A computer is an electronic device that receives input, stores or processes the input as per user

instructions and provides output in desired format. Computers have become an integral part of
our lives because they can accomplish easy tasks repeatedly without getting bored and complex
ones repeatedly without committing errors. In this tutorial we will discuss in detail about the
different parts of computer that enable it to carry out tasks efficiently and correctly. We will also
discuss about microprocessors, the brain of computers, which actually do all the assigned tasks.
Word Processing
A software for creating, storing and manipulating text documents is called word processor. Some
common word processors are MS-Word, WordPad, WordPerfect, Google docs, etc.
A word processor allows you to −

 Create, save and edit documents

 Format text properties like font, alignment, font color, background color, etc.
 Check spelling and grammar
 Add images
 Add header and footer, set page margins and insert watermarks

Operating System Definition: It is a software that works as an interface between a user and
the computer hardware. The primary objective of an operating system is to make computer system convenient to
use and to utilize computer hardware in an efficient manner. The operating system performs the basic tasks such
as receiving input from the keyboard, processing instructions and sending output to the screen. Operating
system is software that is required in order to run application programs and utilities. It works as
a bridge to perform better interaction between application programs and hardware of the
computer. Examples of operating system are UNIX, MS-DOS, MS-Windows - 98/XP/Vista,
Windows-NT/2000, OS/2 and Mac OS.

Functions of operating system

Operating System Means that Resource Manager, that manage all the Resources those are
Attached to the System,like Memory,Processor,Input/output Devices.
Storage Management:It manage all the Storing and Accessing Files and
Directories Reading/Writing Operations.
Operating system manages overall activities of a computer and the input/output devices attached
to the computer. It is the first software you see when you turn on the computer, and the last
software you see when the computer is turned off. It is the software that enables all the programs
you use. At the simplest level, an operating system does two things:
The first, it manages the hardware and software resources of the computer system. These
resources include the processor, memory, disk space, etc. The second, it provides a stable,
consistent way for applications to deal with the hardware without having-to know all the details
of the hardware.
The first task is very important i.e. managing the hardware and software resources, as various
processes compete to each other for getting the CPU time and memory space to complete the
task. In this regard; the operating system acts as a manager to allocate the available resources to
'satisfy the requirements of each process.
The second task i.e. providing a consistent application interface is especially important. A
consistent application program interface (API) allows a user (or S/W developer) to write an
application program on any computer and to run this program on another computer, even if the
hardware configuration is different like as amount of memory, type of CPU or storage disk. It
shields the user of the machine from the low-level details of the machine's operation and
provides frequently needed facilities.
Process Management:It manage all the User and system Process.
Memory Management: Operating System also Manages the Computer Memory that is provided
to the process.
Extended Machine: It is behaves like an Extended Machine that Provides us Sharing of Files
between Multiple Users.
Mastermind: It performs Many Functions that's why we can say that Operating System is a
Mastermind.
Characteristics of Operating System
1) Operating System is a Collection of Programs those are Responsible for the Execution of
other Programs.
2) Operating System is that which Responsible is for Controlling all the Input and Output
Devices those are connected to the System.
3) Operating System is that which Responsible is for Running all the Application
Software’s.
4) Operating System is that which Provides Scheduling to the Various Processes Means
Allocates the Memory to various Process those Wants to Execute.
5) Operating System is that which provides the Communication between the user and the
System.
6) Operating System is Stored into the BIOS Means in the Basic Input and Output System
means when a user Starts his System then this will Read all the instructions those are
Necessary for Executing the System Means for Running the Operating System, Operating
System Must be Loaded into the Computer For this, this will use the Floppy or Hard
Disks Which Stores the Operating System.
Spreadsheet
Spreadsheet is a software that assists users in processing and analyzing tabular data. It is a
computerized accounting tool. Data is always entered in a cell (intersection of a row and
a column) and formulas and functions to process a group of cells is easily available. Some of
the popular spreadsheet software include MS-Excel, Gnumeric, Google Sheets, etc. Here is a
list of activities that can be done within a spreadsheet software −

 Simple calculations like addition, average, counting, etc.

 Preparing charts and graphs on a group of related data
 Data entry
 Data formatting
 Cell formatting
 Calculations based on logical comparisons
Local Area Network (LAN):
The network of computer systems that are located within an office or factory premises is called
Local Area Network (LAN). The computer network that connects remotely located network
components is called Wider Area Net-work (WAN).

1. Local Area Networks (LANS):

LANs have become popular with the decrease in the cost of com-puters and availability of
personal computers. The LANs and net-work of computers that are usually scattered within a
single or a group of buildings located so nearby that it does not have to use public
communication services for data transmission.

Wider Area Networks (WANs) connect systems that are widely scattered over a larger
geographical area and thus use of public communication serv-ices becomes almost imperative. A
LAN may be connected to WAN through a gateway. A LAN can also be connected to another
LAN using a bridge.

