The CompTIA 220-901 exam is one of two exams requires to obtain the CompTIA A+ (900 series). This exam will cover topics like networking, mobile devices and hardware and network troubleshooting.
1) A user working in a warehouse calls and tells you that his computer keeps freezing or rebooting at random, it makes an annoying high-pitch squeak/squeal when running. What is likely to be the issue?
Warehouses are often very dusty, which could cause a fan to stop working and promote overheating. These symptoms (freezing/rebooting) indicate overheating, the noise could be a failing fan. These symptoms do not indicate a battery issue or sticky keys. They could a bad driver, but coupled with the noise it and location is not likely.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
Computer cooling is required to remove the waste heat produced by computer components, to keep components within permissible operating temperature limits Components that are susceptible to temporary malfunction or permanent failure if overheated include integrated circuits such as central processing units (CPUs), chipsets, graphics cards, and hard disk drives Components are often designed to generate as little heat as possible, and computers and operating systems may be designed to reduce power consumption and consequent heating according to workload, but more heat may still be produced than can be removed without attention to cooling Use of heatsinks cooled by airflow reduces the temperature rise produced by a given amount of heat… Read More
2) There is a network (RJ45) port in your office, recently it stopped working. There is no connectivity provided when you plugin to it. The cable and your NIC are known-good, you need to make sure the cable on the back-end of the port is connected but the wiring closet is a disaster. Which tool will assist with this?
Tone generator/probe will help you identify which cable runs to your office so you can see if it is connected. A loopback plug is for testing the NIC, which we already confirmed good. PING is an application/command used to test network connectivity, it won't help here. A cable tester would likely be the next tool used once we find our cable and confirm that it is connected.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
A signal generator is one of a class of electronic devices that generates electronic signals with set properties of amplitude, frequency, and wave shape These generated signals are used as a stimulus for electronic measurements, typically used in designing, testing, troubleshooting, and repairing electronic or electroacoustic devices, though it often has artistic uses as well There are many different types of signal generators with different purposes and applications and at varying levels of expense These types include function generators, RF and microwave signal generators, pitch generators, arbitrary waveform generators, digital pattern generators, and frequency generators In general, no device is suitable for all possible applications… Read More
3) You want to move from using physical servers to using virtual servers/machines (VMs) while utilizing the same hardware that is currently in place. You need to make sure this is possible, what feature must your CPU support?
If your processor does not support virtualization you cannot run VMs on the server. Hyperthreading and multicore processors are nice-to-have but not essential. Dual voltage options are for power supplies, not processing.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
In computing, hardware-assisted virtualization is a platform virtualization approach that enables efficient full virtualization using help from hardware capabilities, primarily from the host processors A full virtualization is used to emulate a complete hardware environment, or virtual machine, in which an unmodified guest operating system (using the same instruction set as the host machine) effectively executes in complete isolation Hardware-assisted virtualization was added to x86 processors (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) in 2005 and 2006 (respectively) Hardware-assisted virtualization is also known as accelerated virtualization Xen calls it hardware virtual machine (HVM), and Virtual Iron calls it native virtualization … Read More
4) An old Linux server is having USB driver problems and your co-worker needs to bring a different type of keyboard or an adapter. What type of keyboard/adapter is likely needed?
PS/2 is an older port type that was predominately used for input devices like keyboards and mice. Lightning is a newer technology used primarily in Apple products. Firewire is not a likely answer, input devices for firewire is rare/nonexistent. Bluetooth is not likely to be supported on a server, especially an old server.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
The PS/2 port is a 6-pin mini-DIN connector used for connecting keyboards and mice to a PC compatible computer system Its name comes from the IBM Personal System/2 series of personal computers, with which it was introduced in 1987 The PS/2 mouse connector generally replaced the older DE-9 RS-232 "serial mouse" connector, while the PS/2 keyboard connector replaced the larger 5-pin/180° DIN connector used in the IBM PC/AT design The PS/2 keyboard port is electrically and logically identical to the IBM AT keyboard port, differing only in the type of electrical connector used The PS/2 platform introduced a second port with the same design as the keyboard port for use to connect a mouse… Read More
5) The clock on your computer keeps falling out of sync, you have to set it each time you restart the computer or power it on. The offset is never consistent. What should you do to correct this issue?
