October Exam 2011-Preparation

Contents
Memory Hierarchy................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 2 USB , Wi-Fi and scanner ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 2 Instruction set, clock speed , bandwidth ................................ ................................ ......................... 3 Strucuture of CPU and data movement................................ ................................ ........................... 3 History of the development of computers and communications systems ................................ ......... 4 Mobile communications technology................................ ................................ ............................... 4 VPN and its security ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 5 Logic gates in computer technology (refer to class note)................................ ................................ . 5 Truth table, simplification with KMAP(refer to class note and exercises) ................................ ....... 5 Mail Server, Proxy Server ,Web Server and Application Server ................................ .................... 5 Network Operating System ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 5 Multi-media and hardware requirements ................................ ................................ ........................ 6 Twisted Pair and Fibre Optics Cabling ( refer to class lecture) ................................ ........................ 6 Baseband, Broadband, Asynchronous transmission, Synchronous transmission .............................. 6 Compare and contrast the use of magnetic and optical disk storage systems................................ .... 6 Hard-disk calculation ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 7 Command Line Interface(CLI) vs Grafical User Interface(GUI) ................................ ..................... 7 FTP and SMTP ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 8

Memory Hierarchy
Answer Pointers
Ideally, all computer memory should be fast (access time low so that the CPU can read data without having to slow down), cheap, non-volatile (retain data without power), high density (the memory elements should store large qualities of data and use little energy (i.e., low power consumption prolongs the life of the computer, saves energy, and make portable computing possible). No real memory has all these attributes. However, by means of memory management techniques it is possible to use several different types of memory in a computer and obtain a performance close to the ideal of fast, cheap, non-volatile memory. The key point in this answer is that students should appreciate that different memories have different properties in particular speed, density, and volatility, and that different types of memory can be combined to overcome the limitation of individual technologies.

USB , Wi-Fi and scanner

a) The USB (universal serial bus) provides a physical wired connection between a PC and a peripheral. USB now replaces the older serial and parallel interfaces once found in PCs. USB is inexpensive and fast (initially up to 12 Mbits/s and up to 480 Mbits/s in the new USB 3.0 version). You can connect a peripheral between the computer (host) and a device such as a mouse, keyboard, printer, scanner, disk drive, pen drive ., OR you can connect a USB plug to a hub and the hub can connect to several other peripherals or even hub; that is, the USB interface allows multiple devices to be connected to it (but they have to share the same bandwidth). Because the USB cable carries both data and power, many devices get their power from the USB connection and it has now become a means of charging cell phones and MP3 players. Moreover, low power devices such as small hard drives can be powered entirely from USB.

USB also supports plug and play. This means that a new device can communicate with the PC and provide its own device drivers removing many of the problems of locating and loading a device driver for a new peripheral. WiFi is a wireless-based local area network based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Originally, WiFi was used to link computers. Today, it is used to link computers, laptops, video consoles, MP3 players, smartphones, printers, and even disk drives. In many ways, WiFi performs a similar role to USB by linking together modern electronic devices. WiFi now plays an important role in mobile computing. Many public areas (stores, hotels, libraries and public buildings, restaurants, airports, and even trains) have so-called WiFi hot spots where WiFi-enabled devices may be used often without payment. The main use of WiFi away from the home/office is to access the internet for browsing, email, and downloading programs/data/multimedia. A disadvantage/danger of WiFi is that it is potentially open to eavesdropping (although it is possible to use secure encryption modes. The range of WiFi is typically 32m indoors. However, by means of directional antennas ranges of several kilometres are possible. Modern versions of WiFi permit speeds of 54Mbps and 108 Mbps. A potential problem is that the growth in the use of WiFi may create bottlenecks as the radio spectrum allocated to WiFi is limited. The principal properties/characteristics of a scanner are : Type (drum, flatbed, handheld) Media size (e.g., up to A4 paper for a flatbed scanner). Resolution (the number of dots/pixels per inch in both the x and y axes) Speed (time to scan a document) Interface (connection to the host computer SCSI, parallel, serial, USB , wireless) Physical parameters (weight, physical dimensions, power consumption, noise level)

Instruction set, clock speed , bandwidth

instruction set: The set of instructions that the microprocessor can execute. clock speed : Given in megahertz (MHz), the clock speed determines how many instructions per second the processor can execute. bandwidth : The number of bits processed in a single instruction

Strucuture of CPU and data movement

The diagram describes the structure of a CPU. Different candidates will describe the processor in different ways. However, the key features are the program counter that contains the address of the next instruction to be executed. The program counter is connected to the program and data memory. The processor reads the current instruction and transfers it (via the memory buffer register) to the instruction register. A CPU has at least one data register and buses between the data register and memory buffer register to the ALU where operations are carried out. The output of the ALU is connected to both the data register (accumulator) and the memory buffer register (in order to write results into memory).

History of the development of computers and communications systems

PC has developed by increasing the power of the CPU (higher clock speeds and more components per chip) to provide todays high-level of computing power. The increase in computational paper has been driven by the need to process multimedia applications such as audio and video. In parallel with the increase in processing power, we have seen a reduction in the average power per transistor required by CPUs. Power reduction is necessary for personal, portable and ubiquitous computer applications. The answer should also cover the increase in the capacity of storage mechanisms such as disk drives and the growth in the use of media such as compact flash. Personal communications systems once used relatively bulky and slow modems to connect to the switched telephone network. Today, the personal computer (and personal electronic systems) can use smaller and higher speed modems, broadband via the telephone network, cable or fibre optics, WiFi via wireless networks, and links via cell phones. These systems can be portable, provide reasonably high speed data links and operate from battery power. Until recently, we have seen three distinct technologies used in three different personal devices. The PDA (personal organizer) is, effectively, a hand-held lap-top computer. That is, it has the characteristics of a very much cut-down personal computer but it can run typical PC applications such as word-processing, database, and spreadsheet. The MP3 player is an extension of the personal stereo (based on tape or minidisk). The cell phone is an extension of the walkie-talkie but has no real precursor because it is only very recently that technology has permitted the design of a light-weight two-way mobile wireless system. The convergence of these technologies can be seen by the way in which the cell phone has incorporated technologies from both the computer and entertainment worlds. In particular, it is possible to extend the cell phones display to incorporate some of the futures of the PDA. Equally, the use of Compact Flash memory makes it possible to transform the cell phone into a MP3 player. Finally, the development of low- cost optics and light sensors had made it possible to incorporate digital camera technology in the cell phone. These technologies have paved the way for the development of multipurpose devices that incorporate many of the functions of cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players and digital cameras.

Mobile communications technology

Advantages of mobile communications technology : Cable free convenience for the home and personal user, mobile provides convenience. Internet access can be provided anywhere in the home. Wires are not needed. While travelling, it is possible to connect to the internet and read emails. Increased efficiency it is possible to be away from the office and still keep in touch with colleagues. Work can be more efficient and more up date information may be available. Less time spent on travelling. Greater flexibility it is possible to allow users to work more flexibly, in and out of the office using a comp uter (e.g. a laptop).

Disadvantages of mobile communications technology: Security Mobile systems are more vulnerable to security breaches due to their broadcast. Users need to be aware of the dangers and take necessary actions to make sure their wireless communications are secure. Effective range All mobile communications systems have limits on their range and this can be frustrating for users. This means that if you are planning to make a call, you cant do so.

VPN and its security

Using a public network, usually the Internet, to connect securely to a private network, such as a company's network is the basis of a VPN or virtual private network. Companies and organizations will use a VPN to communicate confidentially over a public network and can be used to send voice, video or data. It's an excellent option for remote workers and organizations with global offices and partners to share data in a private manner. Securing a VPN A VPN is designed to provide a secure, encrypted tunnel in which to transmit the data between the remote user and the company network. The information transmitted between the two locations via the encrypted tunnel cannot be read by anyone else. VPN security contains several elements to secure both the company's private network and the outside network, usually the Internet, through which the remote user connects through. The first step to security is usually a firewall. There will be a firewall site between the client (which is the remote users workstation) and the host server, which is the connection point to the private network. The remote user will establish an authenticated connection with the firewall. Encryption is also an important component of a secure VPN. Encryption works by having all data sent from one computer encrypted in such a way that only the computer it is sending to can decrypt the data. Types of encryption commonly used include public-key encryption which is a system that uses two keys a public key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the message. The other commonly used encryption system is a Symmetric-key encryption system in which the sender and receiver of a message share a single, common key that is used to encrypt and decrypt the message.

Logic gates in computer technology (refer to class note) Truth table, simplification with KMAP(refer to class note and exercises) Mail Server, Proxy Server ,Web Server and Application Server
Mail Server - move and store mail over corporate networks (via LANs and WANs) and across the Internet. Proxy servers sit between a client program (typically a Web browser) and an external server (typically another server on the Web) to filter requests, improve performance, and share connections. A Web server serves static content to a Web browser by loading a file from a disk and serving it across the network to a user's Web browser. This entire exchange is mediated by the browser and server talking to each other using HTTP. An application server occupies a large chunk of computing territory between databases and the end user and they often connect the two.

Network Operating System

Security: Ensuring that the network is protected from unauthorized users. Performance: Eliminating bottlenecks in the network.

Reliability: Making sure the network is available to users and responding to hardware and software malfunctions Resource Management: Range of tasks provided on hardware and software; e.g. connections, memory management, router/switch functions, etc.

Multi-media and hardware requirements

Multimedia has become popular but yet confusing too many people. Candidates must include combination of data, sound and pictures. For the specification, hardware and software are required. These must include high quality monitors, DVD drives, large capacity hard disks, laser printers. Software must include GUIs, etc.

Twisted Pair and Fibre Optics Cabling ( refer to class lecture) Baseband, Broadband, Asynchronous transmission, Synchronous transmission
Baseband : The original band of frequencies of a signal before it is modulated for transmission at a higher frequency. A type of data transmission in which digital or analog data is sent over a single unmultiplexed channel, such as an Ethernet LAN. Baseband transmission sends simultaneous bits of data along the full bandwidth of the transmission channel. Broadband : A type of data transmission in which a single medium (wire) can carry several channels at once. Cable TV, for example, uses broadband transmission. In contrast, baseband allows only one signal at a time. Asynchronous transmission - Not synchronized; that is, not occurring at predetermined or regular intervals. The term asynchronous is usually used to describe communications in which data can be transmitted intermittently rather than in a steady stream. For example, a telephone conversation is asynchronous because both parties can talk whenever they like. If the communication were synchronous, each party would be required to wait a specified interval before speaking.

Compare and contrast the use of magnetic and optical disk storage systems
A few years ago, hard disks had small capacities (well below 1 GBytes) and the CD ROM had a relatively large capacity (600 Mbytes) but was read-only except in a few very expensive writable systems. In those days, the hard disk was used to hold programs and data and the CD was largely a means of transporting programs. Today, the situation has changed considerably. The highest capacity magnetic hard drives available in 2007 are 750 GBytes, which is three orders of magnitude larger than the CD. A modern hard disk has an acc ess time of the order of 4 ms. On-board caching (4 or 8 Mbytes) is used to increase disk performance. Note that the access time of hard disks has not increased significantly over the years because of their electro-mechanical nature. There has also been significant improvement in optical storage technology over the last decade in terms of cost, capacity and functionality (read/write), although optical storage systems (like their magnetic memory counterparts) have not become significantly faster over the years. Magnetic disks record information by magnetizing tiny regions of the surface under the read/write head. Data is recorded along concentric circular tracks. The time to step from track-to-track is far faster in a magnetic disk than an optical disk. All optical storage uses a sequence of bumps (pits and land) that are stored along a helical track on a disk. A laser light follows the track and uses light reflected from the disk surface to detect the stored data. Optical storage is intrinsically unreliable and sophisticated error-correcting codes are used to deal with relatively large numbers of dropped (corrupt) bits. Seeking data in an optical store is slow because of the mass (inertia) of the head. The CD has a capacity of about 600 Mbytes. The DVD is a replacement for the CD which uses virtually identical technology. However, modern manufacturing processes have allowed the system to be scaled down to fit more bits on the disk (typically 4.7 GBytes). Sophisticated focusing mechanisms have allowed two pla nes of data (dual layer) within a DVD which has doubled the capacity to over 9 GBytes. In recent yeas, the cost of writable (usually write once) disks and readers has declined. A disk can be written by using a laser to ablate the surface leaving an underlying reflective layer visible. Re-writable disks are also available and these exploit a magneto-optical property of the surface (rotatable polarization).

