The device data management

It is customary to call these elements of storage devices, to the extent they can store data when they are not used by the microprocessor. Three types of storage devices can be distinguished because they are linked to particular uses

• mass storage (hard drive) available for reading and writing

• the memory storage (floppy or CD and DVD, tape drive magnetic), intended only for archiving sustainable

• storage devices on supports less reliable, but can transfer data from one computer to another (USB, floppy drive).

Communication Devices

There are two main types of communication devices, based on the fact it is the heart of the computer to exchange information with one or several other (s) computer (s), or with a human user.

• Communication with other computers is through network interfaces (seeModule B1.7). Such an interface may be a modem (for modulator-demodulator), which connects a computer to an outlet telephone, a wired network adapter (LAN for Local Area Network), or a wireless network card (or wireless, for "Wireless Fidelity"). These devices may be internal or external. With the democratization of the Internet, more and most PC motherboards have a built-in LAN card

• Communication with the user who is in front of a machine is made by of input / output (keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, microphone, speakers, digital camera, video camera...)

Peripherals

Devices are physical components that are not part of a heart computer, but can nevertheless achieve the other two functions computer: data management and communication. Without them, the computer could theoretically work, but would be of no use, since it would impossible to send commands or data.
The devices can be located inside the computer case (known then internal devices) or outside(or external devices).
In first category, some very common devices (like network cards or graphics cards), are even integrated on motherboards, for reasons of cost and speed of data transfer. In the second, including all found elements that allow the user to interact with a computer (keyboard, mouse, screen ...).

Motherboard

The motherboard of a computer is the "plate" circuit that connects all components, and takes much of the place, inside the housing (also called the tower). The main function of a motherboard is the setting relationship between these components by buses as printed circuits. It includes in particular locations (or "slots"), provided to accept various types of components. There is for example one or more locations planned for (s) processor (s) for memory cards, and generic locations devices (see below).

Memory

The memory (or RAM, for "Random Access Memory) the computer is the
where is the microprocessor and stores data for its calculations, and programs, which indicate operations to be performed.
The RAM is in the form of "strips" (see image below)
representing a certain amount of memory. A machine can accept between one and four bars. To run a process, it is necessary that the program associated with it and data corresponding to it are "loaded" in memory, that is to say they are copied from the media where they are stored when the computer is off, to memory.

• When you have several applications open at the same time, wethat for each of them, such information is loaded into memorywhen the application is executed.
• The operating system of a computer consists of a set of process, also executed by the microprocessor, and thus occupy also the memory space.

If your computer does not have enough memory to store all programs and all associated data, your computer may use a storage medium (usually hard drive) to store temporarily
information it does not serve any time. Whenever he has to perform an operation in which information is stored in this temporary space, it must therefore exchange data with others, located memory.

Microprocessor

First, the microprocessor is the brain of the computer that hosts the calculations.
A microprocessor is a chip that comes in the form of a box, whose size and shape vary according to its degree of development and technology that allowed its manufacture. When you look inside a
computer, it is often hidden by a cooling device, which allows operate at high speed by keeping a constant temperature (of the order of Currently 50 °).

The heart of the computer

Inside a computer, it is logically all the elements that relate to the computational function. This section presents the major hardware elements from which is built a computer.

The hardware

This section describes the "pieces" that make up a physical computer. Well Naturally, some of these elements varies depending on the type of computer you have (PC, Mac, workstation), but overall, most of these have similar properties of a system to another. We present here a point the generic view, without going into details of these differences.

Communiquer

Un ordinateur peut communiquer soit avec un utilisateur, soit avec un autre
ordinateur.
La fonction de communication ne consiste donc pas uniquement à échanger des informations sur Internet. Cette utilisation de l’ordinateur est d’ailleurs la plus récente, puisqu’elle ne s’est réellement développée qu’avec l’essor du Web, dans les années1990.
En revanche, quelle que soit la tâche que vous réalisez avec votre ordinateur, vous passez votre temps à interagir avec lui, soit pour lui donner des ordres, soit pour prendre connaissance des résultats.
Dans ce cadre, un grand nombre d’éléments, matériels et logiciels, font partie de l’interface homme-machine, qui permet la communication entre l’utilisateur et l’ordinateur. Les principales notions qui permettent de comprendre en quoi consiste une interface homme-machine sont définies dans la section « communication avec un ordinateur ».

Manage data

When you use a computer, you often need to keep results of your work. This is for example the case if you write your resume, use a messaging tool or work on a software image manipulation. In all these situations, once your work is done, you wantthe computer can record the corresponding data, and you return later.
Whatever the elements of the computer where the storage takes place, it is necessary
to format the data and organize them for you find among all the other data also stored in the same
place

Calculate

t is the task for which the computer was originally designed. Besides, the name
English from the computer, "computer" in French means "computer".
The function of computing a computer does not limit the use of the calculator,
a spreadsheet or execution of programs of scientific calculations.
There are in fact the calculation in all operations that performs a computer:

• Viewing a web page or document created with a word processor,
• The encoding and decoding of information stored in files,
• Management of communications with other computers on a network ..

For example, when one writes a letter in a word processor, it must
be able to transform all of its content (here the text and its implementation
form) in a series of numbers that the computer can then store or handle.
This operation, called "coding information," is one of many
arithmetic operations needed to run different programs

The functions of a computer

A computer has three main functions:

• Calculer
  
• Manage data
• Communiquer