Chapter 6: IT Infrastructure and Platforms

Chapter 6IT Infrastructure and Platforms6-1

Chapter 6

IT Infrastructure and Platforms

True-False Questions

IT infrastructure technology is a set of physical devices and software applications that are required to operate the entire enterprise.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 186
A firm’s infrastructure is organized by three major levels: competitors, enterprise, and business unit.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 188
Business unit infrastructure includes specialized production software and systems, customer and vendor systems, and local order entry and other transaction systems.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 188
The first era of business computers used transistors.
Answer:False Difficulty:MediumReference:p. 189
Sun dominated mainframe computing from 1965 onward and still dominates.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 189
Apple II is usually credited as the beginning of the PC era because this machine was the first to become widely adopted in American business.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 191
Client/server computing is a widely used form of centralized processing.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 191
In two-tiered client/server architecture, the processing is split between the two types of machines.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 191
Application server software is responsible for locating and managing stored Web pages.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 192
Enterprise infrastructure requires software that can link disparate applications and enable data to flow freely among different parts of the business.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 192
Moore’s Law implies that the power of microprocessors doubles every two years.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 194
The first Pentium microprocessors operated with 3-gigahertz speed.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 196
Robert Metcalfe claimed in 1970 that the value of power of a network grows exponentially as a function of the number of network members.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 197
Technology standards unleash powerful economies of scale and result in price declines as manufacturers focus on the products built in a single standard.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 197
The marketplace for computer hardware has increasingly become concentrated in top firms such as IBM, HP, Dell, and Sun Microsystems.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 200
The three major microprocessor chip producers are Intel, Dell, and AMD.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 200
In the server marketplace, more than 85 percent of the corporate servers in the United States use some form of the Unix or Linux operating systems.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:HardReference:p. 201
Unix and Linux operating systems can run on many different types of processors.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
The largest provider of enterprise application software is Microsoft.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
The leading database software providers are Corel, Microsoft, and Lotus.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 201
MySQL is a Linux open-source relational database product available for free on the Internet.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 201
The physical data storage market is dominated by Western Digital.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 202
SANs create large central pools of storage that can be rapidly accessed and shared by multiple servers.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 202
Nearly all contemporary local area networks, as well as wide area enterprise networks use the TCP/IP protocol suite as a standard.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 202
Cisco, Lucent, Nortel, and Juniper are the leading networking hardware providers.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 202
The Internet hardware server market has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of Cisco, Lucent, and Nortel.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 202
High-capacity networks are becoming the source of computing power, enabling business firms to expand their computing power greatly at very little cost.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 204
On-demand computing is far more expensive than owning the required hardware resources.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 205
Contributors to open-source software receive respect, prestige, and access to a network of knowledgeable programmers.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 209
Windows XP is now the world’s fastest growing client and server operating system.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 210
Java software is designed to run on any computer or computing device, regardless of the specific microprocessor or operating system it uses.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 210
Web services can exchange information between two different systems regardless of the operating system or programming languages on which the systems are based.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 213
XML is limited to describing how data should be presented in the form of Web pages; HTML can perform presentation, communication, and storage of data.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 213
Hypertext markup language specifies how text, graphics, video, and sound are placed on a document.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 213
Web Services Description Language is a set of rules for structuring messages that enables applications to pass data and instructions to one another.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 214
The collection of Web services that are used to build a firm’s software systems constitutes what is known as a service-oriented architecture.
Answer:TrueDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 214
Today most business firms have discontinued operating their legacy systems, and they have been extremely inexpensive to replace with newer technology.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 214
Service computing is the model of computing in which companies pay only for the information technology resources they actually use during a specific period of time.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 216
Software development is seldom outsourced to offshore, low-wage areas of the world.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 217
TCO refers to the original cost of the hardware and software.
Answer:FalseDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 220

Multiple-Choice Questions

When defining IT infrastructure, the computing platforms component would not include:
a.providing computing services that connect employees, customers, and suppliers.
b.large mainframes, desktop and laptop computers.
c.personal digital assistants and Internet appliances.
d. telecommunications and data management services.
Answer: dDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 187
Public IT infrastructure includes:
a.computing power that is off-loaded during peak demand to remote, large-scale data processing centers.
b.specialized production software and systems, customer and vendor systems, and local order entry and other transaction systems.
c.services such as e-mail, a central corporate Web site, corporate-wide intranets, and an increasing array of enterprise-wide software applications.
d.the Internet, the public switched telephone network, industry-operated networks, and other IT support facilities such as cable systems and cellular networks.
Answer: dDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 188
Which of the following would not be characteristic of the first era of business computing?
a.used specialized machines to sort computer cards into bins
b.used machines that were large and cumbersome
c.used software programs that were hardwired into circuit boards
d.used in business
Answer: dDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 189
A network that contains one or more host computers that provide some type of service to the other computers in a network is a:
a.peer-to-peer network.
b.client/server network.
c.local area network.
d.wide area network.
Answer: bDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 191
The simplest client/server network consists of a client computer networked to a server computer which would most likely be:
a.a mainframe.
b.a workstation.
c.a minicomputer.
d.a powerful personal computer.
Answer: dDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 191
Software in a multi-tiered network that provides the business logic for handling all application operations between a user and an organization’s back-end business systems best describes:
a.Web server.
b.application server.
c.groupware.
d.capacity server.
Answer: bDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 192
Today, the leading technology for client/server networking is:
a.Microsoft.
b.Novell Netware.
c.Cisco.
d.Apache.
Answer: aDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 192
Which of the following statements is not one of the three variations of Moore’s Law?
a.The power of microprocessors doubles every 18 months.
b.Computing power doubles every 18 months.
c.The price of information appliances will fall by half every 18 months.
d.The price of computing falls by half every 18 months.
Answer: cDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 194
The amount of digital information is roughly doubling every year. This hypothesis is referred to as:
a.Moore’s Law.
b.Law of Diminishing Returns.
c.Law of Mass Digital Storage.
d.Metcalfe’s Law.
Answer: cDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 194
Which of the following statements is not one of the four technology drivers related to transforming IT infrastructures?
a.Metcalfe’s Law and Network Economics
b.Moore’s Law and Microprocessor Power
c.The Law of Mass Digital Storage
d.Rising Communications Costs
Answer: dDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 194
Specifications that establish the compatibility of products and the ability to communicate in a network are referred to as:
a.protocols.
b.business policies.
c.technology standards.
d.operating standards.
Answer: cDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 197
This standard made it possible for computer machines from different manufacturers to exchange data:
a.American Standard Code for Information Interchange.
b.Ethernet.
c.World Wide Web.
d.Common Business Oriented Language.
Answer: aDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 198
Which is a suite of communications protocols and a common addressing scheme that enables millions of computers to connect together in one giant global network?
a.TCP/IP
b.UNIX
c.Turbolinux
d.COBOL
Answer: aDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 198
At the client level, 95 percent of PCs and 45 percent of handheld devices use some form of ______operating system.
a.Windows
b.Linux
c.IBM OS
d.MacOS
Answer: aDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
At the server level, more than 85 percent of the corporate servers in the United States use some form of ______operating system.
a.Windows
b.Unix
c.IBM OS
d.MacOS
Answer: bDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
Unix and Linux constitute the backbone of corporate infrastructure throughout much of the world. Which one of the following options does not apply to this statement?
a.They are scalable.
b.They are reliable.
c.They are less expensive than mainframe operating systems.
d.They are more expensive than mainframe operating systems.
Answer: dDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 201
Which software company would not be considered as a major provider of the Unix operating system?
a.Dell
b.IBM
c.HP
d.Sun
Answer: aDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
Linux is:
a.primarily concerned with the tasks of end users.
b.designed for specific machines and specific microprocessors.
c.an example of open-source software.
d.especially useful for processing numeric data.
Answer: cDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
Linux:
a.is an earlier version of the Windows operating system for home users.
b.can be modified by software developers.
c.is used on 95 percent of all business computers.
d.is a 16-bit operating system.
Answer: bDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
The process of tying together multiple applications to support the flow of information across multiple business units and systems is called:
a.the Internet.
b.enterprise application integration.
c.integrated programming.
d.enterprise programming applications.
Answer: bDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
Which software company would not be classified as one of the largest providers of enterprise application software?
a.SAP
b.Oracle
c.PeopleSoft
d.Macromedia
Answer: dDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 201
Software that functions as a translation layer between two disparate applications so they can work together is called:
a.integration software.
b.groupware.
c.extensible software.
d.middleware.
Answer: dDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 201
A growing new entrant in the database management software market is:
a.IBM (DB2).
b.Sybase (Adaptive Server Enterprise).
c.Linux (MySQL).
d.Microsoft (SQL Server).
Answer: cDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 201
A high-speed network dedicated to storage that connects different kinds of storage devices, such as tape libraries and disk arrays so they can be shared by multiple servers best describes:
a.SSN.
b.ASP.
c.LAN.
d.SAN.
Answer: dDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 202
Which of the following is not classified as a leading telecommunication service vendor?
a.IBM
b.AT&T
c.Verizon
d.MCI
Answer: aDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 202
Which of the following would not be considered a major Internet hardware server company?
a.Dell
b.HP/Compaq
c.Sybase
d.IBM
Answer: cDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 202
Your text defines a legacy system as:
a. traditional mainframe-based business information systems.
b. electronic spreadsheets used on a PC.
c. computerized account inquiry system for access by customers.
d. systems found on services.
Answer: aDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 203
The business case for using grid computing involves all of the following EXCEPT:
a. cost savings.
b. breakeven point.
c. speed of computation.
d. agility.
Answer: bDifficulty:EasyReference:p. 205
This type of computing refers to firms off-loading peak request for computing power to remote, large-scale data processing centers:
a.on-demand.
b.grid.
c.edge.
d.autonomic.
Answer: aDifficulty:MediumReference:p. 205
When a firm purchases computing power from a central computing service and pays only for the amount of computing power it uses, this is commonly referred to as:
a.grid computing.
b.utility computing.
c.edge computing.
d. autonomic computing.
Answer:bDifficulty:MediumReference: p. 205
An industry-wide effort to develop systems that can configure, optimize, tune, and heal themselves when broken, and protect themselves from outside intruders and self-destruction is called:
a.grid computing.
b.utility computing.
c.edge computing.
d. autonomic computing.
Answer: dDifficulty: MediumReference:p. 207
The major driver for the adoption of Linux for most corporations would be:
a.cost.
b.reliability.
c.resilience.
d. integration.
Answer:aDifficulty:MediumReference: p. 210
Java is a:
a.hybrid language providing more flexibility than the popular language in current use.
b.language that delivers only the software functionality needed for a specific task.
c.page description language for creating Web pages and other hypermedia documents.
d.the leading data processing language in the world.
Answer: bDifficulty:MediumReference:210
Software that connects two disparate applications, allowing them to communicate with each other and to exchange data best describes:
a.C++.
b.COBOL.
c.Linux.
d.middleware.
Answer: dDifficulty:EasyReference:212
HTML is a:
a.hybrid language providing more flexibility than the popular language in current use.
b.language that delivers only the software functionality needed for a specific task.
c.page description language for creating Web pages and other hypermedia documents.
d.language that combines data and program code.
Answer: cDifficulty:MediumReference:213
An application service provider:
a.supplies online access over networks to storage devices and storage area network technology.
b.manages combinations of applications, networks, systems, storage, and security as well as providing Web site and systems performance monitoring to subscribers over the Internet.
c.uses centrally managed facilities to host and manage access to package applications delivered over networks on a subscription basis.
d.provides only usage-based pricing during a specified time period.
Answer: cDifficulty:HardReference:216
When a firm contracts custom software development to an outside firm, it is commonly referred to as:
a.outsourcing.
b.scaling.
c.service-oriented architecture.
d.application integration.
Answer: aDifficulty:EasyReference:217
Which of the following refers to the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a larger number of users without breaking down?
a.Modifiability
b.Scalability
c.Expandability
d.Disintermediation
Answer: bDifficulty:EasyReference:218
Hardware and software acquisition costs account for about ______percent of total cost of ownership.
a.ten
b.twenty
c.thirty
d.forty
Answer: bDifficulty:MediumReference:220
This model can be used to analyze the direct and indirect costs to help firms determine the actual cost of specific technology implementations:
a.total cost of ownership.
b.return on investment.
c.breakeven point.
d.cost benefit analysis.
Answer: aDifficulty:EasyReference:220

Fill in the Blanks

Information technology infrastructure is the shared technology resources that provide the platform for the firm’s specific information systems applications.
Difficulty: EasyReference:p. 186
Telecommunication services provide data, voice, and video connectivity to employees, customers, and suppliers.
Difficulty: EasyReference:p. 186
Physicalfacilities management services develop and manage the physical installations required for computing, telecommunications, and data management services.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 187
Firm infrastructure is organized at three major levels: public, enterprise, and business unit.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 188
Business unit infrastructure includes production and transaction systems.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 188
Minicomputers were the first type of computer that could be used for decentralized computing.
Difficulty: HardReference:p. 189
Mainframe computers today are used as massive servers supporting large Web sites and corporate enterprise applications.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 189
The first commercial all-electronic vacuum tube computers appeared in the early 1950s with the introduction of the UNIVAC computers and the IBM 700 Series.
Difficulty: HardReference:p. 189
The minicomputer was introduced in 1965 by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
Difficulty: HardReference:p. 189
At first using the DOS operating system, and later the Microsoft Windows operating system, the Wintel PC computer became the standard desktop personal computer.
Difficulty: HardReference:p. 191
In client/server computing, desktop computers called clients are networked to powerful server computers that provide the client computers with a variety of services and capabilities.
Difficulty: EasyReference:p. 191
In the n-tier architecture, the work of the entire network is balanced over multiple levels of servers.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 191
Client/server computing enables businesses to distribute computing work across a series of smaller, inexpensive machines that cost much less than minicomputers or centralized mainframe systems.
Difficulty: EasyReference:p. 192
Moore’s Law asserts that the power of microprocessors doubles every 18 months.
Difficulty: EasyReference:p. 194
Nanotechnology uses individual atoms and molecules to create computer chips and other devices that are thousands of times smaller than current technologies permit.
Difficulty: EasyReference:p. 194
Technology standards are specifications that establish the compatibility of products and the ability to communicate in a network.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 197
Blade servers are ultrathin computers consisting of a circuit board with processors, memory, and network connections that are stored in racks.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 200
The operating system manages and controls the computer’s activities.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 201
Open-source software is software created and updated by a worldwide community of programmers and available for free.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 201
Storage area networks connect multiple storage devices on a separate high-speed network dedicated to storage.
Difficulty: MediumReference:p. 202
A(n) storage area network (SAN) is a high-speed network dedicated to storage that connects different kinds of storage devices, such as tape libraries and disk arrays.