Chapter 4

System Unit & Input/ Output Devices &

Secondary Storage
Objectives: In this chapter we will discuss the following topics:

The major system unit components. How a computer uses binary codes to represent data. Types of memory. Four principal types of bus lines. Four types of ports. Latest Input /Output e!ices Latest "econdary "torage

Learning outcomes: #t the end of the chapter$ students will be able to:
%. (. *. +. ,. -. ..

&nderstand and e'plain the major system unit components. )'plain how a computer uses binary codes to represent data. escribe the different types of memory. Identify and describe the four principal types of bus lines. Identify and describe the !arious types of ports. Identify and describe the most common Input /Output &nderstand the importance of "econdary "torage e!ices

4 ! Introduction # computer is an electronic de!ice$ operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory$ which can accept data /input0$ process the data according to specified rules /process0$ produce results /output0$ and store and the results /storage0 for future use as shown in Figure +.1. Input Process Output Storage

"igure 4 !: 2oncept of 2omputer 3rocessing 4enerally$ computer is made of collection of hardware components that function together as a system as shown in Figure +.%. It has si' primary components$ namely input de!ices$ the processor /control unit and arithmetic/logic unit0$ memory$ output de!ices$ storage de!ices$ and communications de!ices. The processor$ memory$ and storage de!ices are housed in a bo' case called the system unit.

"igure 4 #: # 2omputer &nit 4# $he major system unit components

#ll general5purpose computers re6uire the following hardware components: 1. 7emory: )nables a computer to store$ at least temporarily$ data and programs. 2. "torage de!ice: #llows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data. 2ommon storage de!ices include dis8 dri!es and tape dri!es.

3. Input de!ice: &sually a 8eyboard and mouse$ the input de!ice is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer. 4. Output de!ice: # display screen$ printer$ or other de!ice that lets you see what the computer has accomplished. 5. 2entral processing unit /23&0: The heart of the computer$ this is the component that actually e'ecutes instructions.

"igure 4 %: # "ystem unit #s shown in Figure +.($ "ystem unit is made of the following parts: 7otherboard 5 The motherboard is the main circuit board of a microcomputer. It is also 8nown as the mainboard or system board. 23& 5 The 23& is the central electronic chip that determines the processing power of the computer. 7emory 5 7emory is the part of the computer that temporarily stores applications$ documents$ and stem operating information. 3

9us 5 # bus is an electronic line that allows %s and 1s to mo!e from one place to another. )'pansion "lots 5 )'pansions slots appear on the motherboard. They are soc8ets into which adapters are connected. 3orts and 2onnectors 5 # port is a connector located on the motherboard or on a separate adapter. 9ays 5 # bay is a space inside the computer case where a hard dri!e$ floppy dri!e or 2 5:O7 dri!e sits 3ower "upply 5 # power supply changes normal household electricity into electricity that a computer can use. "ound 2omponents 5 # sound card lets a computer play and record high 6uality sound.
Centra& 'rocessing Unit (C'U)

Following are the functions of 2&3:

oes all of the wor8 for the computer oes all of the mathematics$ mainly addition oes all the logical comparisons of !alues irects the flow of data in a computer 2ontrols the operation of the parts of the computer

Today$ all 23&s are microprocessors. # microprocessor is a complete computer on a silicon chip. It does all of the functions of a computer such as stores data and instructions waiting to be used$ follows changeable instructions$ does input$ processing$ and output$ 23&s ha!e three basic parts: a0 The #rithmetic Logic &nit /#L&0 5 does all of the mathematics in a computer and all of the logic comparisons of !alues. "ome common logic comparison symbols are:

; e6ual to < less than greater than <; less than or e6ual to =; greater than or e6ual to not e6ual

b0 The 2ontrol &nit directs the flow of information into the 23& and/or memory or storage$ controls which instructions the 23& will do ne't as shown below:

c0 :egisters 5 &sed to store data and instructions inside the processor and si>e of the registers can affect the speed and performance of the processor. "peed of 23&s 5 The speed of 23&s is measured in hert>s. # hert> is on cycle per second. ?eed to measure time to determine cycles per second. #ll computers ha!e a cloc8 built into them for timing the cycles. The cloc8 is usually located in a small metal bo' on the motherboard. Today$ many 23&s can complete o!er si' /-0 instructions per second. "peeds of modern 23&s 5 5

