Hardware and Software Requirements For an IT system Essay

For this assignment we book to produce a report on the types of information processing system catchyw atomic number 18 and softwargon requirements, and their purposes, for an IT system. In the context of this essay I fetch decided that bullet point plaster bandage along with brief descriptions and graphics is the best bureau to present this assignment.6 STAGE MODELShown above is the six-stage model, showing the processes under trailn by a computer system. Below is what each of my pictures represents* Mo hire Input Device* The pillar Central Processing Unit* Monitor Output Device* Floppy Disk Backing Store* Head Main Memory* Teleph i communications Devices e.g. InternetInput Devices and TechniquesInput devices atomic number 18 the means whereby computers seat accept data or instructions(Heathcott P M, 2000, p 159)* Keyboard The keyboard is the most commonly utilize of all input devices. It trick be utilise for a various number of tasks, form entering programs, to typing d ocuments using a word processor, or entering a persons personal details etc.* Mouse The mouse and its variants such as the trackball is well k this instantn with all PC substance abusers.* S backner A s raisener can be use to scan graphical images and photographs, and package can consequently be used to edit or touch up the images. Scanners can also be used to read typed or hand-writtten documents and this can then be interpreted by using OCR software package, which can then merchandise it to a word processor or data file. Scanners can also be used to input coarse volumes of data on pre-printed forms such as credit mailing payments, where the customers accountancy number and amount paid are printed at the bottom of the payment slip.* Web Cam This transfers images onto the disguise. In can be used via the internet for video conferencing or you can even pre-record messages and send them via E-mail.* Bar Code Reader Bar codes appear on almost allthing we buy, whether it is a rising CD or a tin of bins. The pattern of thick thin lines represents the 13 digit number underneath the bar code. There are quaternity main pieces of nurture on a bar code.The first few two or three digits represent in which country the product was registered. The adjoining five digits represent the manufacturers code. The second group of five numbers represents the product and package size. The last digit is a check digit, which is figure from the other digits in the code and ensures that the barcode is keyed in or read correctly. A very similar process to that used in the ASCII code where the redeem digit is used as the parity.A Product Bar Code* Light Pen A light pen is a device which incorporates a light sensor so that when it is held close to a screen over a character or part of a graphic, the object is fall uponed and can be moved to create or modify graphics.* Microphone An input devise for sound recording.* OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) An Optical Mark Reader can detect marks made in present positions on a form. The most common example of this is the lottery. It is also widely used for marking, multiple choice exams and merchandise research questionnaires.* OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Light is emitted, bounced back and then received. This is how the OCR reads its characters. The light emitted is in different resolutions depending on the character. OCR is used widely in services such as gas and electricity etc.* MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) All banks use MICR for processing cheques. Along the bottom of a cheque the banks sort code, customer account number and cheque number are encoded in special characters in magnetic ink. The amount of the cheque is encoded in magnetic ink when it is handed in at the bank. The cheques can then be processed by MICR devices that read, sort and warehousing the data on record book. MICR has several advantages for processing cheques1. It is hard to forge the characters2. The characters c an be read even if the cheque is crumpled, dirty or smudged3. The characters are readable by humans, unlike bar codesThe disadvantage of MICR though is the expense. This is why you applyt find many a(prenominal) other examples of it being used.* Swipe Cards Swipe cards are operated by using a magnetic strip. They are used in credit cards, debit cards, railway tickets, phone cards and many others. The magnetic strip can be encoded with upto 220 characters of data and other 83% of adults in Britain own at least one card. Unfortunately because there are only 220 characters of data this makes the cards very easy to copy, which is why the strips forget eventually, disappear and be replaced by a chip, which is almost impossible to fake. Something slightly similar to the smart card.* Smart Cards Smart cards are of a similar appearance to that of the twitch cards, but instead of using the magnetic strip they contain a small 1-millimeter square microprocessor which is stored in the centr e of the card. This is then protected by a small specie electrical contact the card can still read training through this.Unlike the swipe card the smart cards can hold millions of characters of data. In the future banks hope to replace all the swipe cards with a Super card which lead also be able to be used to pay for smaller goods such as milk and newspapers without the need to carry cash. This card will almost be unbreakable. In Belgium they already have a similar system working to this it is called the Proton Card, which incorporates the use of both magnetic strip and a microprocessor chip for bank with ingestals and payments of small goods.The Smart Card* Touch Sensitive Screens A touch sensitive screen allows the user to touch an area of the screen rather than having to type the data on a keyboard. They are widely used in tourist centres, where tourists can look up various topical anaesthetic facilities and entertainments, in fast food stores such as McDonalds for entering customer orders, in manufacturing, and also bars.