Notes- CompTIA A+ (220-801).pdf

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    CompTIA A+ (220-801)

    Hardware 40%

    BIOS/CMOS/POST

    Boot Order

    1. BIOS

    2. Bootstrap

    3. POST

    4. CMOS

    5. MBR (Master Boot Record)

    a. stored in Hard Disk

    6. OS (Operating System)

    BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

    1stProgram activated during boot

    Set of instructions

    Stored in EEPROM chip on motherboard (used to be ROM)

    Flashing BIOS (updating)

    Run a software designed to re-write

    Components of BIOS

    Low level BIOS code POST

    CMOS Setup Program

    Boot order

    Clock Speed

    Memory installed

    Hard disk size

    BIOS Monitoring Capabilities

    Enable/Disable devices

    Set the date and time

    Clock Speeds Enable/Disable Virtualization Technology

    Virtualization is a CPU feature; not hardware

    Go to CMOS Settings

    o Enable VT (Virtualization Technology)

    Enable/Disable BIOS security

    Supervisor passwords

    Admin Password

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    prevents user from rearranging boot order

    TPM (Trusted Platform Module)

    provides a cryptographic hardware platform for securely storing data

    lo-jack - locates where laptop is if its connected to internet

    fan speeds

    intrusion detection

    voltage

    bus speed

    BIOS Chassis Intrusion

    alerts when the computer is booted that the cover has been opened

    POST (Power On Self-Test)

    1. CPU

    2. BIOS

    3. BIOS Memory

    4. Memory (RAM)

    5. I/O Bus or I/O Controller

    CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide semiconductor)

    Provides BIOS with info about the computer

    Stores info such as hardware settings (time, clock, hardware inventory etc.)

    Stored in RAM

    CMOS Battery prevents data loss

    o If batter is low = slow clock

    o If batter is dead = checksum error during boot

    UEFI

    a replacement for BIOS CPU-independent

    Flexible pre-OS environment

    Offers greater security

    Note:

    EEPROM = Electronically Erasable Programmable Data

    Firmware Programs on ROM

    Software Programs on RAM

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    Motherboard - Form Factor

    Motherboard skeleton of computer

    Connects everything together Form Factor Design of the Motherboard

    ATX (Advanced Technology Extended)

    Replaced AT + Baby AT

    1. ATX (most popular)

    12 x 9.6 inches (rectangle)

    7 expansion slots

    Full tower

    2. Mini-ATX

    11.2 x 8.2 inches

    7 expansion slots

    Full tower

    3. Micro-ATX

    9.6 x 9.6 inches (square)

    4 expansion slots

    Mini Tower

    lowered cost of system by reducing number of expansion slots, smaller case

    size, and reducing power supply requirement

    4. Flex ATX

    9.0 x 7.5 inches

    4 expansion slots

    Mini tower

    ITX (no fan, low heat, low power requirements)

    1. Mini-ITX

    6.7 x 6.7 inches

    2. Nano-ITX

    4.7 x 4.7 inches

    3. Pico-ITX

    3.8 x 2.8 inches

    4. Mobile ITX

    2.9 x 2.9 inches

    BTX was supposed to be successor of ATX but didnt due to incompatibility with newerchipsets and processors

    Better cooling efficiency ; better airflow; quiet

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    Motherboard Chipset

    Chipset determines what CPUs a system can use and the number/type of expansion slots it can

    hold

    MCH (Memory Controller Hub)

    Northbridge Used for high speed memory components (example: PCIe, AGP etc.)

    ICH (I/O) Controller Hub)

    Southbridge

    Used for mass storage (example: PCI, CMOS, USB etc.)

    Jumper group of 2 to 3 pins on motherboard or card

    Used for configuration of settings

    Jumper Block fits across 2 jumper pins to enable/disable feature

    Can be used to reset/clear CMOS passwords

    BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death)

    STOP Error Causes reboots

    Chip creep socketed chips loosening out of socket due to heat/cooling

    Motherboard Expansion Slots

    Expansion Bus - does not run in sync with system clock

    Local Bus - runs in sync with system clock

    1. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect

    Network/ Sound/ Video/ SCSI cards

    32-bit also 64-bit

    33 MHz

    132 MBps

    uses 8-pin connector

    2. PCI-X (PCI Extended)

    Faster version of PCI; compatible with PCI cards

    64-bit

    133 MHz

    PCI-X 2.0 266 MHz & 533 MHz

    3. AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

    Video Cards

    32-bit

    66 MHz

    2X = 133 MHz

    4X = 266 MHz

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    8X = 533 MHz

    has 2 interfaces

    4. PCIe (PCI Express)

    Replaced PCI & PCI-X & AGP; not backwards compatible

    X1 & X4 = replaced PCI slot

    X8 & X16 = replaced AGP and PCI-X

    Usually black colored

    Transfers data in lanes; one lane = X1

    32 Gbps

    can use 6 or 8 pin connector

    5. AMR (Audio/Modem Riser)

    Modem/ Sound connector

    6. CNR (Communication Network Riser

    Replaced AMR

    Modem/ Network/ Sound

    7. Mini PCI

    Used for laptops; lies flat

    Used for Bluetooth & Wi-Fi

    Motherboard CPU and CPU Sockets

    CPU (Central Processing Unit)

    brain of computer

    CPU speed - number of cycles per second; measured in Hertz

    60 Celsius = CPU operating temperature

    Hyper threading (HT Technology) Allows a single processor to act like multiple processors

    Increased performance by 15% to 30%

    to work, OS must support SMP (Symmetric Multiprocessing)

    Multi Core

    processor with two or more cores

    If its a quad core or more, the software must support it for it to work faster

    Dual-Core

    Requires TLP (Thread-Level Parallelism) to work

    GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

    Overclocking

    running processor and other components faster Can be enabled for Processors & System Bus

    Throttling

    protects from heat damage by slowing the clock rate

    VRM (Voltage Regulator Module)

    module used to regulate the voltage fed to the CPU

    MMX (Multimedia Extensions (MMX)

    instructions called microcode, to support sound video and graphics multimeida functions

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    Displays

    CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)

    Display screen coated with phosphor

    electron gun shoots electrons at the phosphor, causing it to glow

    Refresh Rate - speed that gun paints image across the screen

    LCD/LED

    1. LCD creates an image

    2. Backlight illuminates the image

    3. Inverters send power to the backlight

    Native Resolution

    Fixed resolution that cant go higher

    QXGA (Quad Extended Graphics Array) Max Resolution: 2048 X 1536

    Refresh Rate - how quickly/often the screen can change images completely

    Standard: 60 - 120 Hz

    Projector

    Lumens - used to measure brightness of projector

    Throw - image size at certain distance

    Hard Disk

    SCSI controller

    8-bit bus: ID ranges from 0 - 7

    Device with lower ID number has lowest priority

    First boot device should be set to SCSI ID 0 Controller is ID 7

    Hard Drive speeds:

    5,400 rpm

    7,200 rpm

    10,000 rpm

    15,000 rpm

    Platter

    Hard drives usually have multiple disks. Each disk is known as a platter

    Spindle

    Revolves the Platter

    Display Connectors

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    SATA

    Serial ATA

    smaller, faster than old parallel version

    SATA revision 1.0

    1.5 Gbps 150 MBps

    SATA revision 2.0

    3 Gbps

    300 MBps

    SATA revision 3.0

    6 Gbps

    600 MBps

    eSATA

    external connectivity

    up to 6.6 feet

    PATA Parallel ATA

    Originally called ATA

    IDE

    8.3 MBps

    EIDE

    faster than IDE; concept of other devices

    16.6 MBps

    S-Video

    4, 7 or 9 pins

    VGA

    3 rows, DB-15 connector

    RAM

    When program is opened in Windows, it is copied from Hard Drive to memory

    At least one memory slot must have a module for system to function

    Parity - error-detection method

    ECC

    DMA (Direct Memory Access)

