CompTIA A+ Cert Master 3.1 Hardware Study

A help desk analyst is replacing an internal hard drive on a desktop. A technician had previously removed the hard drive, so the analyst did not have a chance to map which cable should go where. Which cable will provide power in a modern SATA setup?

15-pin A separate 15-pin serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) power connector connects the device to the PC's power supply.

A network technician only needs to support network speeds of 100 Mbps. What is the lowest possible cabling standard the technician can use to accomplish this?

Cat 5 Cat 5 cable supports the older 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet standard. It is no longer commercially available. A technician will probably need to rewire the network cabled with Cat 5 to support Gigabit Ethernet.

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.

Coax Coax for CATV installations is typically terminated using a screw-down F-type connector. Coax is now mostly used for CCTV installations and patch cable for Cable Access TV (CATV) and broadband cable modems.

A service desk operator is looking at an older computer. The service desk operator attempts to plug in a keyboard and mouse, but there are no USB ports. What type of cable do the keyboard and mouse need?

DB9 DB9 is the old proprietary standard for keyboards and mice, but USB cables replaced them.

A network associate is selecting cable that will need protection from the weather as much as possible. Which type should the associate use?

Direct burial Direct burial cable is laid and then covered in earth or cement/concrete.

A cable runner needs to run cable in a plenum space. What consideration does a runner need to account for with plenum spaces?

Fire retardant Building regulations require the use of fire-retardant plenum cables in such spaces. Plenum space is an effective conduit for fire

An information technology analyst is a huge fan of superhero movies and is excited about the new movies coming out, so the analyst decides to splurge and buy an 8K television. However, the analyst also wishes to connect a laptop to play games on the television but is unsure which cables support 8K. Which of the following would work? (Select all that apply.)

High speed HDMI HDMI versions 2.0 and 2.1 specify premium high speed (up to 18 Gbps). Ultra high speed HDMI ultra high speed (up to 48 Gbps) cable ratings support 8K. Thunderbolt Thunderbolt ports are distinguished from MiniDP by a lightning bolt/flash icon. Version 2 of the standard supports links of up to 20 Gbps.

A new support technician is troubleshooting connectivity issues. The technician decides to troubleshoot the physical layer and traces the wire back to the networking closet. There, the support technician sees a large patch panel. Which of the following does the technician most likely see on the patch panel? (Select all that apply.)

Punchdown block The cables running through the walls terminate to the insulation displacement connector (IDC) punchdown blocks at the back of the panel. RJ45 The technician can terminate the twisted pair cabling for Ethernet using modular RJ45 connectors. RJ11 RJ11 is typically used to terminate two-pair cables and is widely used in telephone systems.

A brand new network associate sets up phone lines at a new location. What type of connector will the network associate need?

RJ11 RJ11 typically terminates two-pair cable and is widely used in telephone systems.

A server technician sets up a new server in their data center and opens the case to view the insides. The technician notices several hard drives inside. What type of setup does the server most likely have?

SCSI A serial attached SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), or SAS, is a dominant interface for enterprise-class storage devices in the PC workstation and server market.

A data center administrator is setting up new fiber drops and needs a commonly used connector since they are specific only to multi-mode networks. Which connector should the administrator use?

ST Straight tip (ST) is a bayonet-style connector that uses a push-and-twist locking mechanism, mostly for multi-mode networks.

A helpdesk operator is working on an urgent task that needs completing immediately when the network goes down, even for the local area network. The helpdesk operator needs to transfer files from a particular computer onto another computer. What type of connector could the operator use to transfer files directly from computer to computer?

T568A and T568B Using T568A at one end and T568B at the other creates a crossover cable.

A firm has asked a forensics expert to review the contents of an older SCSI system. However, before acquiring the system, the components were separated to obscure the information on the system. What should the forensics expert do to the first device on the SCSI bus?

Terminate.

An audio-visual support technician assists a customer who normally uses a USB 3.0 display cable to connect, but the cable seems to have gone bad. What else could the technician likely use?

Thunderbolt 3 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.

An organization has asked a helpdesk attendant to swap out a defective monitor since part of the monitor will not display colors correctly. They are curious about how the LCD monitor varies the color, so they look at the inner workings. What is each pixel addressed by to vary the intensity of RGB values?

Transistor Each pixel is addressed by a transistor to vary the intensity of each cell, therefore creating the gamut (range of colors) that the display can generate.

A marketing analyst is trying to connect an Apple device to a corporate PC, but the cable will not fit into the PC connections. What type of adapter should the analyst use?

USB The Lightning port is found only on Apple's mobile devices. A suitable adapter cable needs to connect a device to a PC, such as Lightning-to-USB A or Lightning-to-USB C.

A parent has purchased an older laptop for their young child to do school work but finds the laptop has USB 1.1 connections. Which of the following should the parent use to be compatible?

USB 3 Type A The Lightning port is found only on Apple's mobile devices. A suitable adapter cable needs to connect a device to a PC, such as Lightning-to-USB A or Lightning-to-USB C.

A server administrator for a major transportation company is facing a crisis where ransomware has taken over and destroyed the primary and backup locations. Luckily there was an unaffected offline domain controller in a remote country where the administrator needed to fly to immediately and back up the contents via a USB hard drive. The administrator uses a hard drive running USB 3.2 that supports 10 Gbps speeds but must ensure the legacy server can support connectors. Which of the following are supported connectors? (Select all that apply.)

USB Micro The administrator uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 SuperSpeed USB, which runs up to 10 Gbps and supports the USB Micro connector. USB-A USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 SuperSpeed USB also supports USB-A, which runs up to 10 Gbps. USB-C USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 SuperSpeed USB supports USB-C, which runs up to 10 Gbps. **USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 SuperSpeed USB does not support USB-B**

A company has tasked a network administrator with running Ethernet cabling in an enterprise and is told to use the most popular type of network cable with an insulated jacket. Which of the following should the administrator use?

UTP The most popular network cable type is copper wire construction called unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and contains an insulating jacket in the cable.

A helpdesk support professional is helping to set up a computer for a presentation not generally used for presentations. The helpdesk professional notices that the display connector has 15 pins. What type of cable will the computer need? CORRECT ANSWER:

VGA The 15-pin video graphics array (VGA) port was the standard analog video interface for PC devices

A server technician has received a non-standard external drive. It appears older since it does not connect to USB, but it is not recognized when connected. The technician suspects it needs to be powered. Which of the following should the technician try?

eSATAp There is an external serial advanced technology attachment (eSATA) standard for the attachment of peripheral drives. eSATAp is a nonstandard powered port used by some vendors.

An organization has asked a security analyst to review the contents of an external drive to see if the drive is reusable or if the organization needs to destroy it. However, the drive does not have a cable that connects to a USB. After finding an older computer that supports the cable type, it still does not seem to connect. The analyst notices that there appears to be a cable for what looks like power to the device. What type of cable should the analyst try using?

eSATAp There is an external serial advanced technology attachment (eSATA) standard for the attachment of peripheral drives. eSATAp is a nonstandard powered port used by some vendors.