CERTMASTER LEARN FOR A+ CORE
1 (EXAM 220-1101 EXAMINERS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
support virtualization -Answer-CPU extensions to allow better performance when a host
runs multiple guest operating systems or VMs.
AMD socket type -Answer-CPU socket form factor where connector pins are located on
the CPU package.
multi-socket -Answer-Motherboard configuration with multiple CPU sockets. The CPUs
installed must be identical.
escalate -Answer-In the context of support procedures, incident response, and breach-
reporting, escalation is the process of involving expert and senior staff to assist in
problem management.
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) -Answer-Legacy 32-bit firmware type that initializes
hardware and provides a system setup interface for configuring boot devices and other
hardware settings.
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) -Answer-Type of system firmware
providing support for 64-bit CPU operation at boot, full GUI and mouse operation at
boot, and better boot security.
boot options -Answer-Disk or network adapter device from which an operating system
can be loaded.
USB permissions -Answer-Feature of system setup allowing USB ports to be disabled.
boot password -Answer-Feature of system setup that prevents the computer from
booting until the correct user password is supplied. A supervisor password restricts
access to the system setup program.
Secure boot -Answer-Feature of UEFI that prevents unauthorized processes from
executing during the boot operation.
Trusted platform module (TPM) -Answer-Specification for secure hardware-based
storage of encryption keys, hashed passwords, and other user- and platform-
identification information.
,hardware security module (HSM) -Answer-An appliance for generating and storing
cryptographic keys. This sort of solution may be less susceptible to tampering and
insider threats than software-based storage.
power-on self-test (POST) -Answer-Test routine built into PC firmware to confirm that
system components are available at boot or to signal an error condition via a beep code
or on-screen status message.
beep code -Answer-During POST, errors in hardware or the system firmware data can
be brought to the attention of the user by beep noises. Each beep code is able to draw
attention to a particular fault with the hardware. It was once customary for a computer to
beep once to indicate that POST has been successful, though most modern computers
boot silently.
blue screen of death (BSOD) -Answer-Microsoft status screen that indicates an error
from which the system cannot recover (also called a stop error). Blue screens are
usually caused by bad driver software or hardware faults (memory or disk). Other
operating systems use similar crash indicators, such as Apple's pinwheel and Linux's
kernel panic message.
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) -Answer-Technology
designed to alert the user to an error condition in a mass-storage device before the disk
becomes unusable.
input/output operations per second (IOPS) -Answer-Performance indicator that
measures the time taken to complete read/write operations.
local area network (LAN) -Answer-Network scope restricted to a single geographic
location and owned/managed by a single organization.
802.3 Ethernet -Answer-Standards developed as the IEEE 802.3 series describing
media types, access methods, data rates, and distance limitations at OSI layers 1 and 2
using xBASE-y designations.
wireless local area network (WLAN) -Answer-Network scope and type that uses
wireless radio communications based on some variant of the 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard
series.
Wi-Fi -Answer-Brand name for the IEEE 802.11 standards that can be used to
implement a wireless local area network (WLAN).
wide area network (WAN) -Answer-Network scope that spans a large geographical
area, incorporating more than one site and often a mix of different media types and
protocols plus the use of public telecommunications networks.
,Metropolitan area network (MAN) -Answer-Network scope covers the area of a city (that
is, no more than tens of kilometers).
small office home office (SOHO) -Answer-Category of network type and products that
are used to implement small-scale LANs and off-the-shelf Internet connection types.
datacenter -Answer-Facility dedicated to the provisioning of reliable power,
environmental controls, and network fabric to server computers.
storage area network (SAN) -Answer-Network dedicated to provisioning storage
resources, typically consisting of storage devices and servers connected to switches via
host bus adapters.
personal area network (PAN) -Answer-Network scope that uses close-range wireless
technologies (usually based on Bluetooth or NFC) to establish communications between
personal devices, such as smartphones, laptops, and printers/peripheral devices.
patch panel -Answer-Type of distribution frame used with twisted pair cabling with IDCs
to terminate fixed cabling on one side and modular jacks to make cross-connections to
other equipment on the other.
hub -Answer-Layer 1 (Physical) network device used to implement a star network
topology on legacy Ethernet networks, working as a multiport repeater.
switch -Answer-Intermediate system used to establish contention-free network
segments at OSI layer 2 (Data Link). An unmanaged switch does not support any sort of
configuration.
managed switches -Answer-Ethernet switch that is configurable via a command-line
interface or SDN controller.
