Technical Support Fundamentals Flashcards
1
Q
Abstraction:
A
To take a relatively complex system and simplify it for our use
2
Q
Address bus:
A
Connects the CPU to the MCC and sends over the location of the data, but not the data itself
3
Q
Algorithm:
A
A series of steps that solves specific problems
4
Q
Android:
A
A mobile operating system based on Linux
5
Q
Application:
A
A computer program designed for a specific use
6
Q
ARPANET:
A
The earliest version of the Internet that we see today, created by the US government project DARPA in the 1960s
7
Q
ASCII:
A
The oldest character encoding standard used is ASCII. It represents the English alphabet, digits, and punctuation marks
8
Q
ATA:
A
The most common interface that hard drives use to connect to our system
9
Q
ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended):
A
The most common form factor for motherboards
10
Q
Backward compatible:
A
It means older hardware works with newer hardware
11
Q
Binary system:
A
The communication that a computer uses is referred to as binary system, also known as base-2 numeral system
12
Q
BIOS (Basic Input Output Services):
A
The BIOS is software that helps initialize the hardware in our computer and gets our operating system up and running
13
Q
BIOS/UEFI:
A
A low-level software that initializes our computer’s hardware to make sure everything is good to go
14
Q
Block storage:
A
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
15
Q
Boot:
A
To start up a computer
16
Q
Bootloader:
A
A small program that loads the operating system
17
Q
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device):
A
Refers to the practice of allowing people to use their own personal devices for work
18
Q
Byte:
A
A group of 8 bits
19
Q
Cache:
A
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
20
Q
Character encoding:
A
Is used to assign our binary values to characters so that we as humans can read them
21
Q
Charge cycle:
A
One full charge and discharge of a battery
22
Q
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):
A
Regulates the information we show to children under the age of 13
23
Q
Chrome OS:
A
A Linux-based operating system designed by Google
24
Q
Clients:
A
A device that receives data from a server
25
Computer:
A device that stores and processes data by performing calculations
26
Chipset:
It decides how components talk to each other on our machine
27
Clock cycle:
When you send a voltage to the clock wire
28
Clock speed:
The maximum number of clock cycles that it can handle in a set in a certain time period
29
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
30
Command Line Interface (CLI):
A shell that uses text commands to interact with the operating system
31
Computer file:
Data that we store and a file can be anything, a word document, a picture, a song, literally anything
32
CPU:
Central processing unit
33
CPU sockets:
A CPU socket is a series of pins that connect a CPU’s processor to the PC’s motherboard
34
cryptography:
The overarching discipline that covers the practice of coding and hiding messages from third parties
35
DARPA:
A US government project in the 1960s that went on to create the earliest version of the Internet that we see today
36
Data blocks:
Data that can be broken down into many pieces and written to different parts of the hard disk
37
Data sizes:
Metrics that refer to data sizes including bit, byte, kilobyte, kibibyte, and megabyte
38
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
39
Decimal form- base 10 system:
In the decimal system, there are 10 possible numbers you can use ranging from zero to nine
40
Desktop:
The main screen where we can navigate our files, folders, and applications
41
Digital divide:
The growing skills gap between people with and without digital literacy skills
42
DIMM:
Dual Inline Memory Module
43
Display port:
Port which also outputs audio and video
44
Distributions:
Some common Linux distributions are Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat
45
Domain name:
A website name; the part of the URL following www.
46
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
47
DRAM:
Dynamic Random Access Memory
48
Drivers:
The drivers contain the instructions our CPU needs to understand external devices like keyboards, webcams, printers
49
DVI:
DVI cables generally just output video
50
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
51
Etcher.io:
A tool you can use to load an install image onto your USB device and make it bootable
52
Ethernet cable:
It lets you physically connect to the network through a cable
53
External Data Bus (EDB):
It's a row of wires that interconnect the parts of our computer
54
Factory reset:
Resetting a device to the settings it came with from the factory
55
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
56
File extension:
The appended part of a filename that tells us what type of file it is in certain operating systems
57
File handling:
A process of storing data using a program
58
File system:
A system used to manage files
59
Finder:
The file manager for all Macs
60
Folders/Directories:
Used to organize files
61
Form factor:
A mathematical way to compensate for irregularities in the shape of an object by using a ratio between its volume and height
62
Globalization:
The movement that lets governments, businesses, and organizations communicate and integrate together on an international scale
63
Hard drive:
It is a long term memory component that holds all of our data, which can include music, pictures, applications
64
Hardware:
External or internal devices and equipment that help you perform major functions
65
Hardware resource deficiency:
It refers to the lack of system resources like memory, hard drive space, et cetera
66
HDD (Hard disk drive):
Hard disk drives, or HDDs, use a spinning platter and a mechanical arm to read and write information
67
HDMI:
A type of cable that outputs both video and audio
68
Heatsink:
It is used to dissipate heat from our CPU
69
HFS+/APFS:
HFS+ is a journaling system developed by Apple Inc. and APFS is another but more encrypted Apple journaling system
70
Hostname:
Used to identify the computer when it needs to talk to other computers
71
Hubs:
Devices that serve as a central location through which data travels through
72
Information technology:
The use of digital technology, like computers and the internet, to store and process data into useful information
73
Input/Output device:
A device that performs input and output, including monitors, keyboards, mice, hard disk drives, speakers, bluetooth headsets, webcams, and network adapters
74
Install image:
A downloadable operating system image used to install an operating system on a device
75
Instruction set:
A list of instructions that our CPU is able to run
76
Internet:
A worldwide system of interconnected networks
77
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN):
Where website names are registered
78
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
79
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4):
An address that consists of 32 bits separated into four groups
80
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6):
An address that consist of a 128 bits, four times the amount that IPv4 uses
81
Internet service provider (ISP):
A company that provides a consumer an internet connection
82
I/O management:
Anything that can give us input or that we can use for output of data
83
iOS:
A mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc.
