CompTIA A+ 220-1001A Lesson 1

internal bus, or local bus

connects core components such as the CPU, memory, and the system controllers.

Near Field Communications (NFC) protocol

- used by many contactless readers. - NFC is a very short range radio link based on Radio Frequency ID (RFID). - NFC normally works at up to 2 inches (6cm) at data rates of 106, 212, and 424 Kbps.

Optical Mouse

- uses LEDs to detect movements over a surface

Riser Card

. This problem is addressed by providing a riser card at right angles to the main board, enabling you to connect additional adapters to the system in an orientation that is parallel to the motherboard and save space

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

--A workplace that is free from hazards that could cause serious physical harm. --Personal protective equipment designed to protect employees from certain hazards. --Communication—in the form of labeling, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), and training about hazardous materials.

USB 2.0 Type B

- 4-pin - For connection to a device. The connector and port are square, with a beveled top. There are also small form factor versions of the type B connector and port:

USB 2.0 Type B Mini

- 5 pin - a smaller connector for connection to a device. This type of connector was seen on early digital cameras but is no longer widely used. The additional pin supports USB OTG.

Lightning Cable

- 8 pin

Fuse

- A fuse blows if there is a problem with the electrical supply, breaking the circuit to the power source. - Most computer equipment is rated at 3A or 5A. - If the fuse fitted is rated too low, it will blow too easily; if the rating is too high, it may not blow when it should

NFC and tap to pay devices

- As well as cards, NFC sensors are now often integrated with smartphones, allowing their use as a kind of "electronic wallet." As with a chip reader, an NFC/tap pay terminal would be attached to the computer via a USB cable as part of a POS system.

Toxic Waste Handling

--CRT monitors- A cathode ray tube (CRT) is an older type of computer monitor. can contain hazardous materials, notably lead. They also contain a glass vacuum tube and high-voltage capacitors. The capacitors represent a high risk of electric shock. -- Batteries - gloves and safety goggles --Electronic Devices- Many components in electronic devices contain toxins and heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic-- reuse reduce recycle

USB 2.0 Type B Micro

-5 Pin -an updated connector for smaller devices, such as smartphones and tablets. The micro connector is distinctively flatter than the older mini type connector.

PC DISASSEMBLY

- Back up all data - Create a clean work environment - Gather all necessary tools and equipment. A notepad and pen may be useful for making diagrams and notes. A digital camera is also useful - Make sure that all devices are powered off and unplugged from the building power - Take anti-static precautions to minimize the chance of damaging sensitive components. Place static-sensitive components, such as processors and memory, in anti-static bags. 1.Power down the PC and remove the power cable. 2.With the power cable removed, press and hold the power button for a few seconds. This should ensure that the circuits within the computer are completely de-energized. 3.Find the screws that secure the cover to the system case and unscrew them. Some system case lids have clips instead of or as well as these screws. Remember to keep the screws in a secure place. 4.Once the system case lid is removed, you can access the internal devices and begin to remove them.

Network Interface Cards (NICs).

- Most computers have a network adapter already installed as part of the motherboard chipset. However, there may be occasions when you need to install an add-on Network Interface Card (NIC) or need to upgrade an adapter to use a different type of network, bandwidth, or cabling. -A Wi-Fi adapter can be added to connect to a wireless network. Wi-Fi adapters are developed to different 802.11 standards (802.11a/b/g/n/ac).

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus

- PCI supports up to 5 devices (though each device can have up to 8 different functions) and allocates system resources by using Plug-and-Play. Bandwidth on the PCI bus is shared between all devices. PCI supports bus mastering, meaning that the device can control the bus to transfer data to and from memory, without requiring the CPU. - The PCI architecture is a 32-bit-wide parallel bus working at 33.3 MHz, achieving a transfer rate of up to 133 MBps (that is, 32 bits divided by 8 to get 4 bytes, then multiplied by the clock rate of 33.3). • Later versions allowed for 66 MHz operation (giving a 32-bit bus 266 MBps bandwidth) and a 64-bit wide bus (266 MBps at 33.3 MHz or 533 MBps at 66 MHz). 64-bit and 66 MHz cards and buses are not commonly found on desktop PCs, however.

