Study Notes

COOLING SYSTEMS

- heat sinks or special memory chips (heat spreaders.

- motherboards have an internal CPU heat sensor
- high-CFM cooling fans to dissipate heat produced by professor.
- 6 inches across
- Heat sinks use tubing to transfer heat away from the CPU.
- peltier cooling is the method that will not work for cooling methods.

HARD DRIVES & HARDWARE

- Prerequisites of hardware upgrade on laptop = disconnect the power and remove the
battery.
- Best laptop upgrade is HDD to SSD.
- Less storage, but SSD is faster, lighter, quieter, cooler, use less power, but
have less parts that can be easily damaged.
- NVMe drives connect to PCIe bus, faster than SATA bus.
- Older SO-DIMMs (DDR and DDR2) were configured with 200-Pin expansion cards.
- DDR3 and DDR3L(low-voltage) used 203-pin SO-DIMMS.
- DDR4 used 262-pin.
- DDR5 used 267-pin SO-DIMMS.
- DDR5 has 4800 MT/s - available capacities 8, 16, 32GB.
- Remove all power and ESD precautions.
- TN = faster than VA and IPS, worse than VA and IPS.
- VA = Slower than TN and IPS, better than TN, worse than IPS.
- IPS = worse than TN, better than VA, better than TN and VA.
- Display panel also house the Wi-Fi antenna, onboard webcam, and microphone.
- Older laptops LCD screens with cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL).
- OLED has no backlight.
- hard disks factors are higher rate of revolutions per minute and faster seek
time.
- wireless card always attaches and detaches antenna connectors.
- Serial = one bit at a time on one wire. Parallel = more than one bit at a time
and more than one wire.
- SSID service set identifier and password.
- hard drive should always be checked first when a parity check error occurs.
- to attach PCI network card and sound card a riser card should be used.
- several upgrades on a computer the memory module is the fastest to replace.
- display blank = replace the monitor cables and replace the monitor.
- two most important factors to consider when selecting a replacement power supply
are form factor and output capacity in watts.
- image flickering on monitor = configure the video card to use a higher refresh
rate.
- before upgrading RAM increase the size of the paging file.
- on both the host computer and all window 10 virtual computers when managing a
host computer that hosts several windows 10 virtual computers.
- legacy system is controlled by SCADA.
- the monitor and hard disk is what is turned off in standby mode.
- physical size and power supply = selecting appropriate form factor,
- smart card, an electronic token and retina scan = authentication factors.
- PGA = central processing units architecture.
- unplug the AC adapter then you put on a antistatic wrist strap on.
- PCI express devices has 8 pin power connection.
- enable Bluetooth technology on both computer and cell phone and then connect the
two = interconnect when no cables or wireless can be used.
- use the fn key to toggle the internal video display when your computer isn't
displaying anything.
- you can plug it into a computer while the computer is on = characteristic of
mouse.
- CPU-to-front-side bus ratio would provide better performance = 2:1.
- power supply is bad when the computer does not turn on when power is supplied.
- new power supply has 24 pins but original has 20 pins = plug the 24-pin power
supply into the motherboard leaving the remaining pins unconnected.
- cloud computing term = on demand.
- technology that should be implemented when hard drives are failing = S.M.A.R.T.
- retrieve data on iPhone device = icloud.
- software requirements to install the application on the PC, should be primary
concern.
- check the motherboard when computer gives one long beep and one short beep when
turn on but doesn't boot up.
- replacing CPU it's recommended to determine which processors the BIOS will
support using the documentation.
- DDR2 SDRAM = 4 bits of data per clock cycle and uses 1.8 V to operate.
- dust is the main reason for computer over heating and rebooting without user
input.
- supervisor password = bios password
- docking station is what is needed to obtain directly from the notebook
manufacturer.
- optimize for quick removal when removing something without using the safety
Remove Hardware application.
- computers internal clock loses time at startup = replace CMOS battery.
- USB flash drive is what should be used to stop a devices operation before
removing it from the computer,
- install the latest drivers for the wireless card, replacing the wireless card.
- Use a system board jumper when needing to get a computer working that has the
bios start-up password activated.
- Hybrid drives is the SSD driver you should consider when there's limited storage
compatibility.
- Establish a new theory and escalate the problem when troubleshooting a problem.
- 4 display problems = video adapter card, power supply, video cable and video
driver.
- CPU connects to a ZIF socket to connect to the motherboard.
- Battery is affected by memory effect.
- Crossover cable blue wire pins = pin 4 & 5.
- Dual core technology = two processor cores in a single processor package.
- AC voltage to test UPS power supply.