    Transfers data directly from hard drive to memory

    So it doesnt interrupt CPU cycle (to slow it down)

    SIMM - (Single Inline Memory Module)

    one row of contact

    no longer in use

    72-pins

    32-bit

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    DIMM - (Dual Inline Memory Module)

    two rows of contacts

    168-pins

    RIMM - (Rambus DIMM)

    184-pins

    heat spreader - metal jacket to dissipate excess heat

    SODIMM - (Small Outline DIMM)

    used in laptops

    144-pins

    MicroDIMM - (MicroDIMM)

    used in laptops

    DRAM (Dynamic Access Memory)

    Dynamic - memory is recharged (electrically) to prevent data loss

    SRAM (Static RAM)

    used for cache

    fast speed: 533 MHz example: PC200, PC300 etc.

    RDRAM

    Developed by Rambus

    aka RIMM

    has to be used in pairs

    unused slots require CRIMM (Continuity RIMM)

    300 or 800 MHz

    184-pins

    (PC600, PC700, PC800, PC1066, PC1200)

    SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)

    Synchronous - runs in sync with the system clock

    168-pins

    2 notches

    speeds of (PC66, PC100, PC133)

    DDR SDRAM

    184 - pins

    1 notch

    (PC1600, PC2100, PC2700 and PC3200)

    DDR2 SDRAM

    240-pins

    1 notch

    DDR3 SDRAM

    requires 30% less power than DDR2

    240 pins

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    1 notch

    12,800 MB/s

    800 MHz

    (PC3-12800) data transfer rate of DDR3 from the name DDR3-1600, simply multiply the 1600

    by 8 (bytes) and solve for megabytes

    To figure out the data transfer rate of DDR3 by the consumer name PC3-12800,just look at the number within the name and add MB/s to the end.

    Optical Drives

    Blu-Ray drives can play

    Blu-Ray

    CD-ROM

    DVD

    HD DVD drives can play CD-ROM

    DVD

    CD-ROM

    can only play CD-ROM

    CD

    Storage: 700 MB

    Speed: 1X = 150 KB/s

    DVD

    Storage: 4.7 GB

    Speed: 1X = 1.32 MB/s

    uses red laser

    DL-DVD

    Storage: 9.4 GB

    Blu-Ray

    Storage: 25 GB

    Speed: 1X = 4.5 MB/s

    uses blue laser; better focus

    holds five time more data than DVD

    holds up to 9 hours of HD video

    holds up to 23 hours of SD video

    Tape Storage: 800 GB

    Floppy

    Storage: 1.4 MB

    Components: Read/write heads; stepper motor; circuit board

    USB

    127 devices can be daisy chained

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    1 USB port can daisy chain 5 Hubs

    4 pins

    USB 1.1

    12 Mbps

    Cable length: 3 meters

    Cable length: 5 meters

    USB 2.0 (most common)

    480 Mbps

    Cable length: 5 meters

    USB 3.0

    5 Gbps

    10 times faster than USB 2.0

    USB Connectors

    Type A

    Type B

    Mini-A Mini-B

    FireWire

    IEEE 1394a

    FireWire400

    400 Mbps

    cable length: 4.5 meters

    IEEE 1394b

    FireWire800 800 Mbps

    Can daisy-chain up to 63 devices

    RAID

    RAID 0

    Total Drives: 2

    Striping - total of two hard drives; data is striped

    striping means the set of data is splitted, and a piece is stored in each drive RAID 1

    Total Drives: 2

    Mirror - duplicates the original disk to each drive

    RAID 2

    Total Drives: at least 3

    Data is striped with parity

    RAID 3

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    Total Disks: At least 3

    One Disk is used only for parity

    Remaining disks are striped

    RAID 4

    Same as RAID 3 but uses block-level striping instead of byte-level striping

    RAID 5

    Total Disks: At least 3

    All disks appear as one disk

    Parity is across all disks

    All disks are striped

    RAID 10

    Total Disks: At least 4

    mirrored stripe sets

    Power Supply

    Plugging in 20-pin power supply into a 24-pin connector on motherboard:

    Leave pins 11, 12, 23 and 24 unconnected

    These pins are for higher voltages

    Voltage output by power supply unit in a PC

    +3.3 volts

    used by Chipsets, DIMM, PCI/AGP cards, Pentium processor

    +5.0 volts

    +12.0 volts

    Power Connectors Molex

    4 pins

    Motherboard Connectors

    PCI = 8-pin connector

    PCIe = 6 or 8-pin connector

    Floppy Drive = 4-pin connector

    ATA Hard Drive = 4-pin

    SATA Hard Drive = 15-pin

    12 Mbps

    Cable length: 3 meters

    USB 2.0 (most common)

    Config Computers

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    CAD/CAM Workstation - Powerful processor, high-end video, maximum RAM

    Home Server - RAID array, Gigabit NIC

    Home Theater PC - Surround-sound audio, TV tuner, HDMI output

    Virtualization Workstation - Maximum RAM and CPU

    Networking 27%

    Network Cables & Connectors

    Twisted Pair (unused LAN)

    used for 10BaseT

    STP (Shielded Twisted Pair)

    Foil around each pair

    less susceptible to interference

    UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair)

    Susceptible to interference (fluorescent light)

    4 pairs of twisted wires, 8 wires total

    Categories (max Length: 100 meters; 328 feet)

    CAT1 Standard telephone cable

    CAT3 10 Mbps

    CAT4 16 Mbps

    CAT5 100 Mbps

    o used with RJ-45 connectors

    CAT5e 1 Gbps

    CAT6 10 Gbps (55 meters) CAT6e 10 Gbps (100 meters)

    Plenum - area above suspended ceiling

    fire resistant cable

    Coax Cable

    Single core of copper

    Used for Cable Modems, Cable TV and Modem-based internet connections

    RG-49

    Thinnet / 10Base2

    Carries 10 Mbps of Ethernet data

    Max length: 185 meters 50 ohm impedance

    RG-6

    Thicknet / 10Base5

    10 Mbps

    50-MHz or higher

    Max length: 500 meters

    75 ohm impedance

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    RG-6/U

    used for cable TV

    75 ohms of impedance

    Max length: 300 meters

    Connectors:

    F-type (most common)

    BNC (older) screw by spinning on

    75 oh impedance

    Note:

    Baseband (Base) - only one signal at a time is sent onto the network medium

    Broadband - multiplexes the signals to allow multiple signals on the medium

    Fiber-Optic Cable:

    Shoots pulses of light

    Multi-Mode (majority)

    10 Gbps

    500 - 600 meters uses LED (light emitting diodes) to send light signal

    multiple sets of data at a time

    Single-Mode

    10 Gbps or 1 Tbps

    uses Laser to send light signal

    3000 meters - 40 km

    one set of data at a time

    Connectors

    SC - Subscriber Connector (square)

    used for singlemode

    snap in ST - Straight Tip (round connector)

    used for multimode

    twist to latch

    LC - (square)

    used for singlemode and multimode

    POTS (Plain-old telephone service)

    has two twisted pairs of copper wire, total of 4 wires

    used for telephone landlines

    Network Topologies

    Ring, Star, Mesh, Hybrid

    (TCP/IP) - IPv4

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    Installed by default on Windows; Mac OS X; Linux

    TCP/IP is a collection of protocols

    Every IP address is unique for each computer on the network

    3 Major TCP Address settings

    IP Address

    Subnet Mask (Network/Host)

    Default Gateway

    IPv4

    32-bit number

    example: 131.112.199 (4 groups, separated by dots)

    IP Classes

    Class A: 1.0.0.0 - 126.255.255.255

    255.0.0.0

    Class B: 128.0.0.0- 191.255.255.255

    255.255.0.0 Class C: 192.0.0.0 - 223.255.255.255

    255.255.255.0

    Default Gateway - required to connect two computers that are not on the same network

    Public, Private, APIPA

    Public - anything thats not Private or APIPA

    Private (ranges)

