1.5 Components of a Computer System Flashcards
Components of a computer system (5)
(1) computer hardware
(2) software
(3) peripheral device
(4) computer network
(5) human resources
what is computer hardware
the physical elements of a computer
example of computer hardware
- screen
- CPU
what is software
a series of instructions that can be understood by a CPU
what can instructions in software do?
guide the CPU to perform specific operations
what is software compromised of?
programs and data
what is a peripheral device
any auxiliary device that can communicate and work with a computer
what does auxiliary mean
providing additional help and support
examples of peripheral devices
- input/output devices
- printers
what is a computer network
a set of computer systems that are interconnected and share resources and data
examples of computer networks
- Local Area Network (LAN)
- Wide Area Network (WAN)
what are human resources
people who are used of could be used in an organization, business or economy
roles of a computer in a networked world (8)
being a/an…
(1) dumb terminal
(2) thin client
(3) client
(4) email server
(5) router
(6) Domain Name System
(7) firewall
(8) Client-server
what is a dumb terminal
a device that usually consists of a keyboard, a monitor an a network card that is connected to a server or a powerful computer
how independent is a dumb terminal?
not at all - it depends entirely on the computer that they are connected to
what do dumb terminals rely on the computer they are connected to for?
- computations
- data managements
- data processing
example of where you would find a dumb terminal
an office building
what is a thin client?
a relatively low performance terminal
how independent is a thin client?
not very - it heavily, but not entirely, depends on the server that it is connected to
what is a client? (i.e. normal computer)
an average computer terminal (dumb terminal or thin client) used to access a computer-based system
logic behind computers (clients) and dumb terminals
you can make a computer into a dumb terminal but not a dumb terminal into a client
what does an email server do? (3)
(1) manages the flow of email in and out of the network
(2) checks that an email address is valid
(3) allows users to access their email
process of an email server
receive –> process –> save –> send out
what is a router?
a networking device
what does a router do?
(1) accepts incoming data packets
(2) reads the destination address of a data packet
(3) distributes data packets across networks
this is all done according to a routing table or routing policy (routing based policy)
example of a router
a wifi router
what does DNS server stand for?
Domain Name System server
what does DNS server do?
(1) attributes names to network addresses
(2) allows you to type names into the address bar of your web and automatically finds that address on the internet
analogy of what DNS sever is
the address book of the internet
how long does it take to update addresses in a DNA server?
around 24 hours
what is a firewall
a hardware or software network infrastructure that controls data flow access among network entities
what does the ideal firewall configuration consist of?
both hardware and software components
what is a client-server?
a software network architecture system where clients request information and servers perform tasks in order to provide the information
main difference between server and clients
servers: share their resources
clients: does NOT share their resources
example of server-client servers
- DNS server
- web browser
-web server