* Digitisers A digitiser can draw timber illustrations. It has a flat rectangular slab onto which a stylus (anything that terminates in a point) is placed.Output Devices and TechniquesThe ultimate aim of the computer is to produce useful information, the information that is produced by the computer is in binary digits, we therefore need devices to translate these into a form we can use(Corbitt T, 1990, p 11)* visual present unit (Visual Display Unit) The VDU is similar in appearance to the television receiver, an alternative name is the monitor. VDUs have better resolution than TVs and therefore are better for graphical work. It has its own inflexible amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) associated with it to store the image being displayed on the screen. So the much RAM it has the better the resolution displayed on the screen. The number of pixels used to represent a full-screen image determines the resolution. ExampleIf 1 bit re presents each pixel then two colours can be displayed, so to display 256 colours you would need 8 bits (1byte)It is usually possible to adjust both the resolution and the number colours if you select a high resolution you wont be able to have as many colours because of the memory available on the VDU printing machinesThe results of processing are usually require in printed form. Printers come in all shapes and sizes, there are two main categories of printers* Impact Printers which transfer the image on to the paper by applying oblige against a ribbon onto the paper, this transfers ink form the ribbon to the paper forming the image* Non-impact Printers which produce the image on the paper without any contact.Impact Printers* Dot-matrix The characters on this are formed by dots. The print target contains a number of needles, the more there are of these the better the quality of print. A boss with nine needles would take seven horizontal movements to print a character, this printe r would be said to have a seven-by-nine-character matrix. In the latest type near letter quality is produced by double produce. The line of type is printed, the head moves back to the beginning of the line, moves down fractionally and then prints the line a second time. This doubles the time interpreted to print a document. To overcome this more expensive models use twice the number of needles and near letter quality can be achieved with one departure of the head. The dot-matrix can also print out graphics and pictures of a basic quality.Dot-matrix printers, which can print in colour, are available, these use a ribbon which contains red, kB and blue. Coloured output is obtained by repeated printing, repositioning of the paper, print head and ribbon. The dot-matrix can print between 30 and 200 characters per second (cps).* Daisy-wheel printers The print head consists of flexible arms extending from a centre hub, the characters are at the tips of the arms. When printing the hub rev olves bringing the required character next to the ribbon. Some daisy-wheel printers are bi-directional and the print head can turn in either direction so that quickest possible print time is achieved. The print can be changed so that different font styles can be used. Daisy wheel printers are unable to print graphics unlike the dot-matrix. It is capable of speed ranges 12 to 55 cps.Non-impact printers* Thermal printers These use specially treated paper, which is affected by heat generated by the print head as it passes across the paper. The main advantages are that they are silent and fast, printing 30-120 cps. Disadvantages are that the paper is expensive and that the printed image degrades in time.* Ink-jet printer With this type of printer the characters are formed on the paper by sprayer it with a stream of ink dots. They are fast, printing 150-270 cps and almost soundless, the quality of print is very good.A Canon Bubble Jet Printer BJC7000* Plotters Plotters are used to produ ce drawings, diagrams and other types of graphical output. There are two varieties in use, the flatbed plotter which is used where accuracy is important and the stupefy plotter which is used for business applications. The flatbed type is fixed while the pen moves over the top of the device while the axis moves up and down, whilst the bone up variety uses continuous stationery. In both types the pens, under the program crack, are moved to the down position, the movement of the pens is then controlled to draw the image. There are from one to six pens, which can be used to output different colours.There is also the less commonly known graph plotter. This is most commonly seen in use for lie detector tests.* COM (Computer Output on Microfilm) The problem of storing information on paper can be considerable in a large business. One way to solve this is to have output from the computer photographed as microscopic images directly onto microfilm. Two methods of storage are used, one put t he information onto a roll of 16mm film while the other uses microfiche. Microfiche can store upto 100 pages of A4 on a single piece, to see it you must have a microfiche reader. The most recent examples of this being used is in libraries and in garages for checking car parts.Data can be stored onto microfilm directly from the computer or dark line using magnetic tape as an intermediary store.* Voice output The output of the computer can be given in talk form by using voice synthesisers to transform words stored in the computer into human speech, this is great for disabled people who can non speak as it allows them to communicate. The user can hear through a loudspeaker.Secondary device techniquesA permanent, non-volatile form of storage is required by all computer systems to save software and data files. Magnetic tape, magnetic phonograph records, CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), and microfilm are all examples of what is known as secondary storage.* Floppy disk The standar d 3 1/2 floppy disk is a thin, flexible plastic disk coated in metal oxide, enclosed in a rigid plastic casing for protection. A standard high density disk has a storage space of 1.44 Megabytes.* Hard Disks The hard disk used with conventional PCs consists of one or more disk platters, which are permanently sealed inside a casing. Hard disks have a aptitude of between 2Gb and 10Gb, though external hard trains can be plugged into the computer to provide extra storage space. For large-scale applications storing huge amounts of data, more hard disks would be used. The disks can be fixed or removable, although the fixed disks are more reliable and have more storage capacity.Data is stored on the concentric tracks, which are divided into sectors. Data is then stored in one of the sectors so that it minimises the movement of the read-write heads, thereby minimising access time.