D386 Hardware and Operating System Essentials

Operating system

system software that acts as a "go-between", allowing computer hardware and other software to communicate with each other

resource manager

what is the purpose of a computer operating system?

Operating System (OS)

What kind of software are the Mac OS X and Windows 10 program?

Android

What operating system is open-sourced and allows its source code to be modified and redistributed?

Cloud based operating systems

What primarily manages the operating of one or more virtual machines within a virtualized environment?

primarily stateless

What is a feature of cloud-based operating systems?

System calls

unique set of services provided by operating systems for use by applications and have to be accounted for by different operating systems.

Application Programming Interface (API)

A set of software routines that allows one software system to work with another.

Unique system calls

Why do applications designed to work on one operating system not work on a different operating system?

single-user systems

multitasking systems, found in laptops and workstations

Mobile Device Operating Systems

provides single-user and multitasking at a scaled down level due to power and memory limitations

Mainframe Systems

large, fast, and powerful, used for high transaction processing and complex computations; used by corporations and government agencies

network server systems

designed and named for a specific purpose such as database servers, web servers, and print servers

real-time systems

designed to direct CPU access immediately when needed or required

embedded control systems

specialized operating systems designed to control asingle piece of equipment or machinery

distributed systems

geared toward allocating process power, programs, files, and databases to network users.

Application Software

software program that helps you use the computer to do particular tasks

Drivers

instructs a particular OS on how to access a piece of hardware

version

particular revision of a piece of software, normally described by a number that tells you how new the product is in relation to other versions of the product

source code

actual code that defines how a piece of software works

open source

software that is created for free use by everyone

closed source

source code that is highly protected and only available to trusted employees and carefully vetted contractors

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A visual display on a computer's screen that allows you to interact with your computer more easily by clicking graphical elements

network

a group of two or more computer systems linked together

Cooperative multitasking

when the operating system processes the task assigned a higher priority before processing a task that has been assigned a lower priority

preemptive multitasking

When the operating system processes the task assigned a higher priority before processing a task that has been assigned a lower priority.

Multithreading

allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently

Interupt-Driven I/O

involves the use of interrupt to exchange data between I/O and memory

programmed I/O

the processor issues an I/O command, on behalf of a process, to an I/O module; that process then busy waits for the operation to be completed before proceeding

Direct memory Access (DMA)

When a device controller transfers an entire block of data from its own buffer storage to memory without CPU intervention

slowness

What is one reason why programmed I/O does not work well when the I/O does not work well when the I/O device is a hard disk or a graphics display?

Fetch-Execute Cycle

the basic process performed by the CPU. On each cycle the CPU fetches the next instruction from RAM, interprets it and executes it.

processor

short for microprocessor or CPU

Level 0 cache

core registers-usually a few hundred or less storage locations

Level 1 cache

memory on the processor die used as a cache to improve processor performance

Level 2 Cache

Memory in the processor package but not on the processor die. The memory is used as a cache or buffer to improve processor performance

Level 3 Cache

cache memory further from the processor core than level 2 but still in the processor package

Level 4 cache

is shared dynamically between the on-die graphics processor unit (GPU) and CPU. The L4 cache acts as an overflow cache for L3. Information evicted from L3 dumped into L4

x86 processors

An older processor that first used the number 86 in the model number and processes 32 bits at a time

x86-64 processors

hybrid processor that is capable of processing 32 bits and 64 bits

Dual-mode processors

There are two separate modes: monitor mode (also called system mode and kernal mode) and user mode.

In monitor mode, the CPU can use all instructions and access all areas of memory. In user mode, the CPU is restricted to unprivileged instructions and a specified area of memory.

Itanium processors

discontinued family of 64-bit Intel microprocessors that implement the Intel Itanium architecture

ARM

runs on advanced RISC Machine (ARM) processors

reduced instruction set computing (RISC)

CPUs (like ARM), which have smaller instruction sets than complex instruction set computing (CISC) CPUs

Operating system categories

Server, Workstation, Mobile, Cloud-based

mobile

optimized for touch based devices where one program is used at a time

Workstation

optimized for foreground processes, such as GUI. Background sharing is usually limited to a specific number of users; workstation versions of Microsoft Windows are limited to 10 concurrent users

Server

optimized for background processes used for access by clients, as opposed to the foreground processes, such as GUI

Cloud-based

considered stateless operating systems, since personal data is not primarily stored on the device but in the cloud

DRAM

it stores its information in a cell containing a capacitor and transistor

Asynchronous DRAM

independent from the CPU's external clock

Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)

shares a common clock signal with the computer's system clock and has a single data rate. Same speed as the motherboard.

DDR SDRAM

is memory that transfers data twice as fast as SDRAM. Increases performance by transferring data twice per clock cycle

DDR2 SDRAM

A RAM standard that replaces the original DDR standard. Using far less power than DDR1, a stick of DDR2 SDRAM has 240 pins

DDR3 SDRAM

A RAM standard that replaces the original DDR2 standard and requires far less power, while providing almost twice the bandwidth. A stick of DDR3 SDRAM has 240 pins, but is keyed so it will not fit into a socket designed for DDR2. DDR3 SO-DIMMs have 204 pins

DDR4 SDRAM

Double Data-Rate Four SDRAM (DDR4 SDRAM) is the successor to DDR3 SDRAM. DDR4 SDRAM runs its external data bus at twice the speed of DDR3 SDRAM, enabling faster performance. DDR4 SDRAM also uses lower voltages than DDR3 and supports higher memory capacities.

DDR5 SDRAM

DDR5 doubles the speed of DDR4 to 6.4 Gbps, as is expected for a new memory standard.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

It is non-volatile memory. It is also storage medium that is used with computers and other electronic devices. As the name indicates, data stored in it may only be read. Permanent storage.

PROM

Programmable ROM

Write once

EPROM

erasable programmable read-only memory

DIMM

a small circuit board, capable of holding several memory chips, that has a 64-bit data path and can be easily connected to a PC's system board.

SO-DIMM

small outline dual inline memory module

DDR2 DIMM

240 Pin - Faster than DDR, Less Power, Dual Channel

DDR3 DIMM

can use quad, trip, or dual channels

DDR4 DIMM

use dual and quad channels

DDR2 SODIMM

are designed for laptops and other systems that require smaller components. DDR2 can only use dual channels

error-correcting code (ECC)

a method of memory error-checking that is more sophisticated than parity checking. Like parity checking, its adds an extra bit per byte. In addition, software in the system memory controller uses an algorithm to both detect and correct errors.

parity checking

a data transmission control in which the receiving device recalculates the parity bit to verify accuracy of transmitted data

registers

small, high-speed storage locations that temporarily hold data and instructions

Registers and buffers

What can DIMM use to contain data and amplify a signal before writing the data to a module?

DDR3 DIMM

What type of memory packaging can support quad, triple, and dual channels?

64-bit

What size data path do today's DIMMs use?

Passive and active

what are the 2 memory cooling methods?

Passive Cooling

What uses the ambient case airflow to cool the memory through the use of enhanced heat dissipation?

Active Cooling

what involves forcing some kind of cooling medium (air or water) around the RAM chips themselves or around their heat sinks?

Hard Disk Drive

a computer device that reads, writes, and stores digital data

Host Bus Adapter (HBA)

A component that connects a host to other devices in a storage network

Solid-state drive

Data storage devices that serve the same purpose as a hard drive and store data in memory chips. No internal moving parts and utilizes flash memory technology.

Hybrid drives

a combination of a mechanical hard drive and an SSD drive

PATA Drives or integrated drive electronics (IDE) drives

A standard for connecting hard drives into computer systems; uses thick cables to connect to transfer data and are slow compared to other drives.

SATA Drive

type of bus interface that we utilize for connecting various secondary storage devices. More advanced version of PATA

Optical Drives

Disc drives that use a laser to store and read data

Primarily used for archiving, backup, filing, and program distribution as an alternative to the standard magnetic disk drive.

trimming

process of moving blocks on solid-state drives to reduce fragmentation

data migration

The process of transferring data between storage types, formats, or computer systems.

SMART or self-monitoring analysis and reporting technology

is used to predict when a drive is likely to fail

wear leveling

A technique used on a solid-state drive that ensures the logical block addressing does not always address the same physical blocks in order to distribute write operations more evenly across the device.

PCIe

A high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards

Thick-client computing

Client-server model where the client performs the majority of processing

Internal shared resources

In cloud computing, resources such as servers, applications, hardware such as CPUs and RAM, data storage, and network infrastructure equipment that are shared among people within an organization

client-side virtualization

Using this virtualization, a personal computer provides multiple virtual environments for applications

Cloud Computing

a client is utilizing servers, data storage, and software development platforms over an internet connection

NVMe

SSD tech that supports a communication between the operating system and the SSD directly through a PCIe bus lane, reducing latency and taking full advantage of the speeds high-end SSDs. ______ SSDs come in a couple of formats, such as an add-on expansion card and a 2.5 inch drive, like the SATA drives for portables. _____ drives are a lot more expensive currently than other SSDs, but offer much higher speeds.

mSATA

Standardized smaller SATA form factor for use in a portable devices

flash memory

type of nonvolatile memory that can be erased electronically and rewritten

Hot-swappable devices

Device that can be added and removed without shutting down the computer

Optical drives

disc drives that use a laser to store and read data

CISC

A general-purpose microprocessor chip designed to handle a wider array of instructions than RISC chip

Raid systems

consist of two or more drives working in parallel

Raid 1

duplicates (not back up) data across two disks in the array, providing full redundancy

Raid 0

taking any number of disks and merging them into one large volume