Computer Systems And Networks

by Blundell,Barry G.

• ISBN13: 9781844806393
• ISBN10: 1844806391
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-31
• Publisher: Cengage Learning EMEA Higher Education

Summary

Computer Systems and Networks provides an insight into the construction and operation of modern computer systems. Main computer sub-systems such as the CPU, primary and secondary storage devices, I/O systems, the display, etc, are reviewed. One chapter deals exclusively with digital circuits. Basic gates are described together with their use in forming combinational and sequential logic circuits. The functionality of the modern operating system is also described. Today, networking is an integral part of the computer and so the book introduces basic networking techniques and communications principles. By and large a bottom up approach is adopted in describing how the computer sub-systems are constructed and integrated so as to form the modern computer.

Author Biography

By Barry Blundell, with Nawaz Khan, Aboubaker Lasebae and Muthana Jabbar of Middlesex University, developed with support from Global Campus and Middlesex University Press.

Table of Contents

Series preface	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
About the website	p. xiii
Setting the scene	p. 1
Introduction	p. 2
What is a computer?	p. 2
The stored program model	p. 6
Forms of computer hardware	p. 8
Basic computer operation	p. 9
Binary (number base 2)	p. 10
Bits and bytes	p. 13
Summary	p. 14
Review questions	p. 14
Feedback on activities	p. 15
Logic gates and simple digital circuits	p. 17
Introduction	p. 18
Logic gates and truth tables	p. 18
Combinational and sequential circuits	p. 26
Example combinational logic circuits	p. 30
Example sequential logic circuits	p. 31
Hexadecimal	p. 36
Summary	p. 39
Review questions	p. 39
Feedback on activities	p. 40
Using and accessing memory	p. 43
Introduction	p. 44
Concepts and terminology	p. 44
Addresses	p. 45
The fetch-execute cycle	p. 47
The connection between the processor and the main memory	p. 48
Processor registers	p. 50
Machine code	p. 53
Violatile and non-violate memory	p. 57
Cache memory	p. 63
Summary	p. 64
Review questions	p. 64
Feedback on activities	p. 65
The computer: an interrupt-driven mathematical machine	p. 67
Introduction	p. 68
Representing positive and negative integers	p. 68
Dealing with non-integer numbers	p. 73
Character representation: ASCII	p. 80
Representation of data and instructions	p. 83
Interrupts	p. 84
Interrupt priorities	p. 86
Summary	p. 90
Review questions	p. 91
Feedback on activities	p. 91
Storage devices and data transfer issues	p. 93
Introduction	p. 94
Primary and secondary storage: capacity, speed and cost	p. 94
Secondary storage using magnetisation	p. 96
Secondary storage using optical techniques	p. 103
Serial and parallel interfaces	p. 105
Signal transfer	p. 106
Summary	p. 110
Review questions	p. 112
Feedback on activities	p. 112
Interfacing to the physical world	p. 115
Introduction	p. 116
Digital-to-analogue conversion	p. 116
Analogue-to-digital conversion	p. 119
Signals	p. 122
Interaction devices	p. 124
The display	p. 129
Display metrics	p. 135
Summary	p. 136
Review questions	p. 137
Feedback on activities	p. 137
The central processing unit	p. 141
Introduction	p. 142
General processor architecture	p. 142
The Register Transfer Language (RTL)	p. 150
The stack	p. 151
The overall architecture of a simple processor model	p. 155
Summary	p. 156
Review questions	p. 156
Feedback on activities	p. 157
Aspects of the operating system	p. 161
Introduction	p. 162
Basic input/output system (BIOS)	p. 162
The reset vector	p. 163
Operating system	p. 164
Types of operating systems	p. 168
Virtual memory	p. 173
Multi-tasking	p. 175
Summary	p. 177
Review questions	p. 177
Feedback on activities	p. 178
Networking computers	p. 181
Introduction	p. 182
Bandwidth bit-rate and latency	p. 182
Types of network	p. 188
Network topologies	p. 189
The layered approach to computer communications	p. 192
Standards	p. 194
The OSI model	p. 196
The TCP/IP protocol	p. 201
Summary	p. 206
Review questions	p. 207
Feedback on activities	p. 210
Transmission media and data communications	p. 213
Introduction	p. 214
Concerning signals	p. 214
Data transmission media	p. 228
Contention-based access (CSMA/CD)	p. 224
Ethernet	p. 230
The Ethernet frame	p. 236
Token passing	p. 237
Summary	p. 239
Review questions	p. 239
Feedback on activities	p. 240
The Internet	p. 243
Introduction	p. 244
Connection-oriented and connectionless internetworking	p. 244
Internetworking	p. 246
Data encapsulation	p. 251
Internet Protocol (IP)	p. 251
Internet addressing	p. 254
Address resolution	p. 260
The Domain Name System (DNS)	p. 262
Summary	p. 263
Review questions	p. 264
Feedback on activities	p. 266
Routers, satellites and security	p. 269
Introduction	p. 270
Routers in networks	p. 270
The process of routing	p. 271
Satellite communications	p. 275
Cryptography	p. 278
Public key encryption	p. 279
Summary	p. 282
Review questions	p. 282
Feedback on activities	p. 284
Answers to review questions	p. 287
Index	p. 307
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