1B Flashcards
The motherboard is also called?
The main board
What is the motherboard?
The main board or motherboard is the main circuit board in a desktop computer and provides the interconnections for all necessary parts and associated peripherals and communication lines between all computer components.
The motherboard contains multiple paths of electrical circuits running through it called…?
buses
The circuit buses form ____________________ between motherboard components.
routes of communication
The motherboard contains what components?
- connectors for power
- memory
- hard drives
- CD and DVD-ROM
- drives
- expansion cards
- various other components.
The two most prominent features of a motherboard are ______ and ______.
form factor and chipset
Form factor refers to…?
The physical dimensions of the motherboard
Chipset defines what?
The type of CPU and RAM the motherboard requires and determines the built-in devices it supports, including expansion slots.
Built-in components, in turn, determine the ____________ of the system.
core functionality
Form factor basically describes the ________________characteristics of the motherboard.
shape, size and mounting
The computer case, power connections, and power supply must then match the ___________________ of motherboard.
form factor
Motherboards used in desktop computers have been ___________ to fit various case sizes
standardized
Most desktop computer motherboards use one of the following standard form factors:
Advanced Technology Extended (ATX), MicroATX (μATX) and Information Technology eXtended (ITX)
What are the dimensions for the ATX form factor?
12 x 9.6 inches
the ATX form factor incorporates the first major change in the
layout of computer motherboards by rotating the orientation _______________.
90 degrees
What are the dimensions for the micro ATX form factor?
9.6 x 9.6 inches
What are the dimensions for the mini ITX form factor?
6.7 x 6.7 inches
What are the dimensions for the nano ITX form factor?
4.7 x 4.7 inches
What are the dimensions for the pico ITX form factor?
3.8 x 2.8 inches
____________, is by far the most popular for SFF (small form factor) desktop computers.
mini-ITX
What are the three form factors for ITX?
Mini, nano and pico
What does SFF stand for?
Small Form Factor
In addition to compact size, ITX motherboards offer…?
lower power consumption and silent, fan-less operation
The ________ which enables the CPU to communicate with RAM as well as the various input/output devices such as the keyboard, hard disk drive, and video graphics adapter.
chipset
Chipset are divided into two main functions called…?
Northbridge and southbridge
The primary purpose of the Northbridge is to provide…?
High-speed interface between the CPU and other high speed motherboard devices including RAM and the video graphics adapter.
In older computers, the Northbridge is a discrete chip separate from the CPU. In modern computers the Northbridge function is…?
integrated into the CPU itself.
The Southbridge serves as what?
The interface between the CPU and low speed devices including the USB controller and the hard disk drive controller.
The Southbridge chip may have different designations depending on the generation of the personal
computer (PC) and the manufacturer. What are some examples of this?
For example, it is called the Input/Output Controller Hub in Intel systems
The Fusion Controller Hub in AMD systems
Some newer systems refer to the Southbridge as the Platform Controller Hub
What does ROM stand for?
Read Only Memory
The ROM chip stores small programs called _____________.
services
These services are lines of code necessary for the operation of common motherboard hardware, such as the ____________.
keyboard controller
Is ROM volatile or nonvolatile?
nonvolatile
What does nonvolatile mean?
meaning that the code stored on ROM isn’t erased when the computer
is turned off
ROM is considered ____________ memory.
permanent
ROM chips are _____-only
read
What does “read only” mean?
meaning that once you store a program on one, you can’t easily change it
Most modern ROM chips are made of flash memory–the same kind of memory that is used for…?
thumb drives, secure digital (SD) cards, and Solid-State Hard Drives
ROM is intended to be read from _____ and written to _______.
often
rarely
ROM can be updated by a specific operation called…?
flashing the ROM or flashing the BIOS
The term “CMOS” is an acronym for…?
Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor
The CMOS chip on a desktop system is an…?
Erasable programable read only memory (EPROM) chip which stores user hardware settings.
Is CMOS volatile or nonvolatile?
Volatile
In many modern computers the user hardware settings are stored on nonvolatile flash memory and the only purpose of the CMOS battery is to…?
maintain the motherboard clock & calendar settings while the
computer is turned off.
