- Similarities between hardware and software driver#
- Similarities between hardware and software software#
- Similarities between hardware and software code#
Similarities between hardware and software software#
A computer needs an operating system that allows both the user and software to interact with the computer hardware. However, if an operating system or interpreter is not found, it either generates an error or doesn't output any information. In most situations, yes, a computer can run without software being installed. Each of these are examples of hardware components. A sound card provides sound to speakers, and a video card provides an image to a monitor. A CPU processes information and that information can be stored in RAM or on a hard drive. Word processing software uses the computer processor, memory, and hard drive to create and save documents. For example, a video game, which is software, uses the computer processor ( CPU), memory ( RAM), hard drive, and video card to run. Further information and examplesĪll software utilizes at least one hardware device to operate.
Similarities between hardware and software code#
You can touch and feel the video card, and the computer uses it to play a computer game, but you cannot touch or feel the programming code that makes up the computer game. A video card is hardware, and a computer game is software. The Internet browser allowing you to view this page, and the operating system that the browser is running on are considered software. The disc is not the actual software.įor example, the computer monitor you are using to read this text, and the mouse you are using to navigate this web page are computer hardware. Hardware RAID is more reliable compared to software RAID.While software may come on a CD or DVD, the disc is the storage medium for the programming code that makes up the software. Unlike hardware RAID, Software RAID takes up a portion of the host processor.Ĥ.
Software RAID is considerably cheaper than hardware RAID.ģ. Unlike software RAID, Hardware RAID requires specialized hardware to handle the drives.Ģ. These delays can add up, and negate the benefits of the RAID array to some degree.ġ. Heavy processing can cause some pieces of data to be delayed by a small amount of time. A software RAID can also be affected if the host computer is heavily loaded.
Similarities between hardware and software driver#
A software RAID can be prone to data corruption, due to the fault of the RAID software or driver that is being used. Hardware RAID offers better reliability compared to software RAID. The host processor will simply write the data, just like in a normal hard drive. The controller in a hardware RAID handles these operations, so that the host processor does not have to. Or it can be quite substantial, especially with stripping and mirroring on multiple disks. It could be very minimal, as with the case of a JBOD array. The performance hit taken by the system can vary a lot, depending on what type of RAID array you have in use. This is because it needs to process the data before it is written to disk, to determine where each piece of data should go. On the flip side, the cheap software RAID can impair the host computer, which may result in poor performance. The hardware is typically expensive, and adds a substantial amount to the cost of the whole system. Obviously, hardware RAID is pricier compared to software RAID, due to the extra hardware that you need to purchase. Software RAID is a newer type of RAID where no specialized hardware is needed, and the host computer is responsible for the drives. Hardware RAID was the initial type of RAID available, where a specially built RAID controller handles the drives so that the processes are almost transparent to the host computer. Both can also be implemented together, to obtain both benefits, although more drives will be used. The drives are configured, so that the data is either divided between disks to distribute load, or duplicated to ensure that it can be recovered once a disk fails.
This is a method of improving the performance and reliability of your storage media by using multiple drives. RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks.