1. 70-451 Management Information Systems Robert Monroe September 1, 2010
IT Infrastructure
Management Information Systems
Robert Monroe
September 1, 2010

2. After Today's Class You Should Be Able To:
Explain the difference between hardware, software, networks, and data, and the role that each of them play in an organization's IT infrastructure
Identify some of the key elements of a typical IT infrastructure for small, medium, and large organizations
Explain what the different elements do and why they are important

3. Quick Review: IS Functions And Resources
Source: James O’Brien, Management Information Systems, 6th ed.

4. Computer Engineering in 5 Minutes!

5. Principle: Systems Are Built From Components
Server
Server
Chips
RAM
Disks
PCB’s
Output
Devices
Input
Chips
RAM
Disks
PCB’s
Output
Devices
Input
Router
Server
Server
Firewall
SAN
PDA
PDA PC … PC PC
Smart
Card PC
Components
IT Devices
IS Infrastructure

6. Binary Encoding: Computing With 0’s and 1’s
Computers process binary representations of data
All data (and programs) encoded as sequences of 0’s and 1’s
Examples:
Numbers: = 4310
(1·32) + (0·16) + (1·8) + (0·4) + (1·2) + (1·1) = 43
Letters: (ASCII) = ‘A’
(ASCII) = ‘B’
Booleans: 0 = False
1 = True
Binary representations work well with digital electronics
Electrical current present → 1
No electical current present → 0

7. Transistors and Logic Gates
Transistors are digital switches that either block an electrical current or allow it to pass
This property allows them to store state and implement Boolean Logic operations
Transistors form the basis for modern microelectronics
Logic Gates implement Boolean operations
AND Gate
OR Gate
NOT Gate
(inverter)

8. Moore’s Law
Transistor density on integrated circuits doubles about every two years.
- Gordon Moore, 1965

9. Moore’s Law
Transistor density on integrated circuits doubles about every two years.
- Gordon Moore, 1965

10. Moore’s Law
Transistor density on integrated circuits doubles about every two years.
- Gordon Moore, 1965

11. Implications of Moore’s Law
The computing power that can be acquired for $X has approximately doubled every two years since 1965
The cost of a given amount of computing power (Y) has fallen by approximately half every two years since 1965
There is much debate about how long Moore’s law will continue to hold
It’s been declared dead many times before…
There is also much debate whether it is less important now than it has been for the past two decades

12. It’s Not Just Integrated Circuits!
Over the past decades there have also been exponential improvements in:
Random Access Memory (MB/$)
Hard disk drive capacity (MB/$)
Network bandwidth (MB/sec/$)
Implications:
This industry dynamic should inform your hardware strategy
As the cost of computing power has plummeted, people continue to apply IT to new, bigger, and harder problems
This trend is likely to continue

13. Hardware Components

14. Chips
Integrated Circuits (ICs) are thin pieces of silicon with millions of transistors, arranged to perform specific computational tasks
Microprocessors
A programmable general processing chip
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer is generally a microprocessor
Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Read Only Memory (ROM)
Volatile vs non-volatile (flash)

15. A packaged microprocessor
Chips
High fixed costs to produce a modern IC
Very expensive to design
Fabrication plants (fabs) can be tremendously expensive
Very low marginal costs
Driven primarily by yield
Types of IC’s
Microprocessors, RAM, CCD sensors, nano-tech, …
An IC schematic
A packaged microprocessor

16. Printed Circuit Boards
Hold chips in place
Send power to chips
Route signals between chips
Route signals to external computing components
Examples:
Motherboards
Graphics cards
Network Interface Cards
Cellphone backplane

17. Connectors and Interfaces
Connectors link electronic components together
Interfaces are the points where components meet
Common types of connectors:
Printed Circuit Boards
System bus (built into motherboard, managed by chipset)
Cables
Ethernet (Cat 5) -- label and pass around
USB – Universal Serial Bus
Firewire (IEEE 1394)
SCSI – Small Computer System Interface
Power
Video
Network Interface Card

18. Power and Heat Electronic devices need power to operate
Two common sources:
Power from the electric grid (plug it into the wall)
Batteries
Electrical usage generates heat
Too much heat damages electronics
Dispersing heat from electronic devices is critical
Many technologies to do so
Heat sinks
Airflow (fans)
Liquid cooling

19. Storage
Data storage is handled with many different types of devices in a Memory Hierarchy
Source: James O’Brien, Management Information Systems, 6th ed.

