Chapter 1 Flashcards
Most devices encountered when working with a network involve what
a computer
what are the operating systems that most workstations and network servers run?
Windows, Linux, UNIX, Mac OS X
What are the three basic functions of a computer
- Input
- example: a user types an “A” on the keyboard which sends a code representing a into the computer
- Processing
- The computer’s CPU processes the input, be it from the keyboard or somewhere else
- Output
- The CPU acts upon the processed input and sends back information such as telling the graphics card to display the letter a on the monitor
What are some common user controlled input devices
keyboards, microphones, webcams, scanners
What is a computer’s main processing component
the Central Processing Unit (CPU)
What are current CPUs composed of
two or more processors called cores
Having two cores is like a person having two brains that are able to think and act simultaneously
what are some common computer outputs
Monitors, Printers, storage devices, network cards, speakers
The processes of writing files to a connected disk drive would be considered an output
What does having more storage mean for a computer?
Most storage components are both ___ and ___ devices
What are the two main categories of storage
better performance
input and output
Short-term storage and Long-term storage
What does RAM stand for and for what is it used
What does a computer do if not enough RAM is avaiable for a particular program
RAM is Random Access Memory which is also known as “working storage”
The amount of RAM avaiable to a computer is crucial to it’s ability to run a program.
If not enough RAM is available the computer’s disk drive will supplement
What happens to RAM when the computers power is turned off
It is erased. RAM requires an electrical charge to retain information
What are examples of Long Term storage and how does long term differ from short term
Long term includes Hard disks, CDs/DVDs, USB flash drives
Long term is slower to access but doesn’t require an electrical charge meaning that it won’t be lost in the event of power failure
what represents a 1 bit and what represents a 0 bit using electricity
With fiber optic how are 1 and 0 represented
5 volts is a 1, 0 volts or the absence of volate is a 0
The presense or absence of light
what is a byte
this is a storage unit that is comprosed of 8 bits
What are the four major PC components
Motherboard
Hard drive
RAM
BIOS/CMOS
Describe the following key component of a motherboard: PCI bus expansion slots
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
these are used to add functionality to a PC by adding expansion cards that have a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) connector
Describe the following key component of a motherboard: PCI-Express expansion slots
Peripheral Component Interconnect PCI-Express supersedes PCI and supports faster data transfer speeds.
The larger slots are suitable for high-performance expansion cards, such as graphics cards and disk controllers.
The smaller slots are best suited to sound cards and network interface cards
Describe the following key component of a motherboard: Chipset with heat sinks
The chipset consists of two chips - Northbridge and Southbridge. (In modern machines there is only one chip)
These chips control data transfer between memory, expansion slots, I/O devices, and the CPU.
The heat sink sits on top of the chipset to prevent it from overheating
Describe the following key component of a motherboard: SATA connectors
Used for connecting hard drives and CD/DVD drives that use the Serial AT Attachment (SATA) specification
Describe the following key component of a motherboard: IDE connector
Used for connecting integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) hard drives and CD/DVD-ROM drives. Most systems now use SATA for hard drives and IDE for CD/DVD-ROM drives
What is a BUS
Where are they found
A BUS is a collection of wires carrying data from one place to another in the computer. All data that goes into or comes out of the computer must travel through the motherboard.
There are buses between:
CPU and RAM
CPU and disk drives
CPU and expansion slots
What is the Primary long-term storage component on a computer
Hard Drive
How does a Hard drive consist of and what is typicall stored on it
A hard drive is made up of magnetic disks called “platters” that are able to store information in the form of magnetic pulses
The hard drive stores the documents you use as well as the applications that open those documents.
The hard drive also stores the operating system that is loaded when the computer boots up
What are Solid State Drives
why are they used
These are a replacement for hard drives that have increased speed and reliability
They use Flash memory which means there are no moving parts resulting in faster access times
They are more expensive then hard drives and are most often found in mobel devices as well as high-performance desktops and servers
What is the primary short-term storage component
Are there moving parts?
RAM is the primary short term and has no moving parts meaning that data is accessed much faster than accessing data on hard drive would be