Features of LAN:
The following are the special features of LAN:
a) Privately owned and user administered:
LAN is privately owned and a user administered networking facility. It is accessed by users
authorized by the owner (business enterprise) in accord­ance with the access permissions’
granted to different users. Thus, these networks are not subject to regulation by the State
tel-ecommunication authority.

b) Each device can communicate with another:

Every device on LAN is connected to all other devices in the LAN. Thus, all the de-vices on
LAN are able to communicate with each other. However, the method or route of communication
may be different.
c) Flexible:
LAN structures are modular offering configuration flex-ibility. It is easy to add/delete any node.
This scalability of LAN helps in increasing its size of network gradually and reducing the initial
investment.

d) Sharing of information resources:

They were, generally, created with the prime objective of interactive communication, access to
corporate data and sharing of costly devices such as high speed or specialty printers, magnetic
disks, external communication linking equipment.

e) Network Operating System:

The operations of LAN are control-led and supervised by Network Operating Systems (NOS).
The NOS joins various components of LAN, turning a group of stand-alone computers into an
integrated network. The most popular NOS are NETWARE, WINDOWS NT, SOLARIS and
UNIX.

f) Lower cost of transmission:

LANs, generally, use wire-line as con-duit for transmission of information. This wire-line is
exclusively owned and maintained by the owner of LAN. Thus, there are no costs of
transmission except the fixed cost of maintenance of the wire-line. This is in contrast to the cost
of transmission in Wider Area Networks in which the transmission may take place through
public networks such as telephone networks that may bill for each transmission.

The negligible (variable) cost of transmission in LANs help in promoting more frequent
interaction between users, thereby improving intra-group and intra-enterprise communication.

Wider Area Networks:

The Wider Area Networks (WAN) are computer networks connecting the computer systems in
different parts of a country and even different parts of the world. Such networks were earlier
used by only a few large multinationals. With the advancements in networking technology, and
availability of service providers in the field, the initial investments in WAN have been
considerably reduced.
As a result, now more and more enterprises are connecting their head offices to their production,
procurement and distribution centers spread across the city boundaries and national boundaries.
WANs provide a unique facility to improve inter-office communication enabling the managers to
use their corporate resources most efficiently, while being located in remotely located offices.
The WAN technologies have added one more dimension to networking and that is global
networking.
These information superhighways have enlarged the market place even for smaller enterprises
and opened new avenues for conducting business globally in the ‘global villages’. The
implications of Internet on business and information systems deserve special treatment.
Features of WAN:
The WANs are different from LANs, not only in terms of geographical coverage but also in
terms of many other features. These features are as follows:
(i) Private and public:
WAN may be owned by individual business enterprise to exclusively cater to the communication
needs of the owner enterprises. For example, the Society for World-wide Interbank Financial
Transactions (SWIFT), a non-profit organisation, owns and maintains a WAN that meets the
communication needs of its member banks. This WAN is not available to non-banking
companies for their use.
Similarly, SITA WAN is meant for communication among airline computers and SBNET serves
the communication needs of State Bank of India. In addition, there are public WANs that offer
communication services to organisations who subscribe to them. These networks are common
carriers for international transmission of information. These include WANs such as DATAPAC,
EURONET, TRANSPAC, etc.
(ii) Connects a variety of computer systems:
WANs are capable of communicating with a variety of computer hardware. They use different
communication protocols to communicate with computer networks. One of the most popular
protocols is Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
(iii) Subject to state regulation:
WANs are capable of communicating over a wider geographical area and can be accessed from
most of the parts of the world. This gives rise to the question of control over use of network. In
order to check the use of network for illegal activities, most governments exercise control over
these networks.
(iv) Use of large sized computer systems:
Most of the WANs are built around mainframes and high speed processors with large storage
capacities. These involve high initial investment and are quite expensive to maintain.
(v) Communication is through wire-less transmission media:
Most of the WANs, today use wire-less transmission media, such as VSAT to transmit
information. They use high speed transmission equipment.
(vi) Reliability:
In contrast to LAN that put greater emphasis on speed of transmission, reliability is the main
concern in WANs. The difference in the emphasis is obvious. The long distance transmission is
more prone to the risk of loss of information than the short distance transmission.
Internet and Intranet
Internet: The Internet is a global network that establishes a connection and provides
transmission between various computers. It uses both wired and wireless mode of
communication to send and receive any information such as data, audio, video, etc. Here, data
travels through “fiber optic cables”, which are owned by telephone companies. It is a
worldwide/global system of interconnected computer networks. It uses the standard Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP). Every computer in Internet is identified by a unique IP address. IP Address is
a unique set of numbers (such as 110.22.33.114) which identifies a computer’s location.
Nowadays everyone uses the Internet for acquiring information, communication, and transferring
data over the network. It is a public network using which computers can connect and relay to
each other. It provides an excellent source of information to the user.
Intranet: An intranet is a part of Internet that is privately owned by an organization. It connects
all the computers together and provides access to files and folders within the network. It has a
firewall surrounding the system to avoid the unauthorized user from accessing the network. Only
authorized users have permission to access the network.

