TEJ3M

Computer Systems

Computer Systems

Hardware

In case you didn't take TGJ1O or TEJ2O (or just want a review)

Assignment #3 - Intro to computer hardware

Make an entry on your Google Site Computer Systems page under the header Assignment 3. You are to create a slideshow, Canva, or entry onto your Google Site that addresses some aspect of each question below. Link/insert the project to that Google Site webpage and submit the link to Classroom

links:
Partspicker

BG3 parts requirements

1. For each of the following computer components, give the current best item available for sale (for the normal consumer - this will be somewhat subjective). Feel free to use Tom's Hardware or Digital Overdrive to aid in your quest. Also provide a picture

(1) CPU

(2) GPU/Video Card

(3) RAM

(4) Hard Drive/Solid State Disk/NVME/M.2 Which for length of storage before bit decay? For speed?

(5) Motherboard (MainBoard)

(6) Power Supply

(7) Chassis/Case

(8) Sound Card

(9) Display

2. Build a virtual desktop computer for "Baldur's Gate 3" consisting of the components listed above. Use PC Part Picker (linked below) to ensure compatibility of the parts. You may wish to include additional peripherals (eg. headphones, mic, keyboard, mouse, etc.) and some of the components may be integrated onto the motherboard. Copy the list of parts (or Partpicker link) to your submission. Try to keep your list of parts to $1200 CDN or less

3. Choose an operating system for your computer. On your site, include the OS name, its price, a screenshot of the OS, and a website or video link that details how to install the OS.

4. As part of the submission Identify the following pieces on the computer shown

<- #10

The Internet Resources

A brief history of hardware

Before the 1880s

The abacus: Early counting device. Invented by the Babylonians. Appeared in modern form in China about 1300 A.D.
Pascal: In 1642 developed the first arithmetic machine: The Pascaline
Jacquard: In 1801 used punch cards to determine pattern of cloth on a loom. Punch cards ran a machine
Babbage: English mathematician, often recognized as the Father of Computers Designed two mechanical calculators, the Difference Engine (1823) and the Analytical Engine (1833). Machines were never built (until recently)
Lady AdaByron Lovelace (Countess of Lovelace): Daughter of Lord Byron and an accomplished mathematician. With Babbage worked on a paper to explain how the Analytical Engine worked. Recognized as the first programmer, even though only her initials were included in the paper when it was published.

1880s through WW II

Herman Hollerith: Without Herman's invention the 1890s census data would not have been tabulated until well after the 1900 census had been taken. Invented an automatic electrical tabulating machine which read punch cards (like used in Jaquard's loom) representing the census data and then collated this data. In 1924 Hollerith's company changed its name to IBM
WW II spurred advancements in technology:
- Mark I, an electomechanical device. Developed in early 40s and introduced in 1944
- ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer) built at Iowa State. First electronic digital computer
- ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator. Most famous of the early computers started in 1943 and completed in 1946. Had 18,000 vacuum tubes and was the size of a gymnasium and weighed 30 ton. Each tube lasted about 20 minutes, employed about 15 men to replace tubes. To change a program had to rewire the hand-wired plug boards and set over 6000 switches.
- Followed by the EDSAC and the EDVAC. No longer hand-wired, but programmed by an interally stored set of instructions.

Vacuum tube generation - 1951 to 1958

UNIVAC: First general purpose computer designed for alphabetic as well as for numerical uses. First commercially available computer. Punch cards formed the input and programming done in machine language

Transistor generation - 1959 to 1964

Size of transistor (think switches) reduced the size of computers and increased the speed
Programming with English-like commands: FORTRAN and COBOL

Integrated circuit generation - 1965 to 1970

Instead of large boards, circuits were developed on single chips of silicon
IBM 360 series mainframe computers introduced
Smaller minicomputers debut. Less memory and slower processing, but made computers available to smaller businesses

Microprocessor generation - 1971 to ?

Microprocessors derived from the integrated circuits - computer on a chip
Silicon Valley becomes world renowned for manufacture of integrated circuit chips
Microcomputers on desks in offices and at home
- 1981 - IBM PC
- 1987 - IBM PS/2

Post-microprocessor generation - 2013 to ?

cores cores cores (threading distributes capacity)
Optical computing - circa 2008 - where photons produced by lasers or diodes for computation. Photons promise to allow a higher bandwidth than the electrons used in conventional computers. Functional Human-level AI? Transistor limits
Quantum computing - circa 2012 - using quantum relativity effects, entangled photons of light can compute functions in parallel thus increasing processor capacities by orders of magnitude.
Wetware computing - c. 2011 - using biological components to act as the components of a circuit such as AND/OR/NOT gates. While not as fast as optical or quantum computing, due to multiple connections may have globally higher relative CPU cycles.

Physical Hardware

source

Hardware comprises all of the physical part of the computer such as Monitor, CPU, motherboard, RAM, CD-Rom, printer, scanner, hard disk, flash drive, processor, PCI buses, floppy disk, power supply, VGA card, sound card, network interface card, peripherals, joystick, mouse, keyboard, camera, headset and others.

On the other hard software is a logical part of a computer and is used to carry out the instructions, storing, executing and developing other software programs. A typical PC consists of a case or chassis in the desktop or tower case and these components.

Motherboard

• CPU (filled with transistors - think switches)

• Computer Fan

• RAM

• BIOS

• Digital Circuitry

• Computer Fan

• PCI Slots

PC Buses

• PCI

• USB

• Hyper-transport

• AGP

• ISA

• EISA

• VLB

Media

optical drives
Joystick

Internal storage

Hard disk (IDE & SATA)
SSD
M.2 (both SATA and NVMe)
Data array controller
Floppy disk

Other Peripheral Devices

Mouse
Modems
Digital Camera
Sound, Video Cards
Printer

Output Devices

Printer
Scanner
Monitor
Speakers
Headset
Video output devices
VR?

CPU (Central Processing Unit): CPU or central processing unit relates to a specific or processor. The performance of the computer is determined by the CPU chip (processor speed) and the other computer circuitry. Currently, the Pentium chip (processor) is the most popular even though there are other chips available in the market today such as AMD, Motorola and others. Cores have taken over clock speed as the most important factor in determining the performance of a computer. The motherboard contains the hardware circuitry and connections that allow the different hardware components of the PC to interact and communicate with each other. Most computer software is being developed for the latest processors so it would be difficult to use the older systems.

Technologies to address:

Hard Disk Drives (vs. SSD)
Monitors (CRT/LCD/Organic)
Video Cards (PCI, AGP, PCIe)
Network adapters
Keyboards (QWERTY, Dvorak etc..)
Memory (DRAM, Nand, PCM etc...)
Mice and other graphical trackers (modern optical, trackball, stylus)
Printers
Scanners
Cases

Computer Pats and Functions Quiz

Troubleshooting Computers

Like any machine, when it doesn't work properly it can be frustrating. There are some basic troubleshooting steps to follow though that will help you get past the issue

1. Identify the Problem:

Gather Information:

What exactly is happening?
When did the problem start?
What were you doing when the problem occurred?
Are there any error messages?
Has there been any recent hardware or software changes?
Can you replicate the issue?

Define the Symptoms:

Is the computer slow, crashing, or not turning on?

Is it a software issue, a hardware issue, or a network issue?

Is the problem consistent or intermittent?

2. Establish a Theory of Probable Cause:

Check obvious issues:

Check basic connections (power, cables, components all seated securely).
Check peripherals in case they're the issue (switch monitors, swap cables)
Ensure the device is powered on.
Look for LED power indicators. Are fans spinning? Will the machine POST?
Consider recent changes
Try power cycling. (an old IT addage, "have you tried turning it off and on again").

Research:

Search online for error messages or similar symptoms.
Consult online forums or support websites.
Review any relevant documentation.

Formulate a Hypothesis:

Based on the information gathered, what are the most likely causes?

3. Test the Theory to Determine the Cause:

Test One Thing at a Time:

Avoid making multiple changes simultaneously. This helps isolate the root cause.

Verify Obvious Issues:

Confirm power supply, cable connections, etc.
Test hardware components, if possible.

