Coláiste Chiaráin IC3 Notes

Coláiste Chiaráin

IC3 Textbook

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 Coláiste Chiaráin IC3 Notes

Section 1: Types of Computers

1. Supercomputer: Extremely large and powerful computer.

It is used for complex tasks (e.g weather prediction).
Custom software is used. Cost millions so limited to large companies and
governments.

2. Mainframe Computer: Very large computer designed to process many things at

once.
They are used by banks governments. Used for ticketing and databases.
Sometimes called centralised systems because smaller computers called
terminals
can be connected to the mainframe.

Centralised systems can be cheaper for companies because they only need

to secure and maintain one computer.

An ATM is an example of a terminal connected to a mainframe.

3. Network Servers: Computers that manage, support and control networks

The school has a number of servers in the server rack in the red carpet area.
Each server performs a set tasks (e.g. a mailserver, webserver, domain
controller (handles logons), fileserver (shares folders e.g. your u: drive).

4. Personal Computer: Designed to be used by one person.

The most common are desktop computers (e.g. the computers in the labs).
Desktop computers are sometimes called microcomputers.
The advantages of desktops over laptops etc. are that they are cheaper and more
powerful

PC Vs MAC: Most personal computer use the Windows operating system.

Apple manufacture a computer called the Macintosh.
The Apple Mac is popular with graphic artists, musicians, video editing, desktop
publising etc.

5. Laptop / Notebook: A Portable computer similar to a desktop.

It is very compact and runs off a battery. Advantage: portability.
A tablet pc is a laptop with a touch screen or stylus pen that can recognised text
you write.

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6. Netbook: Extremely light and portable laptop, usually with a 10” or smaller screen
and no CD Drive.
Other types of small laptops are Palmtops and Ultra Mobile Computers.

7. PDA (Personal Digital Assistant): A small handheld computer used with a pen
called a
stylus. Modern phones with PDA software (windows mobile etc) are called
smartphones.

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Section 2: Computer System / Hardware

1. A computer system involved getting information in, storing it and working on it and
producing an output:
Input Process Output

Storag
e
2. A computer system is composed of you (the user), hardware (the physical parts you can
see and touch).
And software (instruction code which performs tasks).

3. The system unit contains most of the computer hardware. System

Hardware can be internal (inside the system unit) or Monito
Unit
r
external (outside the system unit).
External hardware items are also called peripherals.
Mouse
Keyboar
d
4. Inside the system unit is the motherboard.
The motherboard ties all the other components (parts) together.

IDE
5. The motherboard contains buses which carries data around.
Connectors

Ram Slots
6. Motherboard Features: PCI Expansion
IDE connectors are used to connect internal
CPU & FAN Slots
devices such as hard drives and CD Drives.
Newer machines use a similar but smaller
connector called SATA. Input / Output
RAM slots hold the memory. Ports
There is a socket for the CPU.
There are ports for input an output devices.
PCI Expansion slots allow users to add more internal
devices such as modems etc.

7. Central Processing Unit:

This is the ‘brain’ of the computer. It carries out calculations and executes instructions.
The speed is measured in hertz. Modern processors run at around 2 Gigahertz.
The central processing unit is made up of the control unit (handles instructions) the
algebraic and logic unit (maths and logic) and the floating point unit (maths functions).
Upgrading the CPU can improve the performance of your PC.

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8. Power Supply: Converts AC power from the wall to DC power for the internal
components.

9. Expansion Cards: Circuit boards that can be add to the system by plugging them into
the PCI expansion slots.

10. Hard Drive: long term storage for your files

11. Memory: Working area for your computer to store what is being processed.

12. Battery: There is a small battery on the motherboard to power the system clock.

Section 3: Memory

1. Binary: All information stored on a computer is made up from combinations of 1

and 0.

Because there are two digits in the system we call it Binary. Each 1 or 0 is called
a bit (binary digit).

2. To make meaningful information bits are put in groups of 8. For example the letter
a in binary is 01100001. Groups of eight bits are called bytes. Bytes can be used
to make music, pictures, text and software.

3. It takes a lot of bytes to make up complex files.

Both memory and hard drive storage capacity are measured in Bytes:
1024 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte. 1024 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte.
1024 Megabytes = 1 gigabyte. 1024 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte.

