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Published by Cambridge Paperbacks, 2019-11-18 13:34:15

Session 1

Global Information





Technology





Session 1











Presented





by





Dr Allen Brown

Modern Computer Systems


Evolution of Computer Systems




• Developments taking place after WW2


• Mainframe computers in the 1970 - IBM






















• This is how you programmed main frames.


• Each card was one line of code.



• The microprocessor was a huge advancement.


• The introduction of the IBM Personal Computer in


the 1980s





























1

• The big breakthrough was people writing


software for other people to use.


• This led to the emergence of the software market


which had hitherto not existed.


• We also saw the PET personal computer


























• An integrated system with screen, tape drive and


keyboard.


• Also the IEEE 488 interface






















• Enabled the connection of laboratory instruments


for data collection.




2

Input, output and storage technologies

























• Known as the teletype, the were two inputs, the


QWERTY keyboard and the paper tape feeder on


the left – consumed a lot of paper.


























• The Digital VT100 replaced the teletype.



3

• Faster and more efficient, data entry using the


numerical keypad on the right.


• Early printers were based on the matrix head































• This printer would come with the IBM100


mainframe.


• When it came to the PC, Epson produced a very


early dot matrix printer





















• The paper had perforations on the left and right


margins with a tractor drive.




4

• Traditionally memory was always expensive.


• The very early memory comprised magnetic cores




















• Each magnetic core was one bit, either 0 or 1.


• Next innovation was magnetic tape.
































• The Facom 603 Magnetic Tape-Unit


• When it came to personal computing the floppy


disk drive was paramount.


• Various formats became common place








5

• Technology was changing rapidly and the 1.44


Mbyte disc lasted for many years.


• Hard drives became cheaper and higher density.

























• The fundamental design remains the same today.



• Several platters with read/write heads which


transverse the surface of the platters.


• Today hard drives have capacities of multi-Tbyes.

















6

• Also the emergence of the Solid State Drive (SSD).



























• Relatively low capacity but very fast – uses the

same technology as USB memory stick.



• Over the past 20 years technologies have come


and gone especially in the PC market.

o Desktop PCs - gone except for offices and


gaming.


o CD drives – gone, replaced by USB memory


sticks.


o Dot matrix printers – gone, replaced by colour


inject printers, laser printers and multi-


function printers.


o Printer and serial ports – gone, replaced by


USB which is now USB-3 (coloured blue).


o VGA port – gone, replaced by HDMI.





7

o PC peripheral interface cards – gone, all


peripherals are now USB connected


























• Thousands of these were manufactured to


tailor a PC for a specific task.


• Graphics cards – almost all gone, the


graphics processing is performed by the CPU


with ICs on the motherboard.


• Today the only cards made for a PC are


graphics gaming cards.




























8

• Here is an example, the 128bit GTX750TI


• You will observe two DVI connectors used to feed


one high resolution monitor (4K).


• Some graphics cards are water cooled.




























• This is the Asus Ares II graphics card.


• Very high performance microprocessors


















• High performance graphics processors





Nvidia RTX 2060 Max-Q









9

• Today’s computer peripherals






























Multi-function laser Epson Expression XP-750


printer with scanner A3 photo-printer with

scanner
























Polycom Eagle Eye IV for Ergonomic Smart Card


video conferencing Reader keyboard








10

Computer Monitors Dell Graphics drawing tablet


U2417H 24” 16:9































HP Designjet T830 Multifunction A0 Printer,


scanner and copier




• The A0 printer is particularly useful for copying

blue-prints for designs.







11

Computer Assisted Control and Automation























Sensors and transducers



Acceleration Temperature Rotation

Fluid flow Length Pressure


Strain Weight Light




Actuators



Stepper motors Linear motors Solenoid valves













Relays


















12

• A typical control system will have components


similar to this basic core.


• Many sensors these days have URLs and a central


computer interrogates.


• Enter the domain of machine health monitoring.


























• Wind turbines are becoming an important


component in renewable energy.


• Knowledge of the health of each turbine is


essential.


