IT100 SUM11 M3 Final Exam
Study Guide
If you know this information, you will do well on the final exam, to be given
Wednesday evening, September 7, 2011, at 5:30 p.m.
Storage holds data, instructions, and information for future use.
Secondary storage is the physical material on which a computer keeps data, instructions, and information.
Capacity is the number of bytes (characters) a storage medium can hold.
A storage device is the computer hardware that records and/or retrieves items to and from storage media.
The inflexible, circular platters on hard disks use magnetic particles to store data, instructions, and information.
Memory (chips) accesses items in nanoseconds.
Storage devices access items in microseconds or milliseconds.
The smallest unit of data a computer can process is a bit.
Businesses use hard disks to store all of their information – customer orders and invoices, correspondence, contracts, or
any other type of information.
Hard disks do not have write-protect notches.
A backup is a duplicate of a file, program, or disk that can be used in case the original is lost, damaged, or destroyed.
Some computers improve hard disk access time by using a disk cache, which consists of memory chips that store
frequently accessed items.
A group of two or more integrated hard disks is called a RAID.
A removable hard disk is a hard disk that you insert and take out of a drive, and it may either be built into the system unit,
or external and connected via a USB or FireWire port.
An advantage of portable hard disks and removable hard disks is that users can easily store large audio and video files,
transport a large number of files, or add storage space to a notebook computer or Tablet PC.
System software, such as operating systems and utility programs, consists of the programs that control or maintain the
operations of a computer and its devices.
Two types of system software are operating systems and utility programs.
A cross-platform program is one that runs the same on multiple operating systems.
The operating system that a computer uses sometimes is called the platform.
During a cold boot on a personal computer, the POST (power-on self-test) results are compared with data in a CMOS
chip.
Booting is the process of starting or restarting a computer.
The kernel is the core of an operating system that maintains the computer’s clock, starts applications, and assigns the
computer’s resources, such as devices, programs, data, and information.
The kernel is memory resident, which means it remains in memory while the computer is running.
The BIOS is firmware that contains a computer’s startup instructions.
The BIOS executes a series of tests, collectively called the POST (or Power On Self Test), which check the various
system components including the buses, system clock, adapter cards, RAM chips, mouse, keyboard, and
drives.
In the latest Windows versions, the registry consists of several files that contain the system configuration information.
If a hard disk is damaged, a computer can be booted from a recovery disk, which is usually a CD that contains a few
system files that will start the computer.
A boot drive is the drive from which a personal computer starts.
With a graphical user interface (GUI), users interact with menus and visual images such as icons, buttons, and other
objects to issue commands.
A single user/single tasking operating system allows only one user to run one program at a time.
Computer communications describes a process in which two or more computers or devices transfer data, information, or
instructions.
A communications channel is a transmission media on which data, instructions, or information travel.
Two examples of communications channels are cable television lines and telephone lines.
A type of communications device that connects a communications channel to a sending or receiving device is a modem.
VoIP (Voice over IP) is a conversation that takes place over the Internet using a telephone connected to a computer,
mobile device, or telephone adapter.
Wireless instant messaging is a real-time Internet communications service that allows wireless mobile devices to
exchange messages with one or more mobile devices or online users.
A hot spot is a wireless network that provides Internet connections to mobile computers and other devices.
A cybercafé is a coffeehouse or restaurant that provides computers with Internet access to its customers.
Groupware is a software application that helps groups of people work together on projects and share information over a
network.
A voice mailbox is a storage location on a hard disk in a voice mail system.
To make collaboration possible among employees, some companies use a document management system, which provides
for storage and management of a company’s documents, such as word processing documents, presentations,
and spreadsheets.
Businesses are the primary users of Web services because this technology provides a means for departments to
communicate with each other, suppliers, vendors, and with clients.
A peer-to-peer network is a simple, inexpensive network that typically connects fewer than 10 computers.
A file server is a dedicated server that stores and manages files.
The greatest risk to a bus network is that the bus itself might become inoperable.
A database is a collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and use of that data.
Data is a collection of unprocessed items, which can include text, numbers, images, audio, and video.
Information is processed data; that is, it is organized, meaningful, and useful.
Data integrity identifies the quality of data in a database.
In the database pictured in the accompanying figure, a field is a combination of one or more related characters or bytes
and is the smallest unit of data a user accesses.
In the database pictured in the accompanying figure, a field name uniquely identifies each field.
For the database pictured in the accompanying figure, the field size defines the maximum number of characters a field can
contain.
Validation is the process of comparing data with a set of rules or values to find out if the data is correct.
Validation rules reduce data entry errors.
When a company uses the database approach, many programs and users share the data in a database.
A front-end program interacts with a DBMS, which in turn interacts with the database.
A front end is a program with which users interact that generally has a more user-friendly interface than a DBMS.
An application that supports a front-end program sometimes is called the back end.
Because a data dictionary contains details about the data in a database, some call it metadata.
A query is a request for specific data from a database.
A computer security risk is any event or action that could cause a loss of or damage to computer hardware, software, data,
information, or processing capability.
A script kiddie has the same intent as a cracker, but does not have the technical skills and knowledge.
A cyberextortionist is someone who uses e-mail as a vehicle for extortion.
A cyberterrorist is someone who uses the Internet or network to destroy or damage computers for political reasons.
Computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and rootkits are classified as malware, which are programs that act without a
user’s knowledge and deliberately alter the computer’s operations.
A trusted source is a company or person a user believes will not send a virus-infected file knowingly.
Unauthorized use is the use of a computer or its data for unapproved or possibly illegal activities.
A personal firewall is a utility program that detects and protects a personal computer and its data from unauthorized
access.
Intrusion detection software automatically analyzes all network traffic, assesses system vulnerabilities, identifies any
unauthorized access (intrusions), and notifies a network administrator of suspicious behavior patterns or
system breaches.
A PIN is a numeric password either assigned by a company or selected by a user.
Digital forensics is the discovery, collection, and analysis of evidence found on computers and networks.
Digital forensics is used by a variety of different organizations, like military intelligence (to do things like analyzing data
on computers belonging to enemy forces), insurance agencies (to prevent fraud), and law enforcement (to
prevent computer crimes).
Software theft occurs when someone steals software media, intentionally erases software programs, or illegally copies a
software program.
Software piracy is the unauthorized and illegal duplication of copyrighted software.
Information theft occurs when someone steals personal or confidential information.