Information Technology

NPC 111
Lecture #03

Dr. Mohamed Issa

Assistant professor at CSIT programs

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

Chapter 2:
The System Unit:
Processing and Memory
Cont’d
 Ports and Connectors

• Many desktop computers come with a variety of ports on

the front of the system unit for easy access
• A wired or wireless hub can connect many devices to a
single USB or FireWire port

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

3
 Ports and Connectors

• Notebook and netbook computers have ports similar to

desktop computers, but often not as many
• mobile devices typically have less ports
– An SD slot is common for both memory cards
and to connect peripheral devices

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

4
 Making Computers Faster and Better Now
and in the Future

• Improving performance today

– Add more memory
– Buy a larger or second hard drive
– Upgrade your Internet connection
– Upgrade your video graphics card
– Improved architecture: Smaller components, faster
bus speeds, multiple CPU cores, etc.
– Multiprocessing and parallel processing: Use multiple
processors to speed up processing

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

5
 Future Trends

• Quantum computing: Applies the

principles of quantum physics and
quantum mechanics to computers
– Utilizes atoms or nuclei working
together as quantum bits (qubits)
– Qubits function simultaneously as
the computer’s processor and
memory and can represent more
than two states
– Expected to be used for
specialized applications, such as
encryption and code breaking

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

6
 Future Trends

• Optical computer: Uses light, such as from laser beams

or infrared beams, to perform digital computations
– Opto-electronic computers use both optical and
electronic components
• Silicon photonics: The process of making optical devices
using silicon manufacturing techniques
– Silicon based light sensor
• Terascale computing: The ability to process one trillion
operations per second
– Expected to be needed for future applications
• 3D chips: Contain transistors that are layered to cut
down on the surface area required
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition
7
 Future Trends

• 3D chips: Contain transistors that are layered to cut

down on the surface area required

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

8
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

Chapter 3:
Storage
 Storage System Characteristics

• Consist of a storage device and a storage medium

– Device: DVD drive, flash memory card reader, etc.
– Medium: DVD disc, flash memory card, etc.
– Medium is inserted
into device to be
used
– Storage devices
are typically
identified by
letter

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

10
 Storage System Characteristics

• Can be internal or external

❖ Internal storage such as :
Hard disk, System Memory (RAM or ROM)
❖ External storage such as :
External hard disk, CD, DVD and USB Flash drives
• Are nonvolatile or volatile
• Storage technologies:
– Magnetic (conventional hard drives)
– Optical (optical discs)
– Electrons (flash memory media)

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

11
 Hard Drives

• Hard drive: Used to store most programs and data

– Can be internal and external
• Magnetic hard drives
– Use metal hard disks
– Read/write heads magnetize particles to represent
the data’s 0s and 1s
• Solid-state drives (SSDs)
– Use flash memory technology (electronic
components)
– Use less power and have no moving parts
– Particularly appropriate for portable computers

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

12
 Magnetic Hard Drives

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

13
 Magentic Hard Drives

• A magnetic hard disk, often referred to as a hard disk

drive (HDD), is a type of data storage device that uses
magnetism to store and retrieve digital information.

• It is one of the oldest and most common forms of mass

storage in computing.

• Magnetic hard disks use magnetic properties to read and

write data.
• The disk is coated with a thin layer of magnetic material
and data is stored in the form of magnetized regions on
the disk's surface.
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition
14
 Magnetic Hard Drives

• Hard disks are divided into

− Tracks
− Sectors
− Clusters
− Cylinders

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

15
 Magentic Hard Drives

• Data Organization: Data is organized into tracks and

sectors on the platters. Tracks are concentric circles on
the platter's surface, while sectors are pie-shaped
divisions within these tracks.

• Random Access: One of the advantages of magnetic

hard disks is that they provide random access to data.
This means you can access data stored at different
locations on the disk relatively quickly.

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

16
 Magentic Hard Drives

• Speed: The speed of data access on magnetic hard

disks can vary depending on factors like the rotational
speed of the platters and the density of the data on the
disk.

• While they are generally slower than solid-state drives

(SSDs), they are still suitable for many computing tasks.

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

17
 Solid State Drive (SSD)

• A Solid-State Drive (SSD) is a data storage device that

uses NAND-based flash memory (electronic
components) to store and retrieve data.

• Unlike traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), which use

spinning magnetic disks to read and write data, SSDs
have no moving parts.