- DDR2 SDRAM uses 1.8V to operate and fetches 4 bits of data per clock cycle.
- DDR2 SDRAM uses 1.8V ro operate and fetches 2 bits of data per clock cycle.
- DDR3 SDRAM is faster than DDR2
- DDR4 SDRAM is faster than DDR3 but only by 2%

- Weird buzzing noise could mean the inverter board.

- POST code beeps means missing or defective video card.
- You can daisy chain 5 USB's
- You dont remove the RAM and hard drive from under the laptops keyboard
- If files werent restored it means the files were restored on a FAT partition.

- DVD+R DL has the most storage of 8.5 GBs

- DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW can hold 4.7GBs.

- Fibre optic cable has a glass centre core surrounded by protective materials
- UTP cables have four pairs of wires, each pair with a specific number of twists
to reduce electromagnetic interference.
- Coaxial cable consists of a single copper cord surrounded by plastic insulation.
NETWORKING FUNDAMENTALS

- MFA should be used to implement passwords and usernames as a security token.

- DNS, RTP, DHCP, VoIP, TFTP utilised with UDP.
- DNS - TCP is used for large transfers, zone transfers, synchronising.
- UDP - can be used to return smaller amounts of data, A records, canonical names
(CNAMES).
- Switch receives and forwards data.
- Unmanaged switched allow more devices to be physically connected to LAN.
- Managed allow more control over traffic.
- Routers connect networks together. Forward data based upon destination IP
address. Allow multiple devices to use the same internet connection.
- OSI layers
layer 2 ( Data link, forward data based upon the MAC address, switches)
layer 3 - (Network layer, forward based data upon the IP address, routers.)

- Routers are part of network layer = layer 3

- MAC address/switches are only part of Data link = layer 2.
- DHCP server is responsible for IP addresses.
- unable to access company website (FQDN) but can use the IP address of website =
The DHCP server is down.
- SSID service set identifier and password.
- improvements of IPv6 over the current IP scheme are the IP header options allow
more efficient forwarding and less rigid length limits and some header fields have
been dropped or made optional.
- to minimize administrative efforts use user groups.

- APIPA=fe80::/10 Private= fc00::/7 Loopback=::1/128

- APIPA address range from 169.254.0.0 to 168.254.255.255

- DHCP enables hosts on a network to be configured ip address, subnet mask, default

gateway address protocol
- connections to synchronize mobile device data = USB.
- QoS is an network segment in research and development
- UDP is used by NFS, TFTP, and SNMP.
- VLAN segreagates network traffic basedbon the switch port connections.
- Enable port forwarding to ensure all HTTP packets are automatically sent to the
web server.
- Delete the HOSTS file on each work station when trying to implement a new network
infrastructure.
- Virtual technology = important CPU or motherboard feature to configure.
- DNS is down when you can access the homepage but unable to access the company's
website using the FQDN but can using the IP.
- USB to RJ-45 dongle when there's no ethernet port.

802.11a - 5GHz up to 54Mbps

802.11b - 2.4GHz up to 11Mbps
802.11g - 2.4GHz up to 54Mbps
802.11n - 2.4 or 5GHz up to 600Mbps
802.11ac - 5GHz up to 1.3Gbps
802.11ax - 2.4,5 ot 6GHz up to 9.6Gbps

- Thin clients have limited functiality and they may not have an operating system.
Used for in examination rooms. They don't store data.
- Optimize for quick removal.

RAID 1 - disk mirroring on a seperate disk. 1234 1234

RAID 0 - disk striping of two hard drives. 1357 and 2468
RAID 5 - has numerous drives but will have one say Ap to state PARITY.
RAID 10 - disk striping and mirroring over 4. 1357 go in odd numbers and 2468 go in
evens.