ATX(Advanced Technology Extended) Motherboard

- The Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) specification was developed by Intel in to provide a new design for PC motherboards, updating the previous AT form factor. - Full size ATX boards are 12 inches wide by 9.6 inches deep (or 305 x 244 mm). - ATX boards can contain up to seven expansion slots.

Micro-ATX (mATX) Motherboard

- The Micro-ATX (mATX) standard specifies a 9.6-inch (244 x 244 mm) square board. - mATX boards have fewer expansion slots than ATX boards (up to 4 compared to a maximum of 7 for full-sized ATX boards). (most can be put in atx case)

Keyboard

- The keyboard is the longest serving type of input device. - -Historically, connected via the 6-pin mini-DIN PS/2 port. colored purple to differentiate it from the identical form factor mouse connector. - All keyboards are now USB or wireless (typically Bluetooth), though. Extended PC keyboards feature a number of special command keys (Alt and Ctrl plus keys such as Print Screen, NumLock, Scroll Lock, Start, Shortcut, and Function). - A numeric keypad can be used to allow faster entry of numeric data or as an additional set of arrow keys (the function is toggled by NumLock). - Multimedia keyboards may also feature programmable keys and buttons that can be used for web browsing, playing CDs/DVDs, and so on.

RJ-45 (Registered Jack) connector

- This port will be marked "LAN" (Local Area Network). - if a computer does not have a network adaptor card (which most do nowadays) it will have this port - connects the computer to the network - used with twisted pair cable for Ethernet local area networking products - RJ-45 connectors are used with 4-pair (8-wire) cables. The connectors are also referred to as 8P8C( 8-position/8-contact)This means that all eight "potential" wire positions are supplied with contacts, so that they can all carry signals if needed.

System Resources

- When you install a new device, such as a network card, sound card, or internal modem into a PC, it must be allocated a set of system resources that enable it to communicate with the CPU and memory without conflicting with other devices. This process is handled by Plug-and-Play. - Memory Range/I/O, Address, Interrupts (IRQ)

BUS ARCHITECTURE

- a bus is implemented on the motherboard as tiny wires (called traces) running between components. - The bus carries information being processed by the computer (data) and information about where the data is located in memory (address).

Keyboard, Video, Mouse (KVM) switch

- allows multiple computers (typically servers) to be controlled via a single keyboard, mouse, and monitor. -Some switches support speaker and microphone ports. -Each computer's ports are cabled to the switch, then a single cable runs from the switch to the input and output devices. -Simple desktop KVM switches support two devices; control is usually switched using a key sequence such as Scroll Lock + Scroll Lock + an arrow key (such as Right Arrow). -Server-level KVM switches may support 10 or more ports and have more sophisticated controls.

Biometrics

- an automated method of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic unique to the individual, such as a retina pattern, fingerprint, or voice pattern. Biometric technologies are becoming the foundation of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personal verification solutions.

Input devices—or Human Interface Devices (HIDs)

- are peripherals that enable the user to enter data and select commands. - Keyboards and pointing devices are the standard input devices for personal computers these days, but there is an ever-growing number of input devices available for the user to interact with in a variety of ways. As well as command input, security systems often require different ways for users to input credentials to access an account or authorize a payment.

Security Input Devices

- biometrics devices, smart card readers, magnetic strip/chip readers, NVC and tap pay devices, and signature pads are examples

USB 3.1 Type C

- defines a new USB-C 24-pin connector type. This should provide a single consistent hardware interface for the standard. The connector is reversible, meaning it can be inserted either way up. The connector design is also more secure and robust. - USB-C can use the same type of connector at both ends or you can obtain USB-C to USB Type A or Type B converter cables.