4. RAM (Random Access Memory) is where the computer stores information

currently being processed. RAM uses electricity charges to store information.
RAM is volatile which means the information in memory is lost when
the computer is shut down or looses power. The amount of memory in a
modern computer ranges from 512 Megabytes to 4 Gigabytes.

Adding RAM to your computer can make it go faster or run more programs at
once.

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5. ROM (Read Only Memory) a memory chip build onto the motherboard that
starts the computer checks ram and loads the operating system. The contents
of ROM cannot be changed easily hence the term READ ONLY. The contents of
ROM are not lost when the computer is switched off.

6. Cache is an area of fast memory used by the processor. It stores common

instructions and can preload upcoming instructions.

7. Virtual Memory: If you are running low on memory your computer will try to
use the hard drive as temporary menu. It creates a page file to use. Virtual
memory is much slower than RAM.
If your hard drive runs out of virtual memory your computer may have problems.

8. Video Memory: Computing video output for games and software can be
complicated. Computers often have separate memory chips on the video card.
In lower end systems the system memory is shared with the video card.

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Section 4: Storage

1. Memory is used for files that are currently being worked on. Storage is the term used for
when files need to be held for longer.

2. Hard Drive Storage: The hard drive is used for long term permanent storage.
Information on the Hard Drive is stored magnetically on metal disks called platters.
A read/write head writes and erases information.
Information will remain even when the computer is shut down (non-volatile).

3. Modern hard drives store about 120 GB to 1 TB.

4. Over time information can get split up and spread around the disk. Defragmenting the
disk will join together split files and make your system run faster.

5. Removable Storage is any storage device that can be removed from the computer.
Examples include usb memory stick, cds, floppy disks etc.

Storage Capacity Technology Writeable? Speed Reliable

Device
Floppy Disk 1.44 MB Magnetic Yes Very Slow No
Zip disk 100MB – Magnetic Yes Slow Yes
700MB
CD ROM 700MB Optical No Medium Yes
CDR / CDRW 700MB Optical Yes Medium Yes
DVD ROM 4.7GB Optical No Medium Yes
Memory Stick 512 MB – 32 Sold State Yes Fast Yes
GB
Internal HDD 80GB – 1TB Magnetic Yes Very Fast Yes
External HDD 80GB – 1TB Magnetic Yes Very Fast Yes
Tape Drives 80GB – 1TB Optical Yes Slow Yes

Section 5: Computer Specifications and Performance

All the items discussed in the previous two sections affect computer speed. When buying
a computer it is important to look at the specifications. Match the computer to the needs
of the user and get a good warranty. A typical specification sheet will include processor,
memory and hardware details:

Dell Dimesion 4500 (Model and Manufacturer)

Windows Vista (Operating System)
Intel Core Duo 2.4 GHz (Processor name and speed)
3 GB RAM (System Memory)
320 GB Storage (Hard Disk Size)
GeForce 48000 (Graphics Card)
3 Year Warranty (Warranty cover)

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If you have an older machine you may improve the speed by removing old programs,
defragmenting your disks, adding more RAM or upgrading to a faster/bigger hard drive.

Other considerations when buying a computer are what software it comes with (Office –
Word etc does not automatically come free). Also if you have old equimpment you need to
check if it will be be compatible (will work with) your new computer.

It is important to know the specifications of you computer when buying software,

in order to check if your computer is powerful enough to run it.

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Section 6: Ports / Input & output
1. External devices are connected via ports. May older ports have been
replaced by the Universal Serial Bus (USB)

2. Input devices are used to enter information into the computer

output devices

3. The most common input devices are the keyboard and mouse.

4. Other common input devices include:

Microphone: Inputs sounds into the computer.
Microphones are used for voice recognition where people can control
the computer by speaking commands.
Digital Camera / Scanner: Input images into the computer. SCSI
Barcode Reader: Reads barcodes
Trackball: Like an upside-down mouse often used by people with impaired movement.
Graphics Tablet: A pen and slate for digitising text.
Optical Character Recognition: Where boxes are ticked and read into a computer
(e.g. Lotto machines)

5. Common output devices:

Monitors: Output the video display

• The size of the screen is measured diagonally in inches

(e.g. 15”)

• The refresh rate is measured in Htz and refers to how quick the image on
the screen is drawn.

• Older monitors used big tubes called Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT)

• Newer monitors use Liquid Crystal Display (allowing for flat TVs)

• The image on the screen is made of tiny squares called pixels (picture
elements).

• The more pixels the screen has the more detailed an image it can display.
Common resolutions are: VGA (640 X 480), SVGA (800 x 600), XGA (1024 X
768). Multiply the numbers out to get the total number of pixels i.e. 1024 x
768 = 786432 pixels which is .8 of a megapixel.

Speakers: Output sound

Printer: Outputs printed pages.

• Dot Matrix: Older, slow, noisy, uses metal pins, still used for duplicate
receipts.

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• Inkjet: Good quality, colour printers. Cheap to buy printer but expensive ink.

• Laser: Expensive to buy initially but lower running costs.

• Plotter: Uses a pen to draw large format prints (maps etc).

• All in One: A printer/scanner/copier in one device.

6. Device Drivers: A lot of hardware requires an extra piece of software to be installed to

work with a computer. This software is called a device driver and usually comes on a
disk or can be downloaded from the web.

7. Incompatible: Not all hardware works with every computer. If there is no device drivers
available for your computer system then the device will not work and is said to be
incompatible.

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Section 7: Computer Software

1. Software programs are instructions run on computers to perform various tasks.

2. Software programs are stored on the Hard Drive and must be loaded into the memory to
run.

3. Software programs are created by Programmers. As part of the software design

cycle. Test version of software are often given to customers. These are called Alpha and
Beta versions. Using test software helps with debugging (removing errors or ‘bugs’ in
the system).

4. Software programs often have problems even after release. Updates are often set via the
web. If there are major problems then a patch or fix will be
released to fix the problem code.

5. Software can go out of date. There can be many versions of

a software programme.
Versions are usually denoted by version number, name or year e.g. (Word 2007,
Photoshop CS3).

6. Upgrading to a new version can cause problems. If the new version of the software can
open files created by previous versions it is said to be backwards compatible. New
software may conflict with other programmes on your computer and cause problems.
Before upgrading you must consider:

a. Is your computer powerful enough to run the new version (check

specifications).

b. Do you need the new features – do they justify the cost.

c. Will your old files work, will you have to convert / transfer data.

d. Do you need training / who will be affected by the change.

7. The Operating System is the most important piece of software run on a computer. It
controls the hardware and allows the user to run other software code. There are a number
of different operating system available:

8. DOS (Disk Operating System). Commands are typed into a

prompt. This type of operating is known as a command line
interface. There are now icons or windows. DOS was used before
windows was invented and is still used today by specialist
programmers. The advantages are that it is quick and uses very
little system resources. A disadvantage is that you must know the commands.

9. Windows: The most common operating system. There are a number of

different versions (98, 2000, XP Vista). There are also different

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flavours (Basic, home professional) offering different features. Windows is
described as a Graphical User Interface because it uses pictures (graphics) to help
you (user) to control the computer (interface).
Another term for this type of GUI is WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer)
The main advantage of GUIs is that they are easy to use and require very little
training. Another term used is WYSISYG (What you see is what you get) because
when you print etc the output will look the same as it did on the screen.

10. MAC OS: The apple Macintosh computers use a customised

operating system.
It is designed to be very easy to use. You can only get this
operating system on a mac, unlike Windows that you can put on
any computer that is compatible.

11. UINX/LINUX are free operating systems developed by its users. While it is getting
easier to use it is still used mainly by computer experts. Linux uses a combination of
typed commands and a graphical user interface.

12.Application Software: Is software that runs on the OS and performs tasks

(word processors spreadsheets etc. Utility Software: is used to maintain the
system (Antivurs, System Cleaner) etc.

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Section 8: Networks (also relevant to Living Online)

1. Computer Network: Computers linked together. Sometimes called centralised
systems.

2. Can be a combination of hardware and operating systems: PDAs, Desktops, Linux, Mac,
Windows, Printers.

3. Requires a Network Interface either via a network interface card or a wireless

network card on each machine one the network.

4. Servers are used to organis and control the flow of data. Clients (also known as
Terminals) are used to access the data. There are smart terminals (that can perform tasks
on their own and access the network when needed) and dumb terminals (that require
network access to function).

