Chapter by Prentice Hall

(1)

IT Infrastructure:

Hardware and Software

(2)

• What are the components of IT infrastructure?

• What are the major computer hardware, data

storage, input, and output technologies used in

business?

Wh t

th

j

t

f

t

ft

• What are the major types of computer software

(3)

• What are the most important contemporary

p

y

hardware and software trends?

• What are the principal issues in managing

(4)

• Problem:

Large,

complicated

infrastructure was

difficult to manage,

storage needs increased

quickly

quickly.

• Solutions: Use IBM

storage technology

to

d

i f

t

reduce infrastructure

spending and conserve

space.

(5)

• IBM System p5 595 servers and VMware

helped

UPMC increase server utilization rates and decrease

storage space.

• Demonstrates IT’s role in standardizing technology

and managing infrastructure.

• Illustrates digital technology’s role cutting costs and

(6)

(7)

Infrastructure Components

• IT infrastructure: Provides platform for supporting all

information systems in the business

Infrastructure Components

• Computer hardware

• Computer software

• Data management technology

• Organizes, manages, and processes business data concerned

with inventory customers and vendors

with inventory, customers, and vendors

• Networking and telecommunications technology

• Technology services

gy

(8)

IT Infrastructure Components

ast uctu e Co po e ts

Figure 4-1

A firm’s IT infrastructure is composed of hardware, software, data management technology, networking technology, and technology services.

(9)

Types of Computers

• Computers come in different sizes with varying

capabilities for processing information

ypes o Co pute s

capabilities for processing information

• FLOPS (Floating point operations per second)

• PDAs, handheld mobile devices

PDAs, handheld mobile devices

• PCs

• Workstation

Workstation

• More powerful mathematical and graphics-processing

capabilities than a PC

(10)

Types of Computers

• Servers

T

f

id

t

ypes o Co pute s

• Type of midrange computer

• Support computer network, sharing files and resources

• Provide hardware platform for e commerce

• Provide hardware platform for e-commerce

• Mainframes

• Large capacity high performance computer that can process

• Large-capacity, high-performance computer that can process

large amounts of data very rapidly

(11)

Types of Computers

• Supercomputer

M

hi ti

t d

t

d f

t

k

i i

ypes o Co pute s

• More sophisticated computer used for tasks requiring

extremely rapid and complex calculations with thousands of

variables, millions of measurements

• Used in engineering, scientific simulations, military/weapons

research, weather forecasting

• Grid computing

• Power of geographically remote computers connected into

single network to act as “virtual supercomputer”

(12)

Types of Computers

• Client/server computing

f

ypes o Co pute s

• Form of distributed computing

• Splits processing between “clients” and “servers”

• Clients: User point of entry

• Servers: Store and process shared data and perform network

Servers: Store and process shared data and perform network

(13)

Types of Computers

• Client/server computing (cont.)

/

ypes o Co pute s

• Two-tiered client/server architecture

• Uses two types of machines

• Multitiered client/server architecture (N-tier)

• Balances load of network over several levels of servers

(14)

Client/Server Computing

C e t/Se

e Co put g

C e t/Se

e Co put g

In client/server computing, computer

Figure 4-2

processing is split between client machines and server machines linked by a network. Users interface with the client machines.

(15)

A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N

A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N--Tier)

u t t e ed C e t/Se

e

et o

(

Tier)

e )

Figure 4-3

(16)

Storage, Input, and Output Technology

• Primary secondary storage technologies

• Magnetic disk:

• Hard drives, USB flash drives

• RAID: Can package hundreds of drives for massage storage

requirements

• Optical disks

• CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD

• Magnetic tape

• Storage networking: SANs

• Connect multiple storage devices on a separate high speed

• Connect multiple storage devices on a separate high-speed

(17)

A Storage Area Network (SAN)

Sto age

ea

et o

(S

)

Figure 4-4

A typical SAN consists of a yp server, storage devices, and networking devices, and is used strictly for storage. The SAN stores data on many different types of storage devices, providing data to the enterprise. The SAN supports communication between any server and the storage unit as well as between different storage devices in the network.

(18)

Storage, Input, and Output Technology

• Input devices:

• Gather data and convert them into electronic form

• Keyboard

• Computer mouse

• Touch screen

• Optical character recognition

• Magnetic ink character recognition

• Pen-based input

• Digital scanner

• Audio input

Audio input

• Sensors

(19)

Storage, Input, and Output Technology

• Output devices:

• Display data after they have been processed

• Monitor

• Printer

• Audio output

Audio output

• Information systems collect and process

information in one of two ways

• Batch processing: Transactions stored for predefined

amount of time, then processed as group

(20)

Contemporary Hardware Trends

• Integration of computing and telecommunications

platforms

• Cell phones merging with handhelds

G

th f I t

t t l

h

• Growth of Internet telephony

• Nanotechnology

• Creating computer chips and other devices thousands of

times smaller through manipulating individual atoms,

(21)

Examples of Nanotubes

a p es o

a otubes

Figure 4-5

Nanotubes are tiny tubes about 10,000 times thinner than a human hair. They consist of rolled up sheets of carbon hexagons, have potential uses as minuscule wires or in ultrasmall electronic devices, and are very powerful conductors of electrical current.

(22)

Contemporary Hardware Trends

• Edge computing

• Multitier, load-balancing scheme for Web-based applications

• Significant parts of Web site content, logic, and processing

performed by smaller, less expensive servers located nearby

the user

• Increases response time and resilience and lowers technology

costs.

• Autonomic computing

• Development of systems that can configure themselves, heal

themselves; e.g. self-updating antivirus software

(23)

Edge Computing Platform

dge Co put g

at o

Figure 4-6

(24)

Contemporary Hardware Trends

• Virtualization

P

f

ti

t f

ti

• Process of presenting a set of computing

resources so they can be accessed in ways that

are unrestricted by physical configuration or

geographic location

• Server virtualization: Running more than one

operating system at the same time on single

machine

(25)

Contemporary Hardware Trends

• Multicore processors

I t

t d i

it

ith t

• Integrated circuit with two or more processors

• Enhanced performance, reduced power

consumption and more efficient simultaneous

processing of multiple tasks

(26)

Interactive Session: Technology

• Read the Interactive Session and then discuss

the following questions:

Computing Goes Green

the following questions:

• What business and social problems does data center

power consumption cause?

• What solutions are available for these problems? Which

are the most environment-friendly?

• What are the business benefits and costs of these

solutions?

• Should all firms move toward green computing? Why or

(27)

Operating System Software

• The software that manages and controls the

computer’s activities

Operating System Software

computer’s activities

• PC operating systems and graphical user

interfaces

• GUIs

• Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003

Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003

• UNIX

• Linux

(28)

The Major Types of Software

e

ajo

ypes o So t a e

The relationship among the system software, p g y , application software, and users can be

illustrated by a series of nested boxes. System software—consisting of operating systems, language translators, and utility programs— controls access to the hardware. Application software, including programming languages and “fourth-generation” languages, must work

Figure 4-7

through the system software to operate. The user interacts primarily with the application software.

(29)

Application Software and Desktop Productivity Tools

pp

p

y

• Application programming languages for business

• COBOL

• C, C++

• Visual Basic: Visual programming language

• Fourth-generation languages

• Software tools that enable end-users to develop software

applications

(30)

Categories of Fourth

Categories of Fourth--Generation Languages

g

Generation Languages

g

Tool Description Example

PC software tools General-purpose software packages for PCs

WordPerfect Microsoft Access

Cs c oso ccess

Query language Languages for retrieving data stored in databases or files

SQL

Report generator Specialized tools for creating highly Crystal Reports customized reports

Graphics language Display data from databases in graphic format

SAS Graph Systat

Application generator Preprogrammed modules to generate FOCUS

Application generator Preprogrammed modules to generate entire applications

FOCUS

Microsoft FrontPage

Application software package

Software programs that eliminate need for custom, in-house software

Oracle PeopleSoft HCM mySAP ERP

Very high level Generate program code with fewer APL

Very high-level

programming language

Generate program code with fewer instructions than conventional languages

APL Nomad2

(31)

Application Software and Desktop Productivity Tools

pp

p

y

• Software packages and desktop

productivity tools

• Word processing software

• Spreadsheet software

• Data management software

P

t ti

hi

• Presentation graphics

• Software suites

(32)

Spreadsheet Software

Sp eads eet So t a e

Figure 4-8

Spreadsheet software organizes data into columns and rows for analysis and manipulation. Contemporary spreadsheet software provides graphing abilities for a clear, visual representation of the data in the

spreadsheets. This sample break-even analysis is represented as numbers in a spreadsheet as well as a line graph for easy interpretation.

(33)

Software for the Web: Java, AJAX, and HTML

• Java

• Operating system-independent,

processor-independent object oriented programming language

,

independent, object-oriented programming language

• AJAX

• Allows a client and server to exchange data behind

Allows a client and server to exchange data behind

the scenes to avoid reloading a Web page after each

change

H

t

k

l

(HTML)

• Hypertext markup language (HTML)

• Page description language for specifying how

elements are placed on a Web page and for creating

p

p g

g

links to other pages and objects

(34)

Interactive Session: Organizations

te act e Sess o

O ga

at o s

Will Google Take Over the Desktop?

• Read the Interactive Session and then discuss the

following questions:

• What are the benefits of using Google Apps? What kinds

of businesses are most likely to benefit? What kinds are

least likely to benefit?

• What reasons might a business have to continue using

Microsoft Office for desktop productivity?

• Search the Web for an article titled Microsoft Office Live

Search the Web for an article titled Microsoft Office Live

Vs. Google Apps For Your Domain by Preston Gralla

from September 2006. Do you agree with the author’s

conclusion?

(35)

Web Services

• Web services:

• Software components that exchange information

Software components that exchange information

with each other using universal Web

communication standards and languages

XML (

t

ibl

k

l

)

• XML (extensible markup language)

• SOAP (simple object access protocol)

• WSDL (web services description language)

• UDDI (universal description, discovery, and

integration)

g

)

(36)

How Dollar Rent

How Dollar Rent--a

o

o a

e t

e t a

a--Car Uses Web Services

a Ca Uses

Car Uses Web Services

Ca Uses

eb Se

ces

Figure 4-9

Dollar Rent-A-Car uses Web services to provide a standard intermediate layer of software to “talk” to other companies’ information systems. Dollar Rent-A-Car can use this set of Web services to link to other companies’ information systems without having to build a separate link to each firm’s systems.