7ost computers ha!e a 23& that can do more than +11 7H>. 7H> stands for megahert>s. # 7H> is %$111$111 cycles per second. 2omputers will soon be at speeds of o!er a gigahert>$ %$111$111$111 Hert>s. 4% *o+ a computer uses binary codes to represent data

The computer stores information as a string of >eros /10 and ones /%0. The standard string length is eight 1@s or %@s in a row. This standard length is called a byte. # byte e6uals one character # character is a letter$ number$ or symbol 5 it is about any thing that can be typed on a 8eyboard There are (,- standard characters used by almost all computers Ailobyte /A90 o One 8ilobyte e6uals about %1(+ bytes o %A9 is about %+1 words$ about a half page of typed double5 spaced te't /words only0 7egabyte /790 o One megabyte e6uals about %111 A9 o One megabyte e6uals about %$111$111 bytes o One megabyte e6uals about ,11 pages of te't$ or one large boo8 4igabyte /490 o One gigabyte e6uals about %111 79 o One gigabyte e6uals about %$111$111 A9 o One gigabyte e6uals about %$111$111$111 bytes o One gigabyte e6uals o!er %$111 boo8s of te't In,ormation si-e measurements

4.

$ypes o, memory

3rimary memory can be used directly by the 23&. 3rimary memory is also called primary storage. It consists of silicon chipsB usually either CL" or CL"I technology is used to create the chips. Two forms of 3rimary 7emory are:

:ead Only 7emory /:O70 :andom #ccess 7emory /:#70

:ead Only 7emory /:O70

"tores instructions that are used by the 23& Tells the 23& how to be the 8ind of computer it is$ for e'ample a Dindows$ 7acintosh$ or 3lay "tation computers. Tells the 23& how to wor8 with the different parts of the computer :O7 can also hold programs that are directly accessed by the 23&. One such program is the self5test when the computer is first turned on. The self5test tests to seem if all the parts on the main circuit board /mother board0 are wor8ing correctly. The instructions in :O7 can not usually be changed The instructions are built into the electronic circuits of the chips These instructions in :O7 are called firmware To change the instructions in :O7 you need to usually change the chips or do some other special process that is normally not a!ailable to an a!erage user. The instructions in :O7 are non!olatile. They stay in :O7 e!en when the computer is turned off.

:andom #ccess 7emory /:#70 7

#ccess to information is random access. :andom access means that any piece of information in :O7 can be accessed at any gi!en time without access other information first. It is a lot li8e the trac8s on a music 2 . Eou can access any trac8 at any time and in any order. The other 8ind of access is se6uential access. Eou must access the information in the order that they are located. This is a lot li8e a music tape. Eou must play the songs in order$ or you ha!e to fast forward past songs to get to the one you want. "tore data and instructions that are used by the 23& to perform some tas8. These instructions are usually loaded into :#7 from a secondary storage de!ice. :#7 is also used to store instructions that tell the 23& how to wor8 with its parts. These instructions are usually called dri!ers. The instructions in :#7 are constantly changing$ depending on the needs of the 23&. The instructions in :#7 are !olatile. Dhen the computer is turned off the information in :#7 disappears. The information in :#7 needs to be sa!ed to secondary storage before the computer is turned off. #ccess to information is random access.

:egisters 5 &sed to store data and instructions inside the processor and si>e of the registers can affect the speed and performance of the processor.

2ache memory 2ache /pronounced cash0 memory is e'tremely fast memory that is built into a computerFs central processing unit /23&0$ or located ne't to it on a separate chip. The 23& uses cache memory to store instructions that are repeatedly re6uired to run programs$ impro!ing o!erall system speed. The ad!antage of cache memory is that the 23& does not ha!e to use the motherboardFs system bus for data transfer. Dhene!er data must be passed through the system bus$ the data transfer speed slows to the motherboardFs capability. The 23& can process data much faster by a!oiding the bottlenec8 created by the system bus. 2ache that is built into the 23& is faster than separate cache$ running at the speed of the microprocessor itself. Howe!er$ separate cache is still roughly twice as fast as :andom #ccess 7emory /:#70. 2ache is more e'pensi!e than :#7$ but it is well worth getting a 23& and motherboard with built5in cache in order to ma'imi>e system 44 "our principa& types o, bus &ines