* CD-ROM CD-ROMs can store around 680Mb of data, which is the resembling of hundreds of floppy disks. CD-ROMs do not transfer data as rapidly as the hard disk drive. As the name suggests the disks are read-only memory. Unlike a magnetic disk they are created by burning tiny holes into the surface of the disk, a laser beam is then reflected off the surface of the disk, detecting the front line or absence of pits, which represent the binary digits.* Worm disks (Write Once, Read Many) These look very similar to the CD-ROM in appearance but are gold rather than silver in colour. These disks can be used to write your own material and are ideal for archiving or storing images or data, which will not be changed. They are popular in the pirate industry because a 5 blank disk can store upto 20 000 worth of software and sell for 50 80. They are used by less reputable PC companys which install the software onto the PC so they can charge the consumer more for the package. However because of the competition in the pirate industry at present many of these carry viruses which can cause chaos on the ha rd drive.* Magneto-optical disks Magneto-optical disks integrate optical and laser technology to enable read and write storage. A 5 1/2 disk can store up to 1 Gb. These disks may in future replace current magnetic disks, but at present the technology is still developing and the disks are too expensive, slow and unreliable to be in widespread use.* Magnetic tape Magnetic tape was developed in the 1950s and very quickly became the primary means of storing data. The data is stored on magnetic tape in the form of dots of magnetism. It is used widely for archiving past transactions or other data that may be needed again, for example, old news readings that have been collected over a number of years.* Jaz Drive Two Gigabytes is a tape drive and a mass storage device mainly used for backing up large files or batches of files i.e. end of day transaction backup for banks or businesses software package requirements and techniquesSoftware is the name given to the programs that direct the opera tion of the computer. It can be divided into two main groups, system software and applications software. System software is the programs required to run the computer system and applications software is the programs required to carry out a particular application such as stock-taking controlSystems softwareThis is the software that the microcomputer system needs to run. In this group there are three divisions operating(a) systems, utilities and compilers/interpreters/assemblers.Operating systems An operating system is a set of programs that allows the user to perform tasks without having to know how they are done. For example, a user can give a command to save a file on disk without having to know where the file will be stored or how it will be retrieved again.Applications programs are usually written to work with a particular operating system e.g. Excel will only work with Windows and not with Apple Mac, which has a different operating system.Utility programs Utility programs perfor m common tasks that every computer user will need at one stage or another. They carry out such jobs as formatting and copying disks, deleting files from disks, select information into a required order, and to help with the testing of programs that have been written.Compilers, interpreters and assemblers These are programs that translate the programming language that is used into a form that the computer can understand. Compilers work by translating the whole of the program from what is known as the source program into the object program which will be in a form that the computer can understand. Interpreters are programs that translate and execute source programs one statement at a time. An assembler is a program supplied by the computer manufacturer that will translate a program that was written in assembly language (low-level programming language) into machine code.Applications software In large organisations that have a mainframe or minicomputer we would find that programmers were employed whose job it would be to write the programs for the applications that the organisation wished to have run on the computer, such as payroll, stock control or hospital appointments. The software may be designed specifically for one particular company and written especially for them using a programming language or software such as database management system. Alternatively, the software may be purchased off the shelf.General purpose software Most general purpose software is sold as a package, including a CD containing the software. Below is the most common packages that you would find on the market place to date1. Applications spreadsheets, database, word processing, Desk Top Publishing2. Presentation CD based presentations (Power Point, Director)3. Internet Publishing web page development software (Front Page, Dreamweaver, Flash)4. Programming Software BASIC, Visual Basic, C++, Java, Pascal, HTML5. Creation and Editing Photo Shop, Paint Shop Pro, Premier, Coral Draw6. Utilit y Anti-virus, tidy and compression, Doctors. The newer computer systems will have these utilities on them already.Software such as word processing, spreadsheet and databases is sometimes refereed to as generic software. This means that many of the packages can be made to do many different tasks, and is not specifically for one type of application. The other types of application software such as stock control and payroll as mentioned in the beginning are special purpose because they have been designed to complete one particular task.ConclusionI found this assignment very interesting and now face I have a much sounder understanding off computer hardware and software. I would have liked to incorporate more images into the assignment as reference to each of the products described, but was unable to find all of theimages that I required, and also had problems trying to transfer them from the internet. Apart from this I feel quite satisfied with the overall assignment and hope that I hav e entered all the data needed and presented it in a clear fashion.BibliographyCorbitt T, (1990), Information technology And Its Applications. Avon, United Kingdom Bath contractHeathcott P M, (2000), A Level Computing. Ipswich, United Kingdom Payne-Gallway Publishers LtdReferencesCorbitt T, (1990), Information Technology And Its Applications. Avon, United Kingdom Bath PressHeathcott P M, (2000), A Level Computing. Ipswich, United Kingdom Payne-Gallway Publishers LtdMichael Firmstone Tutor Del Turney 14/11/01