CNIT 176 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE 2026
COMPREHENSIVE NETWORKING
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ Third Generation.
Answer: Integrated circuit computers (1965-1980)
◉ Integrated circuits.
Answer: Replaced circuit boards, smaller, cheaper, faster, more
reliable
◉ Terminal.
Answer: Input/output device with a keyboard and screen
◉ Fourth Generation.
Answer: Very large scale integration (1980-?)
◉ Moore's Law.
Answer: Density of silicon chips doubles every 18 months
◉ Rock's Law.
,Answer: Cost of capital equipment to build semiconductors doubles
every 4 years
◉ System.
Answer: Collection of components linked together and organized as
a single unit
◉ System architecture.
Answer: Fundamental properties, patterns of relationships,
connections, linkages among components and between system and
environment
◉ Client-server computing.
Answer: Program on client computer requests services from
program on server computer
◉ Two-tier architecture.
Answer: 2 computers are involved in a service
◉ Three-tier architecture.
Answer: 3 computers are involved in a service
◉ N-tier architecture.
,Answer: N computers are involved in a service
◉ Software as a Service (SaaS).
Answer: Applications run on server or processing is divided on
server and client
◉ Platform as a Service (PaaS).
Answer: Tools for a developer to create and run applications on a
cloud platform
◉ Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Answer: Cloud-based hardware emulation of virtual machines and
networking
◉ Peer-to-peer computing.
Answer: Computers on a network are treated as equals
◉ Bit.
Answer: Smallest unit of information
◉ Byte.
Answer: 8 bits, smallest addressable unit of computer storage
, ◉ Word.
Answer: 2+ adjacent bytes, can be any number of bits or bytes
◉ Word size.
Answer: Best size handled by computer's architecture (16, 32, or 64
bits)
◉ Nibble (nybble).
Answer: Half a byte (4 bits)
◉ Who uses octal?.
Answer: Linux file permissions, IBM mainframes
◉ Signed magnitude.
Answer: Uses value of "1" in high-order bit to indicate a negative
number
◉ Overflow - signed magnitude.
Answer: When there's a carry situation in the most significant bit
◉ One's complement.
COMPREHENSIVE NETWORKING
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ Third Generation.
Answer: Integrated circuit computers (1965-1980)
◉ Integrated circuits.
Answer: Replaced circuit boards, smaller, cheaper, faster, more
reliable
◉ Terminal.
Answer: Input/output device with a keyboard and screen
◉ Fourth Generation.
Answer: Very large scale integration (1980-?)
◉ Moore's Law.
Answer: Density of silicon chips doubles every 18 months
◉ Rock's Law.
,Answer: Cost of capital equipment to build semiconductors doubles
every 4 years
◉ System.
Answer: Collection of components linked together and organized as
a single unit
◉ System architecture.
Answer: Fundamental properties, patterns of relationships,
connections, linkages among components and between system and
environment
◉ Client-server computing.
Answer: Program on client computer requests services from
program on server computer
◉ Two-tier architecture.
Answer: 2 computers are involved in a service
◉ Three-tier architecture.
Answer: 3 computers are involved in a service
◉ N-tier architecture.
,Answer: N computers are involved in a service
◉ Software as a Service (SaaS).
Answer: Applications run on server or processing is divided on
server and client
◉ Platform as a Service (PaaS).
Answer: Tools for a developer to create and run applications on a
cloud platform
◉ Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Answer: Cloud-based hardware emulation of virtual machines and
networking
◉ Peer-to-peer computing.
Answer: Computers on a network are treated as equals
◉ Bit.
Answer: Smallest unit of information
◉ Byte.
Answer: 8 bits, smallest addressable unit of computer storage
, ◉ Word.
Answer: 2+ adjacent bytes, can be any number of bits or bytes
◉ Word size.
Answer: Best size handled by computer's architecture (16, 32, or 64
bits)
◉ Nibble (nybble).
Answer: Half a byte (4 bits)
◉ Who uses octal?.
Answer: Linux file permissions, IBM mainframes
◉ Signed magnitude.
Answer: Uses value of "1" in high-order bit to indicate a negative
number
◉ Overflow - signed magnitude.
Answer: When there's a carry situation in the most significant bit
◉ One's complement.