The CMOS menu gives the user control over the PC hardware settings such as…?
- Password
- Security Settings
- Boot device order
- Internal Device Options
- System clock & calendar
What is the BIOS?
BIOS is lines of code permanently stored on a ROM chip on the motherboard.
What is CMOS?
CMOS refers to the menu of hardware settings and options available to the user
BIOS is the built-in ___________ that determines what a computer can do without accessing programs from a disk.
firmware
For computers, the BIOS contains all the code required to control…?
- Keyboard
- Display screen
- Disk drives
- Serial communications
- Miscellaneous functions
The BIOS is typically placed in an _________ or __________ and comes installed on the motherboard as firmware.
EEPROM or flash memory
What are some common tasks BIOS perform?
- A Power-on Self-test (POST) for all the different hardware components in the system to make sure they are working correctly.
- Activating other BIOS chips on different cards installed in the computer.
- Providing a set of low-level routines that the OS uses to interface with different hardware devices.
- Managing settings for the hard disks, clock, etc
The CMOS data instructions are very small, typically ____ bytes.
64 bytes
CMOS sometimes called…?
Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory (NVRAM)
The CMOS is one type of technology used to make…?
Semiconductors (integrated circuits) such as processors, chipset chips, DRAM, etc.
The BIOS interface and CMOS settings may be protected with a ________.
password
The CMOS or BIOS password can be reset by doing what?
Altering jumpers or removing the CMOS battery.
Removing the battery will also set the BIOS to the…?
factory defaults
What does TPM stand for?
Trusted Platform Module
What is TPM?
(TPM) is often incorporated into the BIOS to allow
special encryption capabilities such as DriveLock
Computer hardware consists of three main parts…?
the central processing unit (CPU) that processes data, memory that holds the programs and data to be processed, and I/O (input/output)
devices that communicate with the outside world.
Data and instructions are transferred between
these parts on data pathways called _________.
buses
A motherboard bus refers to a communication pathway which connects the CPU to other parts of the computer including the…?
RAM, video graphics adapter, storage devices, expansions slots, and Input/Output devices
Communication between the CPU, RAM, and the video
graphics adapter requires a very fast connection through the _____________.
Northbridge
Communication between the CPU and slower devices such as storage media and Input/Output devices is established by bus connections through the ____________.
Southbridge
Of primary importance is the connection between the CPU and main memory (RAM), which may be referred to as the _________ or __________.
system bus or front-side bus
Buses are further classified as either ________ or _________.
internal or external
The Internal bus connects all ____________ of a computer, such as CPU and memory, to the main board.
internal components
The internal bus is sometimes referred to as the _________ because it connects local devices.
local bus
The external bus is the electronic pathways that connect the motherboard to various external devices, such as __________.
printers
The expansion bus connects the motherboard to _______________, such as PCIe.
expansion slots
Address bus is a bus architecture which allows the CPU to…?
access addressable locations in RAM
The width of the address bus determines the maximum number of…?
maximum number of addressable memory locations
The control bus carries signals that report the status of…?
various devices
The control bus is the physical connection between ____ and other devices within the computer.
CPU
The data bus is a bi-directional communication route through which data can travel between the…?
computer’s CPU, memory and peripherals
The CPU is the _________ component of a computer system.
principal
The CPU is the _______ of the computer which tells all the other components what to do and when to do it.
“brain”
Two large corporations manufacture most of the world’s personal
computer CPUs…?
American Micro Devices (AMD) and the Intel Corporation
The main job of the CPU is to carry out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic _______________________ specified by the instructions.
basic arithmetic, logic, controlling and input/output (I/O) operations
Though internal design varies by manufacturer and generation, there are generally three main structures inside a CPU:
The control unit, the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and registers
The control unit is a component of a computer’s CPU that directs the operation of the ___________.
processor
It tells the computer’s __________________________ how to
respond to the instructions that have been sent to the processor
memory, arithmetic and logic unit and I/O devices
Most computer resources are managed by the ________ unit.
control unit
In modern designs the control unit is an ___________ part of the CPU with its overall role and operation __________ since its introduction
internal
unchanged
What does ALU stand for?
