The PC

• The PC is a standard computing platform, built around a EISA bus (1988)– IBM compatible– “Intel Architecture” from Intel or AMD or other

companies

• This architecture is immensely popular and runs many operating systems– Windows– Linux– MacOS– Many others

Can be configured as desktop, laptop, server, graphics station, gaming station, high-end machines, “blades”,

• Components– Power Supply– Motherboard– CPU, Memory– IDE drives, hard and CD/DVD– PCI expansions slots, AGP expansion slots– “onboard peripheral controllers”

- Ethernet- Memory cards- Audio- Ports

PC main Components

Power Supply

From “older” 2003 PC

Power cables to many different parts of the PC

Motherboard

CPU heatsink and fan

Memory slots

IDE disk drive connectors

PCI slots

AGP slot

Backup battery

Peripheral connectors

Video Card

Storage components

Floppy drive DVD driveHard drive (bottom view)

connectors

Drive ribbon cables Main memory (RAM or DRAM card)

Assembled Computer

The hardware

• The hardware components form a standard computer– Today all systems run on this standard computer– Then the operating system is loaded on the computer– The OS gives the computer a personality (look and

feel, commands, functions)– The applications run “on the OS” and have to be

tailored for the particular OS

Installing Ubuntu

• Ubuntu is a Linux “distro” or variant that is popular

• We will step through a simple install using a “Live CD”

• Live CD, is a bootable CD that:– Can be run stand alone, without install– Allows installing– Allows many configuring options– Includes a MS-Office clone (Open Office) and many

applications

Boot it and you see:

We pick this

Then we get this screen

We can use Ubuntu and its applications now, but it is not installed

To install, click here

Language selection

Time zone

keyboard

First user account

Select disk drive

Create partition in disk

Ready to install

Install and Done

Click here

documentation

There is much more

• Configuring applications and system parameters• Device drivers• Administering, installing and managing the

system

• The software is complex, large and is really what makes the computer work