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Computers are
fascinating tools!
How do all
those parts communicate?
Well some
very clever, nerdy
individuals, over a long
period developed what we see
today.
If you want
to get your head round it
please read on, if you just
want your computer to work
just contact us now!
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call James
on 0845 257 9 267
The Jael blog on Computers:
Bits -
Basically, we all know
electricity is involved, with
circuits being either on or off.
This gives us the binary 0 or 1.
These values at a fundamental
level are the bits. In a pc,
bits, or circuits run in
parallel along buses.
Modern CPU’s
are said to be 64 bit processors
with 64 parallel lines of
electricity on each circuit (put
simply). These circuits are
controlled by transistors,
millions of them, which act as
electrical switches.
Software -
Software provides the code which
tell the switches what to do. An
operating system ‘manages’ the
software, ensuring it follows
set formats and rules, not
allowing programs to inundate
the processor. Modern operating
systems like Windows XP have
many processes running at any
given time, most being invisible
to the user. Of course the OS is
also the interface between the
operator and processor. As well
as processes, the OS provides
services which enable
other pieces of software to
perform their duties. For
example, for your printer to
work, a spooler service needs to
be running to manage the print
jobs you send to the printer.
The print manager needs to know
how to communicate with the
printer. He needs to know what
sort of printer you are using
and what language your printer
speaks.
All of this is governed by
various software modules. You
may have heard of device
drivers. A device driver, or a
software driver is a specific
type of computer software,
typically developed to allow
interaction with hardware
devices. Typically this
constitutes an interface for
communicating with the device,
through the specific computer
bus or communications subsystem
that the hardware is connected
to, providing commands to and/or
receiving data from the device,
and on the other end, the
requisite interfaces to the
operating system and software
applications.
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Networking computers requires both
the physical cabling and connecting
via network devices plus the software
configuration necessary to give
each computer an
IP address
it will
be known by on the network.
We also need to consider how our
network is going to have access
to or be accessible from the Internet.
As the name implies, the Internet
is an inter-network of many sub-networks,
each needing to be separate and
unique…. But connected all-the-same…
and having a presence on the Web.
If our pc’s system board
is connected via a network card
or
wireless adaptor, then by reason
of that connection, your bits
of data on the hard drive are
accessible to others. Any avid
fan of 24 or BBC1’s Spooks,
will see how various computer
systems are interlinked, will
hear expressions like “open
a secure socket” and “patch
me through to so and so!”.
This technology is there for us
all. Many wireless routers have
functions like Port Forwarding
and VPN pass through which give
us control over what passes through
and what doesn’t. With the
right configuration and forethought
we can access the data on our
computer at home or in the office
from anywhere in the world…
Yes, On a secure socket or tunnel,
just like Jack Bauer! Well, almost.
If you would like to see if your
computer is ready and compatible for Vista then
Microsoft provide an advisory utility to analyse
your pc and provide a report with a recommendation
of which version is right for you. Click
on this link to download the Upgrade Advisor.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx
| Intel provide a number of
server board platforms which meet the requirements of small to medium sized
businesses. This S5000PSL board supports 2 Quad/Dual core Xeon processors for
64bit computing. Incorporating an onboard RAID controller, this family of
server boards use the latest in storage technology allowing you to use SAS
(Serially Attached SCSI) hard drives or SATA disks for high speed data
access. |
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If you are planning to buy a
computer then you need to decide what
function it is going to perform. Is it
going to be a home pc connected to the
internet or a pc in a corporate environment
attached to a network? Is it going to
run graphical software like AutoCad for
engineering design with the need for 3-D
imaging? Similarly, are you a pc gamer
again needing high end graphics, processor
and memory hungry imaging or video playback.
Maybe you simply need Office applications
like Microsoft Word and Excel and a
connection to the internet for e-mailing.
If your computer is going to be in a
Marketing department then your needs will be
different than for the Finance or Accounts
dept. Storing images and sounds
obviously takes up more hard disk space than
documents and spreadsheets. Should
documents be kept on a single hard drive? Or
a number of hard drives set up to form a
single volume with redundancy (the ability
for 1 or maybe 2 disks to fail without data
loss or disruption to work)? Many
motherboards (system boards) have built in
controllers which allow multiple disks to be
used even on a home computer. This
technology is becoming ever more complex
with new, faster methods of data access and
protection. Many external hard drives
are now on the market offering greater
flexibility and choice.
If you require a network server
again the questions you need to ask are similar
in order to decide the exact function it is
going to serve. And that's the
point, a server provides services to
clients. Basically a server provides some
sort of centralised function like file and print
services or e-mail or some other central
application like a database. Access to
that data at all times ensures productivity and
efficiency so which method of hard disk
configuration and technology should be chosen?
Technologies such as RAID (Redundant Array of
Inexpensive Disks), Hot Swappable components
like hard disks plus Online Spare Disks can help
avoid downtime and should be considered.
Your final decision may well be affected by cost
compared to requirements and what is known as
TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). However
having access to consultancy and advise will go
a long way toward making a choice that will meet
your requirements effectively.
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