Computer hardware systems, along with several software concepts, are studied to understand the function and relationship of the CPU, memory and peripheral equipment. Course material is chosen for relevance to industry certification exams such as A+. The peripheral equipment includes monitors, disk drives, scanners and printers. During laboratory exercises, computer systems, with monitor and operating system, are provided for analysis by students working in teams. However, as an option, each student can build, configure, analyze and troubleshoot his or her own IBM PC (or compatible) computer.