Studying for this IT Fundametals Exam

Form factor

the size, shape, and physical specifications of any physical aspect of a computer system.

Smartphone

A mobile device that combines a phone, a handheld computer, and access to the internet, typically using a touch-sensitive screen.

Tablet

A portable computer that is larger than a smartphone but smaller than a laptop, primarily operated using a touchscreen and designed for media consumption, browsing, and light productivity.

Laptop

A portable personal computer that has an all-in-one design, featuring a built-in screen, keyboard, and pointing device, allowing it to be used away from a power outlet using a rechargeable battery.

Desktop

A stationary personal computer designed for regular use at a single location, typically consisting of separate components like a tower (which houses the main processing parts), a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse.

Monitor

An output device for a computer that displays information, like text and images, in a visual form on a screen, similar to a TV, allowing a user to see what they are working on.

3-D Printer

A printer that builds a three-dimensional, solid object from a digital model by laying down many successive, thin layers of material (like melted plastic, metal, or powder).

Digital Camera

A device that captures photographs and stores them in electronic memory (a digital format) instead of on traditional film. It uses a sensor to convert light into electronic signals that form the image.

Solid State Drive (SSD)

A data storage device that uses flash memory chips to store information. Unlike traditional hard drives, it has no moving parts, which makes it much faster, more durable, and more reliable.

Flash Drive (USB Stick)

A small, portable, and removable data storage device that plugs into a computer's USB port. It uses flash memory and is primarily used for transferring or backing up files between computers.

Hardware

physical components of a computing system.

Software

programs that run on a computer.

Output device

a piece of hardware that takes information from the computer and shows it to you (the user) in a way you can understand.

Input device

A piece of hardware that sends information or instructions to the computer. It's how you "talk" to the computer to give it data or tell it what to do.

Digitizing Input devices

hardware that acts like a translator to take things from the real world (like a drawing, sound or movement) and turns them into a digital format that the computer can use.

Storage device

The way a computer remembers information through hardware that can save digital information (like files, photos, or programs) for later use.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

A computer's super-fast short-term memory or temporary workspace. It holds the data and programs that the computer is actively using right now, like your web browser, video game, or open document.

Network Devices

Pieces of hardware that connect computers and other devices so they can communicate and share information with each other and the internet.

Router

A hardware device that acts like a traffic cop on your network. Its job is to connect different networks (like your home network and the internet) and decide the best path for all the data.

LAN (Local Area Network)

A computer network that connects devices within a small, limited geographical area, such as a single home, office building, or school campus.

WAN (Wide Area Network)

A large computer network that spans a great distance by connecting many smaller LANs together, often across cities, states, or even countries.

Wireless Internet Card

A small piece of hardware (often a chip inside a device or a small USB stick) that lets a computer or device access the internet using radio waves (Wi-Fi) instead of a physical cable.

Computer Peripheral

An external device that provides input and output for a computer.

Plug-and-Play Device

A piece of hardware that your computer's operating system (like Windows or macOS) can automatically recognize, install, and start using as soon as you plug it in.

Driver

A group of files that allows a device to communicate with the computer's operating system.

Bluetooth

A short-range wireless communication technology that uses radio waves to transmit information.

NFC (Near Field Communication)

A short-range wireless technology that allows two electronic devices to exchange a small amount of data when they are touched together or brought within a few centimeters of each other (e.g. contactless payment).

Motherboard

A circuit board with ports and sockets used to connect the main devices of a computer.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The core component of a device that accepts and executes instructions - the "brain" of the computer.

Hard Drive

A data storage device that uses magnetic storage and rapidly rotating disks to store and retrieve digital information.

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

A tiny program on the computer's motherboard that is the first software that runs when you turn on a computer that checks to make sure all the basic hardware is working.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

Speeds up the creation of images and outputs them to a display device, like a monitor.

Network Interface Card (NIC)

A component with a built-in wired network port that allows the computer to connect to a network.

Volatile storage

storage that is only available while the computer system is on, and once the system is turned off, it disappears (not saved, i.e. RAM).

Non-volatile storage

storage that is saved and available even after the system is shut down (e.g., hard Drive, SSD, Flash Drive).

Network-attached storage (NAS)

storage that contains one or more drives that can be accessed over a network.

File Server

storage system that is network-attached and equipped with powerful network adapters.

Access point (wireless access point)

a network device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network.

Bandwidth

amount (capacity) of digital data transfer in a system (measured by bitrate).

Bitrate

the number of bits a system can send per second.

Bits

zeros and ones (0, 1) that are used to represent information that computers understand.

Browser

An application that accesses and displays web pages.

CACHE

temporary memory storage on a computer for data that is accessed often (ex., frequently visited websites).

Digital information (data)

information that is sent in bits using computers over networks.

Digital Divide

The gap between people who have readily available access to the internet and computing technologies and those who do not.

Domain Name

a unique name that is human-readable and used to access websites (associated with a unique IP address).

Domain Name System (DNS)

A hierarchy that translates human-readable website names into IP addresses.

DMZ (Demilitarized "network" Zone)

a neutral area within a network that can be accessed by both external and internal computer systems (the purpose is to protect an intranet from external access the security is created through firewalls).

Ethernet cable

a cable containing copper wires used by computers to send information over medium distances over networks using electricity.

Fault-tolerant

a network with built-in redundancy (many router paths to exchange data) so that data can still be sent and received even if part of the network fails.

Fiber Optic Cable

a cable used by computers to send information long distances over networks using light.

Firewall

a hardware device or software program that blocks unwanted internet traffic while allowing legitimate traffic.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

coding used to structure web pages.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

a protocol that standardizes the language used to talk to web servers to send and receive web resources (how computers request and receive hypertext information).

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure)

a protocol that standardizes the language used to talk to web servers to send and receive secure web resources (how computers request and receive secure hypertext information).

Internet

A network of individual networks around the globe to make information and knowledge open and accessible to everyone.

Internet of Things (IoT)

the network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies enabling them to connect and share data with other devices and over the Internet (Examples

Internet Protocol (IP)

a protocol that defines the layout of an Internet address (IP Address) and the layout of packets.

Intranet

a private network of computers within an organization/company with the main purpose of facilitating internal communication.

IP Address

A unique numerical identifier for a computing device connected to a network with access to the Internet.

IPv6

A new 128-bit version of the Internet Protocol.

LAN (Local Area Network)

connects computers that are close to each other, such as in the same building, and usually with a single router.

Metadata

information that helps describe the data sent in packets (ex. to address, from address, file size, packet number etc.)

Modem

a network device that allows other devices to connect to the internet.

Network

A group of two or more computer systems linked together.

Network adapter

an internal computer component used to communicate over a network.

Network device

an electronic device required to enable communication between devices (ex. routers)

Network port

a location where information is sent from one computer to another.

Network Topology

a diagram of how devices and connections are arranged on the network. This includes physical connections and the logical understanding of the network design and how information moves through it.

Packets

small groups of bits (units of data) used to send information over the internet.

Packet-switched system

digital data is separated into packets and sent across the network independently between sender and receiver.

Path

What specific resource you are requesting from a Domain on the internet (ex. a home page request would be a Path from the Domain www.codehs.com)

Perimeter network

a secured boundary between a private network and the public internet created by a router.

Port 22 (ssh)

this port is used along with the Secure Shell Protocol for secure remote logins, even if the network is insecure.

Port 23 (telnet)

this port is used for remote logins using the terminal, or command line interface.

Port 443 (https)

this port ensures an encrypted internet connection to protect transferred data.

Port 80 (http)

the port used for communicating across the World Wide Web and exchanging information found on web pages.

Ports 20 & 21 (ftp)

this port is used with the File Transfer Protocol to send and receive files between two computers.

Port scan

checks to see which ports on a network are open.

PPTP (Point to Point Tunneling Protocol)

The Point to Point Protocol (PPP) enables one point to access another specific point securely over the internet. This is used with TCP/IP to create the Tunneling Protocol using 128-bit encryption.

Protocol

A widely agreed upon set of rules that standardize communication between computing machines (this makes sharing data and working together possible with all networks).

Redundancy

having multiple paths between two points on a network for data to be exchanged (makes the network more reliable).

Router

a computer that connects multiple computers to each other or other routers on different networks making it possible to share information and resources (can be wired or wireless).

Routing

the process of sending data between two computers on the internet.

Scalable

a network that can grow and still have fast speeds for data and reliability because it is fault tolerant.

SSID (Service Set Identifier)

represents a WiFi network name.

SOHO Network (Small Office/Home Office)

a method of creating a small secure local area network that is used by ten or fewer people. An all-in-one device is used that includes a router, modem, firewall, VPN, and switch.

Switch

a device that enables wired connections between multiple computers or devices (ex. connecting to a modem).

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

a protocol that allows multiple packets to be sent between two computers. It checks that all packets arrive and can be put back in the proper order.

TCP/IP Packets

packets with metadata, including the packet number (order number), that are sent over the internet following the Transmission Control Protocol.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

a web address used to locate a resource that exists somewhere on the internet (ex. www.codehs.com).

WAN (Wide Area Network)

connects computers far away from each other and requires multiple routers and special cables.

WLAN

a wireless LAN that uses radio frequency technology to send and receive data.

World Wide Web (WWW)

all interconnected web pages accessible through the internet.

VLAN

a virtual LAN that allows the setup of separate networks by configuring a network device.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

a secure connection that businesses and individuals can use. VPNs use a tunneling protocol that encrypts data, creating a private network.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a standard for encoding text characters as numbers.

Binary

A system that uses only two possible states. In computing, these are represented as 0 (off) and 1 (on).

Binary number system

A "base-2" number system that uses only two digits, 0 and 1, to represent all numbers.