Arithmetic Logic Unit
The ALU is a _________ component of a computer CPU.
major
What does AMD stand for?
American Micro Devices
Which digital electronic circuit is located inside the CPU and is designed to perform math operations on binary integers?
ALU
A ___________ is one of a small set of data holding places located inside the computer central processing unit.
register
Registers are made of what two things which the CPU uses to
rapidly perform internal operations?
high-speed
volatile memory
A register may hold an _______, or any kind of data
instruction, storage device or any kind of data
Modern CPUs have additional hardware memory called ________ located in or near the CPU.
cache
The CPU uses cache to store frequently accessed data to reduce the amount of _____ and _____ required to fetch the data from RAM.
time and energy
Cache is typically implemented as a 3-level hierarchy of
static RAM (SRAM) named ________.
L1, L2, and L3
Cache is located inside the CPU itself or on a hardware chip
directly adjacent to the CPU, greatly reducing _________.
latency
The overall purpose of CPU cache is to improve the performance of the computer by allowing the CPU to _____________.
process tasks more quickly
What does PGA stand for?
Pin Grid Array
What does LGA stand for?
Land Grid Array
What does ZIF stand for?
Zero Insertion Force
What is the physical difference between PGA and LGA?
PGA CPUs had rows of tiny pins built onto the chip which fit into the motherboard in a Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket. The CPU was placed on the socket, and a lever on the socket pressed and locked the CPU into place.
LGAs have flat contact points instead of pins. The contact pins are now built into the socket on the motherboard.
What is the primary issue with PGA?
PGAs require extreme care when handling and installing the chip
into the socket. Any mishandling or misalignment during installation results in bent pins rendering the CPU unusable.
What makes the LGA system better than PGA?
The LGA contact system makes CPU installation much easier and reduces the chance of damage due to mishandling or misalignment
Storage media is also referred to by what two names?
secondary memory or secondary storage
What is storage media?
It is a recording device, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), for storing large amounts of information.
RAM is also referred to by what two names?
main memory or primary memory
What does non-volatile mean?
The data will remain stored when power is removed from the device.
Storage devices fall into what three categories?
Magnetic storage, optical storage, and solid-state storage.
Magnetic storage includes what kind of drives?
Magnetic storage includes hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, and tape drives
Optical storage includes what?
CD-ROM, DVD, and Blu-ray discs
Solid-state storage devices include what?
Flash drives, solid-state drives (SSD), thumb drives, jump drives, and SD (secure digital) memory cards
Many desktop computers and servers contain ________ hard disk drives
one or more
Hard disk drives do one thing well, which is?
they permanently store lots of information in a digital form.
The hard disk drive evolved to answer the demands for what?
permanent high-volume file and data storage
The hard disk drive stores what?
OS, which boots the system, stores the applications, and files that we rely on, and may provide virtual memory for systems low on RAM.
There are two major types of storage drives:
platter-based and solid state.
Platter-based hard disk drives (HDDs) use _________ to store information
magnetic platters
Solid-state hard drives use what to store information?
integrated circuits
What does ATA stand for?
Advanced Technology Attachment
What is the most common hard drive connection standard?
ATA
The ATA standard comes in two major categories:
Parallel ATA (PATA) and Serial ATA (SATA).
What does PATA stand for?
Parallel ATA
What does SATA stand for?
Serial ATA
PATA is the ______ standard and uses 40 or 80 pin ribbon cables plus hardware jumpers for configuration.
older
SATA uses a ______________ and transfers data much faster
thin, flexible cable
Most SATA based drives do not require any hardware jumper configuration which means what?
you can just plug them in
Most SATA based drives do not require any hardware jumper configuration which means what?
you can just plug them in
_________ is an extension of the SATA standard for external hard drives.
eSATA
What does eSATA stand for?
External SATA
You might also encounter an HDD using the Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) standard. Though seldom found on desktop computers, SAS drives are popular on ___________.
servers
SATA drives are compatible with the SAS bus, but a SAS drive cannot interface with a _________.
SATA bus
The system BIOS has features that are configurable for hard drives. What are some examples of those settings?
Auto-configuration, device drivers, and boot order are some of the hard drive-related settings
HDDs use a very thin layer of ferromagnetic media applied over rugged, solid substrates, called ___________.
platters
The platters spin at speeds between ________ revolutions per minute (RPM) and ___________ RPM.
4,500 RPM and 15,000 RPM
HDDs generally use _____________ platters, although extremely small drive assemblies might use only one platter
two or more
HDDs consist of the following components:
Magnetic platters, arm, read/write heads, and motor
A technique modern HDDs use to achieve such high data densities is a change from Longitudinal recording to…?
Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR)
In longitudinal recording, the particles’ north and south poles are lined up ________ to the disk’s surface along a track.
parallel
In perpendicular recording, the magnetic poles are arranged _______________ to the disk’s surface, which allows more bits to be packed onto a disk and reduces problems from magnetic interference.
perpendicular
A more advanced technique called _________________ allows even
more data to be stored on the same physical space by overlapping the magnetized regions
Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)
Standard form factor HDDs of up to ________ are available as of 2022
20TB
____________________ is a legacy system from the early days of desktop PCs for giving logical addresses to each block of data on a hard disk drive.
Cylinder-Head Sector (CHS)
Although CHS, Master Boot Record, and BIOS are all obsolete, modern computers are ________________ with this older technology and it is still widely used.
backwards-compatible
Information on each platter is sorted and organized into a series of known, standard locations. These standard locations on the platters are called what three names?
tracks, sectors and clusters
What is a cylinder?
A cylinder is the set of all tracks that all the heads are currently located at.
The first step in preparing an HDD for use is to _________.
partition it
Partitioning is the process of dividing the physical hard drive into ____________ called partitions.
smaller units
In Microsoft Windows, each partition is assigned a drive________.
letter - for example “C:”
A HDD must have at least _____ partition in order to function.
one
Partitioning makes the hard drive visible to the ____________.
operating system (OS)
What are the two types of partitioning systems?
Master Boot Record (MBR) and GUID Partition Table (GPT)
MBR is a __________ disk partitioning system supported by every major operating system including Microsoft Windows.
legacy
MBR allows a maximum of only _____ partitions per disk. Another
important limitation of MBR is that the combined storage space of all partitions cannot exceed _______.
four
2TB
What two types of partitions can MBR create?
primary and extended
Windows must be _____________ because it can’t boot from an extended partition.
installed on a primary partition
The first sector of an MBR disk contains the _______________, which tells BIOS where to find the operating system so the computer can boot up.
Master Boot Record
The first sector of an MBR disk also contains the ___________, which
describes the number and size of partitions on the disk.
partition table
What does GPT stand for?
GUID Partition Table (GPT)
“GUID” stands for globally unique identifier
How is GPT numbered?
Each partition is numbered with a random string of characters so lengthy that it is almost certainly unique in the whole universe.
GPT allows the creation of a vast number of partitions on a single disk, but Windows imposes a maximum limit of ____ GPT partitions.
128 GPT partitions
GPT is a subset of the UEFI specification so it can only be used with modern motherboards with __________.
UEFI enabled
After an HDD is partitioned, it must be formatted with a suitable ______________.
file system
A file system allows a disk to…?
Store & retrieve data in an organized manner.
A file system also provides essential utilities such as __________________ commands so a user can manage their files.
CREATE, DELETE, CUT, COPY, PASTE, and RENAME commands
Additionally, file systems store ___________ about each file, such
as date created, date of last edit, date of last access, file size & type, and so on.
metadata
The three most common file systems used with Windows are….?
FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS
FAT stands for _______ and 32 refers to the _________ used to specify logical sectors on a disk.
File Allocation Table and 32 refers to the 32-bit architecture
FAT32 is simple and lightweight. It supports a basic set of commands for file management but offers no advanced features such as ________ or ___________.
file encryption or data compression
What does exFAT stand for?
exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table or FAT64)
exFAT has been adopted as standard by the SD association for SD cards larger than __GB.
32GB
What does NTFS stand for?
New Technology File System
The Windows operating system must be installed on an ______ partition.
NTFS
In addition to basic utilities such as file management commands and metadata, NTFS supports many advanced features not available with FAT file systems:
journaling, permissions, quotas, compression, encryption, sharing, partition resizing, and bad sectors
The five HDD Performance Characteristics that determine a hard disk drive’s performance are:
- Seek time
- access time
- Revolutions Per Minute (RPM)
- Capacity
- Interface
_____ is currently the most popular HDD interface for personal computers, but you may also encounter Serial Attached SCSI (SAS).
SATA
What does SSD stand for?
Solid State Drive
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses _____________ to store persistent or nonvolatile data with the intention of providing access just like a traditional hard disk drive.
solid-state (flash) memory
HDDs are electromechanical devices containing spinning disks and movable read/write heads. SSDs, in contrast, use integrated circuits which retain data in non-volatile memory chips and contain ______________.
no moving parts
What are the benefits of SSDs in comparison to HDDs?
SSDs are typically more resistant to physical shock, are silent, and have faster access & read/write times.
Hybrid drives are storage devices that combine ________ and ________ hard drives into a single drive.
flash memory and platter based
Computers that use hybrid drives keep more important or performance-sensitive data on the ___________ and use the ____________ for bulk storage.
flash memory portion
spinning platters
What does CD-ROM stand for?
Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) Drive
The information is stored and accessed on a CD-ROM in ____________________.
Random-sequential format.
The data is recorded on the CD-ROM disc in the form of _____ (low
points) and ________ (flat areas between pits).
pits
lands
For CD-ROM’s, the data is read from the disc using a __________ with a wavelength of 780nm. The data is determined by the __________ in the reflection of the light as it hits a land or a pit.
red laser
difference
For CD-ROM’s, the difference in reflection is then converted into _______ ________ represented as the stream of binary 0’s and 1’s.
digital signals
Extensions of the compact disc technologies include what?
Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R) and Compact Disc-Rewriteable (CD-RW)
What two names does DVD stand for?
Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc
DVDs work in a similar fashion to CDs and CD drives. Both shine a laser beam onto the surface of a disc to read pits that have been encoded on the disc. However, the DVD player requires greater mechanical and optical precision than the CD player due to the __________________.
smaller track-pitch ratio
DVDs have a much larger what than CD-ROM’s?
storage capacity
How do DVDs have so much more storage capabilities than CD-ROM’s?
Because DVD discs can be single sided/single layer, single sided/double layer, or double sided/double layer. Additionally, the pits and lands that make up the digital information are much smaller and are packed closer together than those on a CD.
CD-ROMs require lots of extra information encoded onto the disc to reduce _____ ______. The error correction code takes up a lot of CD storage space
read errors
Blu-ray works much like CD-ROM and DVD technology and a Blu-ray
disc will fit into a standard CD/DVD drive. A fundamental difference is the type of _______ used to read & write the data on the disc.
laser
The “Blu-ray” name is derived from the 405nm wavelength
_____ ________ ________ used.
blue-violet laser
Because of the Blu-ray’s blue-violet laser’s shorter wavelength, the optics can resolve smaller pits & lands that are more densely packed. This allows substantially more _____ to fit on a Blu-ray disc.
data
A Blu-ray disc is a _____ ______ ______ _______ designed for storing digital information, including high-definition video.
high-capacity optical disk
A magnetic tape unit performs the operation of reading and writing on magnetic tape. The tape is a _______ _________ , storing the data until it is ready to be entered into the system.
storage medium
Magnetic tape is seldom used on personal computers, but it is still sometimes used for enterprise network _____ __________
data backup
Magnetic tape offers the advantages of…?
high resistance to physical shock and extremely long data retention shelf-life compared to other storage media.
All tape systems have a major disadvantage: the data is stored in __________ __________. When a large tape is being used it may take considerable time to locate the desired data.
sequential format
What are some weaknesses to magnetic tapes?
- If new information is written over old information, the old information is destroyed.
- If the magnetic tape is exposed to stray magnetic fields, the data may be destroyed.
- Temperature and humidity may also affect the magnetic tape.
