Q1. - Diff. b/w Primary and Secondary storage devices. Ans. - 1. All secondary storage is permanent 2.

Most Primary Storage is temporary. 3. Secondary storage is usually cheaper and large 4. Primary Storage is expensive and smaller. 5. Primary storage is smaller in capacity (L2 Cache is only 2MB) 6. Secondary Storage is bigger in capacity 7. Primary storage is usually faster therefore more expensive 8. Secondary storage connects to the CPU via cables and therefore is slower 9. Primary storage is closer to the CPU and/or is integrated onto it and therefore is faster. 10. Examples of Primary storage: RAM, L2 Cache. Secondary Storage; Hard drive, CD-ROM...etc.

Q2. - Diff. b/w RAM & ROM. Ans. - RAM is Random Access Memory, while ROM stands for Read Only Memory. RAM is volatile and is erased when the computer is switched off. ROM is non-volatile and generally cannot be written to. RAM is used for both read and write while ROM is used only for reading.

 RAM needs electricity to flow to retain information while ROM is permanent. RAM is analogous to a blackboard on which information can be written with a chalk and erased any number of times, while ROM is permanent and can only be read. One example is BIOS (basic input output system) that runs when computer is switched on and it prepares disk drives and processor to load OS from disk.

Q3. -Diff. b/w Serial & Parallel Ports. Ans. - (i) Parallel ports are usually purple in color and serial ports usually come in light green as part of ISO standards when found on PCs. (ii) Parallel ports on the motherboard are usually female and serial ports are usually male. (iii) Parallel ports will have different pin outs to serial, most of the serial lines will be used for control functions and grounding functions while a good few of the parallel pins usually 8 are used for sending data. (iv) To avoid crosstalk Parallel usually operates at a lower frequency then serial and popularity switches from one to the other as a result of emerging technologies. (v) Examples of serial technology are USB and Fire wire with IEEE 1284 being a parallel technology.

Q4. - Explain the functionality of the CMOS Battery, North Bridge, South Bridge, Microprocessor, and SMPC.

Ans. - 1. CMOS BATTERY--All personal computers require a small battery on the system board that provides power to the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) chip, even while the computer is turned off. This chip contains information about the system configuration (e.g., hard disk type, floppy drive types, date and time, and the order in which the computer will look for bootable disks). The CMOS battery allows the CMOS to preserve these settings. The CMOS battery (or the motherboard battery) has a unique purpose in a computer. Nonvolatile BIOS memory refers to a small memory on PC motherboards that is used to store BIOS settings. It was traditionally called CMOS RAM because it used a low-power Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) SRAM (such as the Motorola MC146818 or similar) powered by a small battery when system power was off. The term remains in wide use but it has grown into a misnomer: nonvolatile storage in contemporary computers is often in EEPROM or flash memory (like the BIOS code itself); the remaining usage for the battery is then to keep the real-time clock going. The typical NVRAM capacity is 512 bytes, which is generally sufficient for all BIOS settings. The CMOS RAM and the real-time clock have been integrated as a part of the Southbridge chipset and it may not be a standalone chip on modern motherboards. 2. NORTH BRIDGE-- Northbridge is an Intel chipset that communicates with the computer processor and controls interaction with memory, the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, Level 2 cache, and all Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) activities. Northbridge communicates with the processor using the front side bus (FSB). Northbridge is one part of a two-part chipset called Northbridge/Southbridge. Southbridge handles the input/output (I/O) functions of the chipset. The Intel Hub Architecture (IHA) has replaced the Northbridge/Southbridge chipset. The IHA chipset also has two parts: the Graphics and AGP Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) and the I/O Controller Hub (ICH). The IHA architecture is used in Intel's 800 series

chipsets, which is the first chipset architecture to move away from the Northbridge/Southbridge design. 3. SOUTH BRIDGE-- Southbridge is an Intel chipset that manages the basic forms of input/output (I/O ) such as Universal Serial Bus ( USB ), serial , audio, Integrated Drive Electronics ( IDE ), and Industry Standard Architecture ( ISA ) I/O in a computer. Southbridge is one of two chipsets that are collectively called Northbridge /Southbridge. Northbridge controls the processor , memory , Peripheral Component Interconnect ( PCI ) bus , Level 2 cache , and all Accelerated Graphics Port ( AGP ) activities. Unlike Northbridge, Southbridge consists of one chip, which sits on Northbridge's PCI bus. The Intel Hub Architecture (IHA) has replaced the Northbridge/Southbridge chipset. The IHA chipset has two parts also, the Graphics and AGP Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) and the I/O Controller Hub (ICH). The IHA architecture is used in Intel's 800 series chipsets, which is the first chipset architecture to move away from the Northbridge/Southbridge design. 4. MICROPROCESSOR-- A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit,[1] (IC) or at most a few integrated circuits.[2] It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results as output. It is an example of sequential digital logic, as it has internal memory. Microprocessors operate on numbers and symbols represented in the binary numeral system. The advent of low-cost computers on integrated circuits has transformed modern society. General-purpose microprocessors in personal computers are used for computation, text editing, multimedia display, and communication over the Internet. Many more microprocessors are part of embedded systems, providing digital control of a myriad of objects

from appliances to automobiles to cellular phones and industrial process control. 5. SMPC-- A switched-mode power supply (switching-mode power supply, SMPS, or switcher) is an electronic power supply that incorporates a switching regulator to convert electrical power efficiently. Like other power supplies, an SMPS transfers power from a source like the electrical power grid to a load (such as a personal computer) while converting voltage and current characteristics. An SMPS is usually employed to efficiently provide a regulated output voltage, typically at a level different from the input voltage. Q5. Define the diff. types of RAM Memory. Ans.- The various types of Random Access Memory(RAM) are1. Static RAM (SRAM). 2. Dynamic RAM (DRAM). Other RAM types are3. Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM). 4. Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM). 5. Rambus DRAM (RDRAM). 6. Direct Rambus DRAM (DRDRAM). 7. Video RAM (VRAM). 8. Fast Page Mode RAM (FPMRAM). 9. Extended Data Out Ram (EDORAM). Q6.- Name the fastest Super Computer? Ans.- The most used fastest Super Computers are : K Computer,(Japan) Tianhe-1A(China) Jaguar/Titan(U.S.) Blue Gene Watson ,Blue Gene/L, Blue Gene/P(Colombia) Baku(Germany)

 TSUBAME 2.0( Japan) Nebulae(China) SAGA-220(India), etc. Q6.- What are the tasks performed by System Software? Ans. - The three major tasks performed by system software are allocating system resources, monitoring system activities, and disk and file management. 1. Allocating system resources: The system resources are time, memory, input, and output. The time in the CPU is divided into time slices. The time slices is measured in terms of milliseconds. Based on the priority of tasks the time slices are assigned. Memory is also managed by operating system. Disk space is the part of main memory. The data flow is controlled by operating system. 2. Monitoring system activities: The system security and system performance is monitored by system software. System performance includes response time and CPU utilization. System security is a part of operating system. Multiple users cant access without the security code or password. 3. File and disk management: The user needs to save, copy, delete, move and rename the files. The system software will handles those functions. Disk and file management is the technical task.