# bus is a communication pathway connecting two or more de!ices. # 8ey characteristic of a bus is that it is a shared transmission medium. 7ultiple de!ices connect to the bus$ and a signal transmitted by any one de!ice is a!ailable for the same time period$ their signals will o!erlap and become garbled. Thus$ only one de!ice at a time can successfully transmit. In many cases$ a bus actually consists of multiple communication pathways$ or lines. )ach line is capable of transmitting signals representing binary % and binary1. O!er time$ a se6uence of binary digits can be transmitted across a single line. Ta8en together$ se!eral lines of a bus can be used to transmit binary digits simultaneously /in parallel0. For e'ample$ an G5bit unit of data can be transmitted o!er eight bus lines. 2omputer systems contain a number of different buses that pro!ide pathways between components at !arious le!els of the computer system hierarchy. # bus that connects major computer components /23&$ memory$ I/O0 is called a system bus. The more

common computer interconnection structures are based on the use of one more system buses. /us Structure # system bus consists$ typically$ of form ,1 to %11 separate lines. )ach line is assigned a particular meaning or function. #lthough there are many different bus designs$ on any bus the lines can be classified into three functional groups: data$ address$ and control lines. In addition$ there may be power distribution lines that supply power to the attached modules. The data lines pro!ide a path for mo!ing data between system modules. These lines collecti!ely are called the data bus. The data bus typically consists of G$%-$ or *( separate lines$ the number of lines being referred to as the width of the data bus. "ince each line can carry only % bit at a time$ the number of lines determines how many bits can be transferred at a time. The width of the data bus is a 8ey factor in determining o!erall system performance. For e'ample$ if the data bus is G bits wide$ and each instruction is %- bits long$ then the 23& must access the memory module twice during each instruction cycle. The address lines are used to designate the source of destination of the data on the data bus. For e'ample$ if the 23& wishes to read a word /G$%-$ or *( bits0 of data from memory$ it puts the address of the desired word on the address lines. 2learly$ the width of the address bus determines the ma'imum possible memory capacity of the system. Furthermore$ the address lines are generally also used to address I/O ports. Typically$ the higher H order bits are used to select a particular module on the bus$ and the lower H order bits select a memory location or I/O port within the module. For e'ample$ on an G5bit bus$ address 1%%%%%%% and below might reference locations in a memory module /module 10 with %(G words of memory$ and address %1111111 and abo!e refer to de!ices attached to an I/O module /module %.0

The control lines are used to control the access to and the use of the data and address lines. "ince the data and address lines are shared by all components$ there must be a means of controlling their use. 2ontrol signals transmit both command and timing information between system modules. Timing signals indicate the !alidity of data and address information. 2ommand signals specify operations to be performed. Typical control lines include. I 0emory 1rite: 2auses data on the bus to be written into the addressed location. I 0emory 2ead: 2auses data from the addressed location to be placed on the bus. I I/O 1rite: 2auses data on the bus to be output to the addressed I/O port I I/O 2ead: 2auses data from the addressed I/O port to placed on the bus. I $rans,er 3C4: Indicates that data ha!e been accepted from or placed on the bus. I /us 2e5uest: Indicates that a module needs to gain control of the bus. I /us 6rant: Indicates that a re6uesting module has been granted control of the bus. I Interrupt 2e5uest: Indicates that an interrupt is pending. I Interrupt 3C4: #c8nowledge that the pending interrupt has been recogni>ed. I C&oc7: &sed to synchroni>e operations. I 2eset: Initiali>es all modules The operation of the bus is as described in Figure +.+. If one module wishes to send data to another$ it must do two things: %. Obtain the use of the bus$ and (. Transfer data !ia the bus. If one module wishes to re6uest data from another module$ it must do two things: 11

%. Obtain the use of the bus$ and (. Transfer a re6uest to the other module o!er the appropriate control and address lines. It must then wait for that second module to send the data.

"igure 4 4: Instruction cycle state diagram 48 "our types o, ports

There are lots of external devices that you can connect to your computer. #ll e'ternal de!ices connect to the computerFs system unit !ia cables and ports /where a JportJ is the slot into which you plug a cable0. &nless youFre using a portable computer$ you probably ha!e se!eral e'ternal de!ices attached to your computer already$ including a mouse$ 8eyboard$ monitor$ microphone$ and spea8ers$ as in Figure +.%. Dhate!er e'ternal de!ices you ha!e$ they@re all connected to the system unit /where the actual JcomputingJ ta8es place0 !ia cables. )ach cable plugs into a specific port on the system unit. The ports are usually on the bac8 of the system unit. 9ut they can be on front or side as well. )!erything has a name$ e!en /belie!e it or not0 those little plugs on the bac8 of your computer. Figure +., shows e'amples of some ports. 9ut your computer@s ports won@t necessarily be the same.

