Comptia practice qujestion reminders

Q: Which DNS TXT records are used for spam and email authentication?

A: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Q: Which common applications use TCP as their transport protocol?

File transfer, Email communication, and Web browsing — because they require reliable delivery and ordered packets.

Digital connectors cables are

HDMI, DP (display port) and DVI-D

Analog connectors are what

VGA, DVI-A

What is SaaS (Software as a Service)

A cloud service where users access software applications over the internet. The provider manages everything (infrastructure, platform, and software). Example: Gmail, Microsoft 365.

What is IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

A cloud service that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. Users manage the OS, apps, and data. Example: AWS EC2, Microsoft Azure VMs.

What is PaaS (Platform as a Service)

A cloud platform that lets developers build, run, and manage applications without managing the underlying infrastructure. Example: Google App Engine, Heroku.

What is DaaS (Desktop as a Service)

A cloud service that delivers virtual desktops to end users over the internet. The provider hosts and manages the infrastructure and software. Example: Amazon WorkSpaces, Citrix DaaS.

Is SAN (Storage Area Network) a physical or network storage solution?

Network

Is NAS (Network Attached Storage) a physical or network storage solution?

Network

Is SSD (Solid State Drive) a physical or network storage solution?

Physical

Is HDD (Hard Disk Drive) a physical or network storage solution?

Physical

what is PAN (Personal Area Network)

A small network for personal devices, typically within a range of a few meters. Example: Bluetooth connection between a phone and wireless earbuds.

what is LAN (Local Area Network)

A network covering a small geographic area like a home, office, or building. It connects computers and devices within close proximity.

what is MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

A network that spans a city or large campus, connecting multiple LANs within a metropolitan area. Often managed by governments or large organizations.

what is WAN (Wide Area Network)

A network that spans large geographic areas, such as countries or continents. The Internet is the largest example of a WAN.

What kind of cable is this?

ST (straight tip) - Bayonet-style twist lock; mostly used in older, legacy networks. FIBER OPTIC

What kind of cable is this?

LC (Lucent Connector) Small form factor; looks like a small phone jack; used in modern networks and data centers. FIBER OPTIC

What kind of cable is this?

SC (Subscriber Connector) Push-pull design; square shape; easy to insert/remove; common in enterprise. FIBER OPTIC

What kind of cable is this?

F-type = COAXIAL! Used for cable internet and TV; screws on for a tight connection.

What does the pinwheel of death mean?

Memory failure

what is a 4-Pin Molex Connector?

An older power connector used to supply +5V and +12V to internal components like IDE hard drives, optical drives, and some fans. Common in legacy systems.

USB 1.1

Max speed: 12 Mbps. Power: 2.5W (5V @ 0.5A). Used for basic peripherals like keyboards and mice.

USB 2.0

Max speed: 480 Mbps. Power: 2.5W (5V @ 0.5A). Still used for many devices like flash drives and mice.

USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen 1

Max speed: 5 Gbps. Power: 4.5W (5V @ 0.9A). Has a blue connector, used for faster data transfer and more power.

USB 3.1 Gen 2

Max speed: 10 Gbps. Power: 15W (5V @ 3A). Found in newer computers for high-speed devices.

USB 3.2

Max speed: up to 20 Gbps. Power varies (up to 100W with USB PD). Used in high-performance setups.

USB 3.2

Max speed: up to 20 Gbps. Power varies (up to 100W with USB PD). Used in high-performance setups.

PCIe x1 Slot

Commonly used for network cards, sound cards, USB expansion cards, and TV tuner cards.

PCIe x4 Slot

Can be used for RAID controllers, NVMe SSDs (via adapter), and low-end graphics or capture cards.

PCIe x8 Slot

Used for high-speed storage controllers, network interface cards, and some professional-grade GPUs.

PCIe x16 Slot

Typically used for high-end graphics cards (GPUs), but can also support other high-bandwidth devices like video capture or RAID cards.

What are the PCLe slot sizes?

1x, 4x, 8x, 16x

VM Sprawl

When virtual machines are created faster than they can be properly managed. This leads to inefficient use of resources and potential security risks.

VM Escape

A security threat where a program running inside a VM breaks out and interacts directly with the host operating system or other VMs. It's a serious vulnerability in virtualization.

Rogue VM

An unauthorized virtual machine that is created and operated outside of standard IT controls, often posing security and compliance risks.

What type of cable is used to connect an old CD-ROM drive with a 40-pin connector?

A 40-pin IDE (PATA) ribbon cable.

Which protocol and port are commonly used to send email securely?

SMTP port 25

Which protocol is used to receive email while keeping it on the server and synced across devices?

IMAP (Port 143)

Which protocol downloads email and deletes it from the server?

POP3 (Port 110)

What does the keystone setting on a projector do?

It corrects trapezoid-shaped image distortion when the projector is not aligned directly with the screen.

What is a DoS?

Denial of Service. It is a form of cyber attack, not a name for a crash screen.

What does an IP address in the 169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255 range indicate?

It’s an APIPA address used when a DHCP server is unavailable. This falls within the APIPA range: 169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255

what is 127.0.0.1 - 127.255.255.255?

Loopback address, Used to test your own device's network stack

What is 192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255 used for?

Private IP (home/office LAN) Used when a DHCP server is present or manually assigned.

What is an example of a public IP?

33.52.7.843 - anything that isnt the IP’s mentioned

Optical disks

CD-RW 700 MB, DVD-R 4.7GB, BD-R 25-128 GB

What is the first step in the troubleshooting methodology?

Identify the problem

What is the second step in the troubleshooting methodology?

Establish a theory of probable cause

What is the third step in the troubleshooting methodology?

Test the theory to determine cause

What is the fouth step in the troubleshooting methodology?

Establish a plan of action and implement the solution

What is the fifth step in the troubleshooting methodology?

Verify full system functionality and implement preventative measures

What is the sixth step in the troubleshooting methodology?

Document findings, actions, and outcomes

Which protocols operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency band?

802.11b, 802.11g

Which protocols operate on the 5 GHz frequency band?

802.11n and 802.11ac

Which protocol operate on the 6 GHz frequency band?

802.11 ax (wifi 6) it can operate on any frequency 2.4 - 6

What is the name of the networking protocol used by macOS to find available printers on the network to use?

Bonjour

What is the Line Printer Daemon (LPD)

protocol is a network printing protocol for submitting print jobs to a remote printer.

What is IPP?

a specialized Internet protocol for communication between client devices and printers (or print servers) using the HTTP protocol for data transport.

What does the message "No boot device available" mean on a computer?

an error message that indicates the workstation is not recognizing the hard drive.

Cat 5 and 5e Cable

5 up to 100Mbps, 5e is up to 1 Gbps, max distance 100 meters

Cat 6 - 6a cable

cat 6: 10 Gbps, Cat 6a - 10Gbps 100m

What are cat 5 and 5e cables used for

use Cases:

• Home and small office networks

• VoIP phones

• Internet and LAN connections

• Supports Power over Ethernet (PoE)

What are cat 6 and 6a cables used for

Use Cases:

• Enterprise networks

• High-speed internet and data transfer

• Streaming, gaming, and business-grade VoIP

• Better shielding against crosstalk than Cat 5e

Fiber optic cable

Glass or plastic strands that transmit data using light instead of electricity, extremely high speed 10Gbps and beyond, max distance many kilometers

What are fiber optic cables used for?

Use Cases:

• Long-distance data transmission (e.g. between buildings or cities)

• Backbone of internet infrastructure

• Data centers and ISPs

• High-speed and electromagnetic interference (EMI)-free environments

What are loopback plugs used for?

testing a port

What type of printer uses tiny nozzles to spray ink directly onto the paper?

Inkjet Printer – great for photo printing and home use, but ink can dry out quickly.

Which type of printer uses toner powder and static electricity to produce sharp text quickly?

Laser Printer – ideal for office use and high-volume document printing.

Which printer uses heat-sensitive paper and is common for receipts and labels?

Thermal Printer – reliable for POS systems but prints fade over time.

What type of printer is known for printing on multi-part forms using a ribbon and impact pins?

Impact Printer (Dot Matrix) – used in warehouses and for carbon copy forms.

Which printer saves the output as a file instead of printing it on paper?

Virtual Printer – examples include Print to PDF or XPS, used for digital records.

What printer builds objects layer-by-layer using plastic or resin material?

3D Printer – used for prototypes, manufacturing parts, and creative projects.

What technology is used on fitness trackers?

accelerometer

802.3af

PoE - 15.4 W ethernet

802.3at

PoE+ - 25.5 W Ethernet

What is the name of the virtualization technology used by Intel CPUs?

VT (Intel Virtualization Technology or VT-x)

What is AMD’s equivalent virtualization tech?

AMD-V