Voltage to Dangerous to a Human

30v

Thundebolt Cable (TB)

- developed by Intel® and is primarily used on Apple® workstations and laptops. Thunderbolt® can be used as a display interface (like DisplayPort or HDMI) and as a general peripheral interface (like USB). In its first two versions, Thunderbolt uses the same physical interface as MiniDP and is compatible with DisplayPort, so that displays with a MiniDP port can be connected to a host via Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt ports are distinguished from MiniDP by a lightning bolt icon. - v2 - supports links of up to 20 Gbps. Up to six devices can be connected to a single port by daisy-chaining the devices. You can also use a dock or hub device to channel a variety of ports (TB, USB, HDMI, and Ethernet, for instance) via a single Thunderbolt port on the host PC or laptop. - v3 - changes the physical interface to use the same port, connector, and cabling as USB-C. Converter cables are available to connect Thunderbolt 1 or 2 devices to Thunderbolt 3 ports. A USB device plugged into a Thunderbolt 3 port will function normally but Thunderbolt devices will not work if connected to a USB port that is not Thunderbolt-enabled. Thunderbolt 3 supports up to 40 Gbps over a short, high-quality cable (up to 0.5m/1.6ft).

Parallel ATA (PATA)/Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics (EIDE)

- for internal PC storage - This supported transfer rates up to about 133 MBp

eSATA standard

- for the attachment of external drives, with a 2 m (78") cable. You must use an eSATA cable to connect to an external eSATA port; you cannot use an internal SATA cable. eSATAp is a non-standard powered port used by some vendors that is compatible with both USB and SATA (with an eSATAp cable). - The main drawback of eSATA compared to USB or Thunderbolt external drives is that power is not supplied over the cable. This is not so much of an issue for 3.5" drives, which require a separate power supply anyways, but it limits the usefulness of eSATA for 2.5" portable drives.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD)

- occurs when a path is created that allows electrons to rush from a statically charged body to another with an unequal charge - You can feel a discharge of over about 2500V. - A discharge of 20,000V or more could produce a visible spark. Walking over an untreated carpet in dry conditions could create a charge of around 35,000V. - An electronic component, such as a memory or logic chip, is composed of fine, conductive metal oxides deposited on a small piece of silicon.

PCI adapter cards

- originally designed for 5V (32 bit)the key is at pins 50-51 - 2.1v allowed for 3.3V and dual voltage cards (32 bit) this one has a the key is at pins 12-13. - 64-bit compatible slots and adapters have an extra 60 pins, making the slots distinctively longer. A 32-bit card can be inserted into a 64-bit slot (as long as it is not a 5V card). - PCI 2.3 deprecates the use of 5V cards and most cards are universal. The vast majority of cards and slots for desktop systems are 32-bit. 64-bit PCI is more a feature of server-level systems. - PCI slots can deliver up to 25W of power - dual voltage cards have a 2 keys (one 12-13 pins, the other at 50-51 pins)

Mouse

- originally used ps/2 marked GREEN - 3 types: mechanical, optical, and laser - main type of pointing device for graphical software. - input device

Plug-and-play

- peripheral devices can be added to the computer and the operating system will detect the device automatically and prompt you to configure it using a hardware or device setup wizard.

Smart Card Reader

- provides a slot or NFC (contactless) interface to interact with a smart card. The reader is typically a peripheral device attached via a USB port but may be built into some laptop models. The - microprocessor embedded in the smart card is used to store a digital certificate to prove the identity of the holder. The use of the certificate token is combined with a PIN or password to protect against loss or theft.

PS/2

- serial interface used to attach mice and keyboards. - 6 pin mini DIMM format

USB 2.0 (HighSpeed) standard

- specifies a data rate of 480 Mbps - A USB cable can feature Type A to Type A connectors but most convert from one type to another (Type A to Type B or Type A to Micro Type B for instance).

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)

- standard means of attaching internal storage drives to a desktop PC. Each SATA host adapter port supports a single device. - Internal SATA cables can be up to 1 m (39"). The cables are terminated with compact 7-pin connectors.

Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI)

- support up to 320 MBps data rates - not commonly used now but used on most legacy systems - SCSI could be used for both internal devices and external peripherals (such as scanners and printers) but you are very, very unlikely to find it used anywhere except for the connection of internal disk drives. - early SCSI types used 50-pin connectors ( not as Commonly used as the HD and SCA variations) -High Density (HD) 68-pin connectors or -Single Connector Attachment (SCA) 80-pin connectors. SCA incorporates both a power connector and configuration wires, allowing for hot swappable drives. - parallel SCSI very uncommon now but the software interface and command interface are used in Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), Firewire, and Storage Area Networks (SAN).

serial port (or RS-232)

- supports data rates up to about 115 Kbps only. - data is transmitted over one wire one bit at a time. Start, stop, and parity bits are used to format and verify data transmission. while modern buses like usb are serial - connecting external modems, used to establish dial-up Internet connections - RS-232 (Recommended Standard #232) specifies a 25-pin hardware interface, but in practice, PC manufacturers used the cheaper 9-pin D-shell (DB-9) male port shown above.

USB 3.0 Connectors

- there are 9-pin versions of the Type A, Type B, and Type B Micro connectors. USB 3.0 Type A connections are physically compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0 connections, but the Type B/Type B Micro connections are not. So, for example, you could plug a USB 2.0 Type A cable into a USB 3.0 port, but you could not plug a USB 3.0 Type B cable into a USB 2.0 Type B port.

Tower Case types

-Full tower cases are usually used for PC servers. -Mid tower cases are used for high-end user PCs -Mini tower cases are usually used for office or home PCs where the requirement for additional internal devices and adapter cards is limited. -Slimline cases require low-profile adapter cards but can be oriented horizontally or vertically.

PCIe Versions

-PCI Express 2 compatible motherboards and adapters support transfer rates of 500 MBps per lane. Version 2.0 motherboards and adapters are interchangeable with earlier version 1.1 devices, though the added performance benefits are realized only if both components support version 2. - PCIe 2.1 specifies a power draw from the slot of up to 150W and an 8-pin auxiliary power connector delivering another 150W. This change introduced potential compatibility problems with v1.0 devices but these can often be fixed via a firmware update. -PCIe 3 further increases transfer rates to around 1 GBps per lane while maintaining backward-compatibility. The PCIe 4 standard doubles transfer rates again, to roughly 2 GBps per lane, -PCIe 5, while still being finalized at the time of writing, will almost double it again (to nearly 4 GBps per lane).

USB 3.1 Standard

-SuperSpeed+ mode with a data rate of 10 Gbps. USB 3.2 promises 20 Gbps, but only over USB-C ports and cabling. (has blue connector tab)

Chipset Controllers

-The main function of the northbridge is as the system memory controller, connecting the processor to RAM. -The southbridge is designed to control all of the I/O functions not handled by the northbridge System memory controller. - Input/Output (I/O) controller to handle disk drives and expansion buses. -Controllers for any integrated video, sound, and network (cabled and wireless) interfaces.

Power and fan connectors

-The power connector is usually a 24-pin white or black block, Fan connectors are smaller. There will be one for the CPU and one or more for the case fans - Common fan connectors include: A 3-pin Molex KK connector, commonly used to connect a fan directly to the motherboard, A 4-pin Molex KK connector. it has an extra pin to provide the ability to control the speed of the fan, or a 4-pin Molex connector that connects directly to the system's power supply.

Internal USB Connectors

-computer generally has 1-2 front USB + 1 in the back. Internal USB connections are made via 9-pin headers, which accept up to two 4-pin port connections (the 9th pin is to orient the cable correctly).

Mechanical Mouse

-contains rollers to detect the movement of a ball housed within the mouse case. As the user moves the mouse on a firm surface, the ball is moved and the rollers and circuitry translate that motion to move a cursor on the screen. - Mechanical mice are no longer in production.

