A+ Core Hardware (2003) Examination Objectives Effective Early Q4 2003

Transcription

1 A+ Cre Hardware (2003) Examinatin Objectives Effective Early Q Intrductin Fr A+ Certificatin, the examinee must pass bth this examinatin and the A+ Operating System Technlgies examinatin. The Cre Hardware examinatin measures essential cmpetencies fr an entry-level IT prfessinal r PC service technician with the equivalent knwledge f at least 500 hurs f hands-n experience in the lab r field. CmpTIA recently cnvened a cre f A+ subject matter experts representing a diverse grup f IT prfessinals, which resulted in the revised CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware (2003) examinatin Objectives. The A+ Cre Hardware exam will cntinues t validate that the successful candidate has the imprtant knwledge and skills necessary t cmpetently install, build, cnfigure, upgrade, trublesht and repair persnal cmputer cmpatible hardware including trubleshting basic netwrk and internet cnnectivity, dial-up, DSL, and cable. Additinally, the A+ Cre Hardware exam will cver the latest memry, bus, peripherals, and wireless technlgies. The skills and knwledge measured by this examinatin are derived frm an industry-level and wrldwide critical incident analysis, which was validated thrugh a survey f almst 2,000 A+ certified prfessinals. The results f the survey are used in weighting the dmains and ensuring that the weighting is representative f the relative imprtance f that cntent t the jb requirements f an entry-level IT prfessinal r PC service technician with the equivalent knwledge f at least 500 hurs f hands-n experience in the lab r field. The intent is t certify individuals in a bdy f knwledge that is identified and accepted as the baseline r fundatin f an entry-level IT prfessinal r PC technician. It is nt intended t measure cutting edge technlgies. NOTE: 3 rd Quarter 2003 (exact start date T Be Annunced) CmpTIA A+ exams will cntinue t test against the 2001 bjectives in a cnventinal (linear, nn-adaptive) frmat and will incrprate items against the 2003 bjectives that d nt cunt against the final scre. Early 4 th Quarter 2003 (exact start date T Be Annunced) A+ exams test against the 2003 bjectives and the 2001 bjectives are retired. This examinatin blueprint fr the A+ Cre Hardware examinatin includes the weighting, test bjectives, and example cntent. Example tpics and cncepts are included t clarify the test bjectives and shuld nt be cnstrued as a cmprehensive listing f all the cntent f this examinatin. The table belw lists the dmains measured by this examinatin and the extent t which they are represented. Dmain % Of Examinatin 1.0 Installatin, Cnfiguratin and Upgrading 35% 2.0 Diagnsing and Trubleshting 21% 3.0 Preventive Maintenance 5% 4.0 Mtherbard/Prcessrs/Memry 11% 5.0 Printers 9% 6.0 Basic Netwrking 19% Ttal % CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 1 f 13

2 Dmain 1 Installatin, Cnfiguratin, and Upgrading 1.1 Identify the names, purpse, and characteristics, f system mdules. Recgnize these mdules by sight r definitin. Examples f cncepts and mdules are: Mtherbard Firmware Pwer supply Prcessr /CPU Memry Strage devices Display devices Adapter cards Prts Cases Riser cards 1.2 Identify basic prcedures fr adding and remving fieldreplaceable mdules fr desktp systems. Given a replacement scenari, chse the apprpriate sequences. Desktp cmpnents: Mtherbard Strage device FDD HDD CD/CDRW DVD/DVDRW Tape drive Remvable strage Pwer supply AC adapter AT/ATX Cling systems Fans Heat sinks Liquid cling Prcessr /CPU Memry Display device Input devices Keybard Muse/pinter devices Tuch screen Adapters Netwrk Interface Card (NIC) Sund card Vide card Mdem SCSI IEEE 1394/Firewire USB CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 2 f 13

3 Wireless 1.3 Identify basic prcedures fr adding and remving fieldreplaceable mdules fr prtable systems. Given a replacement scenari, chse the apprpriate sequences. Prtable cmpnents: Strage devices FDD HDD CD/CDRW DVD/DVDRW Remvable strage Pwer surces AC adapter DC adapter Battery Memry Input devices Keybard Muse/pinter devices Tuch screen PCMCIA/Mini PCI Adapters Netwrk Interface Card (NIC) Mdem SCSI IEEE 1394/Firewire USB Strage (memry and hard drive) Dcking statin/prt replicatrs LCD panel Wireless Adapter/cntrller Antennae 1.4 Identify typical IRQs, DMAs, and I/O addresses, and prcedures fr altering these settings when installing and cnfiguring devices. Chse the apprpriate installatin r cnfiguratin steps in a given scenari. Cntent may include the fllwing: Legacy devices (e.g., ISA sund card) Specialized devices (e.g., CAD/CAM) Internal mdems Flppy drive cntrllers Hard drive cntrllers Multimedia devices NICs I/O prts Serial Parallel USB prts IEEE 1394/Firewire Infrared CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 3 f 13

4 1.5 Identify the names, purpses, and perfrmance characteristics, f standardized/cmmn peripheral prts, assciated cabling, and their cnnectrs. Recgnize prts, cabling, and cnnectrs, by sight. Cntent may include the fllwing: Prt types Serial Parallel USB prts IEEE 1394/Firewire Infrared Cable types Serial (Straight thrugh vs. null mdem) Parallel USB Cnnectr types Serial DB-9 DB-25 RJ-11 RJ-45 Parallel DB-25 Centrnics (mini, 36) PS2/MINI-DIN USB IEEE Identify prper prcedures fr installing and cnfiguring cmmn IDE devices. Chse the apprpriate installatin r cnfiguratin sequences in given scenaris. Recgnize the assciated cables. Cntent may include the fllwing: IDE Interface Types EIDE ATA/ATAPI Serial ATA PIO RAID (0, 1 and 5) Master/Slave/cable select Devices per channel Primary/Secndary Cable rientatin/requirements 1.7 Identify prper prcedures fr installing and cnfiguring cmmn SCSI devices. Chse the apprpriate installatin r cnfiguratin sequences in given scenaris. Recgnize the assciated cables. Cntent may include the fllwing: SCSI Interface Types Narrw Fast CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 4 f 13

5 Wide Ultra-wide LVD HVD Internal versus external SCSI IDs Jumper blck/dip switch settings (binary equivalents) Reslving ID cnflicts RAID (0, 1 and 5) Cabling Length Type Terminatin requirements (active, passive, aut) 1.8 Identify prper prcedures fr installing and cnfiguring cmmn peripheral devices. Chse the apprpriate installatin r cnfiguratin sequences in given scenaris. Cntent may include the fllwing: Mdems and transceivers (dial-up, cable, DSL, ISDN) External strage Digital cameras PDAs Wireless access pints Infrared devices Printers UPS (Uninterruptible Pwer Supply) and suppressrs Mnitrs 1.9 Identify prcedures t ptimize PC peratins in specific situatins. Predict the effects f specific prcedures under given scenaris. Tpics may include: Cling systems Liquid Air Heat sink Thermal cmpund Disk subsystem enhancements Hard drives Cntrller cards (e.g., RAID, ATA-100, etc.) Cables NICs Specialized vide cards Memry Additinal prcessrs 1.10 Determine the issues that must be cnsidered when upgrading a PC. In a given scenari, determine when and hw t upgrade system cmpnents. Issues may include: Drivers fr legacy devices CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 5 f 13

6 Bus types and characteristics Cache in relatinship t mtherbards Memry capacity and characteristics Prcessr speed and cmpatibility Hard drive capacity and characteristics System/firmware limitatins Pwer supply utput capacity Cmpnents may include the fllwing: Mtherbards Memry Hard drives CPU BIOS Adapter cards Laptp pwer surces Lithium in NiMH Fuel cell PCMCIA Type I, II, III cards CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 6 f 13

7 Dmain 2 Diagnsing and Trubleshting 2.1 Recgnize cmmn prblems assciated with each mdule and their symptms, and identify steps t islate and trublesht the prblems. Given a prblem situatin, interpret the symptms and infer the mst likely cause. Cntent may include the fllwing: I/O prts and cables Serial Parallel USB prts IEEE 1394/Firewire Infrared SCSI Mtherbards CMOS/ BIOS settings POST audible/visual errr cdes Peripherals Cmputer case Pwer supply Slt cvers Frnt cver alignment Strage devices and cables FDD HDD CD/CDRW DVD/DVDRW Tape drive Remvable strage Cling systems Fans Heat sinks Liquid cling Temperature sensrs Prcessr /CPU Memry Display device Input devices Keybard Muse/pinter devices Tuch screen Adapters Netwrk Interface Card (NIC) Sund card Vide card Mdem SCSI IEEE 1394/Firewire USB Prtable Systems PCMCIA Batteries CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 7 f 13

8 Dcking Statins/Prt Replicatrs Prtable unique strage 2.2 Identify basic trubleshting prcedures and tls, and hw t elicit prblem symptms frm custmers. Justify asking particular questins in a given scenari. Cntent may include the fllwing: Trubleshting/islatin/prblem determinatin prcedures Determining whether a hardware r sftware prblem Gathering infrmatin frm user Custmer Envirnment Symptms/Errr Cdes Situatin when the prblem ccurred Dmain 3 PC Preventive Maintenance, Safety, and Envirnmental Issues 3.1 Identify the varius types f preventive maintenance measures, prducts and prcedures and when and hw t use them. Cntent may include the fllwing: Liquid cleaning cmpunds Types f materials t clean cntacts and cnnectins Nn-static vacuums (chassis, pwer supplies, fans) Cleaning mnitrs Cleaning remvable media devices Ventilatin, dust and misture cntrl n the PC hardware interir. Hard disk maintenance (defragging, scan disk, CHKDSK) Verifying UPS (Uninterruptible Pwer Supply) and suppressrs 3.2 Identify varius safety measures and prcedures, and when/hw t use them. Cntent may include the fllwing: ESD (Electrstatic Discharge) precautins and prcedures What ESD can d, hw it may be apparent, r hidden Cmmn ESD prtectin devices Situatins that culd present a danger r hazard Ptential hazards and prper safety prcedures relating t High-vltage equipment Pwer supply CRTs 3.3 Identify envirnmental prtectin measures and prcedures, and when/hw t use them. Cntent may include the fllwing: Special dispsal prcedures that cmply with envirnmental guidelines. CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 8 f 13

9 Batteries CRTs Chemical slvents and cans MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) Dmain 4 Mtherbard/Prcessrs/Memry 4.1 Distinguish between the ppular CPU chips in terms f their basic characteristics. Cntent may include the fllwing: Ppular CPU chips (Pentium class cmpatible) Vltage Speeds (actual vs. advertised) Cache level I, II, III Sckets/slts VRM(s) 4.2 Identify the types f RAM (Randm Access Memry), frm factrs, and peratinal characteristics. Determine banking and speed requirements under given scenaris. Cntent may include the fllwing: Types EDO RAM (Extended Data Output RAM) DRAM (Dynamic Randm Access Memry) SRAM (Static RAM) VRAM (Vide RAM) SDRAM (Synchrnus Dynamic RAM) DDR (Duble Data Rate) RAMBUS Frm factrs (including pin cunt) SIMM (Single In-line Memry Mdule) DIMM (Dual In-line Memry Mdule) SDIMM (Small utline DIMM) MicrDIMM RIMM (Rambus Inline Memry Mdule) Operatinal characteristics Memry chips (8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit) Parity chips versus nn-parity chips ECC vs. nn-ecc Single-sided vs. duble sided 4.3 Identify the mst ppular types f mtherbards, their cmpnents, and their architecture (bus structures). Cntent may include the fllwing: Types f mtherbards: AT ATX Cmpnents: Cmmunicatin prts CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 9 f 13

10 Serial USB Parallel IEEE 1394/Firewire Infrared Memry SIMM DIMM RIMM SDIMM MicrDIMM Prcessr sckets Slt 1 Slt 2 Slt A Scket A Scket 7 Scket 8 Scket 423 Scket 478 Scket 370 External cache memry (Level 2) Bus Architecture ISA PCI PCI 32-bit PCI 64-bit AGP 2X 4X 8X (Pr) USB (Universal Serial Bus) AMR (audi mdem riser) slts CNR (cmmunicatin netwrk riser) slts Basic cmpatibility guidelines IDE (ATA, ATAPI, ULTRA-DMA, EIDE) SCSI (Narrw, Wide, Fast, Ultra, HVD, LVD(Lw Vltage Differential)) Chipsets 4.4 Identify the purpse f CMOS (Cmplementary Metal-Oxide Semicnductr) memry, what it cntains, and hw and when t change its parameters. Given a scenari invlving CMOS, chse the apprpriate curse f actin. CMOS Settings: Default settings CPU settings Printer parallel prt Uni., bi-directinal, disable/enable, ECP, EPP COM/serial prt memry address, interrupt request, disable Flppy drive enable/disable drive r bt, speed, density Hard drive size and drive type Memry speed, parity, nn-parity Bt sequence Date/Time Passwrds CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 10 f 13

11 Plug & Play BIOS Disabling n-bard devices Disabling virus prtectin Pwer management Infrared Dmain 5 Printers 5.1 Identify printer technlgies, interfaces, and ptins/upgrades. Technlgies include: Laser Ink Dispersin Dt Matrix Slid ink Thermal Dye sublimatin Interfaces include: Parallel Netwrk SCSI USB Infrared Serial IEEE 1394/Firewire Wireless Optins/Upgrades include: Memry Hard drives NICs Trays and feeders Finishers (e.g., stapling, etc.) Scanners/fax/cpier 5.2 Recgnize cmmn printer prblems and techniques used t reslve them. Cntent may include the fllwing: Printer drivers Firmware updates Paper feed and utput Calibratins Printing test pages Errrs (printed r displayed) Memry Cnfiguratin Netwrk cnnectins Cnnectins Paper jam Print quality CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 11 f 13

12 Safety precautins Preventive maintenance Cnsumables Envirnment Dmain 6 Basic Netwrking 6.1 Identify the cmmn types f netwrk cables, their characteristics and cnnectrs. Cable types include: Caxial RG6 RG8 RG58 RG59 Plenum/PVC UTP CAT3 CAT5/e CAT6 STP Fiber Single-mde Multi-mde Cnnectr types include: BNC RJ-45 AUI ST/SC IDC/UDC 6.2 Identify basic netwrking cncepts including hw a netwrk wrks. Cncepts include: Installing and cnfiguring netwrk cards Addressing Bandwidth Status indicatrs Prtcls TCP/IP IPX/SPX (NWLINK) AppleTalk NETBEUI/NETBIOS Full-duplex, half-duplex Cabling Twisted Pair, Caxial, Fiber Optic, RS-232 Netwrking mdels Peer-t-peer Client/server Infrared CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 12 f 13

13 Wireless 6.3 Identify cmmn technlgies available fr establishing Internet cnnectivity and their characteristics. Technlgies include: LAN DSL Cable ISDN Dial-up Satellite Wireless Characteristic include: Definitin Speed Cnnectins CmpTIA A+ Cre Hardware Objectives 4/14/03 Page 13 f 13