• Cannot afford one of these to fail – costly to


replace it – if showing ware – shut it off.


• Question: how do you communicate with these


if they are out at sea?


• As you can imagine huge amounts of data are


generated.





13

Airbus A320 – fly by wire



• Fly by wire – the computer system runs the


plane.







Digitally Controlled Car engines



• In the old days the spark for the ignition for the



petrol vapour was produced by the distributor.




















• As it rotated it would provide the spark to each


cylinder in turn.


• Today’s cars have an Engine Management System


(EMS) or Engine Control Unit




14

• Numerous sensors are positioned all over the


vehicle and information is fed to the EMS


which responds accordingly to the needs of the


current conditions.


















































15

• As you can see in this photo there are several


PCBs on which are found the electronics in a


modern car.


• Such a car is very much an information


processing system including integrated


SATNAV





















• This is a SATNAV from a Jaguar XF – touch


sensitive screen: the storage of the map


information is found on a CD unit which is in


the boot of the vehicle.


• As an exercise, what additional electronics will


be found in future vehicles?


















16

Computer Controlled Biometric/RFID based Access


Control



Biometric

Relating to or involving the application of


statistical analysis to biological data


• Computers now have fast processing abilities and


are able to process large amounts of data very


quickly.


• Statistical calculations can be performed very


quickly.


• People have biometric identifiers: fingerprints,


palm veins, face recognition, DNA, palm print, iris,


retina and voice recognition.


• Performing these measurements is


computationally intensive.


• Radio frequency identification (RFID) uses


electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags


attached to objects and people.

















17

• Active tags have their own battery and transmits its


ID signal.


• A passive tag can also have its own battery but is


only activated when close to a RFID reader.


• A RFID tag will have its own micro-electronics to


process information.


• Also receive and transmit data on modulated RF


signals.


• Very useful to implement restricted access to


authorised people only. Also to track where they


are within a building.


• Active RFID:


o Primary frequency 433MHz


o Range 30 – 100 metres


o Used for: vehicle tracking, asset tracking


• Passive RFID:


o Primary frequency 860 – 960 MHz


o Range up to 25 metres


o Used for: Supply chain tracking, electronic


tolling.









18

Contemporary hardware and software platforms



• The laptop and mobile are the choice of most


people for accessing information.







Microsoft Surface Go 10”

touch screen, 8 GB


memory and 128 GB


storage




• No hard drive as it depends on the Microsoft Cloud for


data storage.


• Emphasis on visual impact – the screen and the speed of


refresh: resolution 1800 x 1200 full HD.


• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 10 hours usage on a charge.


• Has all the features of a tablet PC – touch sensitive


screen.


• Tablet PCs have become very popular, very similar to


the Microsoft Surface without the keyboard.


• One universal software app is Microsoft Office 365


which has the following components.










19

o Outlook: emails


o Word: word processor


o Excel: spreadsheet


o PowerPoint: presentation slides


o Access: Database engine


o OneDrive: Cloud memory, this is why today’s


laptops have SSD memory – quick access time, but


small 128 GB.


• Requires a monthly payment to use these apps.


• Adobe make a huge range of apps for the creative


industries. Far too many to mention.


• Notable exceptions:


o Acrobat: for making PDFs (like this one)


o PhotoShop: for editing photos


o InDesign: for books and magazines



20

o Premiere Pro: for video editing


• Each profession has its own apps specifically


designed for that profession.


• Computer science has a huge number of software


development languages, notable: C++, Python, Java,


HTML, MATLAB.


• FORTRAN 2018: mainframe and supercomputer


programming, large scale modelling – calculations


using matrices.



Example Application: Graphics Design







Computer: Microsoft

Surface Studio












Stylus and graphics


tablet: Xp-pen Star03


V2 12 inch











21

Camera: Nikon D600


with appropriate lens.


Fast SD-card. USB

interface





Storage: you pay for


the amount of


memory you need.


Monitor calibrator: X-


Rite i1 Display PRO,


getting colours the

same.




Software: Adobe


Creative Cloud, 20+

desktop apps, you


choose what you want


for the task in hand.















22

• Typical application: childrens’ book illustrator,


always a big demand


for childrens’ books.


• Most childrens’ books


are thin !


• You may think you


cannot draw, you can


learn how to draw.


Several on-line drawing


courses (udemy).



Open Source



• Many apps are free and are referred to as Open


Source, where you are able to add features


yourself.


• The source code is available, you make changes


and recompile the code to make your version of


the app.


• Open Office from


Apache is an example


of an alternative to


Microsoft Office 365.




23

• Here is a statement from Apache,


The world's largest Open Source foundation is home to dozens of
freely-available (no cost), enterprise-grade Apache projects that serve
as the backbone for some of the most visible and widely used
applications. The ubiquity of Apache software is undeniable, with
Apache projects managing exabytes of data, executing teraflops of
operations, and storing billions of objects in virtually every industry.
Apache software is an integral part of nearly every end user

computing device, from laptops to tablets to phones.



• Linux is an open source operating


system for servers, mainframes,


mobile devices and embedded


devices.


• Works on x86, ARM and SPARC hardware.


• Many laptops use


Linux.


• The PC shown


here is the


ThinkPad X1

th
Carbon 6 Gen


• Processor: Intel Core i5; Memory: 8 GB; Storage: 256 GB SSD; Display: 14" LED
1920 x 1080; Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620; Input Device: TrackPoint;

Webcam; Networking: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1; Battery: Up to 19.3
hours
• Unlike Windows, system developers can access


Linus and make changes for their own systems.





24

• Android is derived from Linux – the most


commonly used operating system for mobiles.


• Each mobile manufacturer uses their own version


of Android.


• Functions of an operating system





















Storage of Data Resources



• Cloud storage comprise


data farms where


thousands of hard-


drives store data from a


huge number of


sources.


• There is data duplication in case one storage facility is


unable to provide the requested data, the data is then


accessed from a different location.









25

• Distributed resources although they appear a single


resource.


• Robust owing to the degree of distribution.


• You only pay for the memory you use. Unlike a personal


hard-drive most of it is unused yet you have paid for all


of it.


• Reduction in energy consumption as a company does


not have many spinning hard-drives.


• High level of data protection: a company need not


worry about this, the cloud provider does.


• No need to worry about addition memory storage – just


rent it from the cloud provider.


• Three back-ups of data.


• Data security: there are four concerns:


o Data stored in several locations, risk of


unauthorised physical access.


o Too many people accessing data can possibly


compromise it.


o As the number of channels over which the data


increases, the cloud requires a WAN.










26

o When sharing data and networks with customers,


the effect of errors can compromise the data.


• Before sending data to the cloud you could encrypt the


data yourself. If you want others to access the


encrypted data you need to give them the decryption


key.










































• Potential problems with cloud storage


o The cloud provider could be bought by another


company who have different rules because they are


from a different country.



27

o The cloud provider could go bankrupt.


o Cannot prevent government security agencies


accessing your data.


• When sharing database information, there must be in


place protocols for the use of semaphores – two or


more clients cannot access the same data at the same


time.


• Problem with cloud data farms, they are


environmentally unfriendly as they consume a lot of


energy.


• Rotating hard-drives and keeping them cool.





Data Resource Management



• The Data Management Association defines.



Data Resource Management

The development and execution of


architectures, policies, practices and


procedure that properly manages the full

data lifecycle needs of an enterprise.


• All about the management of a company’s


data resources.






28

• Applicable to information systems which are


needed by commerce.


• Data is in the form of spreadsheets and


databases – needs to be shared between


disparate systems.


• Therefore quality and compatibility is required.


• Data is a critical resource within any large


organisation.


• Rigorous management of data is paramount


for a successful company.


• Quality is a measure of the ability of a


company to manage its current data but also


its future data demands.


• Need to have a common data architecture


which are business driven.


• What happens when a company buys up


another company? Need to make the acquired


company’s data architecture the same as the


parent company.












