CES202 – System Support and Trouble Shooting Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on technical terms and definitions for System Support and Trouble Shooting.

troubleshooting methodology

a repeatable process of identifying, testing, resolving, and documenting technical problems

problem statement

a clear description of symptoms, affected users, timing, and expected behavior

baseline

a record of normal system performance or configuration used for comparison

change history

documentation of recent modifications that may explain a new incident

root cause

the underlying condition that produced an observed problem

workaround

a temporary method that restores functionality without removing the root cause

escalation

transferring an issue to a person or team with greater authority or expertise

knowledge base

a maintained collection of troubleshooting procedures and known solutions

service-level agreement

a documented commitment for service availability, response, and resolution targets

ticket priority

a ranking commonly based on business impact and urgency

POST

firmware diagnostics performed when a computer starts

BIOS or UEFI

firmware that initializes hardware and begins the boot process

bootloader

software that loads an operating-system kernel into memory

safe mode

a diagnostic startup mode using minimal drivers and services

device driver

software that allows an operating system to communicate with hardware

Device Manager

a Windows tool for inspecting hardware devices and driver status

Task Manager

a Windows utility for viewing processes, performance, and startup applications

Event Viewer

a Windows utility for reviewing system, security, and application logs

System Restore

a Windows feature that rolls system files and settings back to a restore point

SFC

a Windows utility that verifies and repairs protected system files

DISM

a Windows tool for servicing and repairing system images

file permissions

rules determining which users can read, write, or execute files

NTFS

a Windows file system supporting permissions, journaling, compression, and large files

ext4

a widely used Linux journaling file system

process

a running instance of a program with allocated resources

service

a background process providing system or application functionality

virtual memory

the use of storage to extend the apparent amount of available RAM

page fault

an event occurring when a required memory page is not currently in physical RAM

CPU utilization

the proportion of processor capacity currently being used

memory leak

a condition in which software fails to release memory it no longer needs

disk fragmentation

the scattering of file blocks across noncontiguous disk locations

SMART

drive self-monitoring data used to detect indicators of storage failure

RAID 1

disk mirroring that provides redundancy by storing identical copies

RAID 5

striping with distributed parity that tolerates one disk failure

backup

a separate copy of data kept for recovery

restore test

a verification that backup data can actually be recovered correctly

DHCP

a protocol that automatically assigns IP configuration to clients

DNS

a system that translates host names into IP addresses and other records

default gateway

the router address used to reach destinations outside a local subnet

subnet mask

a value distinguishing network and host portions of an IP address

loopback address

an address used to test the local TCP/IP stack

ping

a utility commonly used to test IP reachability and round-trip response

traceroute

a utility showing the sequence of routers toward a destination

nslookup

a tool for querying DNS information

ipconfig

a Windows command for viewing and managing IP configuration

least privilege

the practice of limiting account rights to those necessary for assigned work

malware scan

inspection of files and behavior for malicious software

patch management

the controlled deployment and verification of software updates

remote support

assisting a user or system through an approved remote-access channel

documentation

a record of symptoms, diagnostics, actions, results, and final resolution