Definition of computer:

The word compute is derived from the Latin word

‘computare’, was meaning "arithmetic, accounting".
Technically, a computer means to calculate or electronic
programmable machine.

A Computer is a digital device that stores information in

memory using input devices and manipulate information
to produce output according to given instructions.

The actual machinery, the physical parts of a computer

system refer to as Computer hardware; the instruction (a
program) that tells the computer what to do or how to
do, that is called Computer software (often called just
software).

Characteristics about computer:

1. Speed: - As you know computer can work very fast. It
takes only few seconds for calculations that we take
hours to complete. You will be surprised to know that
computer can perform millions (1,000,000) of
instructions and even more per second.
Therefore, we determine the speed of computer in terms
of microsecond (10-6 part of a second) or nanosecond
(10 to the power -9 part of a second). From this you can
imagine how fast your computer performs work.
2. Accuracy: - The degree of accuracy of computer is very
high and every calculation is performed with the same
accuracy. The errors in computer are due to human and
inaccurate data.
3. Diligence: -It is the characteristic of computer which
means computer never gets tired or bored even if we
work for 24 hour a day. The speed of computer doesn’t
decrease even if we use for long period time (i.e. the
speed and accuracy of computer never decreases) A
computer is free from tiredness, lack of concentration. It
can work for hours without creating any error. If millions
of calculations are to be performed, a computer will
perform every calculation with the same accuracy.
4. Versatility: - This characteristic of computer states
that Computer can perform verities of different tasks (i.e.
Computer can be used in preparing document,
 calculations, programming, web designing, playing
games, watching movie ,etc.
5. Storage: - There are basically two types of memory in
computer (i.e. primary and secondary memory). The
primary memory is used to store the data that is required
to run our computer system. The secondary memory is
used to store the data of the user so that user can access
the information whenever it is required. So, we can store
large amount of information in our computer which can
be accessed later.

Types of computer

On the basis of Work On the basis of size On the basis of Brand On the basis of
Model

IBM PC Apple/ XT AT PS/2

Machintosh

Analog Hybrid Super Mainframe Mini Micro

Digital
 1) Classification based on Work
Based on the operating principles, computers can be
classified into one of the following types: -
A. Digital Computers
B. Analog Computers
C. Hybrid Computers

A. Digital Computers: -
It is general purpose computer which is used for different
task like typing , editing, playing games, watching
movies ,etc.
This computer operate essentially by counting. All
quantities are expressed as discrete or numbers. Digital
computers are useful for evaluating arithmetic expressions
and manipulations of data (such as preparation of bills,
ledgers, solution of simultaneous equations etc).

B. Analog Computers:- An analog computer is specific

purpose computer which is used to solve only any specific
task . It cannot perform varsities of different tasks like
digital computer. It is a form of computer that uses the
continuously changeable aspects of physical phenomena
such as electrical, mechanical etc quantities to model the
problem being solved.
C. Hybrid Computers:- Hybrid Computer is the combination
of digital and analog computer .This computer can be
operated in two modes (i.e. analog and digital mode). It
combines the best feature of analog as well as digital
computer.

2. On the basis of size, the computer can be of five types:

a) Supercomputer
Supercomputers are the biggest and fastest computers.
They are designed to process huge amount of data. A
supercomputer can process trillions of instructions in a
second. It has thousands of interconnected processors.
Supercomputers are particularly used in scientific and
engineering applications such as weather forecasting,
scientific simulations and nuclear energy research. The first
supercomputer was developed by Roger Cray in 1976.

b) Mainframe computer:
Mainframe computers are designed to support hundreds or
thousands of users simultaneously. They can support
multiple programs at the same time. It means they can
execute different processes simultaneously. They are used
in big organizations like banking and telecom sectors, which
need to manage and process high volume of data.
c) Mini Computer:
 It is a midsize multiprocessing computer. It consists of two
or more processors and can support 4 to 200 users at one
time. Miniframe computers are used in institutes and
departments for tasks such as billing, accounting and
inventory management. A minicomputer lies between the
mainframe and microcomputer as it is smaller than
mainframe but larger than a microcomputer.

