David van der Tang At School

Information System

1. Software
2. Hardware
3. Data
4. Personnel
5. Procedures

Information Processing Steps

1. Acquisition
2. Input
3. Validation
4. Manipulation
5. Storage
6. Retrieval
7. Output
8. Communication
9. Archiving or Disposal

Four Hierarchy Levels

1. Operation Works
2. Operational or lower level management
3. Middle Management
4. Senior Management

Decisions

1. Strategic Decisions – upper management
2. Tactical Decisions – middle management
3. Operational Decisions – lower management
4. Day-to-day Decisions – operational workers

A Problem Solving Methodology

1. Analyse
2. Design
3. Develop
4. Test
5. Document
6. Implement
7. Evaluate

Project Management

1. Planning
2. Coordinating
3. Contolling
4. Breaking a project down into manageable tasks.

NETWORKING

Network Operating System – software that makes the network function.

Network Typology (physical & logical arrangement of devices in a network)

1. Star Network
2. Ring Network
3. Bus Network
4. Tree Network (combination of star & bus – probably the most common)

Cabling Options

1. UTP (unshielded twisted wire-pair) – CAT 3 (good for 10 Mbps per up to 100m of cable), CAT5 (good for 100 Mbps up to 85m).
2. Fiber-optic cable – uses light to transmit data, can transmit large amounts of data accurately over a distance of up to 3km, downside is that it is expensive.
3. Coaxial cable

Devices

1. Hub – low level connecting device in a network, does not manage the signals it receives and transmits.
2. Switch – connecting device in network that connects devices and manages data flow in a network allowing for efficient data flow.
3. Router – connects LANs (local area network) together by managing the transmission of data packets.

Standards & Protocols

1. Standards – the rules by which computer components are made so that they are compatible.
2. Protocols – rules used to build data packets communicated between two devices in a network.
3. Ethernet – no central device or computer on a network can decide when data can be transmitted.
4. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) – the protocol used on the internet.
5. 802.11 – the standard for wi-fi networks.
6. WEP (Wireless Equivalent Privacy) – standard for how to encrypt  data sent across wireless networks.
7. Packet Switching – breaking a message into several packets, sending each packet along the most efficient route and then reassembling the message at its intended destination.

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