Computer Environments &

Connectivity
OCN-3205
(Computer Programming for Oceanography)
Lecture 05

Sujit Kumar Debsarma

SAARC Laureate (1995, Meteorology & Environment)
Visiting Professor, BSMRMU & DU
Former Scientist, SMRC
Former Pr. Meteorologist & System Manager, BMD
E-mail: sujit.debsarma@gmail.com
Cell: +88 01911 025955, +88 01818 383404
Types of Computing Environments
● Time Sharing Computing Environment
allows multiple users to share the system
simultaneously. Each user is provided a time
slice and the processor switches rapidly
among the users according to it.
● Cluster Computing Environment is similar
to parallel computing environment as they
both have multiple CPUs. However, a major
difference is that clustered systems are
created by two or more individual computer
systems merged together which then work
parallel to each other.
● In Personal Computing Environment, there is
a single computer system. All the system
processes are available on the computer and
executed there.
● In Client Server Computing Environment, the
client requests a resource and the server
provides that resource. A server may serve
multiple clients at the same time. Both the client
and server usually communicate through a
computer network.
● A Distributed Computing Environment
contains multiple nodes that are physically
separate but linked together using the network.
Each of these nodes contains a small part of the
distributed operating system software.
● The computing is moved away from individual
computer systems to a cloud of computers in
Cloud Computing Environment. Cloud users
only see the service being provided and not the
internal details of how the service is provided.
This is done by pooling all the computer
resources and then managing them using a
software.
 Batch Processing
➢ Batch processing is the grouping together of
several processing jobs to be executed one
after another by a computer, without any user
interaction.
➢ This is achieved by placing a list of the
commands to start the required jobs into a
BATCH FILE that can be executed as if it were
a single program: hence batch processing is
most often used in operating systems that
have a COMMAND LINE user interface.
 Batch Processing (Cont...)
● Running a batch file is an example of batch
processing, but there are plenty of others. When
you select several documents from the same
application and print them all in one step, you are
“batch printing,” which is a form of batch
processing.
● Multi-users using a Printer will send their
documents to printer and printing will be done in
“First-Come-First Serve” i.e. First-In-First-Out
(FIFO) not LIFO (Last-In-First-Out) like trains
during shunting at junctions.
 Batch Processing (Cont...)
➔ If you want to send a whole group of files to
someone else via a modem (if communication
software permits batch processing),
➔ you can choose all the files you want to
send, and have the software send
them off in a batch while you can do
other job!
➔ Batch processing is a good feature to have
in most applications.
 Batch Processing (Cont...)
➔ Each set of a job is considered as a batch. When a
job completes its execution, its memory is released,
and the output for the job gets copied into an output
spool for later printing or processing.
➔ User interaction in the batch processing system
is minimal. One’s system accepts the jobs from
users, and then the user is free.
➔ That is why we can use batch processing
system in large organizations in these days i.e.
automation
 Interactive Computing
● Interactive Computing refers to software which
accepts input from the user (Man-Machine
interaction), as it runs.
● Interactive software includes commonly used
programs, such as word processors or
spreadsheet applications. By comparison, non-
interactive programs operate without user
intervention.
● Interactive computing focuses on real-time
interaction ("dialog") between the computer and
the operator.
 LAN, MAN & WAN
● A Local Area Network (LAN) is a computer
network that interconnects computers within a
limited area such as a residence, school,
laboratory, university campus or office building.
● A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a
computer network that interconnects users with
computer resources of local area networks
(LANs) in a city.
● A Wide Area Network (WAN) not only covers a
larger geographic distance, by generally
involving leased telecommunication circuits.
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