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) The northbridge chipset of a motherboard handles communication between all of the following, except:
The northbridge chipset handles the "faster" aspects of motherboard performance.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
A northbridge or host bridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset architecture on a PC motherboard, the other being the southbridge Unlike the southbridge, northbridge is connected directly to the CPU via the front-side bus (FSB) and is thus responsible for tasks that require the highest performance The northbridge, also known as Memory Controller Hub, is usually paired with a southbridge In systems where they are included, these two chips manage communications between the CPU and other parts of the motherboard, and constitute the core logic chipset of the PC motherboardOn older Intel based PCs, the northbridge was also named external memory controller hub (MCH) or graphics and memory controller hub (GMCH) if equipped with… Read More
2) You are experiencing issues on your network and cannot determine where packets are being lost and connectivity is breaking down. You should utilize:
Traceroute allows you to determine where connectivity is failing on your network.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
In computing, traceroute and tracert are computer network diagnostic commands for displaying the route (path) and measuring transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network The history of the route is recorded as the round-trip times of the packets received from each successive host (remote node) in the route (path) the sum of the mean times in each hop is a measure of the total time spent to establish the connection Traceroute proceeds unless all (three) sent packets are lost more than twice then the connection is lost and the route cannot be evaluated Ping, on the other hand, only computes the final round-trip times from the destination point… Read More
3) You have been tasked with making Ethernet cables of custom length for a server room refresh. Your coworker sends you to get a tool from the cabinet to utilize while making the new cables.
Choose the most necessary tool below:
A wire-stripper and crimper is the most necessary tool to successfully make a new cable. This tool allows for you to correctly expose the wiring of the twisted pair cable and crimp on an 8P8C termination.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
4) You are installing a hard drive into a desktop PC. The best way to connect the hard drive on a modern client that will be used in an office setting for word processing and running an online email client would be via:
While all of the answers are valid methods of connecting a hard drive, SATA is the most preferred method on a client PC in the constraints of the question.
This is due to SATA most closely matching the throughput requirements of a client PC, being a modern storage connector, and not requiring additional adapters for buses that may not be present on a modern motherboard.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
Hard disk drives are accessed over one of a number of bus types, including parallel ATA (PATA, also called IDE or EIDE described before the introduction of SATA as ATA), Serial ATA (SATA), SCSI, Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), and Fibre Channel Bridge circuitry is sometimes used to connect hard disk drives to buses with which they cannot communicate natively, such as IEEE 1394, USB, SCSI and Thunderbolt … Read More
5) You work for a company that has created what is anticipated to be the best selling tablet ever created. It is expected that everyone on Earth will own one of the new tablets in the next five years.
You are working on the network support division and are tasked with implementing internet connectivity on the device. To address demand you believe it would be best to implement support for:
Choose the best answer.
There are roughly seven billion people on Earth. IPv4 only supports 4.29 billion addresses.
IPv6 supports roughly 3.4×1038 addresses, allowing for every user on Earth to utilize your device online.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
6) True or false: There are two data transfer modes to USB 1.1: Low-Speed and Full-Speed.
USB 1.1 Supports Low-Speed and Full-Speed modes. Low-speed is typically used for peripherals that do not require high rates of data transfer, such as game controllers. Full-speed is used for anything requiring data transfer.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
7) A user has hooked their Windows 7 laptop up to a projector in one of your office's conference rooms and you receive a call to assist them in projecting their content in the desired manner.
The user would like to have their laptop display not feature any content, while still allowing the projector to display a presentation. You should direct the user to utilize the following setting:
Projection settings can be accessed via Windows + P.
Windows 7 does not feature a built-in function to accomplish specifically what the user has requested. In this case, the best setting to utilize would be "Extend" as the user can send their presentation to the extended projector display while leaving the laptop to display the Windows desktop.
"Second Screen Only" would be the best overall option, however it is only available on Windows 10 and would not be an option in this case.
This question is filed under objective 3, Mobile Devices
In computing, a keyboard shortcut is a sequence or combination of keystrokes on a computer keyboard which invokes commands in software Most keyboard shortcuts require the user to press a single key or a sequence of keys one after the other Other keyboard shortcuts require pressing and holding several keys simultaneously (indicated in the tables below by this sign: +) Keyboard shortcuts may depend on the keyboard layout … Read More
8) You are building a new, high performance personal desktop PC and are deciding on a motherboard. Not considering overclock-ability, to maximize performance and future capacity to upgrade, you should choose a motherboard with the following supported RAM slots:
DDR4 SDRAM is the most current revision of the SDRAM standard and features the highest bus and memory clock speeds currently available. GDDR modules are reserved for use in GPU's.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
9) What is the technical name (or name according to JDEC) for DDR2-1066 RAM modules?
The formal module name for DDR2-1066 RAM is PC2-8500, according to JDEC standards.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
Double Data Rate 2 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory, officially abbreviated as DDR2 SDRAM, is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface It superseded the original DDR SDRAM specification, and is superseded by DDR3 SDRAM (launched in 2007) DDR2 DIMMs are neither forward compatible with DDR3 nor backward compatible with DDR In addition to double pumping the data bus as in DDR SDRAM (transferring data on the rising and falling edges of the bus clock signal), DDR2 allows higher bus speed and requires lower power by running the internal clock at half the speed of the data bus The two factors combine to produce a total of four data transfers per internal clock cycle… Read More
10) When installing a new CPU or cleaning a computer case as part of regular maintenance, where is thermal compound applied?
Thermal compound should be applied in a thin layer between the CPU and the heat sink for proper heat transfer.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
11) A user has reported that their desktop PC cannot connect to drive locations on the network. The user is utilizing a wired connection.
DHCP is being utilized in your network.
Choose the most correct first step in troubleshooting:
Utilizing the command prompt and the ipconfig command, you should first determine if the user is receiving an IP within the network's scope. If the user is receiving an in-scope IP address this means that they have network connectivity and the issue likely lies outside of the Link Layer.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
12) Users are having a hard time remembering the IP address for a commonly used network resource.
The IP address is statically set and the connection is established over port 443.
You know that you have a tool that can solve this issue on your Domain Controