Hardware

• Hardware is all the physical components that you can see and touch in a computer system.
• The CPU is the component in a computer system that processes all the instructions and data. It uses an instruction set to do this.
• The CPU has several component parts, these include the ALU, CU, PC, MAR, MDR, CIR, ACC, and buses.
• The CPU is responsible for carrying out the fetch-decode-execute cycle.
• The number of cores, the clock speed, and the cache size can all affect the performance of the CPU.
• Computers also need input and output devices to be able to provide a system with data, then obtain the results when it has been processed.
• Sensors are a type of input device that can be used to capture data from the immediate surrounding environment.
• A computer has both primary and secondary storage.
• Primary storage is directly accessed by the CPU and consist of RAM and ROM.
• Secondary storage is not directly accessed by the CPU and there are three types, magnetic, optical, and solid-state.
• Virtual memory is created by portioning part of the hard drive. It is used when RAM is full.
• Cloud storage is when data is stored remotely on servers and storage that is owned and maintained by a third party.
• A network is created when two or more devices are connected.
• A device needs a NIC (Network Interface Card) to connect to a network. Each NIC has a MAC address.
• A router is used in a network to forward packets of data to their correct destination. A router can assign an IP address to each device.
• There are two types of IP address, IPv4 and IPv6.
• Internet of Things: the connection of computer systems and everyday devices, using the internet, to allow data to be exchanged.
• Microprocessor is an intergrated circuit that is able to perform many of the functions of a CPU.
• Embedded systems are computer systems that perform a dedicated function.
• Architecture is the design of a computer system, including the components it contains.
• Random Access Memory (RAM) is a component in the CPU that holds data and programs that are currently in use.
• Read Only Memory (ROM) is type of primary storage that stores the start up instruction for the computer.
• A cell is the intersection of the rows and columns of transistors in solid-state storage.
• A transistor is a device that acts as a switch or gate for electronic signals.
• A control gate is a component that can store electrical charge.
• A floating gate is a component that can store electrical charge.
• A page is a unit of data. It is a structure that collects the data that is transferred from the hard drive (for virtual memory).
• A router is a network component that examines a data packet to obtain its destination address and then forwards the packet to this address.
• Transmission media is the cables that are used to transfer data in a network.
• Media Access Control (MAC) address is the unique address that is given to a NIC by the manufacturer.
• MAC addresses are not normally changed. It will remain assigned to the device whilst it is in use.
• A MAC address is made up of two main parts. The manufacturers ID code and the Serial ID code for the device. This creates a unique address for each device. The address is represented as hexadecimal and noreally has six pairs of numbers, separated with either a dash or colon.
• When a device with a network interface card transmits data across a network, it will send the MAC address of that device with the data. This means that it is possible to tell, from inspecting the data, which device on the network the data was sent from.
• A data packet is a unit of data that is used to transmit data across a network.
• An IP address can locate your device on a network, and it is a unique address. It is in a different in structure to a MAC address, as it is assigned by the network, rather than by the manufacturer.
• An IP address can be either static or dynamic. Most devices are assigned a dynamic IP address. This means that the address can change each time the device is connected to a network. The device may be given that IP address for a single session that it connects to the router, or it may be given it for several sessions before it changes, but it will change at some point.
• Static IP is an IP address that doesn’t change each time the device connects to a network.
• Dynamic IP is an IP address that can change each time the device connects to a network.