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CompTIA A Lesson 7 > USB hubs > Flashcards

USB hubs Flashcards

1
Q

USB HUBS

A

USB hubs come in powered and bus-powered varieties. Powered USB devices have their own power cord, while bus-powered USB devices do not and instead draw their power from the USB bus. Too many bus-powered devices on a bus-powered hub can cause problems, so it’s best to use powered hubs if you’re connecting more than one or two devices.

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2
Q

How many devices can a USB connection?

A

USB technology lets you use hubs to connect up to 127 devices to a single host controller on your computer.

Exam tip: For the purposes of the CompTIA A+ certification exams, you need to know that you can connect 127 devices to a single USB port. But for real-life, on-the-job situations, it’s a bad idea to hit this maximum. Some applications reserve bandwidth, and you could wind up with quite a mess. Too much of a good thing isn’t good!

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3
Q

NAME: Low-Speed USB
Standard: USB 1.1

A

Maximum Speed: 1.5 Mbps

Cable Length: 3 meters

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4
Q

NAME: Full-Speed USB
Standard: USB 1.1

A

Maximum Speed: 12 Mbps

Cable Length: 3 meters

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5
Q

NAME: Hi-Speed USB
Standard: USB 2.0

A

Maximum Speed: 480 Mbps

Cable Length: 5 meters

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6
Q

NAME: SuperSpeed USB
Standard: USB 3.0, recently renamed USB 3.1 Gen 1

A

Maximum Speed: 5 Gbps

Cable Length: 3 meters

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7
Q

NAME: SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps SuperSpeed+ USB
Standard: USB 3.1 Gen 2

A

Maximum Speed: 10 Gbps

Cable Length: 3 meters

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8
Q

Note

A

*Note: USB 3.x doesn’t specify a limit, but interference can make longer cables slower. I try to keep my cables under 2 meters, and avoid going over 3.

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9
Q

USB 1.1 Type A

A

An old USB 1.1 Type A connector (the ubiquitous rectangular one) will fit just fine in USB 2.0 and 3.0/3.1 Type A ports.

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10
Q

Thunderbolt 3

A

hunderbolt 3 supports video (up to a two 4K video monitors at a 60Hz refresh rate) and audio signals. Plus it handles data storage devices just fine too, and it can provide up to 100 watts of power to connected devices that draw power from the bus. Thunderbolt 3 uses a USB Type-C connector.

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11
Q

Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2

A

Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 connect computing devices with a Mini DisplayPort (MDP) connector.

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12
Q

Copper

A

With copper, Thunderbolt chains can extend up to 3 meters.

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13
Q

Fiber

A

With fiber, a Thunderbolt chain can extend up to 60 meters.

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14
Q

Thunderbolt

A

And did I mention that Thunderbolt offers amazing bandwidth? Thunderbolt 1 runs full duplex at 10 Gbps, so it compares to USB, 3.1. Thunderbolt 2 aggregates (combines) internal data channels, enabling throughput at up to 20 Gbps. Thunderbolt 3 offers throughput up to 40 Gbps at half the power consumption of Thunderbolt 2. Nice!

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15
Q

9-pin (DB-9) serial

A

9-pin (DB-9) serial: This port type predates even PS/2; it’s really old. It looks something like a VGA connector except it has only 2 rows of pins, not three. You may occasionally see it used to connect a really old UPS or some hardware on an old computerized cash register. The CompTIA A+ 1001 exam mentions serial peripheral cables, but it doesn’t go into detail about them. (You’ll also find DB-9 ports on high-end networking devices, but worry about that in a CompTIA Network+ course.)

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16
Q

PS/2

A

These little round plugs used to be common for keyboard and mouse. Some old computers have a purple port (for the keyboard) and a green port (for the mouse).

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17
Q

Troubleshooting ports settings

A

f you’re pretty sure the port’s not working, you can check three things: First, if it’s a port that’s built into the motherboard, make sure the port is enabled in BIOS/UEFI. Almost any I/O port on a motherboard can be disabled in BIOS/UEFI setup. Reboot the system into the BIOS/UEFI setup program, as you learned in Lesson 5, and check the port’s settings.

Ports can also be disabled/enabled at the Windows level, using Device Manager. Below, you can see a disabled USB controller in Device Manager. You can tell it’s disabled by the small down-pointing arrow icon. To turn the port back on, right-click the device’s icon and choose Enable.

Being able to turn off a port in Device Manager points to another not-so-obvious fact: ports need drivers just as devices need drivers. Windows has excellent built-in drivers for all common ports, so if you fail to see a port in Device Manager (and you know the port is turned on in BIOSUEFI), you can bet the port itself has a physical problem.

