1.3 Hardware Basics- COMPTIA A+ Essentials

English	Chemistry
DB-9 serial	serial mouse or external modem
DB-25 parallel	Printers
DB-15	Joystick or MIDI device (game port)
High Density DB-15	VGA/SVGA monitor
6-pin Mini-DIN	PS/2-style keyboard or mouse By convention, purple connectors are used for the keyboard, and green connectors are used for the mouse.
TRS	Speaker or microphone Common color codes for connectors are: - Red = Mic In - Blue = Line In - Green = Line Out
RJ-11	Internal modem or telephone
RJ-45	Ethernet network
USB Type A	Printer Scanner Camera Printer Mouse Keyboard External CD-ROM drive MP3 player PDA
Firewire 6-pin	Video cameras (most common) Less commonly, similar devices that use USB connectors such as printers or external drives
Hardware	The physical components that work together to make a computer system or network : -Keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer -Connectors and cables -Drives -Circuit boards
Software	Computer programs that perform specific tasks include: -Operating System -Program applications -Hardware drivers (special programs that tell the operating system how to use the hardware)
Firmware	Software that has been permanently placed in a hardware component. An example is a BIOS chip.
Input	The process of sending data to the computer. These devices include: -Mouse -Keyboard -Touchscreen
Processing	The event of a program being loaded, retrieved, transmitted, or executed. Major components include: -CPU (Central Processing Unit) -RAM
Storage	The act of keeping or maintaining data. These devices include: -Hard disk drive -Floppy disk drive -Optical drives (CD-ROM, DVD) -Flash drive
Output	The process of the computer presenting, displaying, or otherwise giving data. These devices include: -Video -Audio -Printing
Networking and Communications	Networking is a specialized form of input and output that entails using media (cable) and devices (routers, switches) to link multiple computers into an interconnected unit.
Componentization	A working PC is a combination of many different parts, also called a Field-Replaceable Unit (FRU), can be replaced when faulty or upgraded to provide additional functionality.
Standardization	Components from many different manufacturers are interchangeable. As long as the component meets the standards, you can be reasonably confident that it will work in the system.
BIOS	An example of firmware.
PS/2-style mouse	An example of a device that uses a 6-pin Mini-DIN connector.
Joystick	An example of a device that uses a low-density (two-row) male DB-15 connector.
Speaker	An example of a device that uses a TRS connector.
VGA/SVGA monitor	An example of a device that uses a high-density (three-row) DB-15 connector.
Cache	An area of memory that holds recently-accessed data.
CMOS	A special RAM chip powered and maintained by a small battery that holds basic configuration data a computer needs to start.
Random Access Memory (RAM)	A temporary data storage location that can be read from and written to.
Volatile	A type of memory that loses data when the power is no longer supplied to the component.
9-pin serial	A serial mouse connects to a computer with this connector.
9	Serial ports have this many pins.
Coaxial	10Base-2 Ethernet uses this cable.
DB-15	10Base-5 Ethernet and game ports use this cable
Serial	External modems most commonly connect to this port.
DB-25	Parallel devices connect to this connector.