Hardware and

Software systems
Lesson 2. Computer hardware
Computer Machine that uses electronic components and instructions to the component to perform
calculations and repetitive and complex procedures, process texts, and manipulate data and signals

Computer Hardware

 All of the physical components of the machine

itself

 Example:

 Electronic circuits

 Microchips

 Processors Motherboard

 Keyboard
 Computer Hardware Fundamentals
Motherboard
1. Motherboard
 Thin, flat sheet made of a firm, non-conducting material on which the internal components
(printed circuits, chips, slots, etc.) of the computer is mounted.

1. Central Processing Unit (CPU)

 Brains of the computer.
 Consist of at least one arithmetic and logic unit, a control unit, and memory
Parts of the CPU
A. Arithmetic and Logic Unit
 Control mathematic functions and functions that test logic conditions.
B. Control Unit
 Carries out the machine language functions called fetch, execute, decode, and store.
 Computer Hardware Fundamentals
C. Memory

 Includes the locations of computer’s internal and main working storage

Types of Memory:

a. Read Only Memory b. Random Access Memory

 Permanent storage.  Working Memory
 Data and programs can only be read by the  Changeable and Temporary
computer.
 Can be accessed, used, changed and written
 Cannot be erased or altered. on repeatedly.
 Generally, contains the programs  Contains application.
(firmware).
 Lost when computer is turned off.
 Not erased when computer is turned off.
Computer Hardware Fundamentals
3. Input Device

Allow the computer to receive information from the outside world.

A. Mouse

 Handa controlled mechanical device that electronically instructs the cursor to move across
the video display screen.

B. Keyboard

 Most common input device.

 Similar to keyboard of typewriter.

C. Touchscreen

 Involve use of a special filter on a monitor screen that allows the screen to sense the
pressure of the user’s finger on a particular position on the screen.
 D. Light Pen

 Photosensitive device that responds to light images when placed against a monitor screen.

E. Optical Character Recognition

 Specialized computer input medium that allows data to be read directly from a form or
document.

F. Voice/Speech Synthesizer

Allows user to input data into the computer by speaking into a connected microphone.
4. Output Device

 Allows the computer to report its result to the external world.

Output Devices:

A. Monitor

 Display screen component of a terminal that allows the user to see images, programs,
commands the user sends to the computer, and results of computer’s work (output).

B. Printer

 Most important output device.

 Converts information produced by the computer system into printed form, rendering data in
the binary code into readable English.
5. Storage Device

 Includes the main memory but also the external devices on which the programs and data are stored.

A. Hard Drive

 Peripheral that has a very high speed and high density.

 It is a very fast means of storing and retrieving data as well as having a large storage capacity.

B. Diskettes

 Allows input and output from a diskette, which is a round magnetic disk encased in a flexible or rigid case.

 Allows the user to transport data and programs from one computer to another.

C. CD ROM

 A rigid disk that holds a much higher density of information than a diskette and has a much higher speed.

D. USB Disk

 Form of a small, removable hard drive that is inserted into the port of the computer.
 Basic Computer Hardware

1. Network

 A set of cooperative interconnected computers for the purpose of information interchange.

A. LAN

 Usually supports the interconnected computer needs of a single company or agency.

 Computers are physically close to each other and members of the company have legitimate
access.

B. WAN

 Supports geographically dispersed facilities.

 Subset include MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), that support interconnected buildings like
university.
 Component of Computer Hardware

1. Network Hardware

 Provide interconnection between computers

Parts of Network Hardware:

A. Network adapter or Network interface card

 Computer circuit or card that installed in a computer so that it will be connected to a

network.

 Provide a dedicated full-time connection to a network.

 Most commonly used is Ethernet card,

 Component of Computer Hardware

B. Communication Medium (Cabling)

 Means by which actual transfer of data from one site to another takes place.

 Examples: twisted pair cable, coaxial cable, fiber-optics, telephone lines, satellites,
compressed video.

C. Telephone Line Communications

 ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)

 Used to carry communications across phone lines

 Set of communication standards for optical fibers that carry voice, digital, video signals
across phone lines.
 Component of Computer Hardware

2. Bandwidth

 Controls how fast the signals can be transmitted across phone lines.

 Measured in Mbps

A. DS0 (digital standard-zeroth level)

 The first one used

 That transmitted at 64 kilobytes per second.

B. T-Lines

 Replace DS0

 Used to handle the high speed transmission needed for network communications
 Servers

 Computer program that provides to other computer programs in the same computer or in
other networks.

Client-server approach

 One computer is the core or server computer that receives requests from the client computer
and fulfills those requests.

Architecture

 Refers to overall physical structure, peripherals, interconnections within the computer, and its
software system.

 Refers to how communication among the various computers in the network is accomplished.
 Types of Computer Subsystem:
1. Broadcast

 Communication is done by transmitting the same information to all computers in the network
that are expected to respond to it.

 Typically used in LANs

2. Point-to-Point

 Used in dial up networking.

Topology

 Defines how the network computers in LAN are interconnected within a physical area and
describes their physical interconnection.
 Types of Topologies
1. Bus

 Network topology or circuit arrangement in which all the node computers are directly attached to
a line.

 Expansion slot on mother board.

 Types of Topologies
2. Star

 Centralized structure where all computers are connected through central computer (server)
 Types of Topologies
3. Ring

 Connection with wires or cables that directly connected to computers together.

 Computer software and systems

Computer Software

 Instructions that direct the computer’s hardware to perform work.

Purposes:

 Computers do not directly understand human language and software is needed to translate
instructions created into human language into machine language.

 Needed to make the computer an economical work tool.

Types of Software

1. System Software

Consists of variety of programs that initialize or boot up computer when it first turned on and
thereafter control all functions of the computer hardware and application hardware.
 Computer software and systems

Types of Software

A. Basic Input Output System (BIOS)

 First level of system control

 Consist of set of instructions permanently burned onto computer chip and is truly a combination
of software and hardware.

B. Operating System

 Actual software, loaded from the hard drive into RAM as soon as the computer is turned on.

 OS can be upgraded or completely changed without changing the hardware chip.

 Manages the interface to peripheral hardware, schedule tasks, allocates storage in memory and
on disks, and provides an interface between the machine and the user.

Example: Windows 7, Linux

 Computer software and systems

User Interfaces

1. Disk Operating System (DOS)

 Presents a blank screen to the user and the user submits typed commands.

 First designed for mainframe computers and replicated the procedure programmers and under manual
OSs.

2. Graphical User Interface

 Computer for everybody and PC market exploded.

 Supports use of graphic images called icons to represent commands to the computer.

 Support the operation of menus.

Example: Macintosh by Steve Jobs

 User Interfaces

3. Utility Programs

 Designed to enhance the functions of OS or perhaps to add facilities that basic OS does not offer

A. Language Translation Utilities

 Convert instructions written in English-like language into binary

 Also known as assemblers, compilers, interpreters

B. Worldwide Web (www)

 Network system utility program for the Internet.

 Provides a protocol for documents across the Internet

C. Web Browser

 Utility program that allows the user to access the Web and the material available through the
web.

Example: Opera, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer

 Application Software

 Includes the various programs people use to do work, process data, play games, communicate
with others, or watch multimedia programs on a computer.

Common Software Useful To Nurses

1. Admission Discharge Transfer (ADT) system

2. Medication Administration Record (MAR) Software,

3. Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE)