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Technological University of the Philippines at Cavite

Computer Engineering Technology

IT 222
Computer System Organization
Lecture Notes, 2007
Computer Systems

Introduction and Overview of the


subject
Basic Concepts Outline.

 What is a computer?

 Components of a computer system

 History and evolution of computing devices

 Classes of computer

 Ref: Ch 2. Burd., Chp 1 Englander


What is a computer?

 Computer – a device that can accept numeric inputs, perform


computational functions (eg add, compare) and
communicate results.

 For our purpose, a computer differs from other electronic


computation devices (eg microwave oven) by characteristics
including :

 General-purpose processor
(can execute many different functions)

 Large storage capacity


(short and long term storage of programs and data)

 Flexible communication capacity


(both with external devices and internal components)
Components of a computer system

Hardware
 Central Processing Unit (CPU)

 Memory (Storage)

 Input and Output Devices

Software

Data
Components of a computer system

Computer hardware provides the physical


mechanisms to process, store, and input /output
data. Includes CPU, memory, I/O devices

Software provides instructions to tell the hardware


what tasks to perform. It includes system (eg
Windows XP) and application (eg Excel) software

Data in the computer may be representing


numbers, characters, graphics etc but is always
kept in a form that the hardware and software can
manipulate.
Hardware- the CPU

CPU performs actual processing of data, according


to instructions from programs.

Data and programs are stored in primary and


secondary memory, and moved to and from CPU as
required.

 Signals representing data and instructions travel


between system components along electronic
pathways, called buses. Capacity of bus is critical
to system performance.
Computer Hardware
Hardware - The Processor

 The CPU is a general purpose processor that performs data


manipulation and/or transformation functions including
computations, comparisons and data movement.

 The CPU consists of 3 main parts:

 ALU - where arithmetic and logical operations performed

 Control Unit - controls data movement and execution of


instructions

 Registers - small high speed storage areas


Computer Hardware
Hardware - memory

Memory - Purpose of memory is data storage.

Two major types of memory :

Primary memory - to hold data and instructions


during processing (eg RAM). Relatively limited
capacity and volatile

Secondary memory – to provide permanent long


term storage (eg hard disk). High capacity and
non-volatile
Hardware- memory

Digital computers deal with data in binary form - all


data is represented using just two digits - 1 or 0.
Letters and other symbols are assigned unique
binary codes.

Primary memory consists of a set of locations


defined by sequentially numbered addresses.
Each location contains a binary number that can be
interpreted as data or an instruction.
 Memory locations
are called words.
Words are 8 bits (one
byte) in size, or a 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
multiple of 8. Common
word sizes are 16, 32 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1
and 64 bits.
2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1

4 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0

5 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

Memory locations, using an 8 bit word


Hardware - memory

Memory is commonly measured in multiples of bits


and bytes.

 1 bit = 1 binary digit (0 or 1).

 1 byte = 8 bits

 1KB = 1024 bytes = 210

 1MB = 1024 KB= 220

 1GB = 1024 MB = 230

 1TB = 1024 GB = 240


Hardware - memory

Secondary storage consists of non-volatile high-


capacity devices to store programs and data not
currently required by CPU.

Hard and floppy disks, and tapes store data as


magnetized spots.

 CD’s and DVD’s store data as pits or surface


marks detectable by laser light.
Hardware – I/O

Input Devices collect & translate raw data into form


usable by computer. e.g keyboard accepts letters
and numbers and converts them to a binary code
such as Unicode.

Output devices produce results in usable form for


user (or another device). e.g. monitor converts
binary codes to characters and images, whilst
modem converts digital data to analog form for
transmission over telephone lines.
I/O Hardware
Basic concepts - Software

Software translates user’s needs into computer


instructions.

Two basic types of software :

System software. Most common type is operating


system eg.Unix, Windows. Also includes
other specialized software such as compilers,
debuggers etc.

Application software is a set of programs written to


solve a specific problem, such as spreadsheets,
database management, desk top publishing.
The Role of Software
Operating System Functions

Program storage, loading and execution

File manipulation and access

Secondary storage management

Network and interactive user interfaces


Basic concepts - communication

Most modern computers no longer operate in


isolation - they connect to other computers via
modem or a network.

To enable this communication, specialized


hardware and software must be added to
computers.

In combination with other devices such as


telephones, cabling, satellites, microwaves etc. , a
communications network is created
Inside the system unit

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