29

Introduction to DBMS



• This is used to define, manipulate, retrieve and


manage data in a database.


• A database defines data formats, field names,


record structure, file structure and validation


methods for the data.


• There is a requirement


for the database to be


accessed by multiple


users in a controlled


manner – use of

semaphores for users who change the data.



• There are four types of databases


o Relational Database: Data is collected into


separate tables. Data in two or more tables can

be cross referenced to establish links between


them – referred to as referential integrity.


o Flat Database: Data is arranged in a record with


a fixed number of fields.


o Object Oriented Database: the concept follows


that of OOP.






30

o Hierarchical Database: Data arranged with


hierarchical relationships.


• Here is an example of a physical flat database.


• Simple card index.


• Data is stored on the cards.


• They are sorted alphabetically.


• Difficult to make changes.


• Prone to human error, wrong


dates and wrong numbers.




Benefits of DBMS over traditional file system



• Think of the card index as a traditional file system.


• Scale it up to have


thousands of records.


• A computerised version is


obviously faster.


• Cannot relate the data on


one card to another card –


no relational features.


• Difficult for several users to access a single card


index box.






31

• Cards cannot be removed, have to copy data


manually.


• Only a few people are charged with updating the


information on the cards.
















• Typical task, transferring card indexed data into


Microsoft Access database.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbtoCktlX1Y




Structure Query Language



• Method used to communicate with databases.


• Used when interrogating relational databases such


as MS-Access, ORACLE and others.


• Ask questions of your database records; how


many members have ages < 48 and > 52.



• This is an example of SQL Query handling – you

have to learn the SQL language.



• Making changes is achieved with SQL.





32

Concept of Data Warehouses and Data Marts






















• As previously mentioned, these are places where


there are banks of storage hard-drives on 24/7.





































• Three phases for storing data.


o Extraction – getting the data


o Transformation - making the data useful


o Loading – save to the warehouse.





33

• Data Marts – these are subset of the DW





















• Star: Typical data attached to the sales of a


named product.


• Create a warehouse by combining stars.























• If a Mart requires yearly sales figures, cannot go


to the original sales database; this database is


accustomed to single transactions; yearly sales


figures requires knowledge may requires millions


of transactions.











34

Storage Technologies and Architecture (NAS, SAN)



• Network attached storage (NAS)




























• A NAS is a network attached storage device.


• It is a server connected to a network with the


purpose of providing storage.


• These devices often use a RAID configuration.























Promise Technology Atlas S8+, 64TB 8-bay NAS



• A NAS has its own operating system, this allows the


management of the NAS.



35

• The NAS will perform automatic backup of all the data


in the network.


• Using RAID, if one of the drives fails, the data can be


recovered from the other drives.


• The NAS will allow appropriate share folders.


• Every computer engineer needs to have good


knowledge of NAS as every company will have a NAS.


• The Storage Area Network (SAN) is just a separate


storage facility which is part of the network.


• A SAN does not have its own intelligence, it’s just


storage for data.


• As the demand grows, just add more hard-drives to


the SAN.






Dealing with storage crisis



• How to recover from data loss due to failing


technology.


• The advantages of Redundant Array of Independent


Discs (RAID) is critical when there is a disc failure.


• Data is copied on multiple discs.


• The are several RAID configurations,




36

o RAID 0 : Striping, data is spread across two


separate discs and is not fault tolerant – very


fast writing.
















o RAID 1: Mirroring, the same data is copied to


two or more discs, if one fails, the data is


recovered from the other.


















o RAID 5: Striping with parity, three or more disc


and data is spread (not copied) over all the discs.


Also has Parity which allows you to rebuild lost


data.




















37

o RAID 10: 1 + 0, this is a combination of RAID 0


and RAID 1.


o Need a minimum of 4 discs.


o They are mirrored in pairs.

o They have the same fault tolerance as the RAID


1 and the speed of RAID 0.


o Disadvantage only 50% of the capacity is used to


store original data.


























This completes Session 1



























38


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