4. Establish a Plan of Action to Resolve the Problem and Implement the Solution:

Prioritize Solutions:

Start with the easiest and most likely solutions (ie: turn it off and on again).

Implement the Solution:

Follow the steps needed to fix the problem.

If dealing with software issues, ensure you are downloading any fixes from trusted sources.

5. Verify Full System Functionality:

Test Thoroughly:

Ensure the problem is completely resolved.
Test all relevant functions.

Implement Preventive Measures:

Update software and drivers regularly.
Back up important data.

Assignment #4 - Computer Hardware Project

Complete the Google Form (in classroom) proposal for your computer hardware project. It contains the following questions:

Team members.
Are you doing anything above/beyond just a computer install

NOTE: The minimum project is listed below (copy and paste this into part 3):

1. Get computer from teacher, test it, record observations.

2. Take apart computer and identify/record the parts (part name, manufacturer, model name)

3. Reassemble computer.

4. Test computer and record observations.

5. Install operating system (Windows 10 or 11).

6. Install drivers (from manufacturer’s website).

7. Install software (Firefox, CPU-Z, SuperPi, Libre Office, PDF reader, Paint.Net, VLC or equivalents)

8. Run software and benchmarks (eg. SuperPi) and record results.

9. Try something different - if you want. Try overclocking, try setting up a miner etc....

Writeup

1. Proposal/Introduction/Purpose

2. Initial Observations

3. Parts List

4. Observations after reassembly

5. Software List

6. Conclusions - Include SuperPi benchmarks, final observations after running software, issues and how you overcame them, final thoughts, one dad joke about computers, anything else?

Computer Troubleshooting Quiz

Software

Software is a generic description of things that are code (a set of instructions) that run on a computer. While not hardware, software is equally important - think of what would happen if you removed the harddrive and destroyed the BIOS on a pc. When you turned it on - what would happen? There are a great many different types of software, but we will stick to four general categories:

Application Software - software includes end-user applications of computers such as word processors or video games

System Software - includes operating systems, which govern computing resources. Today, large applications running on remote machines such as websites are considered to be system software, because the end-user interface is generally through a graphical user interface, such as a web browser This includes drivers (instructions how to interface with the computers hardware & attached devices), BIOS (set of instructions about where there's an OS and how to load it, as well as ability to adjust settings on firmware. Firmware - which low level software that is stored on electrically programmable memory devices. Firmware is given its name because it is treated like hardware and run ("executed") by other software programs

Development Software - software that makes software (C++, Java etc..). This can further be subdivided into compilers and interpreters. IDE's a combinations of them both

Malware - software often intended to run hidden and not part of a package knowingly installed on a person's computer. Malicious in nature

Assignment #5 - Linux Distros

Get a Toshiba laptop from the teacher. Look up the specifications of the laptop model you received. Choose an alternative OS that meets the laptop specifications. Download the linux distro/OS and create a bootable usb. Install that OS on the laptop.

If you want a bit more of a challenge, see the video below to install ChromeOS on the laptop.
How to use Rufus

Installing Chrome OS

Go to linux distro chooser and complete the linux distribution chooser.

Instructions: Obtain a USB with Ventoy. Download "Live USB" and install it to your computer in the back of the lab

On a google doc record:

1. Can you access the internet? Can you access your email account?

2. What is Linux? Who created Linux? What is a Linux distribution?

3. Are there any games included with your distribution? Name 5.

4. What distribution are you running with your "Live CD"? (If you have used a linux distro in the past, please choose a distro that you haven't used before)

5. What word processor is included with your distribution?

6. What internet browser(s) is included with your distribution?

7. Is there an image manipulation program included with your distribution? Name it.

8. Name 3 other applications (not games) included with your distribution and their purpose.

Once it is running, find an Application called the 'Terminal' in the Application menu. The Terminal's location will vary from distribution to distribution. Once the terminal has started, you should see something like this:

[user@localhost ~]$

In linux there are a variety of commands that are used to navigate. They can be found here. Get used to navigating the linux command structure as there are a myriad of times in a programmer's/engineer's life they need to play around with terminal access.