D) Micro Computer:
Microcomputer is also known as a personal computer. It is
a general-purpose computer that is designed for individual
use. It has a microprocessor as a central processing unit,
memory, storage area, input unit and output unit. Laptops
and desktop computers are examples of microcomputers.
They are suitable for personal work that may be making an
assignment, watching a movie, or at office for office work.

3. One the basis of Brand:

a) IBM PC
These are the computers developed by IBM Company.. In
1975 IBM introduced their first personal computer (PC)
which was called the Model 5100. Later on IBM teamed up
with Microsoft to create an operating system because their
software division was not able to meet a deadline
b) IBM compatible:
After the development of BIOS Operating system, many
manufacturers jumped in and started making their own
IBM Compatible computers. So, there is a class of
computers that work in the same principle as that IBM PCs
but are developed by other companies. These computers
are generally known as Compatible Computers.
C) Apple Macintosh
Apple Company was founded by Steve Jobs. The apple
company had developed Apple I. In 1977 the Apple II was
introduced. It featured a ‘never before seen’ graphical
interface and the mouse. In 1984, they launched the
Macintosh.
4. One the basis of model:
a) XT (Extended Technology)
The extended technology computers used 8006, 8008,
8086, 8088 processors (These are the names of
Microprocessors). The period of these computers was from
1975 to 1982. These processors had 4.77 MHz clock speed
(these days there are Gigahertz computers). The processors
were all of 8-bit. These computers are outdated now by
two reasons: first, they do not support the latest software
and the second that they had low processing power as well
as low storage capacity.
b)AT (Advance Technology): With the advent of 80286
microprocessors in 1982, Advanced Technology computers
were introduced. The processors were of 8-bit and 16-bit.
The computers using processors like 80286, 80386, and
80486 are the examples. Advanced Technology computers’
period is from 1982 to 1995. With the features of higher
speed and larger memory than the XT computers, they
support latest versions of available software.
c)PS/2 (Personal System):
With the advancement of Processors having high clock
speed as well as high storage capacity, IBM developed the
second generation of personal computers in early 1990s,
which used new refined architecture making the computers
faster and more powerful than AT computers. The PS/2
processors used VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) . PS/2
computers are widely used in general purpose computation
such as word processing, Database Arrangement,
Controlling accounts etc.
Basic computer Organization/ Building block of
computer/ architecture of computer/ digital computer.

Below is the list of different units of a block diagram of

computer that connects to form a full functioning
computer system.
 Input unit

 Processing unit

 Storage unit

 Output unit

Input unit: The input unit consists of different input

devices. The role of an input unit is to give data to the
computer. A Computer takes input from input devices in
the form of clicks, drags and drops, pointing,
alphanumeric characters etc depending upon the device
used. Input can be either a data or an instruction.
The Keyboard is a type of input device that gives data as
input to the computer whereas mouse usually gives
instructions through clicks.
Processing Unit:
Processing unit consists of various parts like CU, ALU, and
Registers and is often referred to as an electronic brain of
a computer system. This unit is responsible for
performing overall operations of a computer system.
After the input device provides raw data to the computer
system, CPU performs specific operations like, addition,
subtraction, division etc and produces a result which we
call an output. CPU can also access data from secondary
storage of computer via primary memory. To carry out
any operations the CPU assigns tasks to its component
Components of a processing unit.
 Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU):

