CompTIA

FRU

Field Replaceable Unit, a component or module that can be replaced by the end user or technician without needing to send the entire device for repair.

Laptop batteries

 

·       Lithium ion.

·       Usually modular in laptop

·       Negatively affected by being fully drained of charge and by being held continually at 100%

·       6, 9, and 12 cell versions, more cells providing longer charge

·       2-3 year life span

Laptop keyboard

·       Usually easily replaceable

·       Connected to system board with ribbon cable

·       When problem occurs, connect external keyboard as temporary workaround

RAM form factors

·       SO-DIMM – most common; Small Outline Dual In-Line Memory Module

·       Mini-DIMM

·       Micro-DIMM for ultraportable laptops

Storage types

HDD, SSD, M.2

SSD

·       Solid-state drive. More modern storage alternative to magnetic disk. No moving part. Silent, fast access time. Less latency.

M.2

·       Storage alternative to SSD. Smaller form factor, no SATA data or power cables required

HDD

Spinning magnetic disk. Older laptops

Imagining/cloning software

·       To create duplication of data from HDD and transfer to SSD. May create image file on separate storage device or directly image from one drive to the other

LAN

·       Local Area Network. Wireless within building or set area. Associated with 802.11/mini PCI cards

PAN

·       Personal Area Network – Short range, good for connecting peripherals. Associated with Bluetooth.

802.11

·       Local wireless network. Requires local access point and has limited distance coverage

802.11 and Bluetooth external cards

·       Ex. Mini-PCI  or Mini-PCI Express careds

·       Often these functions are integrated into motherboard now though.

·       Attached to antennae wires built into laptop. Main and aux connector which wrap around outside of display

AC adaptor

·       Converts AC supply to DC voltages used by laptops

·       Connects to laptop via DC jack or USB port

·       Check label to confirm that adaptor matches device power supply specifications. Plugging a fixed-input 110-120 V adaptor into a 220-240 V supply will likely cause damage

NFC

·       Near-Field Communication

·       Very short range networking system (4cm or less) for credit card tapping, authentication, etc

USB

·       Universal Serial Bus

·       High-speed wired communication

·       Various forms. A, micro B, mini B, USB-C

·       The newer general USB sockets are blue to distinguish

USB types

·       From left to right: A, B, mini B, micro B, C

·       Bs are not commonly used anymore

USB C: moving toward always using these. 24-pin double-sided. Can use different signals with same connector – DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt

hotspot

·       When multiple devices connect to phone which is used as internet router

·       May be configured to use a hidden SSID, so connecting devices would not automatically detect the network, but would need to enter SSID and password

tethering

·       Like a hotspot, but the devices are connecting to cellular of another device

TRRS

·       Tip-Ring-Ring-Sleeve connector, also known as analog audio jack.

·       A dated jack, the kind you see on airplane headphones

Port replicator vs docking station

·       Devices for easily setting up laptops that need to go back and forth between home and office, without dealing with plugging and removing a bunch of cables

·       Port replicators are devices that everything plugs into, and then which itself is usually plugged into laptop by USB.

·       Port replicators do not allow for expansion card option like many docking stations

cellular networks

·       Antennas separate land into cells using a number of different frequencies

airplane mode

Disables all cellular networks

3G

First cellular to be incorporated in smartphones.1998. Allowed for greater speed (7.2 Mbps) and bandwidth, enabling GPS, mobile TV and video on demand, and video conferencing

4G LTE

·       Long Term Evolution. Supports download rates of 150 Mbit/s

4G LTE-A

·       4^th Gen Long Term Evolution Advanced

·       Download rates of 300 Mbit/s

5G

·       Launched in 2020

·       Will eventually support 10 gigabits/s, 100-900 Mbits/s for slower speeds

·       Allows for Internet of Thing in which much less constrained by bandwidth

SIM

·       Subscriber Identity Module

·       Carrier uses to identify your device

·       Often a physical card in your phone, though now eSIMs are sometimes embedded in phone and can be transferred from device to device electronically or by QR

·       If you move SIM from one phone to another, you retain phone number, cell network info, contacts, messages

GPS

·       Global Positioning System

·       Created by U.S. Dept of Defense

·       Uses 30 satellites in orbit. Differences between measurements from the different satellites are used to determine location and altitude

geotracking

·       In addition to GPS satellite tracking, some devices now also triangulate wifi networks and cell towers near you to determine location, esp. when GPS signals are insufficient

BYOD, COPE, CYOD

·       Bring Your Own Device – difficult to secure. Must protect personal data on the devices and plan for what happens if device is lost, sold, etc

·       Corporate Owned, Personally Enable

·       Choose Your Own Device – user can choose which company-owned device they get

PRL

Preferred roaming list. Information that the cellular radio needs to connect to the network (i.e. when you get a new phone to connect to cellular). A PRL update can be triggered from the device’s Settings menu or by dialing a special code

GSM

Global System for Mobile Communication. Allows subscribers to use a removable SIM card to use an unlocked phone with their chosen network provider

CDMA

Code Division Multiple Access. When a cellphone is directly managed by the provider and there is no removable SIM card

Microsoft 365

Subscription that allows for Office application installs, Windows licensing, and other Office 365 services

Office 365 E1

Enterprise subscription expanding identity and security features of the Office 365 environment

Office 365 Business

Specifically tailored license of Office 365 for small businesses which does not bundle a Windows license

ActiveSync

Technology which allows email applications to connect to Exchange server or Office 365 service. Unlike the Outlook application that uses the Autodiscover record to populate settings automatically, many mail apps will rely on the manual configuration of the ActiveSync settings

Track point

the nub embedded in the keyboard on some laptops which can be used to control the mouse. Pressure-sensitive—the harder you press the nub, the faster the cursor will move