Types of Computers Desktop Laptop PC Mac Client

Types of Computers • Desktop / Laptop • PC / Mac • Client / Server

Desktop v. Laptop • Desktop – Keyboard – CPU – Disk drives – Monitor • Laptop – Single portable unit with battery

Client / Server • A server is a computer that is running software enabling it to serve specific requests from other computers, called clients.

Main Components • • CPU – Central Processing Unit Memory Motherboard Hard Drive Operating System Sound Card Graphics Card

ROM • Read Only Memory • “…computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. Once data has been written onto a ROM chip, it cannot be removed and can only be read. -Webopedia

GUI Graphical User Interface Icon-based command system

Mouse • “A device that controls the movement of the cursor or pointer on a display screen…” -Tyson. How PCs work.

Input/Output Devices • • Monitor Keyboard Mouse Storage Devices (floppy, CD, flash, DVD) Ports (USB) Speaker Microphone Camera

Hard disk • “This is large-capacity permanent storage used to hold information such as programs and documents. ” -Tyson. How PCs Work.

Sound Card • “This is used by the computer to record and play audio by converting analog sound into digital information and back again. ” -Tyson. How PCs work.

Scanner • “A device that reads data and inputs it to the computer…” -Wilson.

Ports • Slots or spaces “on the outside of a computer to attach external devices such as printers, scanners, tape backup drives, removable CD-ROM or floppy-disk drives. ” -Wilson. • Ethernet • USB • Serial

LAN • Local Area Network – Network covering a small geographic area

Binary • Computers think in binary code • All data is represented in 0 s and 1 s. This means every character (textual or numeric) must be converted to binary code to be processed by a computer. • Additional reading – http: //theproblemsite. com/codes/binary. asp

ASCII • American Standard Code for Information Interchange • Additional reading for next week – http: //webopedia. com/TERM/A/ASCII. html

Networking Basics • A network is a group of 2 or more computer systems linked together – LAN – WAN • http: //webopedia. com/TERM/n/network. ht ml • Additional reading – http: //webjunction. org/do/Display. Content? id=9 29

Computers in Libraries • Staff • Public

Troubleshooting • A single workstation produces an error message as soon as it is turned on, at the beginning of boot up. Could it be: – Workstation CPU – Workstation hard disk – Workstation monitor – Hub – Server

Troubleshooting • A single workstation sounds like it is booting up, but the screen remains blank. Could it be: – Workstation CPU – Workstation disk storage – Workstation monitor – Hub – Server

The Internet • Global computer network made up of smaller networks using common protocols

intranet • Web site internal to an organization, limited to local access and contained within a firewall.

Bandwidth • Width of the pipe. The amount of data that can be sent at once.

Firewall Software that blocks access and protects a network or PC