VIRTUALIZATION AND CLOUD COMPUTING

- The resources available in the public cloud are owned by the providers and
offered to the public, without cost, restriction, or authorization.
- Search engines, reference sites, and information and entertainment portals are
examples of public clouds.
- A private cloud is closed to the public and open to only the members of a select
group.
- A community cloud provides services to many related organizations.
- A hybrid cloud is made up of differing amounts of public cloud, private cloud,
and onsite resources to create a custom environment.

- IaaS refers to a foundation service upon which the othher two are built.

- SaaS refers to making software available through the cloud.

- PaaS makes software devolopment platforms available through the cloud. On a per
use or subscription basis.

- Cloud characteristics are:

1. Resource Pooling allows the resources to be available to multiple consumers

simultaneously.

2. Metering captures a subscriber’s use of shared resources, such as bandwidth or

data storage, as they are consumed.

3. Rapid elasticity allows a customer to use more, or fewer, cloud resources, as

needed.

4. On demand means that a customer can access cloud resources 24/7, as needed.

- Desktop Virtualization - The host device, the computer on which the

virtualization software (called a hypervisor) is running, could be a physical
computer in an organization or a virtual computer in the cloud.
- persistent virtual desktops, which means that the system saves the entire virtual
desktop’s environment so that its user can store it and then later recall it to
continue exactly at the point where it was stored.
- A nonpersistent virtual desktop cannot be saved and is completely new each time
it’s started.

- Virtualization systems support three types of desktop virtualizations:

1. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) In this type of desktop virtualization, the
hypervisor creates virtual machines (VMs), each with its own desktop image, on a
data center or cloud server.
2. Remote desktop services (RDS) Using RDS, users can access a remote desktop that
shares hardware resources as well as system and application software.
3. Desktop as a Service (DaaS) with the major exception that the user’s
organization doesn’t supply the hardware or software on which the virtual desktop
is generated, only the endpoint device used to access the DaaS service in the cloud

- The public cloud physical control data rests with the cloud provider. Shares the
responsibility between cloud providers personnel and organizational personel.
- A private cloud you retain complete physical control of the data.
- A community cloud is a private cloud with access limited to a specific group of
organizations or individuals.
- A hybrid cloud blends features of public and private cloud resources.
- Resources such as VMs, cloud storage, and others can be shared via LANs
(internally) or cloud computing (externally).
- Metered utilization tracks computing resource usage via measurements of
bandwidth, time, and/or capacity for billing and analysis purposes.
- The ability to add or drop cloud services as needed (on-demand self-service)
enables organizations to have rapid elasticity.
- Popular cloud-based services include e-mail, file storage, and file
synchronization.
- Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) creates a virtual environment that can be
accessed locally or on the cloud as a stored, persistent, or renewed standard or
nonpersistent desktop image.
- File synchronization is used to keep multiple copies of a file or object in sync,
commonly on diverse devices.
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) is the use of a complete cloud-based software
development environment.
- Software as a Service (SaaS) makes the software available for use via the cloud.
- Rapid elasticity in a cloud environment is the ability to increase or decrease
committed resources, as needed, to meet a subscriber’s processing or storage
requirements.
- Sandboxing is a virtualization concept in which a newly developed or a suspicious
program can be executed as a test or a trial on a virtualized computer.
- Sandboxes are created in essentially the same size and with the same resources,
which is often more than what’s actually needed for its purpose. A container is a
sandbox that is fitted to its task.

- Compute systems on a cloud could include VM and they can be assigned

accessibility rights.

MOBILE DEVICES

- Docking station is a desktop device wo which you can attach a (dock) your
portable computer when youre at home or office.
- 5G can transmit speeds of up to 20 Gbps
- 3G use tech such as EVDO,HGA and UMTS and transmit speeds under 3 Gbps
- 4G often used with LTE uses minimum speeds of 100 Mbps.

HARDWARE AND NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTING

Steps:
1. Identify the problem
2. Establish a theory of probable cause.
3. Test the theory to determine cause.
4. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution.
5. Verify full system functionality and if applicable implement preventitive
measures.
6. Document the findings, actions and outcomes.