1. You are going to find out the dirty details on what type of CPU your computer has, so type the following command, followed by ENTER:

[user@localhost ~]$ cat /proc/cpuinfo

The terminal will look at the information file located at /proc/cpuinfo, and display the results to you, they will look something like this:

processor : 0

vendor_id : GenuineIntel

cpu family : 6

model : 69

model name : Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4210U CPU @ 1.70GHz

stepping : 1

microcode : 0x1c

cpu MHz : 1700.062

cache size : 3072 KB

physical id : 0

siblings : 4

core id : 0

cpu cores : 2

apicid : 0

initial apicid : 0

fpu : yes

fpu_exception : yes

cpuid level : 13

wp : yes

flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx pdpe1gb rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf eagerfpu pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 sdbg fma cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm abm epb tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid fsgsbase tsc_adjust bmi1 avx2 smep bmi2 erms invpcid xsaveopt dtherm ida arat pln pts

bugs :

bogomips : 4788.92

clflush size : 64

cache_alignment : 64

address sizes : 39 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

This tells you that the Processor is an Intel, i5 with a Coppermine core, equipped with a 3GB Cache, and running at 1700Mhz. The 'flags' section of cpuinfo tells you what extensions your CPU has.

For example, this is the /proc/cpuinfo output for an older AMD Athlon64 3200+:

processor : 0

vendor_id : AuthenticAMD

cpu family : 15

model : 47

model name : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200+

stepping : 0

cpu MHz : 2000.000

cache size : 512 KB

fpu : yes

fpu_exception : yes

cpuid level : 1

wp : yes

flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt lm 3dnowext 3dnow up pni lahf_lm

bogomips : 4002.56

TLB size : 1024 4K pages

clflush size : 64

cache_alignment : 64

address sizes : 40 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management: ts fid vid ttp tm stc

MMX, SSE, SSE2, and PNI (SSE3) are used for multimedia purposes, such as rendering video, audio, and a host of other functions. As you can see from the Pentium III and Athlon64 flags, many CPUs share similar instruction sets, while each brand of CPU (AMD and Intel) have their own custom flags.

2. Once you've finished writing down the CPU make, speed and cache size, it's time to move on to the next command.

Type the following into the terminal:

[user@localhost ~]$ free -m

This command will display how much memory your system has, in MegaBytes. If your system has virtual memory, or swap, enabled, it will also display how much is available and how much is used.

The output from 'free -m' should look similar to this:

total used free shared buffers cached

Mem: 2010 1993 16 0 8 640

-/+ buffers/cache: 1344 665

Swap: 4188 81 4107

This tells the user that the computer they're on has 2010MB of RAM (2048MB), and 4188MB of swap/virtual memory (4096MB).

3. After you've finished writing down how much memory your system has, it's time to move on to the next command.

Type the following command into the terminal:

[user@localhost ~]$ uptime

This command will tell the user the current time, how long the computer has been running without a reboot, how many users are logged on, and the load.

The output from 'uptime' should look similar to this:

13:31:59 up 13 days, 3:55, 14 users, load average: 1.43, 0.99, 0.47

This tells the user that the time is 1:31PM, the computer has been running for 13 days and 4 hours without a reboot, that 14 users are logged on, and that the load is 1.43. The three numbers listed as load average is for the past one minute (1.43), the average over the past 5 minutes (0.99), and the average over the past 15 minutes (0.47).

4. Record the uptime.

If you want more detailed information about the processes currently running, type the command 'top' followed by the ENTER key. When you're finished looking at the processes running, hold the CTRL key while pressing the C key. If you want more detailed information about the users currently logged onto the system, type the command 'w' followed by the ENTER key. If you want more detailed information about the previous users on the system, type the command 'last' followed by the ENTER key. This will display from what computer(s) the users were logged in from, how long they were logged in or if they're still logged in, and what terminal they logged into.
5. There are many different types of malware. Use the search term "Famous Viruses" to find a virus and answer the following questions:

source

What operating system was targeted?
How did the creators get people to download/install/access their virus?
How did it propagate (spread itself)?
What did the virus do?
Were the creators ever caught and charged by authorities?

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