Computer Apps Exam 3

Know how hard disks store and organize files.

By using tracks, sectors, and cylinders. Tracks are rings of concentric circles on the platter. Each track is divided into invisible wedge-shaped sections called sectors. A cylinder runs through each track of a stack of platters. They are necessary to differentiate files stored on the same track and sector of different platters.

What does the internal hard disk normally store?

Able to store and retrieve large quantities of information quickly. They are used to store programs and data files.

On a hard disk each track is divided into invisible wedge-shaped sections called ________.

sectors

________ are a popular solution for individuals and businesses where access speed is not essential, but capacity and durability are crucial.

Network drives

Know examples of secondary storage.

Solid-State storage, hard disks, and optical discs

How does an external hard drive connect to a computer?

Use the same basic technology as internal hard drives are used primarily to complement an internal hard disk. They are easily removed; they are particularly useful to protect or secure sensitive information.

Storage that retains its data after the power is turned off is referred to as ________.

solid-state storage.

The process of accessing information from secondary storage devices is referred to as ________.

reading

The ________ of a secondary storage device indicates how much data the storage medium can hold.

capacity

_______measures the amount of time required by the storage device to retrieve data and programs?

Access speed

What is file compression and what is it used for? What is file decompression?

Both increase storage capacity by reducing the amount of space required to store data and programs. File compression is not limited to hard-disk systems. It reduces file size while file decompression expands compressed files.

This process improves system performance by acting as a temporary high-speed holding area between a secondary storage device and the CPU.

Disk caching

Know the characteristics of RAID storage.

Improve performance by expanding external storage, improving access speed, and providing reliable storage.

What are 4 ways to improve the performance of a Hard Disk?

Disk caching, hybrid drives, redundant arrays of inexpensive disks, and file compression/decompression.

What are examples of solid state storage?

Solid-state drives (SSDs), Flash memory cards, USB drives

What type of storage technology does a cell phone use?

Solid-state storage drives

Optical disks use ___________ to represent data.

pits and lands

Know about CD-RW, DVD-ROM drives, Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray. What does the R in DVD-R stand for?

Compact discs (CDs) were the first widely available optical format for PC users, but have largely been replaced by DVDs and Blu-rays. Rewritable (RW) discs are similar to write-once discs except that the disc surface is not permanently altered when data is recorded. Digital versatile discs (DVDs) are the standard optical discs in PCs. Read-only (ROM) discs are discs that cannot be written on or erased by the user. Ultra HD Blu-rays (UHD BD) are able to play back 4K video content and store up to 100 GB of data. Blu-ray discs (BDs) are the newest form of optical storage designed to store high definition video.

How are solid state storage devices and hard disks different?

Unlike solid-state drives, which have no moving parts, hard disk drives rotate and have read/write heads that move in and out. These moving parts allow hard disk drives to use inexpensive technology to provide large-capacity storage; however, they also make hard disks less durable and slower than solid-state drives.

What is it called when servers on the Internet supply applications as a service, rather than a product?

Cloud computing

What is cloud storage?

Provided by cloud computing, also known as online storage.

________ speed is the measure of the amount of time required by a storage device to retrieve data and programs.

Access

What is disc caching?

Improves hard-disk performance by anticipating data needs. It performs a function similar to cache memory.

What are hybrid drives?

Storage drives that contain both solid-state storage and hard disks in an attempt to gain the speed and power benefits of SSDs while still having the low cost and large capacity of hard drives.

USB drives are also known as _______ drives?

flash

Three common storage options discussed in your text are hard disk, ________, and solid-state storage.

optical discs

What is cloud storage?

Supplied by cloud computing and is also known as online storage.

Most large organizations store data through a strategy called a(n) ________ to promote efficient and safe use of data across the networks within their organizations.

enterprise storage-system

These discs have a capacity of 50 gigabytes on one side.

Blu-Ray

Secondary storage provides temporary or volatile storage.(T/F)

False

File servers are appropriate devices to use in an enterprise storage system. (T/F)

True

Disk caching uses a combination of hardware and software.(T/F)

True

Which of these is not a mass storage device?

Optical disc

CD-ROMs are often used to archive data and to record music downloaded from the Internet.

False

A good way to share files with others is to use a(n) ________, or online, storage service.

Cloud storage

Network hard disk drives exist local to the system unit, either within the system unit or nearby.(T/F)

False

DVD-R stands for DVD ________.

recordable

Optical discs use these to represent data.

Pits and lands

All the following are true of DVD-ROM drives except

they are also known as erasable optical discs.

The process of saving information to a secondary storage device is referred to as embedding.(T/F)

False

Cell phones use which of these storage technologies?

Flash memory card

________ programs scan files for ways to reduce the amount of required storage.

File compression

Media are the actual physical material that holds the data and programs.(T/F)

True

Which of the following is not an example of secondary storage?

RAM

External hard disks use different technology than internal hard disks.(T/F)

False

One of the most dramatic changes in connectivity and communications in the past few years has been ________.

the widespread use of mobile devices like cell phones and tablets with wireless Internet connectivity.

Which devices originate and accept messages in the form of data, information, and/or instructions?