    10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255 172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255

    192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255

    APIPA

    assigned when a valid IP is not received by DHCP

    169.254.0.1 - 169.255.254.0

    By default, built into Microsoft Windows

    Disable in Registry

    used for troubleshooting

    Loopback address is 127.0.0.1

    used for testing

    (TCP/IP) - IPv6

    128-bit

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    example: 2001:cdba:0000:0000:0000:0000:3257:9652 (8 groups, separated by colons)

    Some of the header fields have been dropped

    less rigid length limits and ability to introduce new options

    Packets will indicate particular traffic type

    Support will be provided for data integrity and confidentiality

    Loopback Address ::1

    (TCP/IP) Static vs Dynamic

    Static

    IP manually assigned

    can only be changed manually

    usually used for servers, routers, printers

    Dynamic

    IP automatically assigned by DHCP

    DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

    Valid for 3 days (limited time, then gets a new IP)

    Protocols TCP & UDP

    Port Number - specified service on a computer

    TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

    offers guaranteed delivery service

    needs verification of received data or else it will re-send UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

    faster and better delivery

    not guaranteed that it is received

    used mostly with live streaming videos; VoIP calls

    Faster than TCP

    Network Ports

    20/21 = FTP (File Transfer Port)

    23 = Telnet 25 = SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - outgoing mail

    53 = DNS (Domain Name System) - converts names from words to IP addresses

    80 = HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

    110 = POP3 (Post Office Protocol) - incoming email

    143 = IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol) - Incoming email

    443 = HTTPS (HTTP over SSL)

    3389 = RDP (Remote Control Desktop)

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    Basic Protocols

    DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol)

    Protocol: UDP

    Port: 67, 68

    Function: Provides IP addresses

    DNS (Domain Name System)

    Protocol: UDP

    Port: 53

    Function: converts names from words to IP addresses & IP addresses to names

    LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)

    Protocol: TCP

    Port: 389

    Function: Used to access directory information over IP addresses

    SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

    Protocol: UDP Port: 161

    Function Used to monitor networks

    SMB (Server Message Blocks)

    Protocol: TCP

    Port: 445

    Function: Provides access to files, printers etc. on a network

    CIFS

    SSH (Secure Shell)

    Function: provides secure network

    SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

    Port Forwarding/ Triggering

    Forwarding

    sends incoming data/requests to a specific computer or device based on the port

    number included in the request

    The port must always be open and accept incoming traffic

    Triggering

    port forwarding that switches on and off

    enabled only when internal machine initiates communication to a specific port

    IEEE Standards

    802.11a

    Frequency: 5 GHz

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    54 Mbps

    Range: 20-45 meters

    802.11b

    Frequency: 2.4 GHz

    11 Mbps

    Range: 45 - 120 meters

    uses WEP for security

    802.11g

    Frequency: 2.4 GHz

    54 Mbps

    Range: 30 -100 meters

    compatible with 802.11a and 802.11b

    802.11n

    Frequency: 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz

    600 Mbps

    Range: 100 - 200 meters

    MIMO - device can use multiple antennas

    Compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g

    Encryption

    WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)

    64-bit key

    WPA (WiFi Protected Access

    128-bit key

    WPA 2

    256-bit key (best encryption)

    Encryption Protocol

    TKIP

    AES

    replaced TKIP

    used in WPA2

    best encryption

    Wireless Connections

    Infrared

    Line-of-Sight

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    requires unobstructed view

    RF (Radio Frequency)

    802.11

    Bluetooth

    Networking Collisions

    CSMA/CD (Ethernet)

    Packets of data sent without checking network

    if collision occurs, it will re-send

    CSMA/CA (Wireless)

    check for clear network first and then sends data

    Network Types

    WAN (Wide Area Network)

    Group of one or more LANs

    LAN (Local Area Network)

    WLAN (Wireless LAN)

    data transmission mode: half-duplex

    MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

    PAN (Personal Area Network)

    VPN (Virtual Private Network)