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18
Q

Thunderbolt 2

A

20 Gbps

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19
Q

Thunderbolt 3

A

40 Gbps

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20
Q

SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0)

A

5 Gbps

21
Q

Full-Speed USB (USB 1.1)

A

12 Mbps

22
Q

Keyboard

A

Keyboards are both the oldest and still the primary way you input data into a PC. All modern operating systems come with perfectly good drivers for any keyboard, although some fancier keyboards may include specialized keys that require a special driver be installed to operate properly.

There’s not much to do to configure a standard keyboard. The only configuration tool you might need is the Keyboard Control Panel applet. This tool enables you to change the repeat delay (the amount of time you must hold down a key before the keyboard starts repeating the character), the repeat rate (how quickly the character is repeated after the repeat delay), and the default cursor blink rate.

23
Q

Apple Keyboards

A

Apple keyboards have three modifier keys: Control, Option, and Command. The first two correspond to Ctrl and Alt; the command key is the macOS special modifier key. You can use Windows keyboards with macOS, but you need to go into the Keyboard preferences in System Preferences to map the modifier keys properly.

24
Q

Cleaning keyboards

A

Clean grime off the keys by using a cloth dampened with a little water, or if the water alone doesn’t do the job, use a bit of isopropyl alcohol on a cloth.

25
Q

Cleaning mouse (optical mouse)

A

On the rare occasion where an optical mouse begins to act erratically, try using a cloth or damp cotton swab to clean out any bits of dirt that may be blocking the optics.

26
Q

Biometric devices

A

Biometric devices scan and remember unique aspects of various body parts such as your retina, iris, head image, or fingerprint, using some form of sensing device such as a retinal scanner. The computing device uses this information to prevent unauthorized people from accessing the secured device.

27
Q

Microsoft fingerprint scanner

A

a USB device that replaces standard user name and password security. When a program or website asks for a user name and password, you simply press your finger against the fingerprint scanner. It confirms your identity (assuming your fingerprint matches), and then special software that comes with the scanner supplies the program or website with your stored user name and password.

28
Q

No matter what biometric device you use, you use the same steps to make it work:

A

Install the device.
Register your identity with the device by sticking your eye, finger, or other unique body part (Why are you snickering?) into the device so it can scan you.
Configure its software to tell the device what to do when it recognizes your scanned identity.

29
Q

Bar code readers

A

standard Universal Product Code (UPC) bar codes
Bar codes are a pretty simple way to encode data. The scanner reads the bars in only one dimension (side to side) and determines the value based on the widths and spacing of the lines.

30
Q

Pen scanner

A

Pen scanners look like an ink pen and must be swiped across the bar code.

31
Q

Hand Scanner

A

Hand scanners are held in front of the UPC code while a button is pressed to scan.

32
Q

scan readers

A

All bar code readers emit a tone to let you know the scan was successful. Older bar code readers used the venerable PS/2 ports; modern ones use USB ports. No configuration is usually necessary, other than making sure that the particular bar code reader works with whatever database/point of sale software you use.

33
Q

Quick Response (QR)

A

Quick Response (QR) codes can hold more data, because they encode it in two dimensions using the size and grouping of small black squares. Many QR codes contain a URL that leads to more information; scanning one with a smartphone will open the default browser and navigate to that URL. But you can also stick any old text - maybe a joke, poem, or a reminder - in a QR code.

34
Q

flicks

A

Modern Windows operating systems offers Pen and Input Devices; (Note that the Tablet PC Settings applet appears only if you have a touchscreen, like on a Microsoft Surface.) You can use this applet to adjust how you interact with the touchscreen just as you would with the Mouse or Keyboard applets. The applet enables you to configure what happens when you tap, double-tap, use gestures called “flicks,” and more.

35
Q

KVM Switches

A

A keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switch is a hardware device that most commonly enables multiple computers to be viewed and controlled by a single mouse, keyboard, and screen. Some KVMs reverse that capability, enabling a single computer to be controlled by multiple keyboards, mice, or other devices. KVMs are especially useful in data centers where multiple servers are rack mounted, space is limited, and power is a concern.

36
Q

assigned keyboard hotkeys

A

o use a KVM, you simply connect a keyboard, mouse, and monitor to the KVM and then connect the KVM to the desired computers. Once connected and properly configured, assigned keyboard hotkeys—a combination of keys typically assigned by the KVM manufacturer—enable you to toggle between the computers connected to the KVM. In most cases, you simply tap the SCROLL LOCK key twice to switch between sessions.

37
Q

Connecting KVM

A

Installing a KVM is not difficult; the most important point to remember is to connect the individual sets of cables between the KVM ports and each computer one at a time, keeping track of which keyboard, mouse, and video cable go to which computers. (I highly recommend labeling and using twist or zip ties.)

If you get the connections wrong, the KVM won’t function as desired. If you connect a mouse and keyboard wires to the correct KVM port, for example, but attach the same computer’s video cable to a different port on the KVM, you won’t get the correct video when you try to switch to that computer. The same holds true for the mouse and keyboard cables. Don’t cross the cables!