&"9 and FireDire 3orts Of all the ports on a computer$ &"9 and I))) %*K+ /a.8.a. FireDire0 get all the hype. There are se!eral reasons for this: 9oth are new technologies$ both pro!ide Jhot5pluggableJ connecti!ity$ both pro!ide !ery high5speed data transfers. The hot5pluggable part means you can just plug in some de!ice$ li8e a digital camera or !ideo camera$ and start using it right away. /The older ports would all re6uire you to shut down the computer$ plug in the de!ice$ restart the computer$ and then install the de!ice.0. In short$ both &"9 and FireDire are a lot more con!enient than the older ports that preceded them. "o what are the differencesL In a nutshell$ &"9 /&ni!ersal "erial 9us0 was created as a general5purpose high5speed connection to the computer. Its high speed ma8es it ideal for connecting digital cameras to the computer. 9ut it@s good for lots of other de!ices too$ li8e a Deb cam$ broadband modem$ whate!er.

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"igure 4 8: )'amples of ports

I))) /Institute of )lectrical and )lectronics )ngineers0 %*K+$ also 8nown commercially as FireDire$ is a faster connection than &"9$ but not as widely used. In consumer electronics$ it@s mostly digital !ideo cameras that connect through a FireDire port. There are also some high5speed e'ternal dis8 dri!es and networ8ing components that can use that port. 9ecause FireDire de!ices are relati!ely rare$ FireDire ports are also rare. Must about any computer you buy will ha!e at least two &"9 ports. 9ut it@s unli8ely you@d get a FireDire port if you didn@t specifically order it with your 32. /Of course$ you can always add a FireDire port at any time. ?o problem there0.

#s though to confuse matters e!en more$ the plugs for &"9 and FireDire loo8 !ery much ali8e. )ach port type$ howe!er$ has its own little logo$ as shown in Figure +.,.%. #s you can see just by loo8ing at the plugs$ the plug for &"9 will not go into a FireDire port$ or !ice5!ersa.

"igure 4 8 #: &"9 and FireDire ports /computer side of cable0

?ote that Figure +.,.% shows how &"9 and FireDire ports as they loo8 on a computer. On the de!ice you@re connecting /for e'ample0$ the plug might be an entirely different si>e and shape. 2hec8 the manual that came with your de!ice if you can@t find the right plug. 49 Latest Input /Output Devices es8top 7ouse

Direless

The latest wireless des8top mouse is claimed to be (1 times more sensiti!e than a typical optical mice$ for greater accuracy and impro!ed use on shiny surfaces H ideal for gamers$ graphic design or those who simply demand ma'imum accuracy. It is rechargeable !ia the &"9 charge cable. Direless technology pro!ides a clean$ uncluttered wor8space free from cables. De can just plug the wireless recei!er and charge cable into the e'tension port$ and there is no need to reach around your 32. It can scroll5up$ scroll5down$ #lt5Tab /application window switch0 and Internet na!igation NforwardO and Nbac8O buttons pro!ide simple and producti!e short cuts for Dindows use. Figure +.-.% shows a wireless mouse.

15

"igure 4 9 #: # Direless 7ouse Direless Aeyboard # wireless 8eyboard can do more anytime$ anywhere. It wor8s with many popular 3 #s$ 3 #/2ellular and "mart 3hones. It is full5si>e$ wireless infrared /I:0 8eyboard5 Folds out in seconds$ adjusts to ideal !iewing angle$ and then folds to fit in your poc8et or purse. It feels li8e a standard 8eyboard. "ee Figure +.-.(

"igure 4 9 %: # Direless Aeyboard igital "canner: # digital scanner has become a !ery popular input de!ice for a 32. Dhen a scanner is attached to the computer$ the scanner can read information of color or blac8 and white picture. The scanner sends information to the computer$ which we place on the glass surface of the scanner. The computer can store this information fore!er$ or can send it across the world by using Internet in few minutes. 7icrophone: 9y using microphone$ we can record our !oice in a computer. This de!ice is !ery easy to use and we can record our !oice with music in the computer through this de!ice.