• No Moving Parts: The absence of mechanical

components, such as spinning disks and read/write
heads, makes SSDs more reliable and less prone to
physical damage from shocks and vibrations.
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition
18
 Solid State Drives (SSDs)

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

19
 Solid State Drive (SSD)

• No Moving Parts: The absence of mechanical

components, such as spinning disks and read/write
heads, makes SSDs more reliable and less prone to
physical damage from shocks and vibrations.

• Faster Access Times: SSDs offer significantly faster data

access times than HDDs.

• They have extremely low latency, which means they can

read and write data quickly. This speed boost results in
faster boot times, application loading, and file access.

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

20
 Solid State Drive (SSD)

• Energy Efficiency: SSDs consume less power compared

to HDDs because they don't have to spin disks or move
mechanical components.

• Lower Heat Generation: SSDs generate less heat during

operation, which can help maintain a cooler operating
environment within a computer.

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

21
 Solid State Drive (SSD)

• Silent Operation: SSDs operate silently since there are

no moving parts to create noise.

• Cost: Historically, SSDs have been more expensive than

HDDs on a cost-per-gigabyte basis, but prices have
been decreasing, and SSDs have become more
affordable over time.

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

22
 Flash Memory Systems

• Chip-based storage medium

– No moving parts so more resistant to shock and vibration,
require less power, make no sound
– Solid-state storage system
• Most often found in the form of:
– Flash memory cards
– USB flash drives
– Solid-state drives
– Hybrid hard drives
• Very small and so are very appropriate for use with
digital cameras, digital music players, GPS devices,
notebook computers, mobile devices, etc.

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

23
 Flash Memory Systems

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

24
 Flash Memory Cards

• Flash memory card: A small card containing one or more

flash memory chips, controller chips, and metal contacts
to connect the card to the device or reader.
• Read by flash memory card reader

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

25
 USB Flash Drives

• USB flash drives: Consist of flash memory media and a

reader in a single self-contained unit
– Typically portable drives that connect to and are
powered by a USB port
– Also called USB flash memory drives, thumb drives,
jump drives

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

26
 Optical Discs

• Optical discs: store data optically (using laser beams)

– Data is stored in 0s and 1s
• Pits and lands are used to represent 1s and 0s, the
transition between a pit and a land represents a 1; no
transition represents a 0
• Can be:
– Read-only: Surface is molded or stamped to
represent the data
– Recordable or rewritable: Reflectivity of surface is
changed by a laser

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

27
 Optical Discs

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

28
 Optical Drives

• Optical drives: Designed for type of disc: CD, DVD, or

Blu-Ray Disc (BD)
– Can be read-only, recordable, or rewritable
– Can support single or dual layer discs

• Burning: Recording data onto disc

– CD discs: Use infrared lasers; hold 650 MB
– DVD discs: Use red lasers; hold 4.7 GB (single-layer)
– BD discs: Use blue-violet lasers; hold 25 GB (single-
layer)

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

29
 Read-Only Discs

• Read-only disc: Can be read from, but not written to, by

the user
– CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory)
– DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc read-only memory)
– BD-ROM (Blu-Ray disc read-only memory)
• Normally come pre-recorded
– Software programs
– Clip art and other graphics
– Music
– Movies
– Games (UMD, Wii, Xbox, etc.)
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition
30
 Recordable Discs

• Recordable disc: Can be written to, but cannot be

erased and reused
– CD-R discs
– DVD-R/DVD+R discs; can be dual-layer
– BD-R; can be dual-layer
• Used for back up, sending large files to others, creating
custom music CDs, storing home movies, etc.

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

31
 Smart Cards

• Smart card: Credit card-sized piece of plastic that

contains some computer circuitry (processor, memory,
and storage)
– Stores small amount of data (about 64 KB or less)
– Commonly used to store prepaid amounts of digital
cash or personal information
– Smart card readers are built into or attached to a
computer, keyboard, vending machine, or other
device
– Some smart cards store biometric data
– Can be used in conjunction with encryption and other
security technologies
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition
32
 Smart Cards

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

33
 Storage Systems for Large Computer
Systems and Networks

• Storage server: Hardware device containing multiple

high-speed hard drives
• Businesses have to store
tremendous amounts of data
– Business data
– Employee and
customer data
– E-discovery data

Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 13th Edition

34