IT Fundamentals Flashcards
Definitions
What is hardware?
Physical components of a computer, including CPU, RAM, storage devices, and peripherals
What is software?
Programs and applications that enable computer functionality, including operating systems
What is data?
Information processed, stored, and managed by computers, often stored in databases
What is networking?
The practice of connecting computers to share resources and information, locally or over the Internet
What is the internet?
A global network that connects millions of computers, enabling communication and information exchange
What is cloud computing?
The delivery of computing services, including storage and processing power, over the Internet
What are servers?
Powerful computers that provide services, resources, or data to other computers (clients) in a network
What is a client-server model?
A computing architecture where tasks are divided between clients (user devices) and servers (centralized resources)
What are workstations?
Computers used by individuals for work or personal tasks
What are routers?
Routers are like the traffic controllers of a network. They direct data packets to their destination by determining the best path across a complex network of interconnected devices. Routers operate mainly at the network layer of the OSI model. They’re crucial for WANs and are responsible for interconnecting different networks, like connecting your home network to the Internet
What are switches?
Switches operate in a LAN environment. They connect multiple devices within a network, such as computers and printers, and use MAC addresses to forward data to the correct device. Operating primarily at the data link layer of the OSI model, switches are responsible for creating a network of devices that can communicate with each other within the same network
What are firewalls?
Firewalls are like guardians of a network. They monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Operating at various layers of the OSI model, firewalls can be hardware, software, or a combination of both. They act as a barrier between your secure internal network and untrusted external networks, such as the Internet, preventing unauthorized access and potential attacks
What are packets?
Packets are the fundamental units of data transmission in a network. Packets contain both the data being transmitted and control information such as destination and source addresses. When data is sent over a network, it’s broken down into these smaller, manageable packets, which are then reassembled into the original data by the receiving device
What is RAM, or randon access memory?
RAM is the temporary storage that the computer uses to handle current tasks. It’s faster to read from and write to than other kinds of storage, such as a hard disk or SSD. The data in RAM is accessibley much faster than the data stored on a hard drive, making it crucial for the system’s speed
What is the CPU, or central processing unit?
It is the main component, or the brain of a computer. It performs all types of data processing operations, executes instructions, and processes data. It communicates with the input, output, and storage devices to perform tasks
What are HDDs (Hard Disk Drives)?
Traditional storage devices that use spinning disks to read/write data. They offer more storage capacity at a lower cost but are slower than SSDs
What are SSDs (Solid State Drives)?
Faster and more reliable than HDDs as they use flash memory to store data and have no moving parts. They are more expensive per gigabyte than HDDs.
What are peripherals?
Peripherals are external devices that provide input to or receive output from the computer, these include Keyboard and Mouse, printers, monitors, speakers, etc.
What is virtualization?
Virtualization is about creating digital versions of physical resources such as servers, storage devices, networks, and even entire operating systems. It optimizes resource usage and provides a layer of abstraction over physical hardware. It’s a key component in cloud environments, enabling the dynamic allocation and management of resources.
What are hypervisors?
A software, also known as the virtual machine monitor (VMM), that allows multiple operating systems to share a single hardware host. Each operating system appears in its own virtual machine.
What are virtual machines (VMs)?
VMs are isolated software containers that can run their own operating systems and applications as if they were physical computers.
What is network virtualization?
A concept that separates the physical network from the way it’s managed and operated, allowing for more efficient resource use and easier network management.
What is a computer?
A computer is an electronic device capable of processing information and executing commands. It can receive data (a series of instructions), process it according to those instructions, and then produce the results. Computers can also store information for retrieval later.
What is cloud storage?
Storing data on remote servers accessed from the Internet. It offers accessibility from any location and often includes data backup and recovery.
