IT 650: Computer I/O and Storage Devices
Winter 2007
Instructor: Barry Lunt 265B CTB; phone 2-2264; home: 356-9619
Office Hours: Mon 1:00-2:00; Tues 10:00-11:00; Wed 10:00-11:00; Thurs 1:00-2:00; other
times by appointment.
Texts
Packet: IT 650 (available at bookstore).
"The Essential Guide to Computer Data Storage”, by Dr. Andrei Khurshudov; Prentice-Hall, 2001.
Handouts: many, multiple sources.
Course Objectives
This course is designed to be taken only by graduate students in the Information Technology program. Prerequisites include a BS in Information Technology, or the equivalents of IT 327 and Physics 123. The main objective of this class is to acquaint students with the areas of computer input/output and storage technologies. The supporting objectives are:
1. Understand the significance of all the performance categories for computer displays.
2. Learn the basic construction and operation of CRTs, PDPs, LCDs, FEDs, and OLEDs.
3. Be able to compare the preceding 5 display types in all performance categories.
4. Learn the basic construction and operation of speakers, and how they are applied in hypersonic speaker systems.
5. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of hypersonic speaker systems.
6. Understand the technology, challenges, and state of the art in speech recognition systems.
7. Understand the significance of all the performance categories for authentication/identification devices.
8. Be able to compare the main technologies used for authentication and identification.
9. Learn the operation of solid-state computer storage (memory).
10. Be able to compare all types of solid-state computer storage.
11. Learn the basic construction and operation of computer magnetic and optical mass storage devices, including hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and DVD drives.
12. Learn the operation and characteristics of network storage, including SAN, NAS, and RAID.
General Information
This is a class for graduate students only; expectations are higher, since it is assumed you are each excellent students. In-class discussions will be the main classroom experience; part of your grade will come from the quality of your participation. Your ability to contribute to these discussions will depend primarily on your reading before class.
The main homework of this class will consist of the labs, and two 8-page written reports. You should begin thinking early-on about these reports and work on them regularly.
Attendance and Tardiness
Attendance is a professional expectation, both for students and for employees. I expect you to be there each class period. For my records, I will be taking attendance; however, since this is a graduate- level class, attendance will not be part of your grade.
Classes will start on time; you are responsible for what you miss if you are late or absent.
Quizzes may be made up, but only for 1 week.
Grading
Final grade is based on a percentage of possible points:
93.4-100% = A 80.0-83.3% = B- 66.7-69.9% = D+
90.0-93.3% = A- 76.7-79.9% = C+ 63.4-66.6% = D
86.7-89.9% = B+ 73.4-76.6% = C 60.0-63.3% = D-
83.4-86.6% = B 70.0-73.3% = C- <60.0% = E
Weighting is as follows:
Quizzes - about 6; 5 minutes, 10 pts each; usually open-book 20%
Tests - 2 tests; usually open-book, take home 25%
Written Reports (2) 25%
Labs: work and write-up 30%
Integrity
Integrity is not only a professional expectation, but something expected of all BYU students.
You have agreed in writing to adhere to the standards of the LDS Church; integrity requires that you abide by this agreement. I fully support the Honor Code, the BYU Dress and Grooming Standards, the mission of BYU, and the leaders of the LDS Church. If I have reason to question your integrity, you will be notified in writing. Cheating on tests or quizzes, or plagiarizing, are serious violations of the Honor Code and professional integrity, and may result in failure of this class and even expulsion from the University.
Unfortunately, it is necessary to say more about plagiarism. Plagiarism is "the appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas, and thoughts of another author, and representation of them as one's original work." (The Random House College Dictionary, 1988, p. 1014). It is manifest in several ways that I have seen, including: 1) a figure or table copied from another source with no attribution given; 2) a phrase, sentence or more copied verbatim, without attribution; 3) using another's sentence, changing a few words, and representing it as your own; 4) using anything from another source without proper attribution. Use of another person's ideas in your own work is how we build on the foundation laid by others, and is standard academic and professional practice. However, doing so without proper attribution is plagiarism, and is a very serious compromise of integrity. The consequences of such practice depend on the seriousness of the offense, and may include: 1) failure of the given assignment; 2) failure of the class; or 3) formal academic discipline, which could include probation or being expelled from the university.
Written Reports
These reports must be typewritten, and at least 8 single-spaced pages or 16 double-spaced pages in length for the body (Introduction, Body, and Summary) of the report. Pictures, diagrams, figures and tables are strongly encouraged as methods for organizing and presenting the material. All figures, tables, pictures, etc. must have a figure or table number and a caption, and must have proper attribution. The format of the report should be as follows:
Cover page: this page may be laid out as you wish, but must include the following:
IT 650 Winter 2007 Title of report Your name
Table of Contents: this should include each major and minor section heading.
Introduction: this should be limited to 1 page.
Body: this is the main part of the report.
Summary: this should be kept to 2 pages or less.
Footnotes: this is where you may include any explanatory notes or specific references.
Appendix: use if appropriate; not required.
References: list all your references, both oral and written.
No specific format style is required, but the format must be internally consistent. The report
does not need to include a list of figures or tables. Pagination should be continuous throughout, with page 1 (not numbered) being the cover page. It should be either cerlox or spiral bound, so that it will lie flat when open.
The reports should cover to a significant depth a complete sub-area of the field of computer I/O and computer storage. Choose a topic which really interests you and make it your specialty. Your report must cover this sub-area in more detail than it is covered in the class text or materials.
References chosen must be relevant and appropriate. Beware of WWW resources, since they are often ephemeral and of very questionable reliability. WWW resources which are maintained by a highly reputable agency (IEEE, IBM, online publications) can be quite useful and are encouraged, but do not avoid paper publications. Two references is too few; 20 or more is overkill.
Grading criteria will include writing errors (grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.), technical accuracy, coverage, quality of graphics, organization, and clarity. Your reports are due Wed, Feb 22 and Wed, Apr 11.
Class Labs
The purpose of these labs is to give you some experience in a few of the topics discussed in class. The quality of your experience will be determined by your lab write-up. These labs will be much less structured than most of your undergraduate labs; it is up to you to learn to write and complete a good lab. The quality of your learning experience (and hence your grade) will be determined by you.
The parts of your lab report should be:
1. LAB # and TITLE: Write a short, descriptive title for the lab. Put the Lab # at the top of EACH page.
2. OBJECTIVE: Write a statement that will explain what you are setting out to do. This MUST be clear.
3. PROCEDURES: This is the main body of the report. State what was done, show how it was done, and why; also show the results. The lab should consist of several short procedures, all connected together by the overall objective of the lab.
4. EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE USED: Record the manufacturer and model number of each piece of equipment used, and the name and version of each software product used.
5. REPORT: Compare your results against what you expected. Interpret your findings.
6. CONCLUSION: Tell what you have learned from this experiment. Step back, think, review, and get a good feeling for what you have done and what it has meant to you, then write it down.
7. NAME and DATE: Put your name and the date of completion at the end of each lab report.
Lab reports will be due each Monday by 5:00 PM in 265 CTB; just leave them with the secretary. They will be graded and returned by Wednesday in class. Your lab book needs to be bound, with each page numbered; blank, lined, or gridded are acceptable, although gridded is recommended. The focus of the lab grading will be the completeness of the lab experience and the lab report.
The purpose of your lab report is to provide a blow-by-blow description of the work you
performed in completing your lab. Do not use scratch paper; record all of your calculations and efforts in your lab report, including your mistakes. If changes are necessary due to misspellings or grammatical errors, simply cross out. If a technical or procedural mistake is made, DO NOT ERASE. Cross out the erroneous part, taking care to note in the margin why it was wrong; then simply go on.
The lab report is not graded on neatness; however, legibility and comprehensibility are essential. The bottom line on a lab report quality is repeatability; could someone else read what you have done and understand what you did, how you did it, and why you did it? Label all figures, diagrams, tables, drawings, etc.
It should be pointed out that you are expected to come up with your own labs. This can be a very difficult thing to do, and takes much thinking and asking the right questions. I will be available during the lab times to provide guidance, but you will be largely on your own for the work. Always team up with someone. Your labs may be 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks long, with the amount and quality of work expected being proportional to the number of weeks. You must also include in your lab write-up how many weeks long your lab was.
IT 650 - Schedule
Date / Pre-Class Reading Topic(s) / Lab / OtherJan 8 - 12 / Displays: CRTs / I/O Lab 1
Jan 16 - 19 / CRTs, cont’d;
Plasma Displays (packet) / I/O Lab 2
Jan 22 - 26 / OLEDs (packet) / I/O Lab 3
Jan 29 - 31 / FEDs (packet) / I/O Lab 4
Feb 5 - 9 / 3-D Displays (handouts); Speakers (packet) / I/O Lab 5
Feb 12 - 16 / Speech recognition (packet) / I/O Lab 6
Feb 20 - 23 / Identification / authentication devices
(packet) / I/O Lab 7 / Exam #1; Report #1 due
Feb 26 - Mar 2 / Introduction, Interfaces - Chaps 1, 2 / Storage Lab 1
Mar 5 - 9 / Magnetic mass storage - Chap 3 / Storage Lab 2
Mar 12 - 16 / “ ” “ (cont’d) / Storage Lab 3
Mar 19 - 23 / Optical mass storage - Chap 4 / Storage Lab 4
Mar 26 - 30 / Volatile primary storage - Chap 6 / Storage Lab 5
Apr 2 - 6 / Non-volatile primary storage - Chap 6 / Storage Lab 6
Apr 9 - 13 / SAN, NAS, RAID - Chap 9 / Storage Lab 7 / Report #2 due
Apr 16 / Other mass storage / - none - (LDOC=17th)
Final Exam: Wednesday, Apr 25, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM