Hardware (Computer Hardware)

Definition: Hardware, in the computer world, refers to

the physical components that make up a computer
system.
There are many different kinds of hardware that can
be installed inside, and connected to the outside, of a
computer.
Take a tour inside your PC to learn how all the hardware in
your computer connects together to create the
complete computer system you use everyday.
Here are some common individual computer hardware
components that you'll often find inside a modern
computer case:
Motherboard
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Power Supply
Video Card
Hard Drive (HDD)
Solid-State Drive (SSD)
Optical Drive (e.g. BD/DVD/CD drive)
Card Reader (SD/SDHC, CF, etc.)
Here is some common hardware that you might find
connected to the outside of a computer:
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Battery Backup (UPS)
Printer
Speakers
Here is some less common computer hardware, either
because these pieces are now usually integrated into
other devices or because they've been replaced with
newer technology:
Sound Card
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Expansion Card (Firewire, USB, Thunderbolt, etc.)
Hard Drive Controller Card
Analog Modem
Scanner
Floppy Disk Drive
Joystick
Webcam
Microphone
Tape Drive
Zip Drive
The following hardware is referred to as network
hardware and various pieces are often part of a home
or business network:
Digital Modem (e.g. Cable Modem, DSL Modem, etc.)
Router
Network Switch
Access Point
Repeater
Bridge
Print Server
Firewall
Network hardware isn't as clearly defined as some
other types of computer hardware. For example, many
home routers will often act as a combination router,
switch, and firewall.
In addition to all the items listed above, there's more
computer hardware that I like to call auxiliary
hardware, of which a computer might have none, or
several, of some kinds:
Fan (CPU, GPU, Case, etc.)
Heat Sink
Data Cable
Power Cable
CMOS Battery
Daughterboard

Computer software
Software is a program that enables a computer to
perform a specific task, as opposed to the physical
components of the system (hardware).

This includes application software such as a word
processor, which enables a user to perform a task, and
system software such as an operating system, which
enables other software to run properly, by interfacing
with hardware and with other software.

Practical computer systems divide software into three
major classes: system software, programming software
and application software, although the distinction is
arbitrary, and often blurred.

Computer software has to be "loaded" into the
computer's storage (such as a hard drive, memory, or
RAM).

Once the software is loaded, the computer is able to
execute the software.

Computers operate by executing the computer program.
This involves passing instructions from the application
software, through the system software, to the hardware
which ultimately receives the instruction as machine
code.

Each instruction causes the computer to carry out an
operation -- moving data, carrying out a computation, or
altering the control flow of instructions.

Computer Software Definition
Software is a generic term for organized collections of
computer data and instructions, often broken into two
major categories: system software that provides the
basic non-task-specific functions of the computer, and
application software which is used by users to
accomplish specific tasks.
System software is responsible for controlling,
integrating, and managing the individual hardware
components of a computer system so that other
software and the users of the system see it as a
functional unit without having to be concerned with the
low-level details such as transferring data from memory
to disk, or rendering text onto a display. Generally,
system software consists of an operating system and
some fundamental utilities such as disk formatters, file
managers, display managers, text editors, user
authentication (login) and management tools, and
networking and device control software.
Application software, on the other hand, is used to
accomplish specific tasks other than just running the
computer system. Application software may consist of a
single program, such as an image viewer; a small
collection of programs (often called a software package)
that work closely together to accomplish a task, such as
a spreadsheet or text processing system; a larger
collection (often called a software suite) of related but
independent programs and packages that have a
common user interface or shared data format, such as
Microsoft Office, which consists of closely integrated
word processor, spreadsheet, database, etc.; or a
software system, such as a database management
system, which is a collection of fundamental programs
that may provide some service to a variety of other
independent applications.
Software is created with programming languages and
related utilities, which may come in several of the
above forms: single programs like script interpreters,
packages containing a compiler, linker, and other tools;
and large suites (often called Integrated Development
Environments) that include editors, debuggers, and
other tools for multiple languages.
Software
Sometimes abbreviated
as S/W, software is a collection of instructionsthat
enable the user to interact with a computer or have it
perform specific tasks for them. Without software,
computers would be useless. For example, without your
Internet browser software you would be unable to surf
the Internet or read this page and without a
software operating system the browser would not be
able to run on your computer. In the picture is
Microsoft Excel, an example of a software program.
How do you get software?
Software can be purchased at a local retail computer
store or online, usually in a box that contains all the
disks (floppy diskette, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray) required for
the program, manuals, warranty, and other necessary
documentation.
Software can also be downloaded to a computer over
the Internet. Once downloaded, setup files can be run
to start the installation of the program on your
computer.
Free software
In addition to purchasing software, there are also
millions of free software programs available that are
broken into different types of categories.
Shareware or trial software is software that
gives you a few days to try the software before
you buy the program. After the trial time
expires you'll be asked to enter a code or to
register the product before you can continue to
use it.
Freeware is completely free software that never
requires payment as long as its not modified.
Open source software is like freeware but not
only is the program given away, but the source
code used to make the program is as well,
allowing anyone to modify the program or view
how it was created.
Examples of types of software
Below is a list of the different varieties of software that
a computer may have installed, alongside examples of
each program. Click the links for additional information.
Antivirus (AVG)
Audio / Music program (iTunes)
Database (Access)
Device drivers
E-mail (Outlook)
Game (World of Warcraft)
Internet browser (Firefox)
Movie player (VLC)
Operating system (Windows XP)
Photo / Graphics program (CorelDRAW)
Presentation (PowerPoint)
Programming language (Perl)
Simulation (Flight simulator)
Spreadsheet (Excel)
Utility (Compression, Disk
Cleanup, Encryption, Registry
cleaner, Screensaver)
Word processor (Word)
COMPUTER DATAWARE
Computer data ware is a type of database that is
designed to support business needs and make things
run more smoothly. They are designed to make
the customer service side of operations more efficient
and can increase staff productivity.