84
IP address:
The most common protocol used in the network layer, used to helps us route information
85
ITX (Information Technology eXtended):
A form factor for motherboards that is much smaller than ATX boards
86
Kernel:
The main core of an operating system that creates processes, efficiently schedules them, and manages how processes are terminated
87
Land Grid Array (LGA):
It is a type of CPU socket that stick out of the motherboard
88
Lightning adaptor:
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
89
Linux OS:
Linux is one of the largest an open source operating system used heavily in business infrastructure and in the consumer space
90
Logic gates:
Allow transistors to do more complex tasks, like decide where to send electrical signals depending on logical conditions
91
Logs:
Files that record system events on our computer
92
MAC address:
A globally unique identifier attached to an individual network interface. It's a 48-bit number normally represented by six groupings of two hexadecimal numbers
93
Mac OS:
Apple's operating system
94
Mb/s:
megabit per second, which is a unit of data transfer rate
95
Memory controller chip (MCC):
A bridge between the CPU and the RAM
96
Memory management:
One of the functions that a kernel performs; it optimizes memory usage and make sure our applications have enough memory to run
97
Metadata:
Tells us everything we need to know about a file, including who created it, when it was last modified, who has access to it, and what type of file it is
98
Micro display port:
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
99
Microsoft Terminal Services Client:
A client program used to create RDP connections to remote computers
100
Micro HDMI:
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
101
Micro USB:
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
102
Mini HDMI:
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
103
Mini USB:
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
104
Motherboard:
The body or circulatory system of the computer that connects all the pieces together
105
Network:
The interconnection of computers
106
Network Address Translation (NAT):
A mitigation tool that lets organizations use one public IP address and many private IP addresses within the network
107
Networking:
Managing, building and designing networks
108
Networking protocols:
A set of rules for how we transfer data in a network
109
Network stack:
A set of hardware or software that provides the infrastructure for a computer
110
Northbridge:
interconnects stuff like RAM and video cards
111
Open SSH:
The most popular program to use SSH within Linux
112
Open source:
This means the developers will let other developers share, modify, and distribute their software for free
113
Operating system:
The whole package that manages our computers resources and lets us interact with it
114
Overclocking:
it increases the rate of your CPU clock cycles in order to perform more tasks
115
PC:
Personal computer, which technically means a computer that one person uses
116
PCI Express:
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
117
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant):
Allows computing to go mobile
118
Peripherals:
the external devices which we connect to our computer that add functionality, like: a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor
119
Pin Grid Array (PGA):
CPU socket where the pins are located on the processor itself
120
Plink (PuTTY Link):
A tool built into the command line after PuTTY is installed that is used to make remote SSH connections
121
Ports:
Connection points that we can connect devices to that extend the functionality of our computer
122
POST (Power On Self Test):
It figures out what hardware is on the computer
123
Powershell:
A shell (program that interprets text commands) for Windows
124
Power supply:
Converts electricity from our wall outlet onto a format that our computer can use
125
Power user:
Above average computer users
126
Process management:
The capacity to manage the many programs in a system - when to run them, the order they run in, how many resources they take up, how long they run, etc.
