• Book Name: The Architecture of Computer Hardware System Software and Networking
• Author: Irv Englander
• Pages: 708
• Size: 24 MB

Architecture of Computer Hardware PDF Free Download

The modern world offers lots of readily available online resources for learning. Wikipedia, Google, news sources, millions of Web sites and blogs, even YouTube, offer access to information in nearly any subject that triggers your curiosity and interest. Nonetheless, I continue to believe that for deep understanding of something, nothing beats the integrated approach and focus of an old-fashioned printed-on-paper textbook. When I open a new book, in any subject, the first thing I want to know is what the book has to offer that makes it worth my while to read it. I would like to try to help you answer that question for the book that you’re holding in your hand. The information systems and technology fields are wonderfully exciting places to be! It seems as though every day brings new developments that alter the ways we create and work with information. Of course, with this excitement comes a challenge. To be a successful player in IS or IT we have to be adaptable and flexible. Much of the change occurs around computer system technology.

The computer is, after all, at the foundation of information systems. A deep understanding of computer systems is, therefore, an essential element of success. We must be able to understand each new development, assess its value, and place it in the context of our knowledge of computer systems. The subject of this book is the architecture of computer systems. Computer architecture is about the structure and operation of digital computers. Computer architecture is concerned with the operational methods of the hardware; with the services provided by operating system software; with the acquisition, processing, storage, and output of data; and with the interaction between computers. There is a tendency for people in information systems and technology to neglect a study of computer architecture. After all, the technology changes so rapidly—is it really worth trying to understand something that may be out of date by the time I finish this book? There is no question that computer technology has evolved rapidly.

Architecture of Computer Hardware PDF Free Download

The computer in a personal computer, or even in a cell phone or MP3 player is far more powerful than the mainframe computer of twenty-five years ago, with memory, disk and flash storage capacity, display and multimedia capability, and ease of use that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Even more important, connecting systems to work together is now routine and simple. Interestingly enough, however, as profound as advances in the technology have been, the concepts of computer architecture that really matter have changed only nominally over the last sixty years. The new technologies are based on a foundation of architectural concepts that were developed many years ago. The architecture of a modern computer system was developed in the 1940s. The instruction set in a modern personal computer is nearly identical to that of computers built in the 1950s and 1960s. Modern operating system techniques were developed in the 1960s.

The graphical user interface is based on a 1960s project. The Internet is built from concepts developed more than forty years ago. So you see that an understanding of computer architecture makes it possible to ‘‘ride the wave’’ of technological change, secure in the feeling that you are equipped to deal with new developments as they occur, and to have fun doing so. When you are done reading this book you will have substantial knowledge about how a computer works and a good understanding of the operating concepts, the hardware, and system software that make up a computer. You will see the interaction between computers and between data and the computer. Plus, you will have learned lots of jargon that you can show off at parties and job interviews.

This textbook is designed for a wide range of readers, both undergraduate and graduate. The material is specifically directed toward IS and IT majors. There are no explicit prerequisites, although the book assumes that the student is familiar with a personal computer. It also assumes (but does not require) some basic programming skills: although there is no programming in the book, program code is occasionally used as an example to clarify an idea, and a knowledge of programming is helpful at understanding instruction set design and program execution concepts. The material in this textbook conforms to the criteria of the IT Infrastructure course as described in the December 2008 draft of the joint IS 2008 standard curriculum. Although the material in this book may be useful as background for system design and implementation project courses, the course can be placed anywhere in the curriculum. Mostinstructorswill not cover the entire textbookin a single semester.

The organization of the book is designed to allow an instructor to cover the major topic areas in different levels of depth, depending on the experience and needs of the students. On the other hand, it is my intention that this book will serve a student as a useful reference long after the formal course is completed. It is designed for use as a book where a professional can look up the basic concepts that clarify new developments as they occur. This text is the outgrowth of courses that I have taught to IS majors and minors at Bentley University at both the undergraduate and graduate level for thirty years. Student responses to the material and the approach have generally been very enthusiastic. Many students have returned after graduation to tell me that their knowledge in this area has directly contributed to their career development. Along the way, student comments have also been extremely helpful to me in the book’s continuing evolution.

Those familiar with previous editions will notice that the organization of the fourth edition has undergone substantial revision to reflect current technological practices and trends. In particular, it is no longer reasonable to discuss computers as individual units without also considering the networks that tie them together; computer networking is now covered thoroughly in its own section, and there is an increased emphasis on the integration and synergy of the various components of the computer system and on the system as a whole. Still, the basic philosophy, organization, and approach remain essentially similar to those of the first edition, reflecting the unchanging nature of the underlying principles

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