[Hardware] Internal hardware components

[#Hassan.]

 

External hardware components
External hardware components are called peripherals. Peripherals include input devices, such as a mouse or keyboard; output devices, such as a monitor or printer; and external storage devices, such as a hard drive or USB card.

Other common external hardware components include microphones, monitors, speakers, headphones, digital cameras, touchpads, stylus pens, joysticks, scanners and memory cards. All these hardware devices are designed to either provide instructions to the software or render the results from its execution.

Hardware virtualization
Hardware virtualization is the abstraction of physical computing resources from the software that uses the resources. This is made possible by a virtual machine (VM) manager called a hypervisor. Essentially, the hypervisor creates virtual versions of internal hardware so that resources can be shared and used more efficiently. In cloud computing, hardware virtualization is often associated with infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

IaaS is a delivery model for providing hardware resources over high-speed internet. In the IaaS model, a cloud provider hosts hardware components that are traditionally present in an on-premises data center, including servers, storage and networking hardware, but unlike a hardware as a service (HaaS) provider, an IaaS provider will also host the software that makes virtualization possible. Typically, an IaaS provider also supplies a range of services to accompany infrastructure components. These can include detailed billing, monitoring, log access, security, load balancing and clustering, as well as storage resiliency, such as backup, replication and recovery.

Hardware as a service
While it's common for individuals or businesses to purchase computer hardware and then periodically replace or upgrade it, there's also the possibility to lease physical and virtual hardware from a service provider. The provider then becomes responsible for keeping hardware up to date, both in terms of its various components and the software running on it.

In the HaaS model, physical components that belongs to a managed service provider (MSP) is installed at a customer's site and a service-level agreement (SLA) defines the responsibilities of both parties. Sometimes, the client pays a monthly fee for using the hardware; sometimes, its use is incorporated into the MSP's fee structure for installing, monitoring and maintaining the hardware. Either way, if the hardware breaks down or becomes outdated, the MSP is responsible for decommissioning it and replacing it. Depending upon the terms of the SLA, decommissioning may include wiping proprietary data, physically destroying hard drives and certifying that old equipment has been recycled legally.