igital 2amera: camera film. 4:

igital camera is used to draw photos. 9y using this input

de!ice images or photos are sent directly to 32 instead of storing on a usual

Latest Secondary Storage

"econdary storage$ being non!olatile$ retains data e!en when the computer is turned off. "econdary storage is the nearest thing to permanent storage$ but it will e!entually wear out or be discarded due to outdated technology. It is also infinite. Dhen one storage de!ice runs out of space$ you can replace it with another$ which differs from :#7$ which has a finite si>e. # !ariety of secondary storage de!ices are a!ailable$ and they include floppy dis8ettes$ tape storage systems$ magnetic dis8 dri!e systems$ optical data storage products$ and remo!able cartridge hard dri!es. # well58nown manufacturer of secondary storage de!ices is Iomega$ which produces the popular Pip dri!e. #nother Iomega secondary storage de!ice$ the Ma> dri!e$ is no longer being produced$ although Iomega continues to offer Ma> %49 and (49 dis8s and accessories. For large storage needs$ Iomega offers 3eerless$ a remo!able storage product that can hold %149 and (149 dis8s. These products pro!ide high5capacity data storage: Pip dis8s hold (,179 and Ma> dis8s hold as much as (49. #nother secondary storage manufacturer is "torageTe8$ which produces dri!es and cartridges for secondary storage. One of the more popular secondary storage de!ices is the optical disc. Dith optical discs$ a laser beam reads and writes data to a disc. Optical discs do not spin and they do not need to mo!e read/write heads or access arms because the laser beam mo!es electronically. The capacity of optical disc storage is far greater than other types of storage de!ices. The most fre6uently used type of this secondary storage de!ice is a 2 5:O7.

17

#nother e'ample of secondary storage is a magnetic tape. The tape is coated with magnetic material on which data is stored. 7agnetic tapes are usually used for bac8up purposes. They are slower than a hard dri!e$ but they are an ine'pensi!e solution for data storage. ata is encoded from your computer onto a magnetically coated strip of plastic /tape0. Tape dri!es are slower because tapes are a se6uential5access media. This means that to get to any specific point on the tape$ the dri!e must go through all of the preceding pointsB this is why tapes are only used for long5term storage. "econdary storage de!ices pro!ide two types of data access: se6uential or direct. Dith se6uential storage$ the computer searches for and retrie!es data in the same order it was stored. 7agnetic tapes are e'amples of a se6uential secondary storage de!ice because they store date se6uentially. irect5access storage de!ices$ which are also called random access$ go directly to the storage location for the re6uested data without reading through other data in se6uence.

Summary: # computer is an electronic de!ice$ operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory$ which can accept data /input0$ process the data according to specified rules /process0$ produce results /output0$ and store and the results /storage0 for future use . #ll general5 purpose computers re6uire the following hardware components: memory, storage de!ice$ input de!ice, output de!ice, and the central processing unit /23&0. The computer stores information as a string of >eros /10 and ones /%0. There are four types of memory: primary memory$ :ead Only 7emory /:O7 0$ :andom #ccess 7emory /:#70$ :egisters can be used directly by the 23&. and 2ache memory. 3rimary memory is also called primary storage$ consists of silicon chips and

# bus is a communication pathway connecting two or more de!ices. #ll e'ternal de!ices connect to the computerFs system unit !ia cables and ports. Latest Input /Output Aeyboard$ e!ices include the Direless es8top 7ouse$ Direless igital 2amera . "econdary igital "canner$ 7icrophone and the

"torage includes floppy dis8ettes$ tape storage systems$ magnetic dis8 dri!e systems$ optical data storage products$ and remo!able cartridge hard dri!es. ;<ercises "i&& in the b&an7s: 1. QQQ The heart of the computer$ this is the component that actually e'ecutes instructions. 2. The capacity of QQ. storage is far greater than other types of storage de!ices. 3. QQQ was created as a general5purpose high5speed connection to the computer. 4. #ll e'ternal de!ices connect to the computerFs system unit !ia cables and QQ. 5. The QQQ are used to control the access to and the use of the data and address lines. 6. The QQ typically consists of G$%-$ or *( separate lines$ the number of lines being referred to as the width of the data bus. 7. The ad!antage of QQQ is that the 23& does not ha!e to use the motherboardFs system bus for data transfer. 8. QQ. is also used to store instructions that tell the 23& how to wor8 with its parts. These instructions are usually called dri!ers. 9. QQ.. can also hold programs that are directly accessed by the 23&. 10. One QQQ e6uals about %111 79 3ns+ers: %. (. 2entral processing unit /23&0: optical disc 19

*. +. ,. -. .. G. K. %1.

&"9 /&ni!ersal "erial 9us0 ports. control lines data bus cache memory :#7 :O7 gigabyte