System Technology

Question 1

Hardware and Software

Answer 1

• Hardware is the physical components that a computer requires to function
• Software is a series of instructions that tell a computer what to do

Question 2

ICT System

Answer 2

• Combination of hardware, software and people that use them

Question 3

Data and Information

Answer 3

• Data is raw, unprocessed facts

- Information is data that has been processed and is meaningful

Question 4

System Types

Answer 4

• PC, laptop, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, tablet, smartphones, smart wear, etc.

Question 5

System Software

Answer 5

• Programs that run computer hardware and application programs which includes OS’s and application software

Question 6

OS Functions

Answer 6

• Provides UI, manages resources, interface between hardware and applications and loads and runs programs

Question 7

Types of OS/Software (5)

Answer 7

• Desktop: Linux, Mac, Windows
• Mobile OS: Android, iOS
• Embedded: Specialised OS designed for a specific task for a device that isn’t a computer e.g. microwave, dishwasher
• Utilities: Software that adds functionality to computer and increases performance e.g. troubleshooting, anti-virus
• Drivers: Allows communication between hardware connected to the computer and the OS e.g. printers, USB drives,

Question 8

Application Software (3)

Answer 8

Programs or groups of programs designed for end-users

• Stand alone: Runs locally on devices and doesn’t need anything else to be functional
• Network: Provides communication to another app running on a different host e.g. file transfer or emails

Question 9

Northbridge and Southbridge (5 + 4)

Answer 9

- NB: Tasks that require the highest performance:
  CPU
  CU
  ALU
  RAM/Registers
  Graphics Card

• SB: Components that don’t require fast processing
  IO Hub
  BIOS
  CMOS memory

Question 10

CPU Design (3)

Answer 10

CPU:
CU - Directs operation of the processor and tells the ALU and IO devices instructions to execute
ALU - A circuit that performs arithmetic and bitwise operations on integers
Registers - Holds instructions, storage addresses or data during the machine cycle

Question 11

64 vs 32-bit processor

Answer 11

• 32 has 2^32 memory addresses = 4GB of memory
• 64 has 2^64 memory addresses = 16 billion GB hence can hold more sets and run faster

32 vs 64 bits of data transmitted every clock cycle
64 bit is more expensive

Question 12

Machine Cycle

Answer 12

• Fetch the instruction from the instruction register
• Decode the instruction
• Execute the instruction
• Store the result in memory

Question 13

Parallel Processing

Answer 13

Running two or more processes to handle separate parts of an overall task. Processes are run simultaneously on multiple processors

Question 14

Hyperthreading

Answer 14

The splitting of physical cores into virtual cores called threads that allow each core to do two things simultaneously thereby increasing processor efficiency.

Question 15

Multiprocessing

Answer 15

The use of two or more cores on a CPU which increases efficiency and several programs can run simultaneously on different cores.

Question 16

Primary Memory (5)

Answer 16

Register: Holds an instruction
RAM: Volatile main memory in chips attached to motherboard in DIMM slots. Stores programs in use and data associated with them
- ROM: Chip that stores firmware and cannot be written to
- BIOS: Checks that essential hardware is present and loads the OS for the user
- UEFI: New BIOS that has a GUI and helps stop malware

Question 17

Secondary Memory

Answer 17

HDD: Stores data by writing to a spinning metal disc with an arm. Non-volatile
SSD: Uses current to store information electronically. Much faster than HDD but is more expensive per unit of storage. OS and essential programs are loaded there while others are on HDD.
Uses the PCI-Express bus
EEPROM: Used in memory cards, USB

Question 18

Virtual Memory

Answer 18

Using an area on the HDD to extend the RAM. Pages are swapped in and out of memory wherever an application requires memory. Slows down performance

• Paging: computer stores and retrieves data from secondary storage for use in main memory.
• Thrashing occurs when the VM is overused which slows down speed.

Question 19

Cache (4)

Answer 19

Stores instructions likely to be needed by the CPU for faster processing times.

CPU Cache: Reduces average time of accessing data from main memory
Disk Cache: Improves the time it takes to read or write to HDD
Browser Cache: Stores pieces of frequently visited pages so that they load faster
Proxy Cache: Feature of proxy servers that stores content on the server itself

Question 20

SRAM

Answer 20

Cache is made of SRAM chips

Question 21

CPU and RAM

Answer 21

CPU > RAM
Faster RAM means memory transfers are faster meaning the faster processor can run at faster rates which makes the computer more efficient

Bottlenecking occurs when a component is too fast or slow and affects the speeds of other components

Question 22

Latency

Answer 22

Time taken between request for instruction and instruction being delivered to CPU

Question 23

IRQ

Answer 23

Signal sent to CPU to indicate that a device or process needs the attention of the CPU

Question 24

POST

Answer 24

Diagnostic test that checks that the BIOS systems run

Question 25

System clock

Answer 25

A small quartz crystal that vibrates at a regular frequency measured in GHz which coordinates activities on the motherboard Overclocking increases the frequency at which components run which increases performance. Can also be done by increasing the clock multiplier value. Clock multiplier - Sets ratio of internal CPU rate to system clock

Question 26

Buses (4)

Answer 26

Sets of wires that transport data, instructions of addresses between components - FSB connects CPU to Northbridge - Address Bus connects address of instructions or data between CPU and RAM - Data Bus transfers actual instruction or data between CPU and RAM. Number of bits of data bus dictates register size on CPU - Control Bus carries commands between the CPU and RAM

Question 27

Languages (4)

Answer 27

High levels are easy to learn and allow for abstraction e.g. Java Low levels are harder to learn and are slower e.g. machine language Compilers translate high-level source code into object code Interpreters read and execute directly without compilation.

Question 28

Code

Answer 28

Source code lists commands to be compiled into an executable computer program Executable code is a program that will run as soon as it opens

Question 29

Increasing Cache Size

Answer 29

- L1, L2, L3 (increasing order of size, decreasing order of speed) - Expensive method of improving the ability to load instructions to CPU

Question 30

Increasing RAM speed and size

Answer 30

- More program instructions can be loaded faster - Less swapping of instructions in and out of memory - Hence overall speed increases

Question 31

Task-Specific Components

Answer 31

- Video card for 3D rendering (convert 3D graphics into 2D representations for computer) - Faster HDD or SSD for video editing (load files faster) - Decrease time taken to perform these tasks

Question 32

Modular Design

Answer 32

- Breaks a system down into independent parts that can be upgraded and swapped out without having to replace the entire computer. Adv: Upgrade components independently Reduced cost of repair Dis: Components can bottleneck each other depending on speeds and age

Question 33

Co-Processors

Answer 33

- Processor that supplements to function of the CPU. - Graphics, arithmetic functions - GPU's have integrated RAM to increase bandwidth

Question 34

IDE

Answer 34

Integrated Developer Environment | Allows for contextual help, error checking and code completion.

Question 35

Thread vs Core

Answer 35

Thread - Software and is a part of a running program. | Core - Hardware component and is a virtual processor on the CPU that shares resources with other chips on the CPU

Question 36

Data Flow

Answer 36

- From hard drive to RAM then to cache. The data that flows is the data needed by the CPU. Virtual memory is used when RAM is too full and parts of instruction are swapped between RAM and HDD as needed. Cache is used to improve CPU speed as important data is found closer to CPU.