Basic operation of computer

1. Inputting
2. Processing
3. Outputting
4. Storing
5. Controlling
Input Unit
Inputting is a basic operation of a computer system. This is the act of feeding in the data and instruction to
the computer (by computer here it means the processing unit).
A computer system consists of different functional units and Input Unit does the operation of Inputting. By
inputting you should understand that it is to send data and/or instruction to computer in required format.
Information and programs are entered into the computer through Input devices such as the keyboard,
disks, or through other computers via network connections or modems connected to the Internet. The
input device also retrieves information off disks.
Because Computers work with bits, there should be some mechanism to make data understandable by
CPU (the process is called encoding) and also the information produced by CPU must be converted to
the human readable form (called decoding). Input Unit devices take care of encoding.
The devices that helps you to input data and instructions are known as Input Devices. Keyboard, Mouse,
Light Pen, JoyStick, Scanners, Microphone etc are some examples of input unit devices.
The devices that can send data directly to the CPU or which does not need to encode it before sending to
CPU are considered Direct Entry Input Devices such as scanners. Devices such as keyboard which
require to encode data so that it is in the form a CPU can understand are Indirect Entry Input Devices.
Processing Unit
The task of performing calculations and comparisons are known as processing. The unit in Computer
System that is responsible for processing is ALU (Arithmetic and Logical Unit).
ALU is the place where actual execution of the instructions takes place during the processing operations.
All calculations & comparisons are made in the ALU. The data and instructions stored in the primary
storage are transferred to it as when required. ALU may produce Intermediate results and store it in the
memory which are also transferred back to the ALU for the final processing. After completion of
processing the final results are send to storage units from ALU.
Output Unit
This unit takes care of receiving processed information from processing unit and present it to the user in
suitable form. A computer produces results in binary form and output unit does decoding to make it
usable to the users.
The devices that can output information from computer are known as output unit devices. Monitors,
Speakers, Projectors are soft output devices whereas printers, plotters produces hard copy output.
Softcopy output is something that is temporary or is available only as long as output device is turned on.
Contrary to these are hard copy output which are permanent. The printout in a paper is not lost because
printer is turned off!
Storage Unit
Before actual processing start, data & instructions entered to the computer must be stored somewhere
inside the computer. Similarly, results produced by the computer are required to be stored before it
ispassed to the output unit. The intermediate result produced by the computer must also be stored for
further processing. Thus the importance of storage Unit in a computer system is vital.
Based on whether storage device is inside the main machine or not, it can be internal internal or external
storage. Similarly, looking at whether the storage device works close with CPU or works as backup
media, they can be primary storage or secondary storage. Primary storage are also called primary
memory.Secondary storage are known with other names such as backup storage or secondary memory.
Control Unit
ALU dose not know what should be done with the data likewise, output unit dose not know when the
result should be displayed. By selecting, interning and seeing to the execution of the program the CU is
able to maintain order and direct the operations of the entire system. CU doesnt perform any actual
processing on data yet it is known as a central nervous system for the comforts of the computer.

Operating system
The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer. Operating systems perform basic
tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track
of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. Every generalpurpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs and applications.
Operating systems are there from the very first computer generation. Operating systems keep evolving over the
period of time. Following are few of the important types of operating system which are most commonly used.
Batch operating system
The users of batch operating system do not interact with the computer directly. Each user prepares his job on an offline device like punch cards and submits it to the computer operator. To speed up processing, jobs with similar
needs are batched together and run as a group. Thus, the programmers left their programs with the operator. The
operator then sorts programs into batches with similar requirements.
The problems with Batch Systems are following.

Lack of interaction between the user and job.

CPU is often idle, because the speeds of the mechanical I/O devices is slower than CPU.

Difficult to provide the desired priority.

Time-sharing operating systems

Time sharing is a technique which enables many people, located at various terminals, to use a particular computer
system at the same time. Time-sharing or multitasking is a logical extension of multiprogramming. Processor's time
which is shared among multiple users simultaneously is termed as time-sharing. The main difference between
Multiprogrammed Batch Systems and Time-Sharing Systems is that in case of Multiprogrammed batch systems,
objective is to maximize processor use, whereas in Time-Sharing Systems objective is to minimize response time.
Multiple jobs are executed by the CPU by switching between them, but the switches occur so frequently. Thus, the
user can receives an immediate response. For example, in a transaction processing, processor execute each user
program in a short burst or quantum of computation. That is if n users are present, each user can get time quantum.
When the user submits the command, the response time is in few seconds at most.
Operating system uses CPU scheduling and multiprogramming to provide each user with a small portion of a time.
Computer systems that were designed primarily as batch systems have been modified to time-sharing systems.
Advantages of Timesharing operating systems are following

Provide advantage of quick response.