ALU is a logical unit of CPU. This unit is responsible for

the processing of the data and instructions. When the CU
encounters instructions which are related to
performing logical or arithmetic operation on data, it
passes that instruction to ALU. It carries out arithmetic
operations like additions, multiplication, divisions etc.
The comparison operations that arithmetic logical unit
performs are comparison like less than, greater than, less
than or equal to, greater than or equal to, not equal to
etc. Logical operations includes OR, AND, NOT etc. The
data on which ALU performs operations are fetched from
memory unit. After the processing completes, the
information or result is sent back to the storage or an
output device.
 Control Unit (CU):
Control unit is another part of CPU. It supervises the
overall operations of other units of the computer. The CU
acts as the central nervous system and controls the
processing of data according to the instruction given to
the computer. It fetches instructions and data from the
memory unit and executes the instructions one at a time
using time signal. Control unit also determines the
sequences of program and instruction’s execution
Output Unit:
The output unit of a computer system are the collections
of hardware components that show output to the user
either in hardcopy or a softcopy format. After CPU
completes the processing on the data, the outcome of
processing also known as output or a result is passed to
this unit. The output unit is responsible for translating
the result in human understandable format and
displaying it.
Memory unit:
The Memory unit of a computer system is what provides
the data that CPU needs for processing. There is
a primary and secondary memory in the computer
system. Primary memory holds the data so that CPU can
process it. The data that CPU process should be pulled to
primary memory(RAM) from secondary storage device.
Storage Unit:
The Storage unit is also a part of a block diagram of
computer. Storage unit or secondary storage unit is a
non-volatile device that holds programs, files,
documents. It provides facilities to store a large volume
of data. CPU executes the data stored on storage devices
indirectly. The data are transferred to RAM first and after
an execution, the data can be again written to Storage
unit.
The CPU processes instructions it receives in the process
of decoding data. In processing this data, the CPU
performs four basic steps:
1. Fetch: Each instruction is stored in memory and has its
own address. The processor takes this address
number from the program counter, which is
 responsible for tracking which instructions the CPU
should execute next.
2. Decode: All programs to be executed are translated to
into Assembly instructions. Assembly code must be
decoded into binary instructions, which are
understandable to your CPU. This step is called
decoding.
3. Execute: While executing instructions the CPU can do
one of three things: Do calculations with its ALU,
move data from one memory location to another, or
jump to a different address.
4. Store: The CPU must give feedback after executing an
instruction, and the output data is written to the
memory.
Input / Output Devices
Input Devices:
a. Keyboard: It is one of the most popular input device of
the computer system. By using keyboard, we can enter
text, number, symbols etc which can be processed by the
CPU and the output can be obtained through the output
devices.
Types of Keys in a Keyboard:
1. Alphabet Keys
2. Number Keys
3. Special Keys
4. Function Keys
5. Navigation Keys

1. Alphabet Keys:
26 alphabet keys are present on a keyboard from A to Z.
these keys are not present in the alphabetical order.
These keys are used to type words, sentences or
paragraphs.

2. Number Keys:
These keys are used for typing numbers. These keys are
present above the top row of the alphabet keys and also
present on the right side of the keyboard.

3. Special Keys:
Keyboard has more special keys such as Space bar Key,
caps lock key, backspace key, shift key, enter key, symbol
keys and tab key etc.

4. Function Keys:
12 function keys are present on a keyboard. They keys
are perform specific tasks. They are present on the
topmost row of the keyboard. Label F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6,
F7, F8, F9, F10, F11 and F12. These keys have different
functions for different programs.

5. Navigation Keys:
Every keyboard has some special navigation keys such as
Cursor control keys (Arrow Keys), Home key, End key,
Ctrl, Alt, Page Up, Page Down, Delete, Insert etc.

b) Mouse: It is another most important input device of a

computer system. It is only supported in GUI (Graphical
User Interface) based operating system. It controls the
movement of cursor on the screen. A mouse is a small
objects which can be roll on the flat surface. Mouse
contains at least one button but in most cases it contains
two or three buttons. The mouse is more effectively
used during graphic designing. The pointer on the screen
is usually an arrow that is used to select the text, object,
menu etc.
Types of mouse:
1. Mechanical mouse
2. Opto- mechanical mouse
3. Optical mouse
Mechanical Mouse: It has a rubber or metal ball on its
underside that can be rolled in all the directions.
Mechanical sensor within the mouse detect the direction
the ball is rolling and move the screen pointer
accordingly.
2. Opto- mechanical mouse: It is similar to mechanical
mouse but it uses optical sensor (LED) to detect the
movement of ball. There is horizontal and vertical roller
inside the mouse. The roller helps to roll the mouse and
calculate the coordinate on the screen.
3. Optical mouse: It uses laser to detect the movement of
mouse. We must move the mouse along a special mat
with a grid so that the optical mechanism has a frame of
reference. The response time of this type of mouse is
very quick but it is little expensive.
c) Microphone: New computer system has features that
enable them to record audio and video input and play it
back. Microphone is becoming increasingly important
input devices to record speech. Most PC have phone
dialing capabilities so if we have a microphone and
speakers we can use the PC to make telephone call. It is
more useful for audio conferencing over internet
connection.
d) Track pad: The Track pad also called touch pad is one
of the stationary pointing device that is mostly found in
laptop computer. The movement of finger across the
small touch area is translated into pointer on the screen.
The touch sensitive area may be 1.5 or 2 inches. This also
includes two or three buttons.
e) Scanner: It is one of the most popular input device of a
computer system. The term scanning means the process
of converting analog data into digital data so that it can
be stored in the memory of the computer system. A
scanner works by digitizing an image- dividing it into a
grid of boxes and representing each box with either zero
or one. The scanner consists of two components, the first
one to illuminate the page so that optical image can be
captured and the other to convert the optical image into
digital format for storing into the memory of computer.
Types of scanner:
1. Flatbed scanner: It is designed to scan flat object
one page at a time and they are the most common
type of scanner. It works in much same way that
photocopies do. What every is being scanned is
remain stationary . It is the scanner which is used
for large volume business processing which can
 scan large quantity of document with single
command.
2. Portable scanner: It is designed to capture text
and other document while on the way. Some are
full page portable scanner that can capture image
of an entire document. Other are handheld
scanner designed to capture one line at a time.
The scanner of this type uses battery
3. Integrated scanner: This types of scanner is built
into some other devices, such as in ATM machine
to capture images of deposited checks.
f) Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR): It allows the
computer to recognize characters printed using magnetic
ink. It is develop to help in banking field in processing
large volume of cheques and deposited every day. For
that purpose magnetic ink is used to write the character
on the cheque. The MICR read the character and
compare with magnetized patterns stored in memory to
identify them. The main limitation of MICR is it can only
use 10 digits (0 to 9) and 4 special characters.
g) Optical Character Recognition (OCR): It refers to the
branch of computer science that involves reading the
text from the paper and translate the images into a form
that the computer can manipulate. E.g into ASCII code.
(American standard code of Information Interchange). An
OCR system enable us to take a book or a magazine
article and feed into the memory of computer. It includes
an optical scanner for reading the text, and software for
analyzing the image. When the whole character is
scanned, it is compared with ASCII standard.
h) Optical mark Recognition (OMR): It is also called mark
sensing device. It is a technology where an OMR device
senses the presence or absent of mark such as pencil
mark. It sense the mark by altering the intensity of light
on document and then sensing the reflected light
received from the document.
i) OBR (Optical Bar Recognition):
It is a technology where OBR device called bar code
reader reads the bar coded data (data in the form of light
and dark lines). The bar coded data consists of number of
lines with different width and spaces between them. The
bar code reader reads the coded data and convert it into
electrical pulse which are then processed by the
computer system. Bar coded data is generally used in
labeling goods, numbers of books etc.
Output device
It is a peripheral device that receive the information from
the CPU and present it to the user in desire form. The
computer system need output devices to communicate
the processed information to the user. The most
common output devices are monitor, printer etc.
There are two types of output devices:
1. Hard copy output devices
2. Soft copy output devices
The output which we can touch, read, carry it anywhere
is called hard copy output. It is printed on the paper or
on some other materials. They are permanent in nature
and can be kept in the file or can be looked at a later
time when the person is not using computer.
A soft copy output is an output which is not printed on
paper or on some materials. It cannot be touched and
cannot be carried. It is temporary in nature and it will
vanish after use. E.g output generated by monitor.
1. Monitor: (Visual Display Unit)
All computers are connected to some types of display
unit, which is called monitor. It is the most popular soft
copy output device which is used to display the
information after processing. It is also called display
screen. It is available in different shape and size. There
are different types of monitor available.
1. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube): CRT monitor looks like
television and are normally used with non- portable
computer system. It uses cathode Ray Tube
technology in which an electron gun sealed inside a
large glass tube projects an electron beam at a
screen coated with red, green and blue phosphor
dots. When the beam of light passed thought it the
necessary image will be formed. The CRT monitor is
bulky, large and heavy.
Advantages of CRT monitor:
1. This monitor has higher viewing angle.
2. It is cheaper and durable.
3. It gives sharp image.
4. It’s resolution is adjustable.
Disadvantages of CRT monitor:
1. As the phosphor dot start to fade after sometime
they are hit by the electron gun, they need to be
refreshed again.
 2. The screen may flicker causing eyestrain.
3. They are bulky and heavy so not portable.
4. They consume high electricity.
5. The image quality is not so good.
LCD ( Liquid Crystal Display/Diode)
The LCD monitor creates image with a special kind of
liquid crystal that is normally transparent but it come
opaque when charged with electricity. When the voltage
is applied, the crystals line up in a way that blocks light
from passing thought it. It is flat, since it does not have
picture tube. The LCD screen is much thinner, soft and
don’t flicker as compared to CRT.
Advantages of LCD:
1. LCD is light weight, thin, flat and required less
space.
2. It doesn’t require periodic refreshing.
3. LCD emits zero radiation thereby avoiding
eyestrain.
4. It consumes less current electricity.
Disadvantages of LCD:
 1. It has smaller viewing angle so picture is best
viewed when the person is in straight position
from the monitor.
2. It does not emit light so the image is less sharp.
3. It requires backlight setting to enhance sharpness
of image.
4. It’s resolution is normally set.
Differences between LCD and CRT monitor:
Feature CRT LCD
Resolution Fixed resolution is Fixed pixel format will
only optimal at support resolution
published resolution. lower or higher than
native resolution.
Refresh Rates Only flicker free if the Virtually flicker free
refresh rate is 75Hz or
higher.
Color True color must be True color temperature
calibrated can be simulated.
Picture Because pixels are Individually formed
formation formed by grouping pixel provides excellent
multiple dots so focus, clarity and
picture are not so sharpness.
sharp.
Viewing angle Excellent viewing Limited up to 160
 angle. degrees.
Price Less expensive than More expensive than
LCD CRT.