127
Programs:
Basic instructions that tell the computer what to do
128
Punch cards:
A sequence of cards with holes in them to automatically perform calculations instead of manually entering them by hand
129
Qwiklabs:
An online platform which provides training in cloud services
130
RAM:
Random Access Memory
131
Registers:
An accessible location for storing the data that our CPU works with
132
Reimaging:
The process of reimaging involves wiping and reinstalling an operating system using a disk image which is a copy of an operating system
133
Remote connection:
The ability to connect an authorized person to a computer or network remotely; allows us to manage multiple machines from anywhere in the world
134
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP):
A secure network communication protocol developed by Microsoft that allows a user to connect to another device remotely
135
Return merchandise authorization (RMA):
The process of receiving returned merchandise and authorizing a refund
136
RGB model:
RGB or red, green, and blue model is the basic model of representing colors
137
ROM chip (Read Only Memory):
A read-only memory chip where the BIOS is stored
138
Router:
A device that knows how to forward data between independent networks
139
RPM:
Revolutions per minute
140
Safe operating temperature:
The temperature range in which rechargeable batteries must be kept in order to avoid damage
141
SATA:
The most popular serial ATA drive, which uses one cable for data transfers
142
Scalability:
The measure of a system’s ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost in response to varying loads in system processing demands
143
SDRAM:
It stands for Synchronous DRAM, this type of RAM is synchronized to our systems' clock speed allowing quicker processing of data
144
Server logs:
Text files that contains recorded information about activities performed on a specific web server in a defined period of time
145
Servers:
Devices that provide data to other devices that request that data, also known as a client
146
Shell:
A program that interprets text commands and sends them to the OS to execute
147
SOC (System On a Chip):
Packs the CPU, Ram, and sometimes even the storage onto a single chip
148
Southbridge:
It maintains our IO or input/output controllers, like hard drives and USB devices that input and output data
149
SSD:
Solid State Drive
150
SSH (Secure shell):
A protocol implemented by other programs to securely access one computer from another.
151
SSH authentication key:
A secure authentication method for accessing a computer from other device
152
SSH client:
A program you must have installed on your device in order to establish an SSH connection with another device
153
SSH server:
Software installed on a machine that allows for that device to accept an SSH connection
154
Standardization:
A systematic way of naming hosts
155
Standoffs:
Used to raise and attach your motherboard to the case
156
Swap space:
The allocated space where the virtual memory is stored on the hard drive when the amount of physical memory space is used up or full
157
Switches:
Devices that help our data travel
158
System:
A group of hardware components and software components that work together to run the programs or processes in the computer
159
System settings:
Settings like display resolution, user accounts, network, devices, etc.
160
Task bar:
It gives us quick options and shows us information like network connectivity, the date, system notifications, sound etc
161
Terminal:
A text based interface to the computer
162
Thermal paste:
A substance used to better connect our CPU and heat sink, so the heat transfers from to the other better
163
Time slice:
A very short interval of time that gets allocated to a process for CPU execution
164
Transfer Control Protocol (TCP):
A protocol that handles reliable delivery of information from one network to another
165
Type-C connector:
A type of USB connector meant to replace many peripheral connections
166
Ubuntu:
The most popular Linux consumer distribution
167
UEFI:
United Extensible Firmware Interface
168
Uniform Resource Locator (URL):
A web address similar to a home address
169
USB (Universal Serial Bus):
A connection standard for connecting peripherals to devices such as computers
170
USB-C adapter:
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
171
User name:
A unique identifier for a user account
172
User space:
The aspect of an operating system that humans interact with directly like programs, such as text editors, music players, system settings, user interfaces, etc.
173
UTF-8:
The most prevalent encoding standard used today
174
Virtual Box:
An application you can use to install Linux and have it completely isolated from your machine
175
Virtual machine (VM):
An application that uses physical resources like memory, CPU and storage, but they offer the added benefit of running multiple operating systems at once
176
Virtual memory:
A combination of hard drive space and RAM that acts like memory which our processes can use
177
VPN (Virtual private network):
A secure method of connecting a device to a private network over the internet
178
WannaCry Attack:
A cyber attack that started in Europe and infected hundreds of thousands of computers across the world
179
Wireless networking (Wi-Fi):
Networks you connect to through radios and antennas
180
World Wide Web (WWW):
The information system that enables documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet
181
Application software:
Any software created to fulfill a specific need, like a text editor, web browser, or graphics editor
182
Assembly language:
A language that allowed computer scientists to use human readable instructions, assembled into code that the machines could understand
183
Coding:
Translating one language to another
184
Compiled programming language:
A language that uses human readable instructions, then sends them through a compiler
185
.exe:
A file extension found in Windows for an executable file
186
Firmware:
Software that's permanently stored on a computer component
187
GIT:
A version control system that helps keep track of changes made to files and directories
188
Interpreted programming language:
A language that isn't compiled ahead of time`
189
Programming:
Coding in a programming language
190
Programming language:
Special languages that software developers use to write instructions for computers to execute
191
Script:
It is run by an interpreter, which interprets the code into CPU instructions just in time to run them
192
Scripting:
Coding in a scripting language
193
Software:
The intangible instructions that tell the hardware what to do
194
Software bug:
An error in software that causes unexpected results
195
Software management:
A broad term used to refer to any and all kinds of software that are designed to manage or help manage some sort of project or task
196
System software:
Software used to keep our core system running, like operating system tools and utilities
