Chapter 3 Hardware Key Terms Flashcards
Ethernet
A set of standards for network communication in local area networks
CAT5e
Category 5e TP cable. Supports Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000Mbps)
CAT6
Category 6 TP cable. Supports 10G Ethernet (10/100/1000/10000Mbps)
and reduces crosstalk for more reliable connections at Gigabit speeds.
plenum
air space in a building, such as HVAC ductwork or a suspended ceiling. Plenum cable, which produces very little smoke when burned, is required when a plenum is being used for cabling
Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
Ethernet cables with 4 pairs of twisted wires inside
a sheath
Shielded twisted pair (STP)
Ethernet cable with added shielding to protect against
electromagnetic interference
568B
A TP wiring standard that uses the following wires from pins 1 to 8:
orange stripe, orange, green stripe, blue, blue stripe, green, brown stripe,
brown
568A
A TP wiring standard that uses the following wires from pins 1 to 8:
green stripe, green, orange stripe, blue, blue stripe, orange, brown stripe, brown
fiber-optic cabling
Network cable that uses glass fibers to transmit photons to
carry data
coaxial cabling
A type of cable that consists of a solid center copper core, insulation, a metal braided jacket for grounding, and a vinyl or plastic outer jacket. Commonly used for cable TV, cable Internet, and satellite Internet
Bayonet Neill-Concelman or British Naval Connector (BNC) connector
a connector used to attach legacy Ethernet 10Base2 coax cable.
F connector
A connector used for cable, satellite, and fixed wireless Internet and
TV service. Can be crimped or attached via compression to the coaxial cable
Video Graphics Array (VGA)
the first popular analog video standard and the basis
for all current video cards
Super Video Graphics Array or Super VGA (SVGA)
800×600 VGA resolution or
any VGA display setting that uses more than 16 colors or a higher resolution than
640×480.
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
A compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data.
mini-HDMI
A type of cable/connector used by high-performance video cards and
some tablets
DisplayPort
A cable and port primarily used to transmit video that can also send
audio and USB signals. Designed as a replacement for VGA and DVI
Lightning
The proprietary, reversible Apple iOS sync/charging USB 2.0 connector. Used on older iOS devices.
Thunderbolt
An Intel-developed ultra-high-speed I/O interface that is available
in three versions: 10Gbps (Thunderbolt 1), 20Gbps (Thunderbolt 2), and 40Gbps
(Thunderbolt 3). Used widely by Apple and by some high-performance PCs
USB
Universal Serial Bus; a high-speed replacement for older I/O ports. Several
generations of USB have been implemented, the latest being USB 3.1 Gen 2.
USB-C
The newest reversible USB connector; should replace other USB types
USB 2.0
Universal Serial Bus version 2; a version of USB with peak speed of
480Mbps that is compatible with USB 1
USB 3.1 Gen 1
Universal Serial Bus version 3.1 Generation 1; the same as USB
3.0
USB 3.1 Gen 2
Universal Serial Bus version 3.1 Generation 2; a version of USB
that runs at 10Gbps and is compatible with USB 3.0, 2.0, and 1.1 devices
Serial
A serial communication physical interface (also known as a COM port)
through which information transfers in or out 1 bit at a time. The RS-232 standard
is commonly used to transmit data through DB-9 ports
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
a version of ATA that uses
thin data and power cables to transmit data serially at rates of 1.5Gbps, 3.0Gbps,
6.0Gbps, and 16Gbps (SATA Express
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)
the interface that connects the motherboard to
drives like CD-ROM/DVD or a hard drive.
Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)
a flexible interface that can be used for hard drives and optical drives, scanners, and other devices. Narrow SCSI interfaces enable daisy chaining of 7 devices to a single port. Wide SCSI enables daisy chaining of up to 15 devices to a single port.
RJ-45
Registered jack function 45; the most common Ethernet cable, which connects network interface cards on PCs to network switches and SOHO routers.
RS-232
A serial connector on older PCs that connected modems, printers, and
mice. Replaced by USB
Bayonet Neill-Concelman or British Naval Connector (BNC)
a connector used to attach legacy Ethernet 10Base2 coax cable.
RG-59
Coaxial cable used to distribute TV signals in a home or office. Replaced
by RG-6.
RG-59
Coaxial cable used to distribute TV signals in a home or office. Replaced
by RG-6.
RG-6
Coaxial cable used to distribute HDTV signals in a home or office.
RG-6QS uses quad shielding for better signal quality over long runs.
Molex
A 4-pin power connector used for desktop PATA drives and some add-on
cards. Molex connectors can be adapted to SATA drives, case fans, and Bern connectors (used for floppy drive power).
RAM
volatile memory whose contents can be changed
Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)
fast RAM synchronized to the motherboard’s
clock speed with speeds of 66MHz, 100MHz, or 133MHz
Single data rate SD RAM (SDR SDRAM)
a type of RAM that is now legacy
Double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM)
DDR2 through DDR4 are currently in use
Double double data rate 2 (DDR2)
the successor to DDR SDRAM, which runs its external data bus at twice the speed of DDR SDRAM, enabling faster performance
Double double data rate 3 (DDR3)
the successor to DDR2
SDRAM, which runs its external data bus at twice the speed of DDR2 SDRAM,
enabling faster performance. DDR3 SDRAM also uses lower voltages than DDR2
and supports higher memory capacities
Double data rate 4 (DDR4)
the successor to DDR3
SDRAM, which runs its external data bus at twice the speed of DDR3 SDRAM,
enabling faster performance. DDR4 SDRAM also uses lower voltages than DDR3
and supports higher memory capacities
Dual inline memory module (DIMM)
a type of memory module available in 168-
pin, 184-pin, 240-pin, and 288-pin versions. Dual refers to each side of the module
having a different pinout.
Small Outline DIMM (SODIMM)
a compact version of the standard DIMM module, available in various pinouts for use in notebook and laptop computers and laser
printers
single channel
A single RAM slot on an earlier motherboard.
dual channel
A motherboard feature in which two identical memory modules are treated as a single logical unit for faster access.
triple channel
A motherboard technique used to triple RAM speed
parity checking
A method of checking reliability of data transmission using extra
parity bits in the transmission
error-correcting code (ECC)
Advanced memory that can correct errors and
requires special chipsets. Used primarily in servers
CD-ROM
Compact disc-read-only memory; an optical disc that can be read by a PC but not written to
CD-ROM
Compact disc-read-only memory; an optical disc that can be read by a PC but not written to
Compact disc-rewritable (CD-RW)
an optical disk that can be both read and written to by a PC.
Digital video disc-read-only memory (DVD-ROM)
an optical video disc that can
be read by the PC but not be written to
Digital video disc-rewritable (DVD-RW)
an optical video disc that can be both
read and written to by the PC
Digital video disc-rewritable dual-layer (DVD-RW DL)
an optical drive that supports rewritable DVD and dual-layer recordable DVD media
Blu-ray
An optical medium originally developed for HD movies; capacity of 25GB single-layer and 50GB in dual-layer
Recordable Blu-ray (BD-R)
Blu-ray standard disks that are readable but not
writable
Rewritable Blu-ray (BD-RE)
Blu-ray standard disks that can be written to
and erased for reuse multiple times
hard drive
A mass storage device
(SSD)
A hard drive that uses flash memory instead of magnetic storage platters
M.2
A solid-state drive (SSD) that can mount directly onto a motherboard or an expansion card, giving the drive more direct access to the CPU for much faster
reading than an SSD
(MLC)
a type of memory that is faster but more expensive than SLC flash memory; used in solid-state drives (SSDs).
(SLC)
a flash memory type most often used in solid-state drives (SSDs)
Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe)
A protocol designed to allow solid-state drives (SSDs) to transfer data between the motherboard and the SSDs at staggeringly high rates.
spin rate
The speed at which hard disk media turns
hybrid drive
A drive that is a combination of a standard SATA hard disk with up
to 8GB of the same type of solid state (SS) memory used in solid-state drives (SSDs)
flash memory
A type of memory that can retain its contents without electricity
Redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks (RAID)
a method for creating a faster or safer single logical hard disk drive from two or more physical drives
RAID Level 0 (RAID 0)
A type of RAID in which two drives are treated as a
single drive, with both drives used to simultaneously store different portions of the
same file.
striping
A type of RAID in which two drives are treated as a single drive, with
both drives used to simultaneously store different portions of the same file
RAID Level 1 (RAID 1)
A type of RAID in which two drives are treated as mirrors of each other; changes to the contents of one drive are immediately reflected on
the other drive
mirroring
In RAID, a process in which two drives are treated as mirrors of each
other, and changes to the contents of one drive are immediately reflected on the
other drive
RAID Level 5 (RAID 5)
A type of RAID in which three or more drives are
treated as a logical array, and parity information (used to recover data in the event of a drive failure) is spread across all drives in the array. Suitable for use with program and data drives
RAID Level 1+0 (RAID 10)
A type of RAID in which four drives combine striping plus mirroring for extra speed plus better reliability. Suitable for use with program and data drives. RAID 10 is a stripe set of mirrors.
hot-swappable drive
A drive that can be safely removed from a system or connected to a system without shutting down the system.
Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX)
a motherboard form factor with an integrated port cluster at the left rear of the board, which is the basis for most midsize to full-size desktop systems
microATX (mATX)
a reduced-size ATX-family motherboard that supports up to four expansion slots. Usually incorporates video ports and only two memory slots.
(mITX)
a VIA tech-originated ultra-compact motherboard design; used in computing appliances (such as media servers.)
expansion slot
A slot used in motherboards to provide support for additional input/output (I/O) devices and high-speed video/graphics cards
riser card
A device used to work around limited space in some systems. Riser
cards can make multiple ports available from a single slot bracket or slot or enable
full-size cards to be mounted horizontally in low-profile systems.
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)
the interface that connects the motherboard to drives like CD-ROM/DVD or a hard drive
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
Boot firmware, also known as System BIOS or, on most recent systems, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), the first code run by a computer when it is booted.
power-on self-test (POST)
A BIOS test of basic hardware performed during
cold boot
intrusion detection/notification
A notification from an IDS device about threats
that might not be detected by a firewall
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
A chip residing on a motherboard that stores
encrypted keys.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
A chip residing on a motherboard that stores
encrypted keys.
LoJack
A popular security feature embedded in the laptop BIOSes of a number of
systems and can be added to other systems. It consists of two components: a BIOSresident component and the Computrace Agent, which is activated by LoJack when a computer is reported as stolen.
Secure Boot
A setting that blocks installation of untrusted software during the boot process
single-core processor
An early CPU with only a single processing thread
running
multicore processor
A processor with two or more cores; some desktop processors have as many as eight cores.
virtualization support
Hardware-assisted virtualization with BIOS/UEFI and CPU support
hardware-assisted virtualization
The process of using hardware resources, especially RAM, to assist in the management of virtual machines.
hyperthreading
Technology developed by Intel for processing two execution threads within a single processor core.
bus speeds
The speeds at which different buses in a motherboard connect to different components.
bus speeds
The speeds at which different buses in a motherboard connect to different components.
overclocking
Increasing a component’s clock rate to run at a higher speed than it was designed to run. Usually applies to the CPU or GPU, but other components can also be overclocked.
heat sink
A finned metal device that radiates heat away from the processor
video card
An expansion card that generates video signals and displays them on a
monitor
primary VGA BIOS
A setting in BIOS that allows you to choose which video
card to enable if two are installed (for example, one VGA and one graphics adapter)
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
a version of ATA that uses
thin data and power cables to transmit data serially at rates of 1.5Gbps, 3.0Gbps,
6.0Gbps, and 16Gbps (SATA Express)
Near field communication (NFC)
a feature included in many mobile devices such
as tablets for data transfer and shopping. When NFC is enabled and a suitable payment system (such as Apple Pay or Android Pay) is installed on a mobile device, it can be used for secure payments at any retailer that supports NFC payments.
power supply
A device that converts high-voltage AC to low-voltage DC
Alternating current (AC)
the type of electrical current used to run homes and businesses.
Keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch
a switch that enables a single keyboard, display, and mouse to support two or more computers
Keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch
a switch that enables a single keyboard, display, and mouse to support two or more computers
Direct current (DC)
the type of electrical current supplied by batteries or by a PC’s power supply
dual voltage
A type of power supply that is designed to handle two different voltage ranges: 115–120V/60Hz and 220–240V/50Hz
wattage rating
A power measurement used to determine the appropriate size of a UPS or a power supply. Also used to measure the thermal design power of a CPU so that an adequate cooling solution can be used.
amperage rating
A rating that describes the amount of current (amps) a device
draws when running
imaging drum
A printer component that applies the page image to the transfer belt or roller; frequently combined with the toner supply in a toner cartridge.
developer
A printer component that pulls toner from the toner supply and sends it to the imaging drum.
fuser assembly
a laser printer component that fuses the page image to the paper.
transfer belt (transfer roller)
A printer component that transfers a page image
from the drum to the page.
transfer belt (transfer roller)
A printer component that transfers a page image
from the drum to the page.
pickup rollers
Printer component that picks up paper
paper separation pad
A part of a printer that enables pickup rollers to pick up only one sheet of paper at a time.
processing
Step 1 of the laser printing process, in which the printer’s raster image
processing engine receives the page, font, text, and graphics data from the printer driver, creates a page image, and stores it in memory
charging
Step 2 of the laser printing process, in which the cylinder-shaped imaging drum receives an electrostatic charge of −600Vdc (DC voltage) from a conditioning roller.
exposing
Step 3 of the laser printing process, in which a moving mirror moves the laser beam across the surface of the drum. As it moves, the laser beam temporarily records the image of the page to be printed on the surface of the drum by reducing the voltage of the charge applied by the charger corona to −100VDC.
developing
Step 4 of the laser printing process, in which the drum has toner applied to it from the developer; because the toner is electrostatic and is also at –600VDC, the toner stays on only the portions of the drum that have been
reduced in voltage to create the image.
transferring
Step 5 of the laser printing process: While the sheet is being fed into the printer, it receives an electrostatic charge of +600VDC from a corona wire or roller, which enables it to attract toner from the drum, which is negatively charged. As the drum’s surface moves close to the charged paper, the toner adhering to the drum is attracted to the electrostatically charged paper to create the printed page.
fusing
Step 6 of the laser printing process, in which the printed sheet of paper is pulled through fuser rollers, using high temperatures (approximately 350 degrees
Fahrenheit) to heat the toner and press it into the paper. The printed image is
slightly raised above the surface of the paper
cleaning
Step 7 of the laser printing process, which involves preparing the drum for a new page by removing the preceding page from the drum by using a discharge
lamp. Toner that is not adhering to the surface of the drum is scraped from the drum’s surface for reuse
calibration (printers)
The process of printing one or more sheets of paper and
selecting the print setting that produces straight lines.
inkjet printer
A print technology that sprays fine droplets of ink on the page