Advantages of flash memory include:
- It allows faster access
- It is smaller in size
- It is lighter
- It has no moving parts
- Flash memory is silent
In flash memory, information is stored in cells with each cell holding a ____ or ____.
one or zero
Even though accessing these cells is slow compared to regular RAM, flash memory has one major benefit: it is ___________.
non-volatile
Flash drives _____ _______ initially but save money over the long run with
their ability to be erased and reused. On top of that, they transfer larger amounts of data much faster and are more reliable.
cost most
An important benefit of flash memory is _____ _______ _______.
small physical size
A video card is also referred to as what other names?
A graphics accelerator card, display adapter, or graphics adapter
What is a graphics adapter?
Is a computer hardware component whose function is to generate output images to a monitor.
The term ______ _______ refers to a separate, dedicated expansion card that is plugged into a PCI slot on the computer motherboard, as opposed to a graphics controller integrated into the motherboard chipset or the CPU itself.
video card
A video card consists of a printed circuit board on which the components are mounted. These include:
A graphics processing unit, VRAM, Video BIOS and Random-
Access Memory Digital-to Analog Converter (RAMDAC)
Most common connection systems between the video card and
computer display are:
SVGA, DVI, S-Video, Composite Video, Component Video, HDMI, Display Port, USB
What does NIC stand for?
Network Interface Card
What is NIC?
The NIC is a circuit card installed in a computer that allows it to connect to a network and interface with other computers.
Network interface cards provide…?
Network interface cards provide a dedicated, full-time connection to a network.
The network interface may be integral to the motherboard, or it may take the form of…?
A separate, dedicated card installed in an internal expansion slot.
The NIC has a unique, 12-digit (48-bit) hexadecimal number called a _____________ address that identifies the Network Adapter in the system.
Media Access Control (MAC)
MAC address is synonymous with what other two names?
Physical address and hardware address.
No two NICs on the same network can share the same ____ __________.
MAC address
The back plate of the network interface card (or its integral motherboard equivalent) typically features a hardware port called an ______.
RJ-45
This RJ-45 port accommodates an Ethernet cable, which resembles a telephone line. Ethernet cable connects each network interface card to a central device called a _______.
switch
A NIC can also be designed to support to a ________ ______ _______connection.
wireless (Wi-Fi) network
Wireless Ethernet expansion cards are installed just like a wired Ethernet NIC, but rather than a port for an Ethernet cable, the card features a _______ ____________.
small antenna
A NIC is both an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) layer __ and layer __ device, as it provides physical access to a networking medium and provides a low- level addressing system using MAC addresses.
layer 1 (physical layer) and layer 2 (data link layer)
The keyboard interface is an example of an __________ device.
I/O (Input/Output) device
The keyboard interface is an example of an __________ device.
I/O (Input/Output) device
In modern PCs, the keyboard controller function has been
absorbed into the ________.
southbridge
Keyboards use the _________________________________________________ character map to translate keystrokes into character output
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
Whenever you press a key, a scanning chip inside the keyboard detects which key you have pressed and generates a coded binary pattern of ones and zeros—called ______ _______.
scan code
If you’ve ever edited your PC CMOS menu settings or assembled a PC from a kit you may have noticed that the keyboard works even before the operating system starts up. That’s because the hardware drivers for the keyboard controller are not in your operating system—they are part of…?
The BIOS code stored on the motherboard ROM
The keyboard is the _________ human/machine interface.
primary
In computing, the I/O is how a computer does what?
In computing, the I/O is how a computer receives information from the outside world and sends results back.
Devices that provide input or output to the computer are called _________.
peripherals
On a typical computer, peripherals include inputs like what two devices?
keyboard and mouse
On a typical computer, peripherals include outputs like what devices?
the display and printers
What serves as both inputs and outputs?
Hard disks, floppy disks and optical discs
I/O Port Addresses are _________ __________ used by the processor for direct communication with a device that has sent an interrupt signal to the processor.
memory addresses
Input/Output Ports enable ______________ between devices and software in your system.
communications
Interrupt requests are signals that cause the hardware to…?
transfer program control to some aspect of the CPU.
What does IRQ stand for?