LED Monitor:
An LED monitor (short for Light Emitting Diode/Display)
or LED display is a flat screen, flat panel computer
monitor or television. It has a very short depth and is
light in terms of weight. The actual difference between
this and a typical LCD monitor is the backlighting. The
first LCD monitors used CCFL instead of LEDs to
illuminate the screen.
LED monitor advantages
LED monitors offer many benefits when compared to
those that are CCFL lit including:
 Typically are less expensive

 Broader dimming range

 Overall more reliable

 They run at a lower temperature, and consume

much less power, as few as 20 watts

 Higher dynamic contrast ratio
  Longer lifespan and less environmental impact
 It doesn’t cause eyestrain.

Disadvantages of LED:
1. It is expensive visual Display unit.(VDU)
2. This display unit is not so durable as compare to
CRT.
3. The viewing angle of LED is less than CRT.
Plasma Monitor:
It is a type of flat panel display used for large TV display
(Typically above 37 inches). These thin displays are
created by sandwiching special gas between two sheets
of glass. When the gas is electrified trough grid of small
electrodes, it glows. By controlling the amount of voltage
at the various point on the grid, each point acts as pixel
to display the image. Plasma display are expensive, but
they provide high quality image. The use of plasma
became popular from 1990. It uses about 16 millions
colors and have 160 degree viewing angle.
Advantages:
1. High contrast. The best compared to LCD and
CRT.
2. The response time is not so long
3. It has larger viewing angle.
4. There is no image flickering so, there won’t be
eyestrain.
5. It is insensitive to electromagnetic field.
Disadvantages of Plasma Display:
1. Very high price.
2. High energy consumption than LCD.
3. It is big in size and little heavy than LCD.

2) Printer:
It is one of the most popular output device available for
personal computer (PC) . It is hard copy output device
that print text or other information on the paper and on
some other materials. The first printer was actually
typewriter and was adopted to print binary data. Those
printers were slow and noisy. The printer quality depend
upon
1. Letter quality print: letter quality print is made
using fully formed character and is obtained by
striking with the hammer containing fully formed
solid line characters and symbols.
2. Near letter quality print: Near letter quality print
obtained from dots that arrange them to form
alphanumeric characters. Print head makes
multiple passes over the same letters filling in the
space between dots or lines.