Some examples of computer data ware may include the
following:

A system where customer orders can be managed
more effectively. Customers will be able to log on to
check the progress of their order and staff will be able
to update it with details such as when it was dispatched
for instance. This will make things easier on an
operational scale too as it will be clear to see who has
had their order and who hasn't.


Customer locations could be managed on a system
where you can clearly see where they live. This could be
designed on a map based system for example. This
could be useful when working out logistical matters
such as planning deliveries or sourcing suppliers.

A system to manage stock levels may come in useful.
Rather than having to spend hours physically counting
stock by hand, a database could be set up to keep track
of stock levels in correspondence with customer orders
and sales for example.

Accounts could be set up in a database system too.
This makes finding specific transaction details easier to
find and drawing up invoices and statements will also
become easier. This could also assist with bulk invoicing.
Relationship of the Warehouse to Transaction Systems
Transaction systems handle the day-to-day functions of
a business--recording, processing, and storing
operational data. Examples of transaction systems at
Penn include the Student Records System, BEN
Financials General Ledger, Online Time Reporting, and
Property Management. These systems handle
operations such as enrolling a student in a course,
changing a student's major, creating journal entries,
printing a paycheck, or recording the location of
equipment. Transaction systems, however were not
designed to provide managers with the information
they need to conduct trend analyses or to undertake
longitudinal studies that require use of historical
University data. Data Warehouses, unlike transaction
systems, are specifically designed to handle these types
of management queries and analyses.
How the Warehouse is Built and Refreshed
To build the Warehouse, data from the transaction
systems was analyzed (each piece of data evaluated for
inclusion into the Warehouse), "cleaned" (old codes
converted into new codes, existing data redefined), and
restructured (entities broken apart and new entities
created). The data was then summarized and arranged
in a format to support analysis and reporting. In some
instances, additional data elements were calculated to
support a particular analysis.
The Warehouse is refreshed periodically, using the
transaction systems as its source of data. That is,
programs extract data from a transaction system and
translate it into Warehouse format. The formatted files
are than transferred and loaded into the Warehouse.
The data is than available for analyses and reports.
Note that each data collection has its own refresh cycle
governing when its data is periodically updated in the
Warehouse. For example, one data collection may be
refreshed daily, while others may be refreshed hourly or
once a term. Thus, data in the Warehouse reflects the
most recent refresh cycles for the data collections.
Recipients of reports from the Data Warehouse need to
be aware of this "delay" in Warehouse data.
Refresh schedule information is noted in the
documentation for each collection.
Refresh cycles are subject to change; please refer to
the Warehouse updates page for schedule changes and
announcements.
Important Warehouse Facts
The following are important facts that you should know
about the University Data Warehouse:
The refresh cycle varies for each data collection
in the Warehouse. Do not execute queries
against a collection in the Data Warehouse
when it is being refreshed. Your queries will not
be completed because the refresh process
involves dropping index pointers from tables.
As previously mentioned, there is a "data delay"
between the Warehouse and the transaction
system. Keep this time frame in mind when
comparing data between the two systems or
when analyzing query results--it may help you
to understand and account for any data
discrepancies found. Always indicate or
communicate the date on which your
Warehouse results were obtained and identify
the Warehouse, and not the transaction system,
as the source of the information. For example,
include the date of the query in the report
header and the source of the information, the
University Data Warehouse, in the report
footer.
Some University data are more dynamic--
change more frequently--than other data or are
subject to change at specific times during the
fiscal year. Take this into consideration when
writing queries against the Warehouse.
Examples of data that change are course
enrollments during the add/drop period and
student grades during the grading period.
Data in the Warehouse is for queries only. That
is, you cannot add, change, or delete data in the
Warehouse. These activities are done only in
the transaction system.