Topic Two: Network Hardware & Animation
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Hardware is the physical componenet of a computer system. It is what you can touch: the screen, the keyboard, the hard drive. Hardware has one of FOUR data manipulation responsibilities:
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INPUT
OUTPUT
TRANSPORT
PROCESSING
STORING
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INPUT & OUTPUT
n the illustration below you can see some familiar hardware - a screen, a keyboard, a speaker, a mouse and a printer. Some of these hardware devices input data from the user (you!) and some devices display or send data out to the user.
The keyboard reads in a key-stroke from the user and sends a byte though to the processer which in turn displays the letter or symbol on the screen that the byte represents. In the diagram below you can see how typing "S" on the keyboard is INPUT and the screen is displaying the letter as OUTPUT.
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INPUT DEVICES INCLUDE:
o Mouse
o Keyboard
o Camera
o Microphone
o Game controller
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OUTPUT DEVICES INCLUDE:
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o Computer display or monitor
o Multifunction Devices—Combines printer, fax, scanner, and copier
o Printers
o Projectors
PROCESSING
In the big box case that contains the electronic circuits of the computer are the components that process the data. This is where the computer programs are executed and the data is manipulated. Processing essentially changes input to create output. An example is illustrated below where some values are entered and the processer calculates the answer to the function.
The main processor is the brain of the computer and it consists of the Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory (Random Access Memory-RAM), and other electronics.
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PROCESSING DEVICES INCLUDE:
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o Arithmetic/logic unit: Contains the electronic circuitry necessary to perform arithmetic and logical operations on data.
o Control Unit: The component in any computing system that works in coordinating with the central processing unit to
instruct, maintain and control the flow of information.
o Central Processing Unit (CPU): The component in any computing system that represents the circuitry necessary to interpret
and execute program instructions, it consists of the Control Unit, arithmetic/logic unit and the controller.. It is the corollary
to the brain in organic systems.
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STORAGE
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After we have entered our data and processed it and the computer has displayed the results to ue and we are satisfied with the datam we need to save the data on some storage hardware. If we do not save our essay or our spreadsheet or our PowerPoint the data will be gone and we will not have access to that data again.
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We store data on hard-drives, USB memory sticks, and file servers that can be found on networks. We can also save out work in the "cloud". This means we are storing our data on a server that you can access on the internet. Usualy we store our data in the C drive of our own computer - which is a hard drive of the laptop or desktop computer.
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STORAGE DEVICES INCLUDE:
o RAM (Random Access Memory) – a volatile form of memory, RAM generally functions as a computers "desktop" - the space in
which data that is actively under review and/or manipulation can be processed. As a result and as a general rule, the more RAM
with which a computer is fitted, the more and faster data can be viewed and manipulated. RAM needs to be cyclically
"refreshed" from an outside power source in order to maintain the information contained therein. When external power is
removed, the data contents held in RAM disappears. For this reason, RAM is sometimes referred to as short term memory.
o ROM (Read Only Memory) – a non-volatile form of memory, ROM stores data that does not commonly change, like startup
instructions and data used when a computer if first turned on.
o CD-ROM (compact disk read-only) — a smaller optical disk that can store about 450 times the data on a floppy
o Hard Disk—one or more rigid platters coated with material that allows data to be recorded magnetically on the surface of the
platters.
o Smart Cards—size of credit card and contain a thin microprocessor capable of storing data. They are used as attendance tracking
cards, identification cards, telephone cards, etc
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TRANSPORT
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Transport hardware organises data so that it can be moved from one physical loaction to another. The most obvious type of hardware to move data from one place to another is a cable.
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In the table below you can see the Ethernet cable whcih send data as electrical signals. This cable connect devices directly. You plug your computer or tv directly into your internet router. You can check your classroom computer lab and you will see blue cables running from each of the desktop machines. These are connecting your computer to the network. ether net is made of copper wire twisted together and covered in plastic chielding. If we twist copper wires to gether it protects it from electromagnetic interference created by so many electrical devices all around us.
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The next cable along in the table is the Optical Fibre Cable. (OFC) This is cable made of long strands of glass and sends data as pulses of light. OFC is able to transport more data at one time. This means it has a higher bandwidth than Ethernet. OFC is faster but it is more expensive.
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Finally the last cable is a telecommunications cable, otherwised called Twisted pair. It is simple two copper wires twisted together with minimum plastic sheilding. It is the cheapes to t produces and has the lowest bandwidth and it is used for telephone lines.
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The devices that allow data to move from one physical location to the other can be seen on the table below.
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If you have a wireless enabled laptop you maigh want to access the school wifi. when you are accessing wifi, you are making use of a Wireless Access Point. (WAP). WAPs extend the wireless network beyond the restrictions of cables throught he use of Radio Waves.
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A router is a device that connects a local area network (such as a network of devices at home - tv, computers, printer etc) to the internet. routers are smart and know how to address data exctly so the data gets to where it is intended to go.
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An Internet Service Provider is the organisation and hardware that allows each household or organisation access to the internet.
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A Base Station send uplinks to the communication satellites to allow for data to be send across the world through the use of Microwaves.
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NETWORKS
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Networks can be represented in diagrams where the devices and the communication cables are all illustrated to show how data can be transported from one location to another. Below is a diagram that shows how a customer access the data on a business website.
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ASSIGNMENT ONE
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Using PowerPoint, students will create an animation that shows how an email is sent from one country to another. In the video below you can see an example animation that has been exported as a video for PowerPoint. You can use the techniques outlined in the Animation Tutorial document below.
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What a real Network diagram looks like:
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There are a range of different icons that can be used. A Business network diagram needs to show ALL the devices in the offices of the company. In the image below the same network as illustrated in the animation is depicted more formally using straight lines and icons. It also shows more than one device at each office. The Melbourne office has three desktop machines and a laptop that requires Wifi (radiowaves).
APPLIED DESIGN TASK
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For your applied design task you need to create a network diagram in Microsoft Word using icons from online. The image above is a good example of a Business network with two locations: Melbourne and New York.
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You need to use Word to design your network.
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