    Protects communications sent through a public network

    provides secure connections between endpoints such as routers, clients or servers byusing tunneling to encrypt data

    Ad Hoc

    network without connecting device such as hubs or switches or WAPs

    clients communicate directly with each other

    Internet Connection Types

    Cable

    Fiber ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network

    Connects multiple telephone devices to a single phone line

    2 types;

    PRI

    BRI

    DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

    replaced ISDN

    Bandwidth: 300 Kbps

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    requires telephone line

    2 types

    ASDL (Asynchronous DSL)

    enables faster downloads/uploads

    SDSL (Synchronous DSL)

    DUN (Dial-Up Network)

    Satellite

    WiMAX

    Wireless Internet in 4G rang

    10 Mbps

    Line of Sight

    Cellular (mobile hotspot)

    GSM (Global System Mobile Communications)

    3G - 56 Mbps

    4G - 100 Mbps

    Verizon & Sprint

    CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)

    T-Mobile & AT&T Client - computer with wireless network interface card (NIC)

    NIC card uses RJ-45

    Gateway - Translates data from one format to another

    Server - computer on network that provides other computers access to resources such as disk

    drives

    Bluetooth

    Frequency: 2.4 GHz to 2.485 GHz

    Classes:

    Class 1: 100 meters/ 300 feet

    Class 2: 10 meters/ 33 feet

    Class 3: 1 meter/ 3 feet Bluetooth 1.0

    100 meters

    Bluetooth 2.0

    Distance: 10 meters

    3 Mbps

    Bluetooth 3.0

    1 meter

    24 Mbps

    Network Devices

    Hub - provides connectivity between devices

    Switch - connecting device

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    Router -

    connects one LAN network to another; connects to outside network

    Connects networks using the same protocol

    Gateway -

    hardware and/or software

    connects networks that use different protocols

    WAP (Wireless Access Point)

    device where wireless signals are received/managed

    PoE - (Power over Ethernet)

    Bridge - connects two Lans, or splits a single LAN

    Modem - converts digital signals to analog signals

    dial up modem uses RJ-11

    NAS (Network-attached Storage)

    storage attached to the network

    Firewall - controls/restricts and manages incoming/outgoing network (and phone numbers to IP)

    VoIP phones - Converts analog signals to digital signals

    Internet Appliance

    Repeater - increase usable length of cable NAT (Network Address Translation)

    allows a network of computers to appear to the Internet as a single entity

    WPS

    Wi-Fi Protected Setup

    enables easy secure setup of small home networks

    erases the setup of complicated config setting of wireless routers

    comes installed on some routers and i enabled by default

    vulnerable to brute-force attacks

    Tools

    Crimper - puts together RJ-45 connector to UTP cable

    Multimeter - Measures voltage, current and resistance

    Toner Probe - trace wires

    Cable Tester - tests cable to see if it can make a connection

    Loopback plug - to make loopback test; RJ-45; check signal

    Punchdown Tool - aka krone; insert wire into connector

    TDR (Time-Domain Reflectometer) - used to measure the length of the cable on the timerequired for an energy pulse to travel down the cable and return to the TDR

    Standard Clients

    Thick Client - 4Gb of RAM

    has all components you would have on a regular workstation

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    Thin Client - limited amount of storage on hard drive

    small hard drive

    files stored on network, not much on hard drive

    has network connection

    has browser

    applications are stored on the server

    2GB of RAM usually

    Laptops 11%

    Laptop Basics

    To find capacity of the batter of a laptop

    Wattage = Output Voltage x Output Amp

    Desktop Replacement

    Provides the capabilities and performance of a desktop

    large and heavier than standard laptops

    Sub Notebook

    aka ultraportable

    designed with an emphasis on portability

    smaller display; no optical media drive

    Netbook

    extremely small, lightweight and energy efficient

    Designed specifically for wireless communication and internet access

    Laptops use LCD screens

    Three Main Standard Resolutions

    WXGA 1280 X 800

    HD 1366 X 768

    WSXGA+ 1680 X 1050

    WUXGA 1920 X 1200

    Battery

    Li-Ion - Lithium - ion

    provides highest energy density while maintaining the lowest self-discharge rate. will