Since the offset is inconsistent and the clock issues seem to revolve around the system not being powered on it could be a CMOS battery issue. If it were an NTP (port 321) or timezone issue you would likely see a consistent offset. None of these symptoms are typical of an overheating system.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
Nonvolatile BIOS memory refers to a small memory on PC motherboards that is used to store BIOS settings It is traditionally called CMOS RAM because it uses a volatile, low-power complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) SRAM (such as the Motorola MC146818 or similar) powered by a small "CMOS" battery when system and standby power is off It is referred to as non-volatile memory or NVRAM because, after the system loses power, it does retain state by virtue of the CMOS battery The typical NVRAM capacity is 256 bytesThe CMOS RAM and the real-time clock have been integrated as a part of the southbridge chipset and it may not be a standalone chip on modern motherboards… Read More
6) A user complains that he can no longer see any wireless networks, connect to his bluetooth headset, or make phone calls on his Android phone. Which of the following options would best address these issues?
These symptoms describe a phone that is in airplane mode. The best option available would be to disable airplane mode. On most smart phones you could also re-enable WiFi and keep Airplane mode.
This question is filed under objective 3, Mobile Devices
Airplane mode, aeroplane mode, flight mode, offline mode, or standalone mode is a setting available on smartphones and other portable devices When activated, this mode suspends the device's radio-frequency (RF) signal transmission technologies (ie, Bluetooth, telephony and Wi-Fi), effectively disabling all voice, text and phone services GPS may or may not be disabled, because it does not involve transmitting radio waves The mode is so named because most airlines prohibit the use of equipment that transmit RF signals while in flight Typically it is not possible to make phone calls or send messages in airplane mode, but some smartphones allow calls to emergency services… Read More
7) Your boss wants you to come up with a solution for allowing people to easily move their laptops between work and home without having to move and reconnect their mouse, keyboard, network, monitor, etc. What technology will enable this?
A docking station is the only listed choice that will allow you to quickly connect a monitor, network cable, and input devices to the laptop. A cable lock is a physical security device. Monitors do not typically support a wireless connection, and a USB hub does not usually support monitor output or network connections.
This question is filed under objective 3, Mobile Devices
In computing, a docking station or port replicator (hub) or dock provides a simplified way of "plugging-in" a laptop computer to common peripherals Because a wide range of dockable devices—from mobile telephones to wireless mice—have different connectors, power signaling, and uses, docks are not standardized and are therefore often designed with a specific type of device in mind This technology is also used on the Nintendo Switch hybrid video game console A dock can allow some laptop computers to become a substitute for a desktop computer, without sacrificing the mobile computing functionality of the machine Portable computers can dock and undock hot, cold or standby, depending on the capabilities of the system… Read More
8) You're setting up a SOHO and want to setup a dedicated backup server with 2 HDDs. You will be backing up valuable files like family pictures and tax forms, so you value redundancy and reliability over speed. What is the best configuration for this server?
RAID 1 is the only technology that meets the goals stated (redundancy) for the current setup. Dualcore processing is for processing, not storage/backups. RAID 0 is for speed, not redundancy. RAID 5 offers redundancy but requires 3 or more storage devices, you only have 2 HDDs.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
RAID ("Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks" or "Redundant Array of Independent Disks") is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical disk drive components into one or more logical units for the purposes of data redundancy, performance improvement, or both This was in contrast to the previous concept of highly reliable mainframe disk drives referred to as "single large expensive disk" (SLED)Data is distributed across the drives in one of several ways, referred to as RAID levels, depending on the required level of redundancy and performance The different schemes, or data distribution layouts, are named by the word "RAID" followed by a number, for example RAID 0 or RAID 1… Read More
9) You are configuring a static IP address on a Windows system and realize the netmask is written as "/25," what is the proper way to input this into the network configuration for this system?
