Hardware:

Input, Processing, and

Output Devices

Principles of Information Systems

Eighth Edition
 Learning Objectives

1. Describe how to select and organize computer

hardware components to support information system
(IS) objectives and business needs
2. Describe the power, speed, and capacity of central
processing and memory devices
3. Describe the access methods, capacity, and
portability of secondary storage devices
4. Discuss the speed, functionality, and importance of
input and output devices
5. Identify popular classes of computer systems and
discuss the role of each

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 Why Learn About Hardware?
• Can improve productivity, increase revenue,
reduce costs, and provide better service
• Managers are expected to know about hardware
– To help define business needs
– To ask questions and evaluate options when buying
equipment

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 Introduction
• Hardware: any machinery (most of which use
digital circuits) that assists in the input, processing,
storage, and output activities of an information
system
• When making hardware decisions, businesses
must consider how the hardware can support:
– Objectives of the information system
– Goals of the organization

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 Hardware Devices Analogy:
A Paper-Based Office
Register Storage

Output

Primary Storage
Secondary Storage

Input

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 Hardware Components

Figure 3.1: Hardware Components

6
Principles of Information Systems, Eighth Edition
 Hardware Components in Action

• Execution of machine-level instruction

 Phase 1 : Instruction Phase – Fetch and Decode
 Phase 2 : Execution Phase – Execute and Store
• I-time: the time taken to perform phase 1
• E-time: the time taken to perform phase 2

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 Hardware Components in Action

Figure 3.2: Execution of an Instruction

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 Processing and Memory Devices:
Power, Speed, and Capacity
• System unit
– Houses the components responsible for processing
(the CPU and memory)
• All other computer system devices are linked either
directly or indirectly into the system unit housing

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 Processing Characteristics and
Functions
• Computer execute an instruction during a machine
cycle
• Completing the instruction and execution phase –
make up one machine cycle
• Machine cycle time is measured in:
– Nanoseconds (1 billionth of a second)
– Picoseconds (1 trillionth of a second)
– MIPS (millions of instructions per second)

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 Processing Characteristics and
Functions (continued)

• Clock speed: series of electronic pulses produced

at a predetermined rate that affects machine cycle
time
– Often measured in:
• Megahertz (MHz): millions of cycles per second
• Gigahertz (GHz): billions of cycles per second
• Microcode: predefined, elementary circuits and
logical operations that the processor performs
when it executes an instruction

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 Physical Characteristics of the CPU
• Collection of digital circuits on chips
• Electrical current flows through silicon – to turn the
digital circuit on or off
• Gordon Moore – former Intel’s chairman
hypothesised that progress in chip manufacturing:
transistor density of chips will double every 18
months (Moore’s Law)

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 Physical Characteristics of the CPU
(continued)

Figure 3.3: Moore’s Law

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Memory Characteristics and Functions
• Main memory
– Located physically close to the CPU, but not on the
CPU chip itself
– Rapidly provides data and instructions to the CPU

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 Storage Capacity

Table 3.1: Computer Storage Units

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 Types of Memory

Figure 3.4: Basic Types of Memory Chips

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 Types of Memory (Cash Memory)

Figure 3.5: Cache Memory

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 Multiprocessing

• Multiprocessing: simultaneous execution of

two or more instructions at the same time
• Multiprocessing using coprocessors
– Coprocessor: speeds processing by executing
specific types of instructions while the CPU works
on another processing activity

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 Parallel Computing
• Parallel computing: simultaneous execution of the
same task on multiple processors to obtain results
faster
• Massively parallel processing:
– Speeds processing by linking hundreds or thousands
of processors to operate at the same time, or in
parallel
– Each processor has its own bus, memory, disks,
copy of the operating system, and applications

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 Parallel Computing (continued)

• 2 different approaches to achieving parallel

computing
– Single instruction/multiple data (SIMD) parallel
processors
– Multiple instruction/multiple data (MIMD) parallel
processors
• Grid computing: use of a collection of
computers, often owned by multiple individuals
or organizations, to work in a coordinated
manner to solve a common problem
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 Secondary Storage
• Permanent storage
• Compared with memory, offers the advantages of
nonvolatility, greater capacity, and greater
economy
• Selection of secondary storage : access methods,
storage capacities, and portability required -
determined by the information system’s objectives
• Example: credit card company

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 Access Methods

Two types of access methods

• Sequential access: records must be retrieved in
order in which it’s stored
– Devices used are called sequential access storage
devices (SASDs)
• Direct access: records can be retrieved in any
order
– Devices used are called direct access storage
devices (DASDs)

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 Devices
• Magnetic tapes
• Magnetic disks
• Optical disks
• Digital video disk (DVD)
• Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD)
• Memory cards
• Flash memory
• RAID
• Virtual tape

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 Magnetic Tapes
• Sequential secondary
storage medium
• Primarily for storing
backups
• Tapes similar to
audio and
videocassettes
• Portion of tapes are
magnetized to
represent bits

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 Magnetic Disks
• Direct access storage
medium
• e.g. diskette, hard
disks
• Allows fast data
retrieval

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 Optical Disc
• Data is recorded by
special lasers that
physically burn pits in
the disk.
• Data accessed –
optical disc device
(compact disk player)
• e.g. CD-ROM –
740MB, CD-RW

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 DVD and HVD
• DVD (Digital Video Disc)
• Looks like a CD but more storage
capacity ~ 135min of digital video.
• Software, video games, movies
• HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc)
• Advanced optical disk – ongoing
research
• Hold 200GB of data
• Write data 10 times faster than
DVD
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 Memory cards
• Functions as a hard
disk drive
• Portable, relatively
easy to use
• Need to use memory
card reader/writer

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 Flash Memory
• A silicon computer chip
• Keeps its memory when the power is
shut off
• “Flash” – the memory cell is erased or
reprogrammed in a single action or
flash
• e.g. – Migo – keychain device, comes
with software that captures files and
settings from e-mail, word processing,
web browser, presentation programs.

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 RAID and Virtual Tape
• Storage technologies
• RAID –
– Redundant array of independent /inexpensive disks
– duplicate existing data on drives, provides exact copy,
store on different physical disk drives
• Virtual Tape
– manages less frequently needed data
– Move data to less costly storage media
– Software – virtual tape server
– Vendor – IBM and Storage Technology

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 Enterprise Storage Options
• Needs to store massive amount of data
• 3 forms:
1. Attached storage
 tape, hard disks, optical devices
 Simple, cost effective - single users and small
groups
 Not allowed share storage
2. Network-attached storage (NAS)
 Storage devices attach to a network
 Users can share and access same information

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 Enterprise Storage Options
(continued)
3. Storage area network
(SAN)
 Special purpose, high
speed network
 Provides direct
connections between
data-storage devices and
computer
 Integrates different types
of storage subsystems Figure 3.9: Storage Area Network
(SAN)

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 Input and Output Devices: The
Gateway to Computer Systems
• Through input and output devices, people provide
data and instructions to the computer and receive
results from it
• Selection of input and output devices depends on
organizational goals and IS objectives

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 Characteristics and Functionality
• Nature of data- data can be human-readable or
machine-readable
• Data entry: converts human-readable data into
machine-readable form
• Data input: transfers machine-readable data into
system
• Source data automation: capturing and editing
data where the data is initially created and in a
form that can be directly input to a computer

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 Input Devices
• Personal computer input devices
– Keyboard
– Mouse
• Speech-recognition technology
– Input devices that recognize human speech
– e.g. automate account identification process
• Digital cameras
• Terminals
– Input and display devices that perform data entry
and input at same time
– Office, warehouse, factory

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 Input Devices (continued)
• Scanning devices
• Optical data readers
 Special scanner
 OMR – standardized tests
 OCR – convert handwritten to typed doc into digital data
• Magnetic stripe card
– Swipe card
• Point-of-sale (POS) devices
– Used in retail operations to enter sales
information
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• Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) devices
 A system for reading banking data quickly
 Use special ink readable by people and computers
 e.g. bank check

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 Input Devices (continued)
• Automated teller machine (ATM) devices
• Pen input devices
• Touch-sensitive screens
• Bar-code scanners
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

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 Output Devices
• Display monitors

• Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)

• Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)

• Printers and plotters

• Digital audio player

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 Special-Purpose Input and Output
Devices
• Computer-based navigation systems
– GPSs (Global positioning system), satellite based
radio navigating system
– Guide to specific destination
• Multiple function printers
– Print, copy, fax,scan
• Eyebud screens
– Portable media devices
– Display video in front of one eye

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 Computer System Types, Selection,
and Upgrading
Computer classification:
• Special-purpose computers: used for limited
applications by military and scientific research
groups
• General-purpose computers:
– used for a wide variety of applications
– Single user at a time, multiple concurrent users

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 Computer System Types
• Handheld computers – single user, small size,
portable

• Portable computers
– laptops, notebooks, tablet
• Thin client
– Low-cost, no extra drives, limited capabilities
• Desktop computers

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 Computer System Types (continued)
• Workstations – more powerful than personal
computer, similar size to desktop, heavy
mathematical computing, CAD.
• Servers – to perform special tasks, e.g. running
network or Internet application.

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 Computer System Types (continued)
• Mainframe computers – large, powerful computer,
shared by hundreds of concurrent users, connected
via terminals

• Supercomputers
– most powerful computers, fastest processing speed,
highest performance.
– Special purpose machines – weather forecast, military
application, simulation of golf club designs.

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 Selecting and Upgrading Computer
Systems
• Dispose of old equipment properly
• Consider factors such as speed, cost, and
performance when upgrading
– Hard drive
– Main memory
– Printer
– DVD burners

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 Summary
• Hardware: machinery that assists in the input,
processing, storage, and output activities of an
information system
• Hardware components: central processing unit
(CPU), input and output devices, communications
devices, primary storage devices, and secondary
storage devices
• Random access memory (RAM): temporary and
volatile
• ROM (read-only memory): nonvolatile

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 Summary (continued)
• Multiprocessing: simultaneous execution of two or
more instructions at the same time
• Sequential access: records must be retrieved in
order
• Direct access: records can be retrieved in any order
• Examples of secondary storage devices: magnetic
tapes and disks, DVDs, memory cards, etc.
• Enterprise storage options: attached storage,
network-attached storage (NAS), and storage area
network (SAN)

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 Summary (continued)
• Examples of input devices: keyboards, mice, voice-
recognition devices, terminals, scanning devices,
and touch-sensitive screens
• Examples of output devices: display monitors,
liquid crystal displays (LCDs), printers, and plotters
• Computers can be classified as either special-
purpose or general-purpose
• Computer system types: handheld computers,
portable computers, desktop computers,
workstations, servers, etc.

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