20. Storage Primary storage On-line storage Near-line storage
Registers on CPU
Processor cache
RAM
On-line storage
Flash memory
Hard disk drives
Near-line storage
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM
CD-RW/DVD-RW
Off-line storage
Tape drives
Tape vaults
Tape bunkers (disaster recovery)
Source: James O’Brien, Management Information Systems, 6th ed.

21. Storage Devices RAM Flash Memory Tape Cartridge
Hard Disk Drive (opened)

22. Measuring Storage Capacity and Performance
Two basic units of measurement for storage
Capacity
1 Byte of data ≈ 1 character of storage (e.g. ‘a’)
MegaBytes (MB) – 1 MB ≈ 1 Million Bytes (≈ 1 minute of music)
GigaBytes (GB) – 1 GB ≈ 1 Billion Bytes (≈ 20 minutes DVD video)
Terrabytes (TB) – 1 TB ≈ 1 Trillion Bytes (≈ Google Earth Database)
Access Speed
How fast can the processor retrieve the data from memory
Microseconds (μs) – 1 millionth of 1 second (10-6)
Milliseconds (ms) – 1 thousandth of 1 second (10-3)
Another key metric for storage capability is how robust and fault tolerant the storage device is
Generally measured as Mean Time To Failure (MTTF)
Robustness is generally increased through redundancy

23. Software Components

24. Operating Systems
An Operating System (OS) is software that handles the basic functions of a computer
Source: James O’Brien, Management Information Systems, 6th ed.

25. Common Operating Systems
There are many Operating Systems and OS vendors such as:
Microsoft Windows (Windows 7, 2008 Server, Mobile, etc.)
Linus and UNIX (Sun Solaris, HP-UX, IBM AIX, etc.)
Mac OS X (Apple’s proprietary OS)
Symbian (phone OS)
iOS (iPhone, iPad)
Google Android
IBM OS/390 and z/OS (mainframes)
IBM OS/400 (common legacy midrange system)
DEC VAX (common legacy midrange system)
Software applications are often written to a specific OS

26. Database Management Systems (DBMS)
Database Management System software manages the capture, storage, organization, retrieval, and presentation of a company’s data
Business Intelligence (BI) tools work with DBMS’s to help people analyze, visualize, and interpret the data stored in the underlying databases.
We will study DBMS’s and BI tools in much greater detail later in the course

27. SCM, ERP, and CRM Systems
… which we will discuss in detail next week

28. Communications Software
Software to help people communicate, collaborate, and share information
Examples?

29. Custom Applications
Any software application written for a specific business (bespoke software)
Often, much of the true business value that an information system creates comes from the custom applications created for it, or the systems integration work done to customize existing applications to work exactly the way that the business needs them to work
What examples of high-value custom applications have we discussed in previous classes?

30. Building IT Devices from Components

31. Building IT Devices From Components
Chips
RAM
Disks
PCB’s
Output
Devices
Input
Server
Operating System
Server
Network
Mgmt Sys
Chips
RAM
Disks
PCB’s
Output
Devices
Input …
Operating System
Server
Server
Firewall
SAN
PDA
PDA PC PC PC
Smart
Card PC
Components
IT Devices
IS Infrastructure

32. Computer Categories: Client Systems
Desktops and laptops
Standard tools for knowledge workers
Generally commodity items now
Run productivity tools locally
Provide access to network resources
Thin-client network computers
Run applications over the network
Little or no local storage (no hard drive)
Requires access to server to do useful work
Mobile devices
Mobile phones
PDA’s
Tablet computers and netbooks
Custom client hardware (FedEx or DHL delivery computers)

33. Computer Categories: Back-End Systems
Servers
Built from (powerful) PC components
Generally located in controlled environment and accessed remotely
Designed to support multiple users, generally for dedicated tasks
Generally run a Unix variant (including Linux) or a MS Windows Server variant
Mainframes
Very large computers designed to support hundreds of users concurrently
Emphasis on very, very high reliability and concurrent usage
Still a viable platform for some applications
Many, many legacy systems running on mainframes
Midrange (mini) computers
Not widely used for new systems
Lots of legacy systems still running
Vax and HP are most common systems

34. Storage Systems
Storage systems provide large, shared repositories for data
Advantages of a storage system include:
Shared data and storage space between computers
Higher reliability and availability than individual devices
Single point for administration and maintenance
Disadvantages include:
Much higher cost per GB of storage (~ 3x to 100x the cost/GB)
More complex to configure and administer
Common storage systems include:
RAID arrays
File servers
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Storage Area Networks (SAN)

35. Dedicated Hardware Devices
Mobile phones
Xbox 360, Wii, Playstation 3
Flight simulators
Automotive informatics (nav systems, audio, etc…)
Factory control systems
Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machining tools
DVR’s and Satellite TV boxes

