This PC Architecture Overview training course is designed to meet the needs of individuals who need to acquire a fairly extensive understanding of computer architecture, particularly as it applies to PC Platforms. This course is intended as an introduction to a wide range of computer, Processor and bus topics and delivers a high level explanation of individual devices and busses, and also emphasizes system level interactions which are subtle, but important to the overall machine performance.

If you are looking for a quick but thorough understanding of PC hardware and software architecture fundamentals, need to understand the compatibility issues between different generations on PCs, supervise personnel who are more technical than you are, install software/hardware upgrades and want to avoid conflicts, or need to improve the speed, performance, or stability of your PCs, then this is the course for you .

• About the hardware components in a PC
• The capability of the components in each generation of PC hardware
• How components work, both individually and as a system
• Basic I/O Components
• About the system software architecture

PC Evolution and Architecture Overview

• What is a Computer
  • How computers operate
  • Types of computers
  • The computing environment
• The Enterprise Computer Environment
  • Types of computers in the enterprise
  • Where the PC fits in the enterprise environment
• Computers and PC Hardware Architectural Components
  • CPUs
  • Chipsets
  • Memory
  • I/O
  • Component interaction
• PC Software
  • CISI versus RISC computer models
  • Software
    • Assembly, interpreted, and compiled software

• Mother Board Components
  • CPU
  • Chipsets
    • Interrupt and DMA controllers and how they work
  • Memory
    • Static and dynamic RAM and their derivations
    • BIOS
    • CMOS RAM
  • I/O subsystem
  • Embedded and add-in devices

• Serial Interconnects and Layered Protocols
  • Parallel models
  • Serial models
  • Synchronous versus asynchronous operation
  • Physical Layer Function and Services
  • Logical Sub-Block
• Expansions Slots and Add-In Cards
  • Bus evolution and the bus wars
  • ISA, EISA, MCA,
  • PCI, PCI-X, PCIe
• Video and Monitor Types
• Ports
  • Serial and parallel
  • USB and Firewire
  • Ethernet
• Mass Storage Devices
  • Floppy and hard drives
    • High and low level formatting
  • CDs and DVDs
    • Types, speeds, and formatting

• Introduction to Operating Systems
• OS Internals and Architecture
  • Memory management, processes and threads
  • Files, file systems and directory structure
• Networking OS Software
  • Network basics and network models
  • Protocols
    • OSI and TCP
    • Drivers
• The Boot Process
  • POST
  • Windows boot process
  • Linux boot process
• Basic OS Configuration