255.255.255.128 is the correct answer. Windows does not allow you to input CIDR for network configurations. 255.255.255.192 is a /26 netmask, 255.255.255.0 is a /24 netmask.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR ) is a method for allocating IP addresses and for IP routing The Internet Engineering Task Force introduced CIDR in 1993 to replace the previous classful network addressing architecture on the Internet Its goal was to slow the growth of routing tables on routers across the Internet, and to help slow the rapid exhaustion of IPv4 addressesIP addresses are described as consisting of two groups of bits in the address: the most significant bits are the network prefix, which identifies a whole network or subnet, and the least significant set forms the host identifier, which specifies a particular interface of a host on that network… Read More
10) Your company is planning on issuing all management employees an iPhone 6S and an iPad pro. All of the work stations in the office have USB ports; what type of cable is needed to connect these new devices to their work station?
The only ports that the iPhone 6S and iPad Pro have for interacting with a computer are Lightning ports, thus USB to Lightning cable is the correct answer.
This question is filed under objective 3, Mobile Devices
Lightning is a proprietary computer bus and power connector created and designed by Apple Inc Introduced on September 12, 2012 (2012-09-12), to replace its predecessor, the 30-pin dock connector, the Lightning connector is used to connect Apple mobile devices like iPhones, iPads, and iPods to host computers, external monitors, cameras, USB battery chargers, and other peripherals Using 8 pins instead of 30, Lightning is more dense than its predecessor, which was integrated with devices like the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 The male Lightning connector is symmetrical (same pins on either side), so it can be inserted into a female Lightning port in either orientation… Read More
11) There is a printer shared via Windows File and Printer sharing on your SOHO network. When your husband attempts to print he receives an "Access Denied" error. Where should you look to correct this issue?
The Security tab under Printer Properties on the host computer is where you set the permissions for a shared printer, thus it is the correct answer. There is no Security tab under Printing Preferences which is where you set print quality, paper orientation, etc.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
12) Your supervisor decides he wants to transition the office from a fiber connection to a satellite connection. The office relies on the connection for VoIP, email and cloud storage. You find that the prices for satellite connections are cheaper. Why would you advise against this change?
Satellite connections often have notable delay/latency issues which would be unacceptable for VoIP and video conferences, they are also negatively impacted by weather. The hand-off for satellite is likely RJ-45 or something similar, you may need a new modem but re-wiring the entire network is an unlikely requirement. Satellite connections can be used with encryption.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through communication satellites Modern consumer grade satellite Internet service is typically provided to individual users through geostationary satellites that can offer relatively high data speeds, with newer satellites using Ku band to achieve downstream data speeds up to 506 Mbit/s In addition, new satellite internet constellations are being developed in low-earth orbit to enable low-latency internet access from space … Read More
13) You are called to look at a co-workers computer. It is not powering on, no fans start, there is no sound, and no lights turn on when the power button is pushed. What should you do first?
Checking the power cable is the most logical answer. You do not know if the power supply is good yet, so replacing it would be premature. These symptoms are not indicative of a CMOS battery issue or a boot sequence issue (also, you can't access the BIOS/UEFI if there is no power).
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
14) You have been tasked by the Network Team to assign a server a new static IP address. You are receiving an error when attempting to apply the IP 172.256.1.15 with a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0. What is the issue causing the error?
Each octet of an IP must be between 0-255 but the second octet of this IP is 256. The IP is not an APIPA and DHCP would not affect manually setting a static IP. Classes are used to determine the default subnet mask for an IP but you are not required to use it, therefor the class B address can be used with the class A subnet mask.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication An IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) defines an IP address as a 32-bit number However, because of the growth of the Internet and the depletion of available IPv4 addresses, a new version of IP (IPv6), using 128 bits for the IP address, was standardized in 1998 IPv6 deployment has been ongoing since the mid-2000s IP addresses are written and displayed in human-readable notations, such as 172… Read More
15) You sit down at an unfamiliar server with a black prompt, you decide to identify the server by checking its IP address. You type ipconfig and it responds "bash: ipconfig: command not found...," what command will likely give you the information you're looking for?