Sending and receiving devices

In a communication system, which devices convert messages into packets that can travel across the communication channel?

Connection devices

Know the wireless connections and physical connections.

Wireless connections do not use a solid substance to connect sending and receiving devices. Rather, they move data through the air. Physical connections use a solid medium to connect sending and receiving devices. These connections include twisted-pair, coaxial, and fiber-optic cables.

Which of the physical connections is the fastest?

Fiber-optic cable

Which of the wireless connections is considered a line-of-sight medium?

Microwave

What does WiMax stand for?

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

Microwave communication uses high-frequency ________.

radio waves.

________ is a term relating to sending data to a satellite.

Uplink

The GPS device in an automobile uses which communication channel?

Satellite

A service that uses existing phone lines to provide high-speed connections is called ________.

DSL

Cellular services use ________ to provide wireless connectivity to the Internet for smartphones.

3G and 4G cellular networks

The capacity of a communication channel is measured in ________.

bandwidth

Know the types of bandwidth.

Voiceband(low bandwidth) is used for standard telephone communication. Medium band is used in special leased lines to connect midrange computers and mainframes, as well as to transmit data over long distances. Broadband is widely used for DSL, cable, and satellite connections to the Internet. Baseband is widely used to connect individual computers that are located close to one another.

Every computer on the Internet has a unique numeric address called a(n) ________.

IP address (Internet protocol address).

________ is the process of breaking down information sent or transmitted across the Internet into small parts.

Packetization

What is TCP/IP?

Transmission control protocol/Internet protocol and its essential features are identifying sending and receiving devices and breaking information into small parts, or packets, for transmission across the internet.

The ________ is the central node that coordinates the flow of data by sending messages directly between the sender and receiver nodes.

switch

In a computer network, this node that requests and uses resources available from other nodes.

Client

This device enables connectivity between two LANS or a LAN and a larger network.

Network gateway

A wireless access point that provides Internet access in a public place such as a coffee shop, library, bookstore, or university.

Hotspots

______, A network topology in which the central node is connected to two or more subordinate nodes that, in turn, are connected to other subordinate nodes.

Tree network

This type of network strategy uses central servers to coordinate and supply services to other nodes on the network.

Client/server networks

Organizations use the _________ to allow suppliers and others limited access to their networks.

extranets

All communications between a company's internal networks and the outside world pass through this server.

Proxy server

What is a VPN?

Virtual private networks create a secure private connection between a remote user and an organization's internal network.

What is a Mesh network?

This topology is the newest type and does not use a specific physical layout (such as a star or a tree).

The actual connecting or transmission medium that carries the message in a communication system is called the ________.

communication channel.

________ is a high-frequency transmission medium that has a single solid-copper core.

Coaxial cable

________ is the name of the process of converting from analog to digital.

Demodulation

________ uses standard telephone lines to provide high-speed connections.

DSL (digital subscriber line)

________ transmits data as pulses of light through tiny tubes of glass.

Fiber-optic cable

What is a local area network?

Networks with nodes that are in close physical proximity-within the same building, for instance

What is a gateway network?

A device that allows one LAN to be linked to other LANs or to larger networks.

A LAN set up for a household's personal use is called a(n) ________ network.

home

________ are countrywide and worldwide networks.

Wide area networks (WANs)

A(n) ________ area network is a type of wireless network that works within your immediate surroundings to connect cell phones to headsets, controllers to game systems, and so on.

personal area network (PAN)

What is a client/server network?

Use central servers to coordinate and supply services to other nodes on the network.

What is an intranet?

A private network within an organization that resembles the Internet.

What is an extranet?

A private network that connects more than one organization.

What is a server?

A node that shares resources with other nodes.

In a wireless LAN, all communications pass through the network's centrally located wireless access point or ________ station.

base

________ describes how a network is arranged and how resources are coordinated and shared.

Network architecture

Most firewalls include a special computer called a(n) ________ server to manage communications between the internal networks and the outside world.

proxy

Network architecture describes how a computer network is configured and what topologies and strategies are employed. (T/F)

True

With respect to peer-to-peer network, there is an abundant amount of powerful management software that monitors the network activities.(T/F)

False

Standard telephone lines use coaxial cables.(T/F)

False

Using this type of communications channel, several users can simultaneously use a single connection for high-speed data transfer.

Broadband

People that collect, analyze, and sell personal data are called ________.

information resellers or information brokers.

These programs record virtually everything you do on your computer and are used by employers to search employee email and computer files.

Employee-monitoring software

What are cookies and what are they used for?

Small data files that are deposited on your hard disk from websites you have visited. They can store information about you, your preferences, and your browsing habits.

What types of cookies are there and what are they used for?

First-party cookie is one that is generated (and then read) only by the website you are currently visiting. Third-party cookie is usually generated by an advertising company that is affiliated with the website you are currently visiting.

Programs used to secretly record an individual's activities on the Internet are called ________.

spyware

Which type of program would likely be used by investigators to record a potential suspects' Internet activities?

Keystroke logger

A "cracker" is what type of computer criminal?

A computer criminal who creates and distributes malicious programs or malware which is short for malicious software.