Interrupt Requests
IRQ signals can be generated by the ________ or __________ and indicates that a task has been completed or needs to be started.
hardware or software
________ _________ are the software components of hardware devices.
Device drivers
The OS must recognize every ________ ________.
hardware device
Installing the most current driver is a vital part of the hardware ___________ process.
installation
Typically, the ______ ___ ____ __________ will release driver updates that can be downloaded from their product support website.
vendor of the product
The Windows option to restore previous drivers is in _________ __________.
Device Manager
If a device is not on the _________ ______ __________, the device may have an unverified or unsigned driver. There is no guarantee that an unsigned driver will function.
Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)
What does USB stand for?
Universal Serial Bus
USB provides _________ and/or _______ _______ to compatible connected
devices.
communication and/or electrical power
The original goal of USB was to make computers easier to use by replacing what…?
Replacing the confusing multitude of serial ports, keyboard &
mouse ports, and printer ports with a single, standard connector port.
Note that newer versions of USB are ________ ________ with older versions.
backward-compatible
The USB _____ __________ is an integrated circuit built into the motherboard chipset which controls every USB device connected to it.
host controller
The host controller supports communication and DC power to connected devices through a ____ ____. The ______ _____, in turn, connects to external ports.
root hub
The USB root hub is the part of the host controller that makes the _______ ________ to the external USB ports.
physical connection
In theory, a root hub can support up to _____ connected devices.
127
USB devices are divided into ____ distinct classes, each identified by a specific class code. Each device class is supported by the appropriate protocols.
21
What does HiD stand for?
Human Interface Device
Human Interface Device (HiD), class 03h, is instantly familiar to every computer user - the devices on this list include:
keyboards, mice, joysticks, and game controllers—in other words, devices which allow a human to interact with the computer.
What does MSC stand for?
Mass Storage Class
Class 08h, supports what devices?
Flash drives, memory cards, digital audio players, digital cameras, and external hard drives
Wireless Controller, class E0h, is a specialist which only supports __________ __________.
bluetooth adapters
Besides communication protocols, USB also uses a set of electrical protocols for providing DC power to connected devices—so called _____ ________ _______.
bus powered devices
A sound card is also known as what?
An audio card
A sound card (also known as an audio card) is a computer expansion card that can do what?
Input and output sound under control of computer programs.
Many computers have sound capabilities integrated into the ____________, while others require _______ ________ if audio capability is
desired.
motherboard
expansion cards
Be aware that sound through ____ is possible as well via an audio-to-___ adapter. These take the form of a small dongle with a ___-A connector at one end and audio input/output jacks on the other end.
USB
What does PSU stand for?
Power Supply Unit
A computer power supply unit (PSU) converts ___/___V or ___/___V AC power to low voltage DC power for the internal components of the computer.
100/120V or 220/240V
Most have ______ to change between voltages while others are able to automatically detect input voltage or can accept any voltage between those limits
switch
Most desktop computer power supplies are built to conform to the Advanced Technology ______ ______ form factor.
EXtended ATX form factor
ATX power supplies provide +3.3, +5, -5, +12-, and -12-volts DC for the computer components. These are sometimes called ______ ________.
voltage rails
The usual color code for a computer black wire is?
0v
The usual color code for a computer orange wire is?
3.3v
The usual color code for a computer red wire is?
5v
The usual color code for a computer yellow wire is?
12v
The connector for motherboard power is the largest of all - how many pins?
20 or 24 pins
There are also several smaller connectors for hard disk drives, optical drives, and floppy drives, most of which have four wires:
two black, one red and one yellow
All computer power supplies have _____ _______ connectors which plug into peripherals such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives.
4-pin molex connector
Some power supplies feature a ________ _________ _______. That is, only the required wire bundles are plugged into the power supply. The benefit of modularity is that there’s no need to bundle up unused cables and tuck them out of the way. This makes cable management easier, neatens up the inside of the computer case, and improves air flow as well.
modular wiring harness
PSU can be described by ______ _______ and ______ _______. The form factor describes the physical size and shape of the PSU. The power standard specifies the connectors and output voltages
form factor and power standard
PSUs are rated in _______ based on their maximum output power.
