

1024 Kbyte = 1 Mbyte

Word = 2 byte (16 bits)

1024 Mbyte = 1 Gbyte

Double Word = 4 byte (32 bits)
1024 Gbyte = 1 Tbyte

Hard Disk: the hard disk is the component that stores data and programs even
after the computer has been switched off. It consists of a number of rotating
platters which are covered with a magnetic film. Information is stored using the
magnetic properties of the film. The platters rotate from between 5000 and 8000
rpm (rotate per minute) or faster. Heads are attached to the end of arms that are
able to move backwards and forwards across the surface. These heads move very
close to the surface, typically only a speck of smoke could fit between the head
and the surface. Because a hard drive is both mechanical and electronic in
construction, it’s called an electro-mechanical device.

Input Devices (Input Unit): the devices (or are the physical parts of a computer
system) that are used to enter data and instructions into the computers. Ex:
keyboard, graphic tablet, mouse, microphone, digital camera, digital video, camera,
webcam, trackball, trackpad, joystick, scanner…etc.

Output Devices (Output Unit): are used to display processed data to the user. Ex:
printer, monitor (VDU ‘video display unit’), plotter. A touchable screen is both input
and output like the screen of an iPad or Tablet.

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Information Technology Hardware

Peripheral devices: A computer system comprises (or including) the case which
houses the motherboard, CPU, hard drives, power supply and various other
components. Devices such as printers, monitor, keyboard and mouse which are
connected to the main unit by various types of cables and connectors are called
Peripheral Devices.

Graphics Cards: The graphics card is the unit that converts the signals from the
CPU into a form that can be displayed on the monitor. A good graphics card can
take over many of the tasks of the CPU in generating the output. This leaves the
CPU free to do other processing tasks. The quality of the graphics card is a key
factor in the performance of a computer, yet is one which is often overlooked.


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Information Technology Software

Software: a set of instruction that tells computer hardware what to do and how to
do its work.

Two main types of software:

1. System Software (Operating Systems): controls the operations of computer.
Examples: Windows, MacOS, iOS…etc. OS provide a basis for applications.

2. Application Software: such as Microsoft Word, powerpoint, excel, which

perform several tasks for benefiting user.

Application: any program designed to assist in the performance of a specific task.

Programs: are a set of instructions that the computer obeys.

Dukan Technical Institute

Information Technology Department
Prepared by Aland Kawa Ali