Moreover, Intranet is used for connecting computers and transmitting data, files or documents
within the firm. It is a secure way to share the details, materials, and folders as the network are
highly secured and restricted within the organization. It renders various services such as email,
search, data storage, etc.
BASIS FOR INTERNET INTRANET
COMPARISON
Meaning Connects different network of It is a part of Internet which is privately
computers together owned by a particular firm
Accessibility Anyone can access the Accessible only by the organization
Internet members, having login details.
Safety Is not as safe as compared to Safe
Intranet
No of Users Unlimited Limited
Visitors Traffic More Less
Network Type Public Private
Information Provided Unlimited, and can be viewed Limited, and circulates among the
by everyone members of an organization

DBMS stands for Database Management System. DBMS = Database + Management System.
Database is a collection of data and Management System is a set of programs to store and
retrieve those data. Based on this we can define DBMS like this: DBMS is a collection of inter-
related data and set of programs to store & access those data in an easy and effective manner.
DBMS stands for Database Management System. DBMS = Database + Management System.
Database is a collection of data and Management System is a set of programs to store and
retrieve those data. Thus, DBMS like this: DBMS is a collection of inter-related data and set of
programs to store & access those data in an easy and effective manner. Database systems are
basically developed for large amount of data. When dealing with huge amount of data, there are
two things that require optimization: Storage of data and retrieval of data.
Storage: According to the principles of database systems, the data is stored in such a way that it
acquires lot less space as the redundant data (duplicate data) has been removed before storage.
Let’s take a layman example to understand this:
In a banking system, suppose a customer is having two accounts, one is saving account and
another is salary account. Let’s say bank stores saving account data at one place (these places are
called tables we will learn them later) and salary account data at another place, in that case if the
customer information such as customer name, address etc. are stored at both places then this is
just a wastage of storage (redundancy/ duplication of data), to organize the data in a better way
the information should be stored at one place and both the accounts should be linked to that
information somehow. The same thing we achieve in DBMS.
Fast Retrieval of data: Along with storing the data in an optimized and systematic manner, it is
also important that we retrieve the data quickly when needed. Database systems ensure that the
data is retrieved as quickly as possible.
Architecture of DBMS
The architecture of DBMS depends on the computer system on which it runs. For example, in a
client-server DBMS architecture, the database systems at server machine can run several
requests made by client machine. We will understand this communication with the help of
diagrams.
Types of DBMS Architecture
There are three types of DBMS architecture:
1. Single tier architecture
2. Two tier architecture
3. Three tier architecture
1. Single tier architecture
In this type of architecture, the database is readily available on the client machine, any request
made by client doesn’t require a network connection to perform the action on the database.
For example, lets say you want to fetch the records of employee from the database and the
database is available on your computer system, so the request to fetch employee details will be
done by your computer and the records will be fetched from the database by your computer as
well. This type of system is generally referred as local database system.
2. Two tier architecture
n two-tier architecture, the Database system is present at the server machine and the DBMS
application is present at the client machine, these two machines are connected with each other
through a reliable network as shown in the above diagram.
Whenever client machine makes a request to access the database present at server using a query
language like sql, the server perform the request on the database and returns the result back to the
client. The application connection interface such as JDBC, ODBC are used for the interaction
between server and client.
3. Three tier architecture
In three-tier architecture, another layer is present between the client machine and server machine.
In this architecture, the client application doesn’t communicate directly with the database
systems present at the server machine, rather the client application communicates with server
application and the server application internally communicates with the database system present
at the server.

Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting is a systematic approach to problem solving that is often used to find and
correct issues with complex machines, electronics, computers and software systems.
The first step in troubleshooting is gathering information on the issue, such as an undesired
behavior or a lack of expected functionality. Other important information includes related
symptoms and special circumstances that may be required to reproduce the issue.
Once the issue and how to reproduce it are understood, the next step might be to eliminate
unnecessary components in the system and verify that the issue persists, to rule out
incompatibility and third-party causes.
Continuing, assuming the issue remains, one might next check common causes. Depending on
the particular issue and the troubleshooter’s experience, they may have some ideas. They may
also check product documentation and/or conduct research on a support database or through
a search engine.
After common causes are ruled out, the troubleshooter may resort to the more systematic and
logical process of verifying the expected function of parts of a system. One common method is
the split-half troubleshooting approach: With a problem resulting from a number of possible
parts in series, one tests half-way down the line of components. If the middle component works,
one goes to the middle of the remaining parts, approaching the end. If the test finds a problem at
the mid-point, one does a split towards the start of the line until the problem part is found. The
split-half process can save time in systems that depend on many components.
Once the problem part is identified, it may be adjusted, repaired or replaced as needed. Evidence
of effective troubleshooting is indicated when the issue is no longer reproducible and function is
restored one.
The success of troubleshooting often depends on the thoroughness and experience of the
troubleshooter. That said, the majority of those who develop tech savvy are likely to have
friends, coworkers and family who call on them for help.