- The BSoD error typically indicates two general types of problems: device drivers
and/or hardware problems. Another, less common cause is a misconfiguration with
overclocking settings. An SPoD indicates on either OS that an application has
stopped responding..
- If the system time fails to keep the actual data and time correctly, look at the
CMOS battery.

- Multimetre is used to check power voltage coming from the power supply or hard
drive, motherboard and other components.
- Power supply checker is used to check for proper power supply.
- Loopback plug is used to check functionality of of the port which it's connected
to.
- POST card/USB checks POST boot operation.
- Toner generator and probe locates the correct cable coming from the patch panel.
- Network tap is a physical tool that copies traffic flow in a network for later
analysis and monitors their events.

WIRELESS ACCESS POINT

- Wireless Access Point connects to a wired network device such as a switch or

router.
- Allows people to connect to the same wired network and access resources.
- Handles large numbers of wireless connections.
- can be powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE).
- benefit of purchased Hyper-threading (HT) technology is uses virtual processors
to perform multitasking.
- SaaS is the term for application that is accessed over the internet as opposed to
being installed on a local device.
- 802.11g and 802.11a = wireless network that throughput of 54 Mbps.
- a wireless access point and an infrastructure mode when implementing a wireless
network.

REPEATER

- Re broadcasts existing wireless network.

- Cost effective option to increase wireless range.
- Easy to install.
- Same SSID

EXTENDER

- Creates a new wireless network.

- Can be wired to the existing network.
- More complex to install, not incredibly complex.
- New SSID.

PATCH PANELS

- collection of ports on a panel.

- cables are terminated at patch panel.
- Allow connections from different locations.
- used to create connections.
- acts as the central location where all wires from all locations can come together
to one place.
- location of patch panel are often rack mounted.
- commonly 1U or 2U.
- amount of ports include 12, 24, 48, potentially more.
- Specifications include CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A, CAT7, fibre.
- Connectors RJ-45
- fibre = subscriber connector.
- Lucent connector (LC)
- patch panels are all mounted on the same rack or same room.
- fairly short cable just long enough to reach the switch.
- can come in variety of colours.
- easy to swap out a bad cable.
- shorter cables are more preferred, cost effective.

FIREWALLS
- control inbound or outbound network or host traffic.
- use rules to allow or deny traffic.
- implemented with hardware or software.
- can store session state for stateful filtering
- packet filler based upon parts or IP addresses.
- hardware firewall = dedicated hardware, runs specialised software, placed between
your network and an untrusted network.
- can contain additional functionality, VPN connector, web filtering.
- software firewall = runs on a host, only as secure as the underlying host,
controls access per application, works on a port level.
- stateful = inspect contents and state of packets, better at detecting
unusual/potentially malicious traffic, intelligently filter traffic based upon
context, requires more memory and consumes more power.
- stateless = performs quickly, cheaper, pre-set rules, unable to determine
context.
- Next generation firewall = looks to provide functionality on top of standard
firewalls, ability to filter traffic upon applicators, intrusion prevention system,
gathers up to date threat information from external source.

POWER OVER ETHERNET (PoE)

- some network devices are in no easy-to-reach power, running new power lines.
- allows power delivery over ethernet cable.
- 802.3af, 802.3at, 802.3bt
- advantages = up 100W over existing wiring, supports distances up to 100metres.
- some switches support end span Power.
- PoE 802.3af was introduced in 2003, comes in 4W, 7W and 15.4W.
- 802.3at released in 2009, increases maximum power to 30W.
- 802.3bt released in 2018, type 3 supports 60W, type 4 supports 100w.

HUBS AND BRIDGES

- hubs connect multiple computers together.

- operate on the level 1 of OSI model.
- any signal is sent to all other ports.
- produce more traffic and simpler and cheap.
- not really used anymore.
- Active hub = strengthen received signal, can extend range of network, have higher
power requirement.
- Passive hub = connect computers on a physical level, don't strengthen signal,
will not increase range of network.
- Network bridge = layer 2 of OSI model, divides network into smaller segments,
frame is forwarded.
- need for segments, hubs are noisy.
- segments have its own collision domain, allow for increased bandwidth, allow for
larger practical number of hosts.
- bridge = works on layer 2 (MAC addresses), always forwards packets to same
destination, transparent to network devices.
- routers = layer 3 OSI (NETWORK LAYER), IP addresses, intelligently select route
for packet, visible to network devices.

