Information Technology Final
Thomas Wilson
University of Arizona Global Campus
TEC101: Fundamentals of Information Technology and Literacy
Professor: Ali Abedin
Due: January 29, 2024
Information Technology explores various functions of computers including hardware, software, networking, programming, and troubleshooting. This can be related to any type of work or school activity that includes using a computer. Being able to create, process, or store data on computers is vital to the operation of computers. The network architecture displays how computer systems communicate across a network. When it comes to industrial manufacturing and programming language, all functions are used to automate systems and use an HMI to conduct operations. This paper aims to show how computers have evolved over history, their relationship to programming language, and how each portion of information technology is used to complete industrial manufacturing.
Programming language has multiple types of written language used to control and manipulate how a software or PLC operates. This could include ladder logic, function block, C language, python, CFC, and more. Once one of the types of language is learned in depth, it can correlate with all languages in a sense. While some styles can be different, they all aim to accomplish the same end goal. When learning the basics, programming can be categorized as machine language, assembly language, and high-level language. There are several types of software and hardware configurations that correlate with information technology. An overall understanding of how it works and operates is needed to perform the work and be able to troubleshoot any issues.
Understanding the history of computers and how they have progressed over the years can be helpful in knowing how they operate. According to Vahid, F. & Lysecky, S. (2019) Engineers realized switches could be used for performing calculations, with a switch's on position meaning 1 and the off position 0. This is how the binary or boolean on/off discrete signal was invented. In the 1940’s, computers were exceptionally large and were mainly used by the military. In the 1990’s it became popular for many families to have a computer and businesses and schools started to use them for data and information. This is also the time when data storage and PLC’s began playing a significant role in production and automating industrial manufacturing. Computer science and information technology are both vital when it comes to programming languages. Without an understanding of computer science and information technology, one would not know how to set up the software, program, network, and storage of all the applications and data that makes a computer program work.
The modern computer has come a long way when it comes to hardware and storage devices. A lot of critical machines in an industry that use programming language have become redundant with the hardware. That means there is an extra power supply and hard drive/solid state drive. If one of the power supplies were to fail, the other power supply would be able to keep the computer running. Also, the other storage drive would be able to retain the information if a storage drive fails. The storage space has become quite large with smaller size drives being able to contain 1TB of data which is crucial for programming language and files. RAM, or random-access memory, is another crucial hardware component that has become increasingly better over the years. According to Vahid, F. & Lysecky, S. (2019) A computer's RAM holds data temporarily; when electricity is turned off, all data is lost. This is essentially the short-term memory that the computer uses to run applications and open/operate files. The hard drive is where the data is stored permanently where it will not be lost. This is crucial for programming language data to work quickly enough and to be stored for life and hold historical data.
Programming language is one of the most essential functions of an automated manufacturing process. Without the program logic written in the software for the PLC, the facility or manufacturer could not continually control a process and efficiently make production. According to Kumar, A. & Goswami, M. (2023) The instruments can be interfaced with PC using programming languages either by developing custom algorithms or by using the instrument drivers provided by the manufacturers. This means that if a programmer wrote the logic for a valve to open at 40 psi and close at 50 psi, then that part of the process could precisely keep the pressure between 40 and 50 pounds automatically. The programmer can also do an assorted type of troubleshooting in the process by using the PLC program or trending in a database for analysis. It is also important that the user understands how each type of application is used and how it works. For instance, excel is a well-known application to build charts and perform mathematical functions on substantial amounts of data. Just like excel, each type of system has different software applications that play a vital role in how the software and program work. All these software applications and programs play a vital role in the manufacturing process ang go hand in hand with information technology.
Data management is important to keep all the files on a hard drive and not lose them. A database management system allows for the user to manipulate and partition storage areas and label/organize where the data should be stored long term. If that is on the C-drive, then there are multiple folders that data can be segregated and stored under. According to Xu, L., & Yu, W. (2022) With the development of modern economy, the application of digital management technology has changed the traditional information management mode. There are different cloud services that can be used to store data that is not physically stored on a local machine. It can also be accessed anywhere that the user can access their cloud. Network architecture is important when understanding how a computer's network ring communicates throughout the network. For instance, a ring of ethernet cables to a main switch can be how a PLC, computer, remote base, and remote HMI’s communicate to servers in another location and allow a user to access that data and operate a plant remotely. It is also handy when troubleshooting or pinging networks to see if they are communicating with the network. With all these systems communicating, it is critical to protect all of the data and information with the correct security measures. This means anti-virus, VPN connections, multi-factor authentication, and regular password changes.
When it comes to the fundamentals of information technology in programming language, there is a large amount of software, programs, networks, and data that make up a system. That is why it is critical for a programmer or information technology employee to understand the basic operations of a lot of applications. Having the general knowledge learned throughout school and on the job, training can be the difference in understanding how a system may communicate or operate. That is why it is so important to understand how computers have evolved over history, their relationship to programming language, and how each portion of information technology is used to complete industrial manufacturing.
Reference
Kumar, A., & Goswami, M. (2023). Performance comparison of instrument automation pipelines using different programming languages. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45849-y
Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. ZyBooks.
Xu, L., & Yu, W. (2022). Computer Information Management Database System based on Genetic Algorithm. 2022 IEEE 2nd International Conference on Electronic Technology, Communication and Information (ICETCI), Electronic Technology, Communication and Information (ICETCI), 2022 IEEE 2nd International Conference On, 1229–1232. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICETCI55101.2022.9832304
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