Storage Bus

-is a special type of expansion bus dedicated to communicating with storage devices, such as hard disks, solid state drives, and optical drives (CD/DVD/Blu-ray). - 2 main bus standards: Parallel ATA (PATA), which is also known as Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) or Enhanced IDE (EIDE), and Small Computer System Interface (SCSI). - Both IDE and SCSI used parallel transfers of data per clock signal to improve bandwidth. As circuitry and encoding methods have improved, these parallel transmission technologies have been superseded by faster serial bus types.

Touchpad

-small, touch-sensitive pad where you run your finger across the surface to send electronic signals to the computer to control the pointer on the screen. - it is possible to use them as peripheral devices with PCs, too. An external touchpad is connected using USB or Bluetooth. - Pointing, input device

RJ-11

-used with 2- or 3-pair UTP or with flat ribbon "silver satin" phone cables. Tone pair carries the dial tone and voice circuit (also called the Tip and Ring wires after the way older phono plugs were wired). The other pair is usually unused but can be deployed for a secondary circuit. - used for telephone systems (for example, to connect a modem to a phone jack). - connector only has two contacts (6P2C); to use more pairs, an RJ-14 (6P4C) connector is required. This is physically the same size as RJ-11 but has more wired contacts.

PCI Express (PCIe)

-uses point-to-point serial communications, meaning that each component can have a dedicated link to any other component. Connections are made via a switch, which routes data between components and can provide Quality of Service (QoS) to any component that needs it (for example, to prioritize real-time video over non-time critical data). -Each point-to-point connection is referred to as a link. -A link can make use of one or more lanes -Each lane consists of two wire pairs (four wires in total) using low voltage differential signaling. - A given component can support a specific number of lanes (usually x1, x4, x8, or x16), and the switch negotiates the maximum possible number of lanes to use (for example, x8 and x16 devices would use 8 lanes). Each lane supports a transfer rate of 250 MBps in each direction. Most graphics cards use x16 links (4 GBps in each direction). - A card will fit in any port with an equal or greater number of lanes. For example, a x8 card will fit in a x8 or x16 socket (up-plugging) and work at x8, but it will not fit in a x1 or x4 slot (down-plugging). x4, x8, and x16 slots are physically the same length but parts of the slot will be blanked out for x4 and x8. - PCIe can supply up to 75W to a device via the motherboard slot. An extra 75W power can be supplied via a PCIe power connector. PCIe also features power management functions and support for hot swappable and hot pluggable adapters.

USB 2.0 Type A

4-pin - for connection to the host. The connector and port are shaped like flat rectangles.

INSTALL AN ADAPTER CARD

1. Prepare to work inside the computer case. 2. Insert the adapter card into the appropriate type of expansion slot. - Some force will be required to push the card all the way into the expansion slot, but do not use excessive force, and ensure that the adapter card does not bend. Keep the following points in mind: PCI has seen several revisions in terms of voltage and bus width. Different key positions on the card and slot are supposed to prevent insertion of an incompatible card but the vast majority of slots and cards you will come across will be 32-bit 3.3V. Remember that adding a 33 MHz card to a 66 MHz bus will slow down the whole bus. The size of PCIe slots corresponds to the number of lanes; you can (for instance) plug an x2 adapter card into an x8 slot, but you cannot plug an x8 adapter card into an x2 slot. PCIe slots designed for graphics cards come with a plastic latch at the "far" end. This is designed to ensure that the card is completely stable. 3. Secure the adapter card to the system case with a screw. 4. Cover any unused slots with blanking plates, securing them with a screw. 5. Reassemble the PC and boot to Windows. 6. Install the necessary drivers. Drivers for most adapters should be installed automatically through Plug-and-Play, though in some cases you may need to check the vendor's site for a driver or a driver update. To configure the adapter, use the relevant applet in Windows Control Panel, Windows Settings, Device Manager, or the vendor's supplied software.

REMOVE AN ADAPTER CARD

1. Prepare to work inside the computer case. 2. Remove the screw that holds the metal blanking plate to the case. 3. Using both hands, lift the card directly away from its expansion slot. If the adapter card is stiff, use a gentle rocking motion to release the card from the tension in the expansion slot. Rock the card back-and-forth in the direction of the slot, not from side-to-side. 4. Try to handle the card by the plastic parts and blanking plate, rather than touching the circuitry and chips. 5. If you are not replacing the card with a new card, insert a blanking plate and secure it with a screw.

Magnetic Strip/Chip Readers

A chip reader works in the same way as a smartcard reader but is designed to work specifically with bank cards to support Point of Sale (POS) systems.

Motherboard Jumpers

A jumper is a small plastic clip containing a metal conductor that fits over two contacts on the motherboard. The position of the clip completes a circuit that configures the motherboard in one way or another. Note: There may be a motherboard reset jumper. Setting this may allow you to restore the system from a failed firmware update, forgotten system supervisor password, and so on.

Pointing Device

A pointing device is usually used to move a cursor to select and manipulate objects on the screen. - aka a mouse ( most common ) - game controllers and joysticks

Bus

An electrical pathway on the motherboard or through cabling that carries the signals is referred to as a bus

Field Replaceable Units (FRUs)

Electronic components, assemblies, and spare parts shipped in esd bags

Real Time Clock (RTC) & rtc coin cell battery

CMOS battery is still used to power. keeps track of date and time

Electrical Fire

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas extinguisher

Front panel connectors

Components on the front panel of the case connect to headers on the motherboard. Typically, front panel connectors can include: Power button (soft power): On modern computers, the power button sends a signal to the PC that can be interpreted by the OS (as a command to shut down for instance) rather than actually switching the PC off. Holding down the power button for a few seconds will cut the power, however. Drive (HDD) activity lights: These show when an internal hard disk is being accessed. Audio ports: These allow headphones and a microphone to be connected to the computer. When disassembling the system, you should make a diagram of how these connectors are plugged in If you do not have a diagram, you will have to refer to the motherboard documentation or go by any labels printed on the wires and headers.

Daisy-chaining

Connecting one power strip to another is dangerous. The total amperage of devices connected to the strip must not exceed the strip's maximum load (typically 12 amps).

Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs)

DIMM slots have catches at either end, are located close to the CPU socket, and are often color-coded. Note that the DIMMs are specific to a particular DDR version. A label next to the slots should identify the type of DIMMs supported.

Memory Range/I/O system resource

Every device in the PC has its own set of unique memory

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

carried out by qualified electrician to ensure device's safety

Communications (COM) port.

How a serial port is referred to in Windows

Signature Pads

If not hard-wired into a system (such as a security system), a signature capture pad used with a smaller device like a personal computer typically connects via a USB connection.

Biometric Device

Input device designed to perform authentication - need to be installed and configured, and then initialized for the specific end user - The initial biometric authentication "object" for the user (be it a fingerprint, retina scan, pass phrase, etc.) must first be captured and stored. Then the user will have to test the device to make sure that it accurately verifies his or her identity against the authentication object, permitting them access to the location or device.

Molex

Molex connector is usually white and has 4 pins plus red, yellow, and black wires.

I/O Adapters and Storage Cards

Most Input/Output (I/O) bus functions are provided on the motherboard, - An adapter card can be installed to provide additional ports or a bus type that is not supported on the motherboard. Typical examples include an eSATA host adapter to make external storage ports available, a flash memory card reader, a card with extra USB ports, or a card supporting wireless peripherals, such as Bluetooth®.

Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) RAM

On older computers, CMOS RAM stored the PC's basic configuration and any settings made via the CMOS/system firmware setup program.

CMOS battery

coin cell lithium battery. These batteries typically last for 5-10 years.

USB Power

Power is supplied by the host at 5V and a single device may draw up to 500 mA (milli-amps) or 2.5 W (increased to 4.5 W with the USB 3.0 specification). Devices that require more power than this, such as printers, must be connected to an external power supply. - Devices supporting fast charging can supply 7.5 W if the port is in charging mode (no data transfer is possible in charging mode). Devices conforming to the USB Power Delivery version 2.0 specification are able to deliver up to 100 W of power.

Network Connection types

RJ-11, RJ-45

Component handling

Self-grounding- touch unpainted metal part anti-esd wrist strap anti-esd service mat

Mini-ITX Motherboard

Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs are becoming popular as home machines (and in image-conscious offices). SFF PCs often use Via's Mini-ITX form factor. - Mini-ITX is 6.7 inches (170 x 170 mm) square with one expansion slot. (most can be mounted in ATX cases)

USB 3.0 Standard

SuperSpeed mode. SuperSpeed improves the bus bandwidth tenfold (to 5 Gbps or 5000 Mbps) and makes the link full duplex, so a device can send and receive at up to 5 Gbps simultaneously (has blue connector tab)

USB Cable Lengths

The maximum cable length for LowSpeed devices is 3m while for FullSpeed and HighSpeed the limit is 5m. Vendors may provide longer cables however. SuperSpeed-capable cables do not have an official maximum length but up to about 3m is recommended.

Other ITX-based form

There are also smaller nano-, pico-, and mobile-ITX form factors factors, but these are used for embedded systems and portables, rather than PCs. No commercial motherboards were ever produced from the original plain ITX specification.

Case Types

Tower and SFF(Small form factor)

Twisted Pair

Twisted pair is a type of copper cabling where pairs of insulated conductors are twisted around one another, to minimize electrical interference.

Port

a hardware interface that you can use to connect devices to a computer. The port can also be referred to as an endpoint. -The port transfers electronic signals between the device and the system unit. -A port is either an electrically wired socket or plug, or it can be a wireless transmission device. -Ports can vary by shape, by color, by the number and layout of the pins or connectors contained within the port, by the signals the port carries, and by the port's location. -Ports exist for both internal and external devices. External ports often have a graphical representation of the type of device that should be connected to it, such as a small picture of a monitor adjacent to the video port.

Address system resource

addresses in an area called the I/O address map. The I/O address is a means for the CPU to communicate with a device. The address map is a block of system memory 65,536 bytes (64 KB) in size. The I/O port is referred to using its hexadecimal (or port) address in the range of 0000-FFFF.

USB On the Go (OTG)

allows a port to function either as a host or as a device. For example, a port on a smartphone might operate as a device when connected to a PC but as a host when connected to a keyboard.

external bus, or expansion bus

allows additional components to be connected to the computer. These components could be peripheral devices (located outside the case) or adapter cards (located inside the case).

GigaTransfers per second (GT/s)

another term used to describe PCIe speeds. These values do not exclude the bits transmitted as signaling and encoding overhead.

Motherboard

houses the processor, chipset, memory, and expansion slots.

Authentication

identifying someone as a valid user of the computer or network.

Expansion Cards

installed on the motherboard to add functions or ports not provided as part of the chipset.

Host Bus Adapters (HBAs)

provide a connection point for internal mass storage devices, such as hard drives, optical drives, and tape drives.

SATA (Serial ATA)

replaces IDE and SCSI - A SATA port accepts a compact 7-pin connector and can be used to attach a single device. Most full size motherboards have 4 built-in SATA ports.

Small Form Factor (SFF) case

semi-portable, space-saving designs

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

standard means of connecting peripheral devices to a computer. - A USB bus consists of a host controller and up to 127 devices. - A device can be a hub (providing ports for additional devices) or function. Functions are divided into classes, such as human interface (keyboards and mice), mass storage (disk drives), printer, audio device, and so on.

Interface

the point at which two devices connect and communicate with each other.

Laser Mouse

this uses an infrared laser, which gives greater precision than an optical mouse.

Radio Frequency ID (RFID)

what NFC is based off of. it is a very short radio link used for contactless smart card readers

Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM)

where configuration data is stored on modern computers Flash memory does not require battery-backup