Power over Ethernet (PoE) -Answer-Specification allowing power to be supplied via
switch ports and ordinary data cabling to devices such as VoIP handsets and wireless
access points. Devices can draw up to about 13 W (or 25 W for PoE+).
injector -Answer-A device that can supply Power over Ethernet (PoE) if the Ethernet
switch ports do not support it.
unshielded twisted pair" (UTP) -Answer-Media type that uses copper conductors
arranged in pairs that are twisted to reduce interference. Typically, cables are 4-pair or
2-pair.
Shielded twisted pair (STP) -Answer-Copper twisted-pair cabling with screening and
shielding elements for individual wire pairs and/or the whole cable to reduce
interference.
, twisted pair cable -Answer-Network cable construction with insulated copper wires
twisted about each other. A pair of color-coded wires transmits a balanced electrical
signal. The twisting of the wire pairs at different rates acts to reduce interference and
crosstalk.
T568A/T568B -Answer-Twisted-pair termination pinouts defined in the ANSI/TIA/EIA
568 Commercial Building Telecommunications Standards.
patch cord -Answer-Type of flexible network cable typically terminated with RJ45
connectors. Ethernet patch cords cannot be longer than five meters.
permanent cable -Answer-Type of solid network cable typically terminated to
punchdown blocks that is run through wall and ceiling spaces.
cable stripper -Answer-Tool for stripping cable jacket or wire insulation.
punchdown tool -Answer-Tool used to terminate solid twisted-pair copper cable to an
insulation displacement connector block.
crimper -Answer-Tool to join a Registered Jack (RJ) form factor connector to the ends
of twisted-pair patch cable.
cable tester -Answer-Two-part tool used to test successful termination of copper cable
by attaching to each end of a cable and energizing each wire conductor in turn with an
LED to indicate an end-to- end connection.
tone generator -Answer-Two-part tool used to identify one cable within a bundle by
applying an audible signal.
loopback plug -Answer-Tool used to verify the integrity of a network interface port by
checking that it can receive a signal generated by itself.
network tap -Answer-Hardware device inserted into a cable run to copy frames for
analysis.
switched port analyzer (SPAN) -Answer-Copying ingress and/or egress communications
from one or more switch ports to another port. This is used to monitor communications
passing over the switch.
plenum -Answer-Cable for use in building voids designed to be fire-resistant and to
produce a minimal amount of smoke if burned.
Direct burial -Answer-A type of outside plant (OSP) installation where cable is laid
directly into the ground with no protective conduit.
1 (EXAM 220-1101 EXAMINERS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
support virtualization -Answer-CPU extensions to allow better performance when a host
runs multiple guest operating systems or VMs.
AMD socket type -Answer-CPU socket form factor where connector pins are located on
the CPU package.
multi-socket -Answer-Motherboard configuration with multiple CPU sockets. The CPUs
installed must be identical.
escalate -Answer-In the context of support procedures, incident response, and breach-
reporting, escalation is the process of involving expert and senior staff to assist in
problem management.
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) -Answer-Legacy 32-bit firmware type that initializes
hardware and provides a system setup interface for configuring boot devices and other
hardware settings.
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) -Answer-Type of system firmware
providing support for 64-bit CPU operation at boot, full GUI and mouse operation at
boot, and better boot security.
boot options -Answer-Disk or network adapter device from which an operating system
can be loaded.
USB permissions -Answer-Feature of system setup allowing USB ports to be disabled.
boot password -Answer-Feature of system setup that prevents the computer from
booting until the correct user password is supplied. A supervisor password restricts
access to the system setup program.
Secure boot -Answer-Feature of UEFI that prevents unauthorized processes from
executing during the boot operation.
Trusted platform module (TPM) -Answer-Specification for secure hardware-based
storage of encryption keys, hashed passwords, and other user- and platform-
identification information.
,hardware security module (HSM) -Answer-An appliance for generating and storing
cryptographic keys. This sort of solution may be less susceptible to tampering and
insider threats than software-based storage.
power-on self-test (POST) -Answer-Test routine built into PC firmware to confirm that
system components are available at boot or to signal an error condition via a beep code
or on-screen status message.
beep code -Answer-During POST, errors in hardware or the system firmware data can
be brought to the attention of the user by beep noises. Each beep code is able to draw
attention to a particular fault with the hardware. It was once customary for a computer to
beep once to indicate that POST has been successful, though most modern computers
boot silently.
blue screen of death (BSOD) -Answer-Microsoft status screen that indicates an error
from which the system cannot recover (also called a stop error). Blue screens are
usually caused by bad driver software or hardware faults (memory or disk). Other
operating systems use similar crash indicators, such as Apple's pinwheel and Linux's
kernel panic message.
