Info Tech Guide

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) In the technology world, UPS is more than just a brown shipping company. It is also a type of power supply that uses battery backup to maintain power during unexpected power outages.

A typical consumer UPS is a surge protector that contains a high-capacity rechargeable battery. Smaller UPS devices look like bulky power strips, while larger ones may stand upright and look almost like small computers. Many businesses use uninterruptible power supplies to keep their equipment running in case of a power failure. While a UPS may only keep a computer running for 15 minutes after the power is lost, it is usually sufficient time to save all necessary documents and properly shut down the computer. That extra time can be invaluable to someone who is working on an important document or project that has not been recently saved.

VDU (Visual Display Unit) displays images generated by a computer or other electronic device. The term VDU is often used synonymously with “monitor,” but it can also refer to another type of display, such as a digital projector. Visual display units may be peripheral devices or may be integrated with the other components. For example, the Apple iMac uses an all-in-one design, in which the screen and computer are built into a single unit.

ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) is a type of CPU socket on a computer motherboard that allows for the simple replacement or upgrade of the Processor. Processors that use a ZIF socket can easily be removed by pulling a small release lever next to the Processor and lifting it out. The replacement Processor is then placed in the socket and secured by pushing the lever in the opposite direction — hence the phrase, “zero insertion force.” I suppose there is some force required to push the lever, but it is significantly less than non-ZIF sockets, which require special tools to force the Processor out.

UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) is an extension of this idea that expands the range of Plug and Play devices to networking equipment. Universal Plug and Play uses network protocols to allow a wide range of devices to be interconnected and work seamlessly with each other.

UPnP devices can be connected via wired (i.e. Ethernet and Firewire) or wireless (i.e. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) connections. As long as a product supports UPnP, it can communicate with other UPnP devices within a network. The connections are typically created using the DHCP networking protocol, which assigns each connected device a unique IP address.

The personal computer (PC) is one complex piece of machinery. Its made up of many individual components that will baffle the uninitiated. To learn about PCs, one has to have a desire to learn and experiment. This is not to say that PC technology is terribly hard to learn. All you need to know is the how a basic PC is set up, and what components are required. 

After learning the basics, its a matter of self experimentation and reading - with time, you'll be one of the pros! This article aims to provide you with at least some basic knowledge of PCs so that you can move on to learn more if you wish.

Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, and is the primary element carrying out the computer's functions. The central processing unit carries out each instruction of the program in sequence, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system.

The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the central processor, but more commonly called processor, the CPU is where most calculations take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system.

Random Access Memory (RAM) is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly that is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM is the place in a computer where the Operating System, application programs, and data in current use are kept so that they can be quickly reached by the computer’s Processor.

RAM is much faster to read from and write to than the other kinds of storage in a computer, the hard disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM.

Motherboard is the main circuit board of your computer and is also known as the mainboard or logic board. If you ever open your computer, the biggest piece of silicon you see is the motherboard. On the typical motherboard, the circuitry is imprinted or affixed to the surface of a firm planar surface and usually manufactured in a single step.

Attached to the motherboard, you’ll find the Central Processing Unit, ROM, memory RAM expansion slots, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots, and USB ports.

Processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer. This little chip is the heart of a computer. The term Processor has generally replaced the term Central Processing Unit (CPU).

The Processor in a personal computer or embedded in small devices is often called a Microprocessor. Processor does all the computations such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. In PCs, the most popular Microprocessor used is the Intel Pentium chip, whereas Macintosh computers use the PowerPC chip (developed by Motorola, IBM, and Apple).

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or Serial ATA) is an interface used to connect ATA hard drives to a computer's motherboard. SATA transfer rates start at 150MBps, which is significantly faster than even the fastest 100MBps ATA/100 drives. SATA is based on serial signaling technology, unlike current IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) hard drives that use parallel signaling.

Serial ATA was designed to replace the older ATA (AT Attachment) standard (also known as EIDE). It is able to use the same low level commands, but serial ATA host-adapters and devices communicate via a high-speed serial cable over two pairs of conductors. In contrast, the parallel ATA (the redesignation for the legacy ATA specifications) used 16 data conductors each operating at a much lower speed.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the most common type of computer port used in today's computers. USB is a plug-and-play interface between a computer and add-on devices, such as media players, keyboards, telephones, digital cameras, scanners, flash drives, joysticks and printers. With the help of a few USB hubs, you can connect up to 127 peripherals to a single USB port and use them all at onc..

USB is also faster than older ports, such as serial and parallel ports. The USB 1.1 specification supports data transfer rates of up to 12Mb/sec and USB 2.0 has a maximum transfer rate of 480 Mbps.

Video Card is an expansion card whose function is to generate output images to a display. Many video cards offer added functions, such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, video capture, TV-tuner adapter, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, FireWire, light pen, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors (multi-monitor). Other modern high performance video cards are used for more graphically demanding purposes, such as PC games.

Video cards, also called graphics accelerators, can speed up both 2D and 3D graphics rendering. Programs such as photo editors and Web browsers may benefit from 2D acceleration, while CAD design programs and video games will most likely benefit from the card's 3D acceleration. Some programs rely so heavily on the video card, that they will not run if a supported video card is not installed.

Integrated Circuit (IC), is small chip that can function as an amplifier, oscillator, timer, microprocessor, or even computer memory. An IC is a small wafer, usually made of silicon, that can hold anywhere from hundreds to millions of transistors, resistors, and capacitors.

These extremely small electronics can perform calculations and store data using either digital or analog technology.The first integrated circuit was developed in the 1950s by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor.

Network Interface Card (NIC) is a computer circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network. Personal computers and workstations on a Local Area Network (LAN) typically contain a Network Interface Card specifically designed for the LAN transmission technology.

Network interface cards provide a dedicated, full-time connection to a network. Most home and portable computers connect to the Internet through as-needed dial-up connection. The modem provides the connection interface to the Internet service provider.

These cards typically use an Ethernet connection and are available in 10, 100, and 1000 Base-T configurations. A 100 Base-T card can transfer data at 100 Mbps. The cards come in ISA and PCI versions and are made by companies like 3Com and LinkSys.