Unfortunately, there is no single standard for the DVD. Fortunately, most readers and writers are mult istandard. The DVD is largely used to transport large programs (e.g. those with large databases or maps) and to archive data. This is particularly important in the world of digital photography and digital video which have unlimited storage requirements. At the moment, two new optical storage mechanisms are becoming available (both are modified DVDs). Blu -ray has a capacity of 50 GByte/disk and high density DVD, HD-DVD, has a capacity of 15-45 GBytes. Unfortunately, these mechanisms are mutually incompatible. Such large storage mechanisms are required for both high definition video and backing up the increasingly low-cost large magnetic disk drives.

Hard-disk calculation
A hard disk rotates at 15,000 revolutions per minute. A track contains 63 sectors. i) For this disk calculate the average rotational latency. ii) Calculate the time taken to read a sector once it has been located. iii) Calculate the rate at which data is read from a sector (the speed at which data comes from the disk sector is being read the units are bits/second). Assume that a sector contains 4,096 bits. i)The average rotational latency is period of revolution. 15,000 rpm is 15,000/60 = 250 revolutions/second. So, 250 revolutions= 1second= 1000ms 1 revolution= 1000/250 ms= 4 ms The average rotational latency is period of revolution. So, rotational latency 4ms/2= 2ms ii) 1 revolutions reads all 63 sectors which takes 4ms time so 1 sector can be read on 4ms/63= 0.063 ms iii) 1 sector contains 4096 bits so rate is 4096/0.063 bits/ms =65015 bits/ms =65015Mbits/s

which a

Command Line Interface(CLI) vs Grafical User Interface(GUI)

GUI refers to a program interface that takes advantage of the computer's graphics capabilities to make the program easier to use. Well-designed graphical user interfaces can free the user from learning complex command languages. On the other hand, many users find that they work more effectively with a command driven interface, especially if they already know the command language. For example, Microsoft Windows provides a suitable GUI. Typical components of the GUI include pointers, pointing device, icons, menus, desktop and windows. CLI is a user interface common to MS -DOS computers. The user sees the command line on the monitor and a prompt that is waiting to accept instructions from the user. The user types in the command, the computer acts on that command and then issues a new prompt for the next instruction from the user. CLI operating systems are becoming less used as GUI operating systems gain in popularity. In a GUI operating system, such as Windows, the user responds to graphic images on the screen instead of typing in commands in response to a prompt. As an IT Support Staff, knowledge of CLI is important . In order to troubleshoot hardware and software, commands can be used. It is possible to create more versatile commands and hence deal with a larger number of problems.

FTP and SMTP

FTP - short for File Transfer Protocol, the protocol for exchanging files over the internet. FTP works in the same way as HTTP for transferring Web pages from a server to a user's browser. FTP uses the internets TCP/IP protocols to enable data transfer. FTP is most commonly used to download a file from a server using the Internet or to upload a file to a server (e.g., uploading a Web page file to a server). SMTP - short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol for sending email messages between servers. Most email systems that send mail over the internet use SMTP to send messages from one server to another; the messages can then be retrieved with an email client. In addition, SMTP is generally used to send messages from a mail client to a mail server.