Technical Support Fundamentals Flashcards
Abstraction:
To take a relatively complex system and simplify it for our use
Address bus:
Connects the CPU to the MCC and sends over the location of the data, but not the data itself
Algorithm:
A series of steps that solves specific problems
Android:
A mobile operating system based on Linux
Application:
A computer program designed for a specific use
ARPANET:
The earliest version of the Internet that we see today, created by the US government project DARPA in the 1960s
ASCII:
The oldest character encoding standard used is ASCII. It represents the English alphabet, digits, and punctuation marks
ATA:
The most common interface that hard drives use to connect to our system
ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended):
The most common form factor for motherboards
Backward compatible:
It means older hardware works with newer hardware
Binary system:
The communication that a computer uses is referred to as binary system, also known as base-2 numeral system
BIOS (Basic Input Output Services):
The BIOS is software that helps initialize the hardware in our computer and gets our operating system up and running
BIOS/UEFI:
A low-level software that initializes our computer’s hardware to make sure everything is good to go
Block storage:
It improves faster handling of data because the data isn’t stored in one long piece but in blocks, so it can be accessed more quickly
Boot:
To start up a computer
Bootloader:
A small program that loads the operating system
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device):
Refers to the practice of allowing people to use their own personal devices for work
Byte:
A group of 8 bits
Cache:
The assigned stored location for recently or frequently accessed data; on a mobile app it is where anything that was changed or created with that app is stored
Character encoding:
Is used to assign our binary values to characters so that we as humans can read them
Charge cycle:
One full charge and discharge of a battery
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):
Regulates the information we show to children under the age of 13
Chrome OS:
A Linux-based operating system designed by Google
Clients:
A device that receives data from a server
Computer:
A device that stores and processes data by performing calculations
Chipset:
It decides how components talk to each other on our machine
Clock cycle:
When you send a voltage to the clock wire
Clock speed:
The maximum number of clock cycles that it can handle in a set in a certain time period
Clock wire:
When you send or receive data, it sends a voltage to that clock wire to let the CPU know it can start doing calculations
Command Line Interface (CLI):
A shell that uses text commands to interact with the operating system
Computer file:
Data that we store and a file can be anything, a word document, a picture, a song, literally anything
CPU:
Central processing unit
CPU sockets:
A CPU socket is a series of pins that connect a CPU’s processor to the PC’s motherboard
cryptography:
The overarching discipline that covers the practice of coding and hiding messages from third parties
DARPA:
A US government project in the 1960s that went on to create the earliest version of the Internet that we see today
Data blocks:
Data that can be broken down into many pieces and written to different parts of the hard disk
Data sizes:
Metrics that refer to data sizes including bit, byte, kilobyte, kibibyte, and megabyte
DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM):
A type of RAM that is faster, takes up less power, and has a larger capacity than earlier SDRAM versions
Decimal form- base 10 system:
In the decimal system, there are 10 possible numbers you can use ranging from zero to nine
Desktop:
The main screen where we can navigate our files, folders, and applications
Digital divide:
The growing skills gap between people with and without digital literacy skills
DIMM:
Dual Inline Memory Module
Display port:
Port which also outputs audio and video
Distributions:
Some common Linux distributions are Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat
Domain name:
A website name; the part of the URL following www.
Domain Name System (DNS):
A global and highly distributed network service that resolves strings of letters, such as a website name, into an IP address
DRAM:
Dynamic Random Access Memory
Drivers:
The drivers contain the instructions our CPU needs to understand external devices like keyboards, webcams, printers
DVI:
DVI cables generally just output video
Electrostatic discharge:
Electrostatic discharge is a sudden and momentary flow of electric current between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short or dielectric breakdown
Etcher.io:
A tool you can use to load an install image onto your USB device and make it bootable
Ethernet cable:
It lets you physically connect to the network through a cable
External Data Bus (EDB):
It’s a row of wires that interconnect the parts of our computer
Factory reset:
Resetting a device to the settings it came with from the factory
Fiber optic cable:
Fiber optic cables contain individual optical fibers which are tiny tubes made of glass about the width of a human hair. Unlike copper, which uses electrical voltages, fiber cables use pulses of light to represent the ones and zeros of the underlying data
File extension:
The appended part of a filename that tells us what type of file it is in certain operating systems
File handling:
A process of storing data using a program
File system:
A system used to manage files
Finder:
The file manager for all Macs
Folders/Directories:
Used to organize files
Form factor:
A mathematical way to compensate for irregularities in the shape of an object by using a ratio between its volume and height
Globalization:
The movement that lets governments, businesses, and organizations communicate and integrate together on an international scale
Hard drive:
It is a long term memory component that holds all of our data, which can include music, pictures, applications
Hardware:
External or internal devices and equipment that help you perform major functions
Hardware resource deficiency:
It refers to the lack of system resources like memory, hard drive space, et cetera
HDD (Hard disk drive):
Hard disk drives, or HDDs, use a spinning platter and a mechanical arm to read and write information
HDMI:
A type of cable that outputs both video and audio
Heatsink:
It is used to dissipate heat from our CPU
HFS+/APFS:
HFS+ is a journaling system developed by Apple Inc. and APFS is another but more encrypted Apple journaling system
Hostname:
Used to identify the computer when it needs to talk to other computers
Hubs:
Devices that serve as a central location through which data travels through
Information technology:
The use of digital technology, like computers and the internet, to store and process data into useful information
Input/Output device:
A device that performs input and output, including monitors, keyboards, mice, hard disk drives, speakers, bluetooth headsets, webcams, and network adapters
Install image:
A downloadable operating system image used to install an operating system on a device
Instruction set:
A list of instructions that our CPU is able to run
Internet:
A worldwide system of interconnected networks
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN):
Where website names are registered
Internet of Things (IoT):
The concept that more and more devices are connected to the internet in a smarter fashion such as smart thermostats that turn off the air conditioner when you leave and turn it on when you come back