Watts
PSU power ranges from ____W to ____W, with some high-end units going up to ______W for extreme performance computers with
multiple processors and graphics cards.
200W to 800W
up to 1800W
PSUs are switch-mode power supplies, that is, they are
____-_______ to a degree.
self-adjusting
Power supplies may also be rated by efficiency and quality. __ _____, for example, is a voluntary industry certification program which ranks power supplies by energy efficiency.
80 Plus
The rank order for 80 Plus from lowest to highest is…?
80 Plus, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Titanium.
A _______ _____ is a component or assembly that transfers and dissipates heat in a solid material.
heat sink
CPUs and graphics processors use heat sinks because of the…?
heat generated by the chips
Heat sinks are made of metals which are good conductors of heat such as _______, _______ or _____.
Aluminum, Copper or Brass
_____ is a poor conductor of heat.
Air
________ _______ (also known as thermal compound) is added to the
base of the heat sink to help with thermal conduction between the CPU and heat sink.
Thermal paste
Modern computers use ________ to move heated air away from internal components and draw cooler air over them.
fans
For people who want to use high-end hardware or push their computers to run faster, more effective CPU cooling technologies are available. _______ _______, also known as water-cooling, can be a better
solution.
Liquid cooling
Software use is governed by which Department of the Air Force Manual…?
DAFMAN 17-1203 Information Technology Asset Management
DAFMAN 17-203 does not apply to what software?
It does not apply to any software that is internal or
integrated into a weapon system
It’s significant to note that responsibility for software license management rises to the highest levels of Air Force leadership. The ____ _____ _____ serves as the top software license manager for the entire USAF.
The Chief Information Office (SAF/CN)
___ ______ _______ is the lead command for software license management.
Air Combat Command (ACC)
Software is defined as?
Software is a collection of data or instructions that tell a computer how to work.
Software is often divided into what two categories?
System software and application software.
System software includes the OS and all the utilities that enable the computer to function. It refers to the OS and all utility programs that manage computer resources at a low level. System software interacts directly with the computer hardware and may offer _____ ___ ___ ______ _______.
limited to no user interface
_ ______ _____, for example, is a type of system software which is essential to the functioning of computer hardware but has no interaction with the human user.
A device driver
Application software includes programs that do real work for users. For example, ______, _______, and _______________ fall under the category of
application software.
word processors, spreadsheets and database management systems
Application software is also referred to as…?
end user programs or user applications
Unlike system software, application software can be ______ ___ or ____ by the user while the computer is running because it is not essential for operation of the computer hardware.
turned on or off
What does COTS stand for?
Commercial off the shelf software
COTS refers to software products that are ready-made and available for sale to the public. For example, _______ _______ is a COTS product that is a packaged software solution for businesses.
Microsoft Office
COTS products are designed to be implemented easily into ______ ______ without the need for customization.
existing systems
Copyright is the ________ ______ ______ granted to an author or inventor to publish, produce, sell, or distribute a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work.
exclusive legal right
Material protected by copyright is often marked with the abbreviation © or ___.
(c)
__________ is the act of determining that software performs without defects and viruses and does what the supporting documentation says it will do in accordance with any specified acceptance criteria.
Certification
_______ __________ are contracts between the software publisher and the user that defines and limits the software use.
License agreements
An ________ _______ allows the purchasing organization to use multiple copies of a specific COTS software program, usually up to a specified number, across the organization for a set price.
Enterprise license
______ ________ _______ are agreements, such as contracts or blanket purchase agreements, by which organizations acquire software or software maintenance under specified terms and conditions.
Enterprise software agreements (ESA)
What does APL stand for?
Approved Product List
What does AFNET stand for?
Air Force Network
Before a software product is added to the APL it must undergo rigorous testing & certification at a DoD operated Lab—a process that can take ___-___ months.
13-15 months
DoDIN APL testing is broadly divided into two categories:
- Cybersecurity (CS) or Information Assurance (IA) testing: As part of this testing, you would prove that the product can be securely configured based on DoD provided Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs).
- Interoperability (IO) testing: This testing ensures that the product operates correctly when
placed in the DoD network.