38
Q

Devices and Printers applet

A

Joysticks and gamepads have used plenty of connectors over the years, including the eponymous joystick connector. These days, they all connect to computers via USB or wireless connections. Depending on the complexity of the controller, you may need to install drivers to get a joystick or gamepad working. Simpler controllers, however, can probably get by using the default gamepad drivers included in Windows and macOS.

You’ll need to configure your joystick or gamepad to make sure all the buttons and controls work properly. In Windows, use the Devices and Printers applet under the Control Panel.

39
Q

Magntic reader

A

A magnetic reader reads the encoded strip on the back of a credit card. Because there have been security issues with these strips, modern credit cards usually also have an embedded chip, and merchant terminals with chip readers can process credit cards that way, increasing the security of the transaction.

Some of the higher-end credit card processing systems also include a “tap to pay” feature that employs near field communication (NFC), a very short-range wireless networking technology, to read data from a credit card’s chip simply by tapping or waving the card over a sensor.

Connecting merchant services hardware is usually fairly self-explanatory; merchant services companies make their stuff as foolproof as possible so everyone will be able to use it. You can connect a card reader to a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or PC. If there’s a USB port on the computing device, you can usually hook up the card reader that way. If not, you may be able to use a headphone jack (on some smartphones) or use a wireless connection.

Configuring and using a card reader system is dependent on the software that comes with it.

40
Q

digital camera (exam tip)

A

Exam Tip: Most folks use their smartphones today for casual pictures and video, but the CompTIA A+ 1001 objectives assume that your digital cameras are separate stand-alone devices.

41
Q

Secure Digital (SD) card

A

Digital cameras save pictures and videos onto some type of removable storage media. The most common removable storage media used in modern digital cameras is the Secure Digital (SD) card, but there are others you might run across as you get into professional cameras.

You can find readers designed specifically for SD cards, as well as other types. Plenty of readers can handle multiple media formats. Many computers come with a decent built-in SD card reader.

42
Q

Web Cameras

A

Cameras in or on computer monitors, often called webcams because their most common use is for internet video communication, enable people to interact over networks with both voice and video. Webcams range greatly in quality and price.

43
Q

Web camera quality

A

Webcams vary in both image and sound capture quality. Because webcams are mostly used for video chat, they tend to be marketed similar to other video cameras using terms like 720p, HD, and 4K. The most common dedicated webcams today provide 1080p HD resolution experience, with cameras integrated into laptops often being 720p. Those who do a lot of video chatting may prefer to get a good-quality headset with which to speak and listen.

44
Q

Speaker

A

Connect speakers to the 1/8-inch RCA jack on the sound card or on the ports built into the motherboard. Some speaker sets use the USB interface instead.

A set of speakers will have anywhere from 2 to 7 individual speakers, all connected to each other somehow. If there are more than two speakers, there is typically a central gathering point (usually a subwoofer) into which the smaller speakers connect. Or if it’s just two speakers, speaker 1 connects to the computer and speaker 2 connects to speaker 1.

45
Q

Headsets

A

Headsets without microphones more commonly use 1/8-inch RCA jacks, while headsets with microphones more commonly use USB—although there are many exceptions to that rule.

46
Q

Configuring

A

After physically connecting a headset or speakers, open the Sounds properties (the same as for microphones in the previous section) by right-clicking the speaker icon in the notification area and choosing Open Sound Settings. Then open the Choose Your Output Device drop-down list and select the headset. If the headset also has a microphone, you should also choose the headset as the default input device

47
Q

optical character recognition (OCR)

A

Many scanners include a (software) feature called optical character recognition (OCR), which attempts to convert the picture of a scanned document back into text that you can edit with word-processing software.

When choosing a scanner, consider four factors: resolution (the number of pixels it can capture), color depth (number of color choices for each pixel, usually at least 32-bit), grayscale depth (number of gray choices for each pixel in black-and-white mode), and scan speed (time it takes to scan a full page). The first three are maximums, and scan speed is fixed based on the other settings. You can adjust settings down for quicker/smaller scans, or adjust them up for maximum detail.

48
Q

platen

A

All flatbed scanners, the most common variety of scanner, work the same way. You place a photo or other object face down on the glass (called the platen), close the lid, and then use software to initiate the scan. The scanner runs a bright light along the length of the platen once or more to capture the image.0

49
Q

VR Headsets

A

Virtual reality (VR) headsets create an immersive experience by mounting two high-resolution screens into a headset that blocks external visual sensory input. They enable the wearer to enter into a 360-degree space that makes it feel like he or she has been transported to another place and time.

Current VR headsets use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology to power the tiny, high-resolution stereo panels.

CompTIA A Lesson 7 (1 decks)

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