    retain power r the longest

    NiCD - Nickel Cadmium

    provides moderate energy density and self disraghe rate - shortest life

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    NiHM - Nickel Metal-hydride

    provides highest energy density but high discharge rate

    Lead Acid battery has moderate energy density and self-discharge

    Expansion Options

    Five Main Expansion Options on Laptops

    ExpressCard Basics

    An interface allows peripheral devices to be connected to a laptop

    Formally known as NEWCARD

    ExpressCard is a standard specifying the design of slots in a computer and the cards that

    can be inserted

    ExpressCard Form Factors

    /35

    /54 Express Card /34

    34 mm wide

    26-pin

    Express Card /54

    54 mm wide

    26 - pin

    PCMCIA

    Personal Computer Memory Card International Association

    original name for PC Card (replaced by ExpressCard

    three form factors called Types

    Type 1

    o 3.3 mm thick; 16 bit; RAM, Flash memoy

    o 68 pins

    o type 1 slot can only hold one Type 1 card

    Type 2

    o 5.0 mm thick; 16 or 32 bit; Modems, Network cards, TV tuner

    cards, scsi controllers

    o 68 pins

    o hold one type 2 card or one type 1, or 2 type 3

    Type 3

    o 10.5 mm thick; 16 or 32 bit; Hard disk drive cards

    o 68 pins

    o one type 4 card or any comvination of two type 1 or 2 cards

    SODIMM

    Small Outline Dual Inline Interface

    Half size of regular DIMM

    pins: 72, 100, 200, 204

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    Flash Memory

    USB thumb drive

    Laptop Batteries

    Ni-CD; Ni-MH; Lithium

    Keyboard Features

    may not have dedicated numeric keypad

    function key functionalities

    Docking Options

    Port replicator - replicates ports on laptop

    maintains connections to physical devices

    Docking Station

    does what port replicator does

    replicates the ports on a laptops

    also contains slots for interface cards, hard disks

    Inverter

    provides backlight to the display

    Diffuser

    takes the points of light and uniformly spreads them around over the entire area of the

    display

    Backlight

    Wi-Fi antenna

    Printers 11%

    Printer Basics

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    Duplex Printing - printing on both sides of the paper

    Duplex Assemblies - flips paper over, allowing printing on both sides

    Bi-directional printing - printing from right-to-left and left-to-right

    Print Resolution - dots per inch (dbi)

    Printer Speed - Pages per minute (ppm)

    Two main types of paper feeds

    Continuous

    one long sheet with lines to tear it into single sheets

    feeder holes along the edges

    Friction - single sheets of standard paper fed through the prinrter using pressure rollers

    Laser Printers

    Primary Corona - if there is no charge to it, all the toner would be applied to the entire drum

    surface, resulting in a black page

    Lazer - write on the drum

    Used in businesses

    Duplex Assembly - flips paper over front to back

    Consumable - toner cartridges are replaceable/ recycle

    Speed: 10-100 pages per minute; depending on model

    Lowest cost per page

    Quality: 600 DPI (Dots Per Inch)/1,200 DPI/ 2,400 DPI

    Speed: ppm (Pages Per Minute) Imaging drum

    fuser assembly

    transfer belt

    transfer roller

    pickup rollers

    separate pads

    duplexing assembly

    EP (Electrophotographic Process)

    Processing

    image processing engine receives the page, font, text and graphics from printer

    driver

    creates page image, then stores it in memory (RAM)

    if there is not enough memory for page image, it is a page error

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    Charging

    conditioning

    cylinder-shaped imaging drum receives negative charge - 600Vdc from

    conditioning roller (old printers use corona wire)

    corona wire - powered by power supply

    full surface of drum is charged - it keeps charge only in darkness

    Exposing

    writing

    mirror moves laser beam across surface of drum

    Records image on drum by reducing charge to -100Vdc

    (LED printer activates LED array to record image instead)