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) -Answer-Technology
designed to alert the user to an error condition in a mass-storage device before the disk
becomes unusable.
input/output operations per second (IOPS) -Answer-Performance indicator that
measures the time taken to complete read/write operations.
local area network (LAN) -Answer-Network scope restricted to a single geographic
location and owned/managed by a single organization.
802.3 Ethernet -Answer-Standards developed as the IEEE 802.3 series describing
media types, access methods, data rates, and distance limitations at OSI layers 1 and 2
using xBASE-y designations.
wireless local area network (WLAN) -Answer-Network scope and type that uses
wireless radio communications based on some variant of the 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard
series.
Wi-Fi -Answer-Brand name for the IEEE 802.11 standards that can be used to
implement a wireless local area network (WLAN).
wide area network (WAN) -Answer-Network scope that spans a large geographical
area, incorporating more than one site and often a mix of different media types and
protocols plus the use of public telecommunications networks.
,Metropolitan area network (MAN) -Answer-Network scope covers the area of a city (that
is, no more than tens of kilometers).
small office home office (SOHO) -Answer-Category of network type and products that
are used to implement small-scale LANs and off-the-shelf Internet connection types.
datacenter -Answer-Facility dedicated to the provisioning of reliable power,
environmental controls, and network fabric to server computers.
storage area network (SAN) -Answer-Network dedicated to provisioning storage
resources, typically consisting of storage devices and servers connected to switches via
host bus adapters.
personal area network (PAN) -Answer-Network scope that uses close-range wireless
technologies (usually based on Bluetooth or NFC) to establish communications between
personal devices, such as smartphones, laptops, and printers/peripheral devices.
patch panel -Answer-Type of distribution frame used with twisted pair cabling with IDCs
to terminate fixed cabling on one side and modular jacks to make cross-connections to
other equipment on the other.
hub -Answer-Layer 1 (Physical) network device used to implement a star network
topology on legacy Ethernet networks, working as a multiport repeater.
switch -Answer-Intermediate system used to establish contention-free network
segments at OSI layer 2 (Data Link). An unmanaged switch does not support any sort of
configuration.
managed switches -Answer-Ethernet switch that is configurable via a command-line
interface or SDN controller.
Power over Ethernet (PoE) -Answer-Specification allowing power to be supplied via
switch ports and ordinary data cabling to devices such as VoIP handsets and wireless
access points. Devices can draw up to about 13 W (or 25 W for PoE+).
injector -Answer-A device that can supply Power over Ethernet (PoE) if the Ethernet
switch ports do not support it.
unshielded twisted pair" (UTP) -Answer-Media type that uses copper conductors
arranged in pairs that are twisted to reduce interference. Typically, cables are 4-pair or
2-pair.
Shielded twisted pair (STP) -Answer-Copper twisted-pair cabling with screening and
shielding elements for individual wire pairs and/or the whole cable to reduce
interference.
, twisted pair cable -Answer-Network cable construction with insulated copper wires
twisted about each other. A pair of color-coded wires transmits a balanced electrical
signal. The twisting of the wire pairs at different rates acts to reduce interference and
crosstalk.
T568A/T568B -Answer-Twisted-pair termination pinouts defined in the ANSI/TIA/EIA
568 Commercial Building Telecommunications Standards.
patch cord -Answer-Type of flexible network cable typically terminated with RJ45
connectors. Ethernet patch cords cannot be longer than five meters.
permanent cable -Answer-Type of solid network cable typically terminated to
punchdown blocks that is run through wall and ceiling spaces.
cable stripper -Answer-Tool for stripping cable jacket or wire insulation.
punchdown tool -Answer-Tool used to terminate solid twisted-pair copper cable to an
insulation displacement connector block.
crimper -Answer-Tool to join a Registered Jack (RJ) form factor connector to the ends
of twisted-pair patch cable.
cable tester -Answer-Two-part tool used to test successful termination of copper cable
by attaching to each end of a cable and energizing each wire conductor in turn with an
LED to indicate an end-to- end connection.
tone generator -Answer-Two-part tool used to identify one cable within a bundle by
applying an audible signal.
loopback plug -Answer-Tool used to verify the integrity of a network interface port by
checking that it can receive a signal generated by itself.
network tap -Answer-Hardware device inserted into a cable run to copy frames for
analysis.
switched port analyzer (SPAN) -Answer-Copying ingress and/or egress communications
from one or more switch ports to another port. This is used to monitor communications
passing over the switch.
plenum -Answer-Cable for use in building voids designed to be fire-resistant and to
produce a minimal amount of smoke if burned.
Direct burial -Answer-A type of outside plant (OSP) installation where cable is laid
directly into the ground with no protective conduit.
