SYSTEM SOFTWARE: » compilers » linkers » device drivers » operating systems » utilities.

 COMPILER: A language translator (compile & convert high language to low level (machine language)
 LINKER: computer program that takes one or more object files produced by a compiler

Who would use each type of interface?

 CLI Command Line Interface (Direct communication with computer (development etc)
 GUI Graphical user interface (use computer to run computer: games etc)
 DIALOGUE-BASED USER INTERFACES use the human voice to give commands to a computer
system
 GESTURE-BASED INTERFACES rely on human interaction by the moving of hands, head or even
the feet

Virtual Keyboard: Tablets use touch screen technology and do not have a conventional keyboard

Direct Input Devices (all types of readers)

Magnetic Stripe Card

o The magnetic stripe contains useful information, such as: account number, sort code, expiry
date and start date.
o Some ID cards also use a holographic image (hologram). These are designed to make forgery of
the card more difficult

The contactless card system uses 128-bit encryption systems to protect the data

Chip and PIN readers are similar to smart card readers but are used at EFTPOS terminals

The RFID tag is made up of two components: »

 a microchip that stores and processes information »
 an antenna which is used to receive and transmit data/information
USES of RFIDs:
 tracking of stock
 passports
 automobiles
 contactless payments.

A QR code consists of a block of small squares (light and dark) known as pixels. It can presently hold up
to 4296 characters (or up to 7089 digits) and allows internet addresses to be encoded within the QR
code. This compares to the 30 digits which is the maximum for a barcode

 QR codes can be used to deliver augmented reality by helping an AR system to determine the
positions of objects in three-dimensional space.
 QR code can use on virtual online stores, where a gallery of product information and QR codes are
presented to the customer, for example, on a train station wall
 QR codes can be used to transmit malicious codes; known as attagging. Because there are a large
number of free apps available to a user for generating QR codes, that means anyone can do this.

Printers

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 Unlike laser printers, inkjet printers do not have large buffer memories, therefore printing is done a
bit at a time
o Thermal bubble – tiny resistors create localized heat which makes the ink vaporize
o Piezoelectric – a crystal is located at the back of the ink reservoir for each nozzle
 Dot matrix printers are a type of impact printer where a print head (made up of a matrix of pins)
presses against an inked ribbon still use because carbon copies or multi roll continuous printing
 Graph Plotter: Instead of toner or ink cartridges, plotters use a pen, pencil or marker pen to draw
multiple continuous lines, rather than a series of dots like a printer use for CAD and CAM apps.

3D Printer’s

 3D printers use additive manufacturing (i.e. the object is built up layer by layer)
 Subtractive manufacturing (i.e. removal of material to make the object)
 Direct 3D printing uses inkjet technology; a print head can move left to right as in a normal printer
 Binder 3D printing is similar to direct 3D printing, but this method uses two passes for each of the
layers; the first pass sprays dry powder, then, on second pass, a binder (glue sprayed) to form a solid
 Tissue engineering (using 3d Bio-link printing): Recent advances have allowed the 3D printing of bio-
compatible materials, cells and supporting structures
 CT (computed tomography) which involves producing images of the internal parts of the body in a
series of thin slices less than 0.1 mm thick, or
 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) this uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce a
series of images of the internal organs in the body.

Printlets (printed tablets)

3D printing techniques now allow scientists to customize medicines to suit the individual.

advantages of this technology include:

» tailor-made medicines to suit the individual

» better control of medicine release into the body
» saves money (many modern medicines are very expensive)

Magnetic taps data transfer rate is actually fast (this should not be confused with data access time which
is very slow for magnetic tapes)

Data transfer rate is the rate at which data can be sent from a storage device to a computer (or vice
versa). Data access time is the time it takes to locate specific data stored on the storage media

In Hard disk (Latency is defined as the time it takes for a specific block of data on a data track to rotate
around to the read/write head)

SSD: Latency is a major issue in HDDs as described earlier. Solid-state technology removes this issue
because all the data is retrieved at the same rate

benefits of SSDs are:

» they are more reliable (no moving parts to go wrong)
» they are considerably lighter (which makes them suitable for laptops)
» they have a lower power consumption
» they run much cooler than HDDs
SSD Endurance: only 20 GB write operations per day over a three-year period

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In Optical Media the wavelength of the reflected laser light is slightly different to the original laser light,
causing destructive interference

DVD technology is slightly different to that used in CDs is dual-layering which considerably increases the
storage capacity.