Features determining the quality of printer:

1. Resolution: All printer works by laying down tiny
dots of ink. The dots are so small and close
 together that our eyes can’t separate them. The
more dot per inch a printer can produce, the
better letter quality or image quality. This
character is called printer resolution.
2. Speed: Printer speed is measured in either
character per second (cps) or page per minute
(ppm). Different printers have different cps or ppm
rating of text and graphics because graphics
usually take longer to print.
3. Duty cycle: Duty cycle, which is generally
expressed in pages per month, refers to how hard
you can work printer before it breaks. Heavy duty
cycle printers are required for offices having large
volume of works.

Types of Printer:
1. Impact Printer: This printer creates image by
pressing an inked ribbon against the paper using
pin or hammer. Simple example of impact printer
is typewriter which use small hammer to strike the
ribbon. Each hammer is embossed with the shape
of an alphanumeric character that shape in
transferred through the inked ribbon onto the
paper resulting in a printed character. Impact
printer makes a lot of noise while printing. They
can produce multiple copies of a document at the
 same time. There are two types of impact printers
according to the printing speed.
a) Character printer: eg. Daisy wheel printer,
Dot matrix printer etc.
b) Line printer: eg. Drum printer, chain
printer.
2) Non-Impact printer: Non-impact printers do not make
contact with paper or ribbon during printing. They use
several technology for printing like xerographic,
electrostatic, electro sensitive, electro thermal etc. These
printers print a complete page at a time so they are also
called “page printer”. They are faster with speed around
20,000 lines of print per minute. They are quieter than
impact printer. E.g ink jet printer, laser printer etc.

Differences between impact and non-impact printers.

Impact printer Non Impact printer

Text or image is formed in contact Text or image is formed without
of paper and the printer head. any physical contact of paper and
the printer head.
These printers are cheaper and These printers are expensive and
the operating cost is also low. the operating cost is high.
These printer can print only one These printers can print almost
specific font all the fonts.
It can print text but cannot print Can print characters, graphics,
graphics. images etc.
Print quality is low Print quality high
Examples: Dot matrix Example: Laser printer.

Plotter: It is special kind of output device which look like

printer and it also produces image on the paper. It is
typically used to print large format image, such as
construction or engineering drawing created on CAD
(Computer Aided Designing). Before the plotter were
bulky, mechanical device that uses robotic arm. The table
plotter uses two robotic arms, each of which hold
colored ink pen. The two arm works at right angle and
they draw on the paper.

Speaker: It is an output device which produces audio

sound. Generally speaker is used when mass of people
are to be addressed. Speaker volume can be adjusted as
per the requirement. Speaker consumes less electricity.
Normally the speaker has left and right speakers.
Speakers can be found in different shape and size.

Computer networking:
 It is the interconnection of two or more than two
computers with the help of wire or wireless system to
share the data and resources. We can connect different
computer at different places. The computer that provide
resources to the other computer is called “Server” and
other computers are called “Client” or “Node”.
The key issue related to computer network is the
data transfer rate i.e the speed at which the data is
moved from one computer to another computer. The
next issue in networking is the protocols that are being
used.

Protocol: A protocol is a set of rule which must be

followed to connect the computer in the network. There
are different protocol. Some of the popular protocols
are :
1. TCP/IP: Transmission control protocol/ Internet
protocol):
This protocol is most essential to connect the
computer in the network. Without this protocol
the connection between the computers cannot be
establish and the sharing of data and information
is not possible.

2) SMTP: (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): This

protocol is responsible to send and receive the
mail from different location under TCP/IP
connection.

3) FTP: (File Transfer Protocol): This protocol is

responsible to transfer the file from one place to
another place under TCP/IP connection.
Multimedia document can also be send and
receive due to the FTP protocol.

4) Telnet: This protocol is responsible for remote

login with other computer.

5) HTTP: (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): This

protocol is responsible to transfer the hypertext
document.