Avoids duplication of software.

Reduces CPU idle time.

Disadvantages of Timesharing operating systems are following.

Problem of reliability.

Question of security and integrity of user programs and data.

Problem of data communication.

Distributed operating System

Distributed systems use multiple central processors to serve multiple real time application and multiple users. Data
processing jobs are distributed among the processors accordingly to which one can perform each job most
efficiently.
The processors communicate with one another through various communication lines (such as high-speed buses or
telephone lines). These are referred as loosely coupled systems or distributed systems. Processors in a distributed
system may vary in size and function. These processors are referred as sites, nodes, computers and so on.
The advantages of distributed systems are following.

With resource sharing facility user at one site may be able to use the resources available at another.

Speedup the exchange of data with one another via electronic mail.

If one site fails in a distributed system, the remaining sites can potentially continue operating.

Better service to the customers.

Reduction of the load on the host computer.

Reduction of delays in data processing.

Network operating System

Network Operating System runs on a server and and provides server the capability to manage data, users, groups,
security, applications, and other networking functions. The primary purpose of the network operating system is to
allow shared file and printer access among multiple computers in a network, typically a local area network (LAN), a
private network or to other networks. Examples of network operating systems are Microsoft Windows Server 2003,
Microsoft Windows Server 2008, UNIX, Linux, Mac OS X, Novell NetWare, and BSD.
The advantages of network operating systems are following.

Centralized servers are highly stable.

Security is server managed.

Upgrades to new technologies and hardwares can be easily integrated into the system.

Remote access to servers is possible from different locations and types of systems.

The disadvantages of network operating systems are following.

High cost of buying and running a server.

Dependency on a central location for most operations.

Regular maintenance and updates are required.

Real Time operating System

Real time system is defines as a data processing system in which the time interval required to process and respond
to inputs is so small that it controls the environment. Real time processing is always on line whereas on line system
need not be real time. The time taken by the system to respond to an input and display of required updated
information is termed as response time. So in this method response time is very less as compared to the online
processing.
Real-time systems are used when there are rigid time requirements on the operation of a processor or the flow of
data and real-time systems can be used as a control device in a dedicated application. Real-time operating system
has well-defined, fixed time constraints otherwise system will fail.For example Scientific experiments, medical
imaging systems, industrial control systems, weapon systems, robots, and home-applicance controllers, Air traffic
control system etc.
There are two types of real-time operating systems.
Hard real-time systems
Hard real-time systems guarantee that critical tasks complete on time. In hard real-time systems secondary storage
is limited or missing with data stored in ROM. In these systems virtual memory is almost never found.
Soft real-time systems
Soft real time systems are less restrictive. Critical real-time task gets priority over other tasks and retains the priority
until it completes. Soft real-time systems have limited utility than hard real-time systems.For example, Multimedia,
virtual reality, Advanced Scientific Projects like undersea exploration and planetary rovers etc.

Software components of a computer system have no physical presence, they are stored in digital form within
computer memory. There are different categories of software, including system software, utilities and applications
software. Software can also be described as being either generic or bespoke.
System software is the software used to manage and control the hardware components and which allow interaction
between the hardware and the other types of software. The most obvious type of system software is the
computer's operating system but device drivers are also included within this category.
Utility software is software such as anti-virus software, firewalls, disk defragmenters and so on which helps to
maintain and protect the computer system but does not directly interface with the hardware.
Applications software (also known as 'apps') are designed to allow the user of the system complete a specific task
or set of tasks. They include programs such as web browsers, office software, games and so on. They are usually the
reason you bought the computer system in the first place and aren't concerned with the management or maintenance
of the system itself.
Any individual software package, whichever of the above types it falls into, can be either generic (or 'off-the-shelf') or
it can be bespoke(custom-built). Generic software is mass produced with the intention that it will be used by a wide
variety of different users in a range of different situations. Bespoke software is created for a specific purpose which
will be used in a known environment.
Often generic software is used when there is a package available that meets the needs of the user. Because it is
used by many more people the cost of creating it is spread over a greater number of people or organisations and so
the cost to the individual is much lower. It also has the advantage that it is available immediately there's no waiting

time involved while the software package is designed, created and tested. Bespoke software has the advantage that
it can be tailor made to exact specifications but it significantly more expensive and will take time to create.