Blu-ray devices allow greater interactivity than DVD devices.

o record high definition television programs

o skip quickly to any part of the disc
o create playlists of recorded movies and television programs

A network interface card (NIC) is needed to allow a device to connect to a network

The media access control (MAC) address is a number which

uniquely identifies a device when it is connected to a network.
The MAC address/physical address is made up of 48 bits

IPv4 and IPv6 (identification of computer/electronic device over internet)

IPv4 is based on 32 bits (254.25.28.77) 4 separate groups with dot (.) of 8x4 bits become 32 bits
IPv4 is based on 128 bits (254.25.28.77) 8 separate groups with (:) of 16x8 bits become 128 bits

For data transfer IP Packets of data will usually have a header which contains:

o the sender’s IP address

o the receiver’s IP address
o the sequence/identity number of the packet with total size of packet

SWITCHES are more secure than hubs (because only the intended device is sent the data)

BRIDGES are devices that connect one LAN to another LAN that uses the same protocol

ROUTERS are used to route data packets from one network to another network

Wi-Fi is best suited to operating full-scale networks because it offers much faster data transfer rates,
better range and better security using ACCESS point (router) than Bluetooth

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): most common forms of internet telephony

Cloud computing is a method of data storage where data is stored on remote servers

o Public cloud –Cloud storage provider are different companies

o Private cloud –Cloud storage provider are same companies or single entity
o Hybrid cloud – Combination of public and private cloud storage

Data Redundancy: The same data is stored on more than one server for cloud computing

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AUTHENTICATION
(USERNAME & PASSWORD, BIOMETRIC, PHYSICAL TOKEN, TWO-WAY AUTHENTICATION)
A physical (or hardware) token is a form of authentication in the form of a physical, solid object

There are two types of physical tokens:

1. disconnected physical token – this is the type described above, where a separate device is used,
requiring the user to key in data manually using a keypad
2. connected physical token – this type of token transmits the generated one-time password directly to a
computer through a USB connection

Working of physical token:

o The customer inserts their debit card into the top of the token device (first authentication step) and
the device either recognizes the card as genuine or rejects it.
o The device then asks the customer to press ‘IDENTIFY’ and then enter their PIN (2nd auth. step).
o A one-time password is then shown on the device screen – this is usually an eight-digit code.
o The customer now goes back to their bank web page and enters the eight-digit code.
o They are now given access to their account

Electronic tokens Electronic (software) tokens are software installed on a user’s device, such as a
smartphone.
NFC

Near Field Communication is a short-range wireless technology that allows your phone to act as a
transit pass, credit card, or data transfer device. Mobile phone manufacturers use tokenisation to
improve security
 Tokenisation is used when setting up a mobile wallet. The user takes a photograph of their
credit card using the smartphone’s camera.
 Many smartphones are also protected by touch ID or face ID technology, which means that even
if the smartphone is stolen, the thief still cannot use the smartphone to make payments

Security of Data threats:

 hacking : gaining illegal access to computer system
 phishing : sends out legitimate-looking emails to target users
 vishing : This uses a voicemail message to trick the user into calling the telephone number
 smishing : ‘SMS phishing’. It uses the SMS system of mobile phones to send out fake messages
 pharming : This is malicious code installed on a user’s computer or on a web server
 malware : biggest risks to the integrity and security of data on a computer system
 Viruses : programs that replicates (copies itself) with the intention of deleting or corrupting files
 card fraud : Card fraud is the illegal use of a credit or debit card
o Shoulder surfing
o Card cloning is the copying of a credit or debit card which uses a magnetic stripe (skimmer)
o Shimmer, is now used to read and steal the information of smart cards by making fake card.

Data Security techniques:

Authentication is used to verify/protect that data comes from a secure and trusted source. following
methods to protect the security of data.

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 biometrics
 digital certificates: A digital certificate is a pair of files (Public key & Private key)
 secure sockets layer (SSL): Protocol that allows data to be sent and received securely
 encryption: use to encrypt plain text into cypher text and decryption key as well
 firewalls/gateway: Help to keep potentially destructive forces away from a user’s compute
 two-factor authentication: form of verification which requires two methods of authentication
 user ID and password
The digital certificate is made up of six parts:
 the sender’s email address
 the name of the digital certificate owner
 a serial number
 expiry date (the date range during which the certificate is valid)
 public key (which is used for encrypting the messages and for digital signatures)
 digital signature of certificate authority (CAs) – an example of this is VeriSign

MALWARE is one of the biggest risks to the integrity and security of data on a computer system

Virus: Programs or program code that can

replicate/copy itself with the intention of
deleting or corrupting files, or cause the
computer to malfunction

Worm: This is a type of stand-alone virus that

can replicate itself with the intention of
spreading to other computers

Trojan Horse: These are malicious programs

often disguised as legitimate software; they
replace all or part of the legitimate software
ANTI-MALWARE/VIRUS SOFTWARE with the intent of carrying out some harm to the
user’s computer system
heuristic checking –checking of software for types of behaviour that could indicate a possible virus
False Positive: it is possible that the user knows that the file or program is not infected by a virus

Video Conference using (web came, CODEC & ECO cancellation software)
Audio conferencing can be done over the standard telephone network (often referred to as a phone
conference)
Web conferencing (often referred to as a webinar or webcasts) uses the internet to permit conferencing
to take place
Buffering makes sure the video plays back smoothly without freezing.
Media Streaming there is no need to actually download and save the video or audio files

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Advantages and disadvantages of transport monitoring and control systems?

Advantages and disadvantages of autonomous vehicles

Advantages and disadvantages of pilotless aeroplanes

LiDaR:

Autonomous trains make use of a system called LiDaR (Light Detection and Ranging) help control the
train and maintain safety

SIMULATION is the creation of a model of a real system in order to study the behavior of the system.
The model is computer-generated and is based on mathematical representations.
Examples where computer modelling is used include:
» personal finance
» bridge and building design
» flood water management
» traffic management
» weather forecasting.
Centralized clearing of bank cheques
It is a much quicker system than the previous method used to clear banks cheques
 The first step is called out clearing.
 At this stage, when Smith Bank are presented with the cheque, a camera takes an image of the
cheque and OCR software turns this image into an electronic data format

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Global positioning systems (GPS) are used to determine the exact location of a number of modes of
transport (for example, aeroplanes, cars, ships, etc.)

Geographic information system (GIS) is a computer system that allows us to map, model, query and
analyse large amounts of data according to their location

Expert systems (Computer based solution)

have been developed to mimic the expertise and knowledge of an expert in a particular field.
 prospecting for oil and minerals
 diagnostics (finding faults in a car engine, finding faults on a circuit board, etc.)
 medical diagnosis
 strategy games (e.g. chess)
 route scheduling for delivery vehicles
 identification of plants, animals and chemical compounds.
Setting up an expert system
» Information needs to be gathered from human experts or from written sources such as textbooks
» Information gathered is used to populate the knowledge base
» A rules base needs to be created; to draw conclusions.
» The inference engine itself needs to be set up; conclusions from data in the knowledge base.
» The user interface developed to allow the user and the expert system to communicate.
» Once the system is set up, it needs to be fully tested;
So, if we had the following series of questions and answers:
– Is it a mammal? YES
– Does it live in water? YES
– Does it make sonic sounds? YES
– Is its body covered in skin? YES
– Does it have any legs? NO

Expert system components: The inference engine searches the knowledge base using the rules base
and the final conclusion by expert system would be: it is a WHALE.

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Chapter: 7 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE/ SYSTEM LIFE CYCLE

 Analysis : Observation, questionnaires’, Interview & documentation

 Design : Input & Output Data Entry Screen’s layout / validation & verification
 development and testing stage: Test strategies and test plan (normal/abnormal/extreme)
 Implementation : Installation of Software –Direct , Parallel, Phased & Pilot Running
 Documentation : technical documentation & user documentation
 Evaluation : Compare solution with original system

One method the analyst can use is a DATA FLOW DIAGRAM (DFD) for visual representation of the
information flow through a process or system. DFDs help you better understand process or system
operations to discover potential problems, improve efficiency, and develop better processes

DFD for flight booking process, we can get the following information:
 what inputs take place during the customer enquiry
(customer flight details, such as names of passengers, passport numbers, dates of flight, and so on)
 what outputs are produced (on-screen and e-ticket (QR code) sent to customer’s smartphone)
 what processing is done (check flights, process customer data, access booking database
 what storage may be needed (a database is needed to store all the flight booking details)

SYSTEM SPECIFICATION The DFD and other information gathering processes(analysis) allow the analysis
team to identify what hardware and software is needed to run the new system.
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION is designed to help programmers/analysts to make improvements to the
system or repair/maintain the system
USER DOCUMENTATION is designed to help users to learn how to use the software or system.