Advantages of computer networking:

In most organization computer networking is used
to share the essential data and resources. The
computer networking has played the vital for the
proper operation of different task. There are
numerous advantages of networking but some of
the major advantages are:
1. It allows to share the data and information:
Different organizations uses networking to share their
value data and information between the different
computers which are located very fast away within short
period of time. The most important files are kept in the
server for the purpose of maintaining security so the
sharing between the other computers can be controlled
by the server.

2. Resources (hardware) can be shared:

Due to computer networking not only data and
information can be shared but we can also share the
expensive hardware between all the computers
connected in the network. For examples if we have one
printer it can be shared by all other computers in the
network which will save lot of cost.

3) It allows the electronic transfer of text:

By using computer networking we can send and receive
electronic text from one place to another place within
short period of time and with negotiable cost.

4) It allows for decentralization of various data

processing functions:
Some data processing and analysis functions that had
been performed by the data processing department
become decentralization and the work can be performed
locally within other department.

5) It allows for communication between organizations:

Various organizations in performing certain task can link
their computers in a network in order to share the data
and to perform their communication.

6) It allows for easier backup process:

In business, data is extremely value able so making sure
that employees back up their data is critical. One way to
address this problem is to keep all value able data on a
shared storage device.

Types of computer networking:

Computer networking is classified into two types:
1) On the basis of geographical area
2) On the basis of architecture
On the basis of geographical area networking is classified
into three types.
a) LAN ( Local Area Networking) :
LAN is a group of computers that are connected in a
small geographical area such as within a single building,
college, home etc. By using this networking we can easily
communicate with each other by sending and receiving
messages. The computers in LAN is usually connected by
using wire like twisted pair, coaxial cable, optical fiber
etc.
Advantages of LAN:
1. The reliability of network is high because the
failure of one computer in the network doesn’t
affect the other computers.
2. Addition and removal of computers from this
network is easy.
3. High rate of data transmission is possible.
4. Peripheral devices like printer can be shared by all
other computers in the network.

2. MAN (Metropolitan Area Network):

MAN is a network of computers that covers a large area
like a city. The size of MAN is greater than LAN. Typically
it covers the distance of 5km to 50 km. It is generally
owned by private organizations. It is generally connected
with the help of wire like optical fiber, copper wire etc.
One of the most common example of MAN is cable TV
network within the city.

3) WAN (Wide Area Network):

WAN is a group of computer that are connected in a
large area such as between two or more countries,
continents etc. WAN is generally used for connecting two
or more than two MAN and LAN. It provides different
communication facilities. It also provides remote data
entry. It can implement centralized information sharing.

On the basis of Architecture:

1. Peer-to-peer network(PPN): In this architecture
computers are connected individually with each
other in a pair. ( 1 to 1 connection). Every
computers in PPN is treated equally to share the
data and resources. This architecture cannot work
on heavy load. It is basically used in file sharing
and chatting in real time. Computers connected in
this network can easily share the data and
resources.
Advantages of PPN:
1. PPN is relatively cheaper than Client Server
Network, as the centralized server is not required.
2. It is simple to configure because the computers
connected in the network can communicate with
each other effectively.
Disadvantages:
1. PPN is less secure because message flow freely
between all the computers connected in the
network. There is no any sever computer.
2. In this network there is no space for the storage of
files as a backup.
 3. The performance of this network degrade when
more computers are added.

2. Client Server Network: This configuration consist of

one computer as a server and other computers as a
client. The client computer send request to the server
computer. Whereas the server computer receive the
request and execute the request sent by the client. It is
also known as broadcasting architecture. All the data and
resources can only be shared between the computers
with the permission from the server. Server is most
powerful computer which is also used to keep the
backup of files and directories.
Advantages:
1. There is proper distribution of work. The task of
client is to send the request to server for
processing.
2. Server can be used to back up the important files
and directory. If the files and directories are
deleted accidently from client if can be recover
from server.
3. It is easy of manage and update the data and files
in the server.
4. Multiple having different hardware configuration
can communicate with server.
Network Topology:
Topology is the logical way of explaining how the
computers are connected in the network. Generally it is
the cabling system used to connect the computers in the
network. The main goal of topology is to find out the
most economical and efficient way to connect all the
computers in the network. It is also defined as the
arrangement of computers connected in the network by
using physical medium like twisted pair, coaxial cable,
optical fiber etc. Topology generally determine the shape
of the network and the way of communication. .There
are different types of topologies which are:
1. Bus topology:

It is one of the most common type of topology in which a

single cable connects each of the computers in the
network. The single cable at the mid of all the computers
are called “Bus”. All the computer are connected with
central bus and using a connector. So, all the computers
in the network share the same bus. The terminator at the
start and end of the network denotes that it can’t go
beyond that point. This topology is based on
broadcasting architecture.
Advantages of Bus topology:
1. It is simple to configure, reliable and easy to share
the data and resources.
2. If one node in the network fails then other nodes
can continue their work.
3. It is more flexible because we can connect any
number of computers by using connector in the
bus.
4. It is easy to add and remove the computers from
the network.

Disadvantages of Bus Topology:

1. Since all the data transmit from center bus, the
data traffic high because there is no other path to
transmit the data.
2. In this topology it is difficult to find out the fault
and trouble shoot it.
3. The failure of center cable will disturb whole
network.
 4. Adding more nodes in this topology will degrade
the performance of network.

2. Ring Topology:
In this topology each computers are connected in
circular structure. Each computers in this
topology are connected to other computer in
either side. It is based on peer to peer
architecture. In this topology the data transmit
only in one direction. All the computers have
equal responsibility to share the data and
resources.

Advantages:
1. Each computer is connected individually, so there
is no dependent on the server.
2. There is no risk of data collision because only one
packet of data may travel in a ring at a time.
3. It is easy to configure and install
4. It is easy to find out the fault and trouble shoot it.

Disadvantages of Ring topology:

1. Since the computers are connected in circular man
2. The the failure of one computer in the network
will affect whole network.
3. It is not so flexible i.e adding new computer and
removing any computer from this topology is
difficult.
4. It uses more cable.

3. Star Topology:
In star topology, a numbers of work stations are
directly connected to central connecting device
like hub or switch. There is a powerful central
compute called server or file server. This topology
is best topology among all other topology. Due to
the use of connecting device it is more flexible to
add and remove the computer from network.
Advantages of star topology:
1. It is easy to add and remove the computers from
the network so, it is flexible.
2. It is easy to find out the fault and troubleshoot it.
3. If one computer in the network is down other
computers can perform their task.
4. Due to the use of server it is easy to maintain the
security.
5. It is easy to design and configure.

Disadvantages of Star topology:

1. Failure of central server will affect the whole
network.
2. Due to the use of connecting devices and other
software this topology is expensive.
 3. At the time of broadcasting all the nodes remain
busy which will increase data traffic.

4. Mesh topology:
It is least used network topology and the most
expensive to implement. In this topology each
computers are connected to every other
computers in the network in point-to- point mode.
If we have n number of computers than there will
be n(n-1)/2 connection. A message can take
several path to reach to the destination.

Advantages:
1. Data never fail to reach to the destination .
2. If one computer fails than other can continue their
task.
Disadvantages:
1. Lots and lots of cable is required so it is expensive.
2. It is difficult to find out the fault and troubleshoot
it.
3. It is very complex to configure.

Hybrid Topology :

It is the combination of two or more than two topologies.

It combines the best feature of two or more than two
topologies

Advantages of Hybrid Topology :

  This type of topology combines the benefits of
different types of topologies in one topology.
 Can be modified as per requirement.
 It is extremely flexible.
 It is very reliable.
 It is easily scalable as Hybrid networks are built in a
fashion which enables for easy integration of new
hardware components.
 Error detecting and trouble shooting is easy.
 Handles large volume of traffic.
 It is used for create large network.

Disadvantages of Hybrid Topology:

 It is a type of network expensive.

 Design of a hybrid network is very complex.
 There is change hardware in order to connect
topology with another topology.
 Usually hybrid architectures are usually larger in
scales so they requires a lot of cables in installation
process.
 Hubs which are used to connect two distinct
networks, are very costly. And hubs are different
 from usual hubs as they need to be intelligent
enough to work with different architectures.
 Installation is a difficult process.