The computer is likely a Linux/Unix (*nix) machine, ifconfig is the appropriate command to find the IP address in a *nix OS. Netstat will show active connections but not the IP address. Nslookup is for querying DNS. Tracert is not likely to work on a *nix box, nor will it display for IP since it is used for showing path information to a remote system.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
ifconfig is a system administration utility in Unix-like operating systems for network interface configuration The utility is a command-line interface tool and is also used in the system startup scripts of many operating systems It has features for configuring, controlling, and querying TCP/IP network interface parameters Ifconfig originally appeared in 42BSD as part of the BSD TCP/IP suite … Read More
16) You are in charge of purchasing new computers for the office, they need to "boot fast and store large video files for editing, don't blow your budget either." The systems only have room for one type of storage device and one type of optical device. What is the best drive to meet these requirements?
A hybrid drive will meet these requirements, it is more affordable than an SSD and quicker than a HDD. A tape drive is more of a backup tool, and is slow, not ideal for regular use as described.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
In computing, a hybrid drive (solid state hybrid drive – SSHD) is a logical or physical storage device that combines a faster storage medium such as solid-state drive (SSD) with a higher-capacity hard disk drive (HDD) The intent is adding some of the speed of SSDs to the cost-effective storage capacity of traditional HDDs The purpose of the SSD in a hybrid drive is to act as a cache for the data stored on the HDD, improving the overall performance by keeping copies of the most frequently used data on the faster SSD There are two main configurations for implementing hybrid drives: dual-drive hybrid systems and solid-state hybrid drives… Read More
17) You are having issues connecting/consoling to a Linux server hosting a database of customer information from your home machine, you think the problems are being caused by a blocked port on your firewall. Which port on your firewall is likely to cause this sort of an issue if blocked?
Port 22 (SSH) is the best answer, SSH is used for secure communications such as console connections to a remote server. Port 23 is for TELNET and is not a secure connection, it is unlikely (or a horrible practice) that TELNET would be used to connect to a sensitive database. Port 80 is for HTTP traffic, not for console connections. Port 3389 is for RDP, and would not usually be used for a console connection but a remote desktop connection.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
SSH or Secure Shell is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network Typical applications include remote command-line, login, and remote command execution, but any network service can be secured with SSH SSH provides a secure channel over an unsecured network by using a client–server architecture, connecting an SSH client application with an SSH server The protocol specification distinguishes between two major versions, referred to as SSH-1 and SSH-2 The standard TCP port for SSH is 22 SSH is generally used to access Unix-like operating systems, but it can also be used on Microsoft Windows… Read More
18) You need to make a backup of a small database storing customer information for historical records. The database is about 5.5 GB in size. Of the options, which is the best storage media for this task?
Of the options provided DVD-R DL (DVD-Recordable Dual Layer) is the only one with the capacity (8.5GB) to support this. Both CD options have a 0.7GB capacity, and a DVD-R has a 4.7GB capacity.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
DVD (abbreviation for Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format invented and developed in 1995 and released in late 1996 The medium can store any kind of digital data and was widely used for software and other computer files as well as video programs watched using DVD players DVDs offer higher storage capacity than compact discs while having the same dimensions Prerecorded DVDs are mass-produced using molding machines that physically stamp data onto the DVD Such discs are a form of DVD-ROM because data can only be read and not written or erased… Read More
19) The cursor on your laptop keeps drifting in the same direction, you disconnect your mouse and this continues to happen regardless of you using the touchpad. What actions can you take to remedy this?
The touchpad is likely damaged or has driver issues, a temporary fix might be disabling it and using a mouse. There is no indication that mouse drivers are causing this problem. The arrow keys and Scroll Lock do not usually influence cursor movement.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
20) What type of network cabling has 2 pairs and traditionally only utilizes 1 of the pairs?
RJ-11 supports both a 1 (2 wire) and 2 (4 wire) pair configuration, typically used in telephone systems only 1 pair is traditionally utilized. RJ-45 has 4 pairs (8 wires), Coax has 1 wire, and 4-pin 12V is for power supplies.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
A registered jack (RJ) is a standardized telecommunication network interface for connecting voice and data equipment to a service provided by a local exchange carrier or long distance carrier Registration interfaces were first defined in the Universal Service Ordering Code (USOC) system of the Bell System in the United States for complying with the registration program for customer-supplied telephone equipment mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the 1970s They were subsequently codified in title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 68 Registered Jack connections began to see use after their invention in 1973 by Bell Labs… Read More
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