IT Operations - Information Systems Hardware

Question 1

Hardware

Answer 1

1) CPU - Control center of computer system; 3 principal components -
A) Control Unit - Interprets program instructions
B) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) - Performs arithmetic calculations
C) Primary Storage (main memory) - Stores programs and data - 2 main parts
Y) Random access memory (RAM) - stores data temporarily while it is in process
Z) Read-only memory (ROM) - semi-permanent data store for instructions closely linked to hardware HARD TO CHANGE

2) Secondary Storage Devices - Provide permanent storage for programs and data; can be offline or online

Question 2

Secondary Storage

Answer 2

1) Magnetic disks - random access devices - data can be stored on and retrieved from the disk in any order
2) Magneti tape - sequential access drive: data stored in order of primary record key (document number, customer number) and retrieved sequentially; used in DATA ARCHIVES
3) optical disks - Laser tech to burn data on disk; random access drives and more stable than magnetic disks
4) flash drives similar to RAM

Question 3

Peripherals

Answer 3

Devices that transfer data to or from CPU (I/O devices)

1) input dvices
2) output devices (printers, monitors)

Question 4

Common types o computers

Answer 4

Computers often categorized according to their processing capacity and use

1) supercomputer - leading edge of processing capacity; definition is constantly changing
2) mainframe computers- used by commercial organizations to support mission critical tasks such as sales and order processing. Support thousands of simultaneous users
3) servers - “serve” thousands of users on a client/server computer network; kind of similar to mainframe by slower and cost less
4) PC
5) thin client computers - computers with minimal capabilities
6) laptop
7) mobile computing device