CABLE AND DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER LINE (DSL)

- modulation and demodulation.

- transmit digital signals over analog medium.
- DSL = uses phone lines, RJ-11 connector, uses normally unused frequencies for
faster speeds (5-100Mbps)
- Cable modem = coaxial cables, allows for higher frequencies, faster than DSL (50
Mbps and 1 Gbps), may be more expensive cause of faster speeds.
- to trace ethernet network cable back to the central wiring closet a tone
generator should be used.

OPTICAL NETWORK TERMINAL (ONT)

- Fiber Optics = light to send data, multiple wavelengths to increase throughput,

cables made of ultra fine glass or plastic fibers.
- pros of fibre optics are immune to EMI, long distance, very fast.
- ONT serves as termination point for a fibre connection, allows client devices to
connect via ethernet or wi-fi, more expensive.
- ONT only connects to a fibre connection, ONT are often standalone units, ONT
don't have to modulate or demodulate.
- cable/DSL only utilize copper wires.

NETWORK INTERFACE CARD (NIC)

- 802.11 = wi-fi
- NIC provides us means to connect to network.
- physical layer = lowest layer of OSI layer, physical connections, data is form of
bits (Voltages on wire, radio waves for wi-fi, light for fibre.)
- Data link layer = second layer of OSI, handles delivery between local
destinations, MAC address, data in form of frames.
- types of connectors = RJ-45, Type F coaxial (older), SC, LC.
- ethernet NIC = allows computer to connect to ethernet based network, integrated
into motherboard. may have USB connector. common speeds include 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps,
2.5 and 10 Gbps.
- wi-fi NIC = allows connection to 802.11 wireless networks, wifi 5 (802.11ac), wi-
fi 6 = (802.11ax), integrated into mobile devices.
- advanced NIC features = some features to improve host system performance, multi-
queue NICs can help distribute network traffic to multi-le CPU cores, also run the
TCP/IP network protocol stack to reduce load on the host.

SOFTWARE-DEFINED NETWORKING (SDN)

- hardware and software are tied together.

- difficulty to centrally manage network devices.
- SDN = separate software to control the network, (provisioning, configuration,
management)
- SDN components = applications, controllers, physical networking devices.
- applications = software that interfaces with administrators, provide information
to take requests.
- controllers = take information from an application, decide how packets should be
routed based upon received information.
- physical networking devices = functions of moving the actual data, made up of
physical switches, routers, etc, receives commands from a controller.

CABLE TYPES
- category 5 = cat 5
- twisted pair cable, speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
- carries video signals.
- faster, more reliable, less crosstalk compared to cat 5e.
- cat 6 = frequency to 250 Mhz, speeds up to 10 Gbps.
- cat 6a = augmented version of cat 6, less cross talk, less signal loss, double
the frequency (500 Mhz).
- plenum cabling - used in plenum spaces, fire hazard, made from fire retardant
plastic, low smoke polyvinyl chloride and fluorinated ethylene, less flexible.
- coaxial cables = oldest type of cable, single wire conductor, uses wire mesh to
insulate the core, common for home internet services prior to fibre optics.
- outer jacket, braided shield, foil shield, dielectric, central conductor.
- RG-6, 75-ohm resistance, 18-gauge conductor, quad shielded versions available.
- USB to RJ-45 dongle when there's no active ethernet port.
- 10BaseT, 100BaseT and 1000BaseT ethernet use unshielded twisted-pair cable (UTP)
as their transmission medium. Max medium transmission distance of (UTP) cable is
100 metres or 328 feet.

