Basic Components and Trends Flashcards
where symbols, characters and numbers are manipulated
processor
stores the address of the current (or next) instruction
program counter
stores the instruction that is being (or about to be) executed
instruction register
will read the instruction from the instruction register and turn other components on/off to execute the instruction
control unit
performs arithmetic and logic operations, based on commands given by the control unit
arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
consist of small temporary fast storage. Data comes from or gets stored here before/after being processed by the ALU
register
store recently used data and instructions for quick access
caches
stores data that you are actively using (like open files or programs)
RAM
_______ of a processor measures how many bits it can transfer or manipulate in parallel
word size
acts like a separate processor but may share some resources
core
where data and program instructions are stored temporarily during processing; composed of registers, caches, and RAM; faster, expensive, volatile
main memory
where programs or files are stored when they are not being used; slower and cheaper than main memory; non-volatile; examples: HDD, SSD, CD, DVD etc.
secondary memory
platers with magnetic coating, actuator arm positions a read/write head; magnetic field writes 0’s and 1’s; cheap way to store lots of data
hard disk drive (HDD)
uses electric circuits; faster than HDDs and last longer; more expensive and limited number of writes (endurance)
solid state drive (SSD)
combine smaller SSDs with larger HDDs (move common files from HDD to SSD for speed)
hybrid drives
use a laser and mirror; how light is reflected represents 0s or 1s; slower and has less capacity than a hard drive, but they are cheap and durable
optical drive
64 bit processors designed to work with software compatible with older 32-bit versions
backwards compatibility
computers will request and use services provided by servers; typically inexpensive
client
computers will run an application and provide it to others over a network; typically more expensive
server
another flavour of client/server model; every machine consumes and provides services at the same time; decentralized; each device acts as a client and a server at the same time; eg: torrenting
peer-to-peer
5 drivers of technology
moore’s law; law of mass digital storage; metcalfe’s law; declining communication costs; creation of technology standards
the number of transistors on a single chip doubles every 2 years; means processing power and computing power doubles every 2 years
moore’s law
amount of digital information is doubling every year; storage capacity is growing exponentially; cheaper to store more data
drivers of technology
law of mass digital storage
the financial value of a network grows exponentially as more members are added
metcalfe’s law
communication costs going down means there’s more reliance on it to conduct business
Drivers of technology
declining communication costs
common language for interoperability, consistency, and quality; enables competition and reduces costs
creation of technology standards
can be used to improve hard drive performance; involves using multiple hard drives together to achieve improvements in reliability, availability, performance, and capacity
RAID
where we split a file into small blocks, and store some on one hard drive and some on another; increased performance since more data can be read simultaneously; decreased reliability since if one HDD fails, all files become corrupted
RAID 0 (disk striping)
when the same data is stored on multiple disks; increased reliability and read performance since there are multiple copies; decreased capacity
RAID 1 (disk mirroring)
a single bit added to the end of a binary string; used to detect errors with RAID; odd/even parity: adds 1s at the end to make number of 1s odd/even
parity bit
group of computers linked together to share data or resources
network
connect devices by sharing data with all devices
hubs
split the network into 2 segments and receiving data can only cross if it is intended for a device on the other side
bridge
can send data only to the intended recipient
switch
connect multiple networks together
router
converts data from your ISP into a format your computer can understand
modem
prevents outsides from obtaining unauthorized access to your network
firewall
using a network of computers to mimic a supercomputer; works because processors are idle for most of the time; tasks can be broken down into smaller, independent subtasks that can be run on multiple processors simultaneously; does not always work
grid computing
creating a virtual version that acts like the actual version of something; like making one device look like many; many like one; one to one
virtualization
accessing a shared pool of resources (either hardware or software) through the internet
cloud computing
states that organizations pay beyond the initial purchase price of an asset and that there are various other costs that go into operating or maintaining it
total cost of ownership (TCO)
are things the company is explicitly paying for, like paying for hardware, software, internet, support, training
direct costs
are things the company is implicitly paying for due to lost productivity, like downtime, poorly trained users and staff, user mistakes, using a computer for non-business purposes, etc.
indirect costs
