Chapter 1 (PART B)

Computer System Types

• Computer systems can range from desktop or portable computers
to massive supercomputers
• Two major groups of general-purpose computers
• Single-user computers with portable and nonportable options
• Multiple-user computers

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Portable Computers
• Handheld computer: a compact computing device
• Typically includes a display screen with stylus or touch screen input along
with a compact keyboard or numeric keypad.
• Laptop computers are designed for use by mobile users
• Notebook and ultrabook computers are smaller than laptop computers
• Tablet computers are portable, lightweight computers with or without a keyboard

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 Nonportable Single-User Computers
• A thin client is a low-cost, centrally
managed computer with no internal or
external attached drives for storage
• Desktop computers are single-user
computer systems that are highly versatile
• A nettop computer is an inexpensive
desktop computer
• Smaller, lighter, and consumes
much less power than a traditional
desktop computer
• Workstations are more powerful than
personal computers but still small
enough to fit on a desktop
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 Multiple-User
Computer Systems
• A server is employed by many
users to perform a specific task,
such as running network or Internet
applications
• Server systems consist of
multiuser computers, including
supercomputers, mainframes, and
other servers
• Blade server: a server that houses
many individual computer
motherboards

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Mainframe vs Supercomputer
Data Centers
• Data center: a climate-and-
access-controlled building or
a set of buildings that
houses the computer
hardware that delivers an
organization’s data and
information services

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Data Centers
• Rapid growth in the demand of
additional computing capacity

• Need for additional data storage

capacity

• Consolidation of organizations’
data centers from many
locations to a few locations

• Malaysia already has 41

enterprise data centres.
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 Data Centers:
Construction
Considerations
• More efficient operation and reduced
energy for processing and cooling

•Modular design
•Location: areas with milder climates
and lower energy rates and land
costs
• Ability to absorb the impact of a
disaster (e.g., hurricane, earthquake,
terrorism attack, or war) and quickly
restore services

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Green Computing
• A program concerned with the efficient and
environmentally responsible design,
manufacture, operation, and disposal of IS-
related products.

• GOALS:

• Reduce the use of hazardous material

• Allow companies to lower their power-

related costs

• Enable safe disposal or recycling of

equipment

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An Overview of Software

• Computer programs: sequences of instructions for the computer

• Documentation: text that describes program functions to help the
user operate the computer system
• Types of software
• Systems software
• Application software

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Systems Software
• The set of programs that coordinates the activities and functions of
hardware and other programs
• Each type of systems software is designed for a specific CPU and class
of hardware

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Application Software
• Helps users solve particular
problems
• In most cases, resides on the
computer’s hard disk
• Can be stored on CDs, DVDs, or
USB flash drives
• An increasing amount of
application is available on the Web
as a rich Internet application (RIA)

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System Architecture
Operating Systems
• A set of programs that controls computer hardware and acts as an interface
with application programs

• Single User, Single Task: this operating system is designed to manage the
computer so that one user can effectively do one thing at a time.

• Single User, Multiple Tasks: This is the type of operating system most
people use on their desktop and laptop computers today. Lets a single user
have several applications in operation at the same time.
Operating Systems:

• Multiusers: A multiuser operating system allows many different users to take

advantage of a computer's resources simultaneously. The operating system
must make sure that the requirements of the various users are balanced, and
that each of the programs they are using has sufficient and separate resources
so that a problem with one user doesn't affect the entire community of users.

• Distributed: These operating systems manage multiple computers at the same

time. Rather than using a single powerful computer to work on large problems,
distributed OSes break it down into pieces among many smaller computers.

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Role of Operating Systems

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Operating System Activities
• Controlling common computer hardware functions
• Providing a user interface and input/output management
• Providing a degree of hardware independence
• Managing system memory
• Managing processing tasks
• Providing networking capability
• Controlling access to system resources
• Managing files

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Operating Systems: Common
Hardware Functions
• Get input from keyboard or another input device
• Retrieve data from disks
• Store data on disks
• Display information on a monitor or printer

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 Operating Systems: User Interface
and Input/Output Management
• A user interface allows individuals to
access and interact with the computer
system

• A command-based user interface

requires text commands

• A graphical user interface (GUI)

• The user interacts with icons and

menus to send commands to the
computer system
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Operating Systems: Hardware
Independence
• Application program interface (API): An interface that allows
applications to make use of the operating system

• Hardware independence allows software development without

understanding the inner workings of the operating system

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Operating Systems: Memory
Management
• Allows the computer to execute program instructions effectively and to speed
processing

• Virtual memory: hard disk space is allocated to supplement the immediate,

functional memory capacity of RAM

• Virtual memory works by swapping programs or parts of programs between

memory and one or more disk devices—a concept called paging. This reduces
CPU idle time and increases the number of jobs that can run in a given time
span

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Operating Systems: Processing Tasks
• Five basic task management techniques

• Multiuser: allows two or more users to run programs at the same time on one
computer

• Multiprocessing: supports running a program on more than one CPU

• Multitasking: allows more than one program to run concurrently

• Multithreading: a program/process divided into sub program/thread that execute at

the same time in parallel.

• Real time: responds to input instantly

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Operating Systems: Access to System
Resources and Security
• Provides protection against unauthorized access to the users’ data and
programs

• Establishes a logon procedure

• May control access to specific system resources

• Tracks who is using the system, length of use, and attempted security
breaches

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Operating Systems: File Management
• Ensures that files in secondary storage are available when needed
• Protects files from access by unauthorized users

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Current Operating Systems

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Workgroup Operating Systems
• Windows Server provides:
• A powerful Web server management system
• Virtualization tools that allow various operating systems to run on a single server
• Advanced security features
• Robust administrative support
• UNIX can be used on many computer system types and platforms
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server can manage a cluster of several servers
• Mac OS X Server includes
• Support for 64-bit processing
• Several server functions and features for easy management of network and Internet
services
• HP-UX is a robust UNIX-based OS from Hewlett-Packard

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Mobile Operating Systems
• Smartphones now employ full-fledged personal computer operating
systems
• Google Android
• Apple iOS
• Microsoft Windows Phone

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Embedded Operating Systems

• Embedded system: a computer system (including a processor)

implanted in and dedicated to the control of another device
• Popular OSs for embedded systems
• Windows embedded
• Proprietary Linux-based systems: Sony’s Wii; and OSs in e-
book readers, ATMs, cell phones, networking devices, etc.

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End of Chapter 1