    Developing

    Toner is applied to drum by the developer

    Toner has charge of -600Vdc

    Attracted to -100Vdc areas/ repelling from the others because they have same

    charge

    Transferring

    While sheet goes in printer, it receives a charge of +600Vdc by corona wire orroller

    Positive charge attracts toner from negative drum

    As paper moves, charge is cancelled by static eliminator strip, so it doesnt stick

    Fusing

    Fuser rollers pull sheet and heat toner onto paper at 350F

    Cleaning

    Leftover charge is removed by discharge lamp, turns to 0 Volts

    Rubber blade removes excess toner on drum for reuse

    Colored Laser Printing

    4 Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

    Imaging drum is separate from toner

    waste toner sent to waste toner container

    transfer belt instead of imaging drum

    Inkjet Printers

    for small offices or home office (SOHO)

    Connects through USB

    uses ink cartridges filled with liquid ink for printing

    separate cartridge for each color

    aka CMYK device - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

    Failed InkJets are often throwaway to replace, not repair

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    Never turn off from Surge Protector - prevents printer from self-capping in cartridges

    major cause for printer failures

    problems with lines on paper is always because of the printhead

    Paper pulled by rollers

    High-Speed Mode- print head reverses direction at end of paper

    Calibration - adjustments, printhead alignment

    Thermal Inkjets

    Bubble Inkjets

    Heat is used to form bubble - thermal bubble

    Bubble bursts onto paper

    HP and Canon make most Thermal InkJets

    Piezoelectric Inkjets

    sprays colors from the cartridges onto the paper

    printhead ejects small dots of color onto paper

    ink sprayed on paper is stored in four separate cartridges monochrome printing - using black ink only

    can print wide variety of media

    applies current to the ink

    Epson makes most of these

    Thermal Printers

    mostly used in stores for receipt

    Thermal Head - generates heat, prints into paper

    Platen - Rubber roller, feeds paper Spring - applies pressure to print head

    Circuit Board - moves the print head

    Direct Thermal - heat-sensitized paper

    Thermal Transfer - glossy photograph paper

    Direct Thermal Printing

    Use heating element

    Burns dots onto the surface of the special heat-sensitive paper - branding early fax machines used this method

    uses special paper

    Thermal Wax Transfer

    heated print head moves over a colored wax ribbon

    it melts the wax unto the underlying paper to create image, without touching it

    doesnt use special paper

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    Impact Printers

    Force ink on paper

    similar to typewriter

    Daisy-Wheel - has wheel with pedals, each pedal has a letter

    strikes against ribbon

    can do duplicate, triplicate or higher forms

    Carbon backing

    Dot-Matrix

    line printer

    9, 18, 24 pins (NLQ)

    Maintenance routine:

    Replace the paper

    Replace print head

    Replace ribbon Clean print head

    Vacuum paper and debris from printer

    Print Device Sharing

    Wired

    USB

    Parallel

    Serial Ethernet

    Wireless

    Bluetooth

    802.11x

    Infrared (IR)

    Printer Sharing

    Maintenance

    Follow proper printer cleaning instructions keep the paper path clean

    clean the corona wire

    vacuum up spilled toner

    replace rollers as needed

    Printers Driver Types

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    PPD

    PCL (Printer Command Language)

    UPD (Universal Print Driver)

    supports several types of printers

    proprietary

    Raster/bitmap

    raster - area of the image being printed

    bitmap - dot matrix representation of an image

    Plotter/vector

    plotter -

    Driver must be compatible with the operating system

    Drivers can be checked within Printer Properties

    Drivers are available from three courses

    installation discs

    downloaded from the manufacturers website

    Third party

    Operational Procedures 11%

    Six-Step Troubleshooting Process

    Identify the problem

    Establish a theory of probable cause

    test the theory to determine cause Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution

    verify full system functionality and if applicable implement preventative measures

    document findings, actions and outcomes

    ESD is most likely in cool, dry air

    ESD is the cause of two objects that have dissimilar electric potential