5. Some networks do not have servers, these are called peer to peer because all
computers are of equal importance.

6. Networks are designated by the area they cover.

A LAN (local area network) is limited to one building in an organisation. The school has
LAN.
A WAN (wide area network) covers great distances. The Internet is an example of a
WAN.
A MAN (metropolitan area network) covers an entire city.
A PAN (personal area network) connects devices around an individual person (ie. Phone
and laptop)
A HAN (home area network) covers one house.

7. Advantages of a network / centralised system:

Easier to maintain looking after a small number severs instead of many clients.
Easier to back up (one server)
Controlled access: Users must have log ons and passwords
Share resources: Printers etc. can be shared easily.
Data Sharing: Files and folders can be shared across the network.
Load Sharing: Complex tasks can be processed by a number of machines together.

8. Disadvantage:
Networking experts may be required to set up / maintain network.
Network could expose sensitive data to hacking or viruses.

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9. Intranet: A private network for use within a company.

A Virtual Private Network can be used to access the intranet from outside the
company’s location.

10. Network Drives: Storage areas on a server that you can map and use on your own PC.
(EG Virtual-Classroom, Virtual-Homework).

11. Network Topology: The design of the network:

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Exam 3 - Living Online: Section 8: Networks

1. Protocol: Rules that control type of cables, interface cards and electrical signal formats.

a. Transport Protocols: control how computers send, check, and route (address)
data.

b. Application Protocols: control how one computer communicates with

programs on another.

2. Peer to Peer networks: Cheap & easy to set up. Ideal for home and small office. All
computers equal.

3. Client – Server Network: A dedicated server controls network traffic and managing
resources. Advantages:
a. Better performance and security.
b. Server can control who can access and when.
c. Called central server as files are stored here.
d. Can be any type of computer with server software installed.
e. Users must be clearly identified with access rights (user name and password).
f. Client can be any type of computer with network card and appropriate software
to connect.

4. Types of cable to connect to a network include:

a. Coaxial: Television style cable with center wire surrounded by braided wire.
b. Fibre Optics: Made of glass or plastic fibres. Very fast connection.
c. Cat(egory) 5/6: Most common networking cable, as used in the school.
i. Cat 5 = 100 MBit/s Cat 6 = 1000MBit/s
d. Wireless: Radio frequency used to transmit data. Letters for different speeds:
i. B = 11 MBit/s G = 54 MBit/s N = 600 MBit/s

5. On your PC you will need a Network Interface Card (NIC).

a. Most modern PCs have a network port built into the motherboard.
b. Most modern laptops have both wireless and wired network cards built in.
c. To connect to a wireless network you may need the Wireless Encryption
Password (WEP).
d. Network cards have unique numbers called MAC addresses.

6. Hubs/Switches/Routers:
a. Hubs are devices that connect computers together.
b. A switch is a smarter version of a hub that allows for faster data transfer.
c. A router is a device that allows a number of computers to share an internet
connection.
i. If you have broadband at home you will probably have a wired or
wireless router.

7. Firewall: Can be software or hardware. It filters data coming in and out of a network.
a. It prevents a network from external attack.

8. Advantages of a network: Communication and sharing of hardware and software.

a. Does not make your pc faster or more powerful.
b. Communication – network users send information electronically.

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c. Messages stored on network so they are not lost if recipient is not available.

9. Types of servers:
a. Domain Controller: Handles user and computer accounts.
b. File server: Used for back up and storing files on network (u: drive etc)
c. Web sever: Holds web pages. Database server: stores databases.
d. Mail server: stores and routes (directs) email

10. Disadvantages of Networking:

a. Loss of autonomy and privacy. Risk of hacking & virus. Worm virus targets
servers.
b. Avoid viruses: be careful what links and email attachments you open. Update
antivirus software.

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The Internet
1. A world wide network of networks. Can be connected to via the phone line (modem or
broadband) as well as other options (wireless, television cable etc).

2. Each country has a network that conforms to international standards. Protocol is

TCP/IP.

3. To access the Internet you need an Internet Service Provider. Eircom, Vodafone etc
are examples of ISPs.

4. To connect to an ISP via the phone line you need a modem. If the connection is
broadband you will need a network card (wired or wireless). Depending on the
connection you may need cables and a router.

5. Selecting an ISP: Make sure you have suitable hardware. Look at packages available
cost and what’s on offer? Will there be good support? Is the connection fast in your
area.

6. Dial up: A phone line. Modem needed. Low bandwidth (33 – 56 kbps). Charged for
time.

7. Cable: Comes through your TV cable (Chorus/UPC). “Always on” Much faster (1 – 8
mbps). Need a network card to connect one pc or a router to connect more than one.
T1 is a very fast but expensive line.

8. Gateway: allows access between networks.

9. Intranet: A private LAN in a company using the same protocols as the internet. It has
the advantage of allowing people to share information & protecting the content from
being publicly accessible (google sites)

10. Extanet: Company shares information for e-commerce (e.g. checking stock and buying
from Amazon.com).

Email:
1. Requirements for Email: Computer with internet connection, address of recipient.
2. Advantages: Speed, Paper Trail, Sharing Information, Easy Access, Collaboration, Cost
Saving.

3. Internal Mail: Email that operates on a LAN. Mailboxes are on the user’s computer.
4. Internet Email: Mail is stored on mail servers run by ISPs.
Each server has its own unique address called a Domain name (e.g. gmail.com,
hotmail.com)
The protocol (rules) controlling how mail is uploaded and downloaded is called Post
Office Protocol (POP3)

5. An email address is made up of mailbox name, organisation name and domain

category. e.g. jsmith@cco.ie

6. Parts of an email:
Sender: The person sending the mail (from: field)
Recipient: The destination, the person receiving the mail (to: field)
Subject: What the mail is about, can send without but it should be on every mail
CC: Carbon copy – if you want to send a copy of the mail to someone other than the
main recipient.
BCC: Blind Carbon Copy – you cans send a copy using this the names of the people

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receiving the BCC will not be visible to the other recipients. (can prevent spam etc)
Body Text/message text: The content of the mail itself.
Attachments: extra files added to the message. Most ISPs have limits to the size (10 –
20 MB). Attachments appear in a separate line with the name of file or as an icon in the
message text.

7. Four ways to send mail:

Create/Compose: create a mail from scratch.
Reply: send a reply mail back to a sender
Reply all: send a reply back to everyone who received the previous mail.
Forward: Send a mail that you received from someone onto someone else.
Auto response / Vacation responder: Will automatically reply to mails received if
you are on holiday etc.

8. Receiving mail: You can access mail via or the web or via a mail client.
Examples of mail clients include Thunderbird, Eudora, Outlook/Outlook express.

9. Mail is sorted into Folders:

Inbox: New mail arriving. You can create subfolders or separate mail folders to better
organise mail.
Outbox: Mail waiting to be sent.
Draft: Mail you have started writing and saved without sending.
Deleted Items: mail you have deleted.
Rules: You can set up rules to sort mail automatically as it arrives.

10. Appropriate Use:

Never use as only form of communication. Maintain professional attitude. Ensure clarity
and spelling etc.
Avoid Flaming (personal attack on recipient) or SHOUTING (typing in uppercase).
Long emails and bad jokes.
Emoticons (Smileys etc): Should only be used for informal email or instant
messaging (not school mail).
Attachments: Keep them small, will the recipients be able to open them (file type,
version).

11. If you are replying to a mail and quoting the original use the symbol > before the text.

12. SPAM: Unsolicited email sent to many recipients (to promote products and services)
Spam is also known as ‘junk mail’. Spammers: people who send spam. They buy
address lists from companies who specialise in email marketing. May crawl net in
search of addresses.
Spam Filter: attempts to block spam. You may have a spam folder.

13. Common Problems: Nothing sent or received – check that your computer is
connecting to ISP mail server.
Check connections on router and computer. Restart computer / mail software. Check
ISP settings. Call ISP.
Attachments: Is it too big? Has it been blocked for security reasons (.exe or database
file). Own security settings too high?
Delivery failures: Email address does not exist at domain (wrong address). Mail
server for the domain down.

14. Viruses: Spread through attachments and links. Could be .exe or .bat but also text
files or pictures. Word documents can contain ‘macro viruses’.
Protection: Install anti virus program with latest updates. Do not open attachments
you aren’t expecting or from people you do not know. Scan attachments for viruses.
Hoax warnings: mails that claim to be virus warnings. Check using the website of
your anti virus program.

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15.

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