PORTS

20, 21 – FTP
22 – SSH/SFTP
23 – Telnet
25 – SMTP
53 – DNS
80 – HTTP
110 – POP3
143 – IMAP
443 – HTTPS
3389 – RDP
137-139 – NetBIOS
445 – SMB/CIFS
427 – SLP
548 – AFP
67/68 – DHCP
389 – LDAP
161/162 – SNMP
- Port 443, also known as Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), is used for
secure web browsing

COMMANDS

- Ping – Uses ICMP to test connectivity between two devices

- Ipconfig/ifconfig – Displays the TCP/IP configuration of a device. You should
be familiar with its switches, including the /all, /release, /registerdns, /renew,
and /flushdns switches. The ifconfig is the Unix/Linux equivalent of ipconfig.
- IPCONFIG to ensure you can connect back onto the shared folders in the local
network.
- Tracert – Traces the path a packet traverses through a network. It displays the
name and IP address of every device through which the packet passes.
- Netstat – Displays what ports are listening on a TCP/IP device
- Nbtstat – Displays NetBIOS information
- Net – A powerful Windows command. The net use subcommand allows you to view
what is currently shared. Research the various ways you can use the net command.
- Netdom – Joins a computer to a Windows domain, manages computer accounts on a
Windows domain, and establishes trust relationships between Windows domains. It is
available by default with Windows 8 and later.
- Nslookup – Queries the Domain Name System (DNS) to obtain domain name or IP
address mapping or for any other specific DNS record.
- telnet - access the router configuration

IPCONFIG
ipconfig/all
ipconfig/registerdns
ipconfig/displaydns
ipconfig/flushdns
ipconfig/renew
ipconfig/release
ipconfig/showclassid
 ipconfig/setclassid

PRIVATE CLASS

Class A – 1.0.0.0 to 126.0.0.0

Class B – 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.0.0
Class C – 192.0.1.0 to 223.255.255.0
Class D – 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255
Class E – 240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255

PRINTERS

- paper jam in a laser printer tray = physical open and close the top assembly.
- advanced tab of a printers properties dialog box is it configures the days and
times that a printer is available.
- clean the interior of the printer when printouts have black specks on both sides
of the paper of a laser printer.
- DPI means print resolution.
- calibrating the printer isn't part of routine maintenance for thermal printers.
- connect the printer to the print server using 802.11g.
- the fuser is what is causing laser printer images to smear easily.
- run a printer alignment program to resolve the jagged lines and characters.
- formatter board for random dots are produced when one page document is printed.
- calibrate the printer when the print out isn't showing the same colours as the
displayed on the monitor.
- ESD-safe vacuum cleaner when toner particles have spilt in the printer.
- main purpose of a laser printer component = to apply a uniform negative charge to
the photosensitive drum.
- the feed mechanism and the paper type = problem of multiple sheets of paper for
one page printer.
- printer printing fuzzy text and with white lines running through it = turn the
inkjet printer off and then on, run the printer management utility provided with
the printer.
- high humidity and damp paper = printing fuzzy or low quality print.
- printer is paused and problem with the spooler when not printing.
- vertical lines printed on the paper is a problem with the corona wires or drum.
- Colour laser printer uses a transfer belt.
- Dot matrix printer uses print head pins to ensure ink is transferred onto paper.

The process of cleaning an inkjet printer:

1. Remove the ink cartridge.
2. clean the print head and cartridges.
3. clean the ink cartridge caddy.
4. check the ribbon cables and ink reservoirs.
5. clean the exterior.
6. reassemble and test.

- A thermal printer has head/heating element, a feed roller assembly and

tensioners.

Thermal printer cleaning:

1. turn off the printer.
2. find the print head.
3. locate the leaver that releases the print head and ribbon.
4. Using an activated toner cloth or another type of lint-free cloth dampened with
isopropyl alcohol.
5. Replace the ribbon and print head and then secure the print head release lever
back in its locked position.
6. Close and secure the access panel. Run a test print to make sure everything is
back where it should be.

Impact components are:

1. Platen
2. Print Head
3. Print ribbon

Impact maintainence:
1. replacing the ribbon.
2. replacing the paper.
3. replacing the print head.

- The laser imaging process has seven phases: processing, charging, exposing,
developing, transferring, fusing, and cleaning.
- The major components of a laser printer are the imaging drum, fuser assembly,
transfer belt, transfer roller, pickup rollers, separation pads, and duplexing
assembly.
- A line impact print head forms characters and graphics by printing dots in a
series of rows.
- The two most common impact print heads have either 9 or 24 pins.