36. Networking

37. Common Networking Equipment
Network Interface Cards (NICs) provide an interface from a computer to a network
Hubs and switches concentrate connections from clients (computers) in a network
Routers and Gateways form connections between networks (internetworking)
Firewalls limit the types of connections a computer will accept from the network, and from whom it will accept them

38. Putting It All Together: Prototypical Network
Source: O’Brien, Management Information Systems, 6th ed.

39. Network Stacks (HTTP) (TCP) (IP)
Source: O’Brien, Management Information Systems, 6th ed.

40. Constructing Information Systems Infrastructure From IT Devices

41. Putting It All Together: IS Infrastructure
Chips
RAM
Disks
PCB’s
Output
Devices
Input
Server
Operating System
Server
Network
Mgmt Sys
Chips
RAM
Disks
PCB’s
Output
Devices
Input …
Operating System
Server
Server
Firewall
SAN
PDA
PDA PC PC PC
Smart
Card PC
Components
IT Devices
IS Infrastructure

42. Putting It All Together: Systems Architecting
Successful information system deployment and adoption requires an IT infrastructure that is:
Reliable (highly available)
Robust
Managable
Cost effective
Achieving these goals requires careful planning, management, and investment
This is the responsibility and role of a Systems Architect

43. Systems Architecting: Building Blocks
Client machines
PC’s
PDA’s
Cell phones
Etc…
Servers
File Servers
Web Servers
Mail Servers
Software
Operating systems
Web, application, servers
Network management systems
Networking equipment
Firewalls
Routers
Gateways
Load Balancers
Storage systems
File servers
RAID arrays
Storage Area Networks (SANs)
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Uninteruptable power supplies
Heating, Ventilation, Cooling (HVAC)

44. Example: System Architecture Diagram

45. The Data Center
A data center provides the technical physical infrastructure to run your web business

46. The Data Center

47. Data Centers Provide Core physical infrastructure
Power
HVAC
Fire prevention and suppression
Seismic monitoring and bracing
Physical security
Hardware, networking, software infrastructure
Rack space
Networking infrastructure (big pipes, lots of ‘em)
Servers
Storage
Backup
Management services (optional)
NOC

48. Managing IT Infrastructure: TCO
Total Cost of Ownership is more important than purchase price.
The cost to power, support, and update hardware devices over their useful lifetime often exceeds initial purchase price.
Some challenges in building a hardware infrastructure include:
Understanding where your true costs of ownership lie
Identifying what is essential and what is not
Training and managing qualified personnel
Feed and caring (maintenance) of machines and network
Software licensing
Software and hardware obsolescence and upgrade cycles
Maintaining inventory (spares)
Power and HVAC

49. TCO Exercise:
Write down five recurring expenses that an organization incurs in running a large information system in a data center.

50. Backup and Disaster Recovery
Provided by data centers, specialists, or in-house
Put together a plan for disaster scenarios
Evaluate cost of downtime
Devise plans to handle disasters
Plan DR strategy based on cost/benefit analysis
Disaster Recovery Services
Data backup and storage (host-site, cold-site)
Data recovery and restoration
Business process fallback plans

51. Backup and Disaster Recovery
How do you know how much to spend for backup? For disaster recovery?
How do you decide how often to back up your organization’s data?

52. Network Operations Center (NOC)
A NOC provides:
System monitoring
Tech support calls
On-site technicians
Network security
Platform admin
Application admin

53. User Support Center (Help Desk)
Everything to this point has focused on keeping the system running smoothly
What about handling user problems?
There are analagous processes and procedures for dealing with users
User support center (phones, , IM)
Troubleshooting guides
Processes for common requests
Escalation procedures
etc.

54. Strategic Question: Outsource Your Data Center?
Host Yourself:
Better control
Easier to update system quickly (Warning! Danger!)
More expensive to do well than 3rd party hosting
Much harder to build a robust data center yourself than to rent facility and expertise.
3rd Party hosting
Quickly get a highly robust infrastructure
No need to develop data center staff expertise
Generally cheaper and easier overall than building yourself
Loss of control
This can be both a blessing and a curse

55. Recap: After Today's Class You Should Be Able To:
Explain the difference between hardware, software, networks, and data, and the role that each of them play in an organization's IT infrastructure
Identify some of the key elements of a typical IT infrastructure for small, medium, and large organizations
Explain what the different elements do and why they are important

56. For Monday:
Monday we will look at Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRM)
More detailed information is available on the wiki
Readings will be up on wiki tomorrow