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Chapter 9: Audience
Audience characteristics (when developing a new ICT solution)
 age range
 income levels
 interests
 disabilities or impairments.
COPYRIGHT LAWS
It is illegal to:
 make a software copy
 use software on a network
 use coding from the copyright software in your own software
 rent out a software package without permission
 use the name of copyrighted software
 Software is protected by copyright laws
Software piracy is the illegal copying of software
Software piracy measures:
Hologram: Original software packaging often comes with a sticker informing
Dongle: software will only if a dongle is plugged into one of the USB ports
Product key: The user may be asked to key in a unique reference number
Email Legislation: Many countries have laws to protect people against the misuse of emails
Acceptable language: The language used by people when writing emails should follow an acceptable
code of practice
NETIQUETTE is a shortened form of the phrase interNET etIQUETTE, which refers to the need to respect
other users’ views and display common courtesy when posting views in online discussion groups or
when sending out emails
Apart from the person you are sending the email to, there are other options available, such as:
 carbon copies (cc)
 blind carbon copy (bcc)
 forward mail
 file attachments.
The use of Carbon copy (CC) is really just netiquette; those on the ‘To’ are the main recipients and those
in the ‘Cc’ list are interested parties.
Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc) is often used as a security measure when using email groups. When sending an
email to many recipients, the following is an added security to keep the addresses of everyone safe:

INTRANETS reside behind a firewall and are only accessible:

 Internally to members of the company, or
 To people given various levels of access who are external to the company (see later).
 It is also possible to create EXTRANETS that allow intranets to be extended outside the organization

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Blogs Web logs (blogs) are personal internet journals where the writer (blogger) will type in their
observations on a topic
Microblogs are similar to blogs, but are most often used on social networking sites to make short, frequent
posts
Wikis are web applications or websites that allow any user to create and edit their web pages using any
web browser
Social networking sites focus on building online communities of users who share the same interests and
activities
Moderated forum refers to an online discussion forum in which all the posts are checked by an
administrator before they are allowed to be posted
Unmoderated forum. No one ‘owns’ the internet, and it is essentially not policed

IDENTIFY FOLLOWING FROM URL:

protocol://website address/path/filename

PROTOCOLS are sets of rules agreed by the ‘sender’ and ‘recipient’ when data is being transferred
between devices.

File transfer protocol (FTP) is a network protocol used when transferring files from one computer to
another computer over the internet
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol that allows data to be sent and received securely over the internet

GENERIC FILE FORMATS

Comma separated values: these files have a .csv file extension
Text: these files have a .txt file extension. It is not formatted file & can be opened in any word processor
Rich text format:(.rtf) file extension. File saves some of the formatting (bold/I/Underline) within the text
IMAGE FILE FORMATS
Graphics interchange format: GIF format stores still or moving images
Joint photographic expert group: (.jpeg) file extension. stores still images, but not store moving images
Portable document format: PDF files have a .pdf file extension. This converted into an image format
Portable Network Graphics: PNG file that compresses graphics (image) files w/o any loss of image quality
GENERIC FILES FOR VIDEO
Moving pictures experts group layer 4: these files have a .mp4 file extension. It is not a single file format,
but is a multimedia container which is used for storing video files, still images, audio files, subtitles, etc
Moving pictures experts group layer 3: these files have a .mp3 file extension. It is a compressed file format
used for storing audio files. This format cannot store still or moving images
COMMON GENERIC FILES USED FOR WEBSITE AUTHORING INCLUDE
CSS Cascading Style Sheet (Create Webpage Template) & HTML (create content of web)
COMMON GENERIC COMPRESSED FILES
Roshal archive: these files have a (.rar) file extension or ZIP files: These are container which can hold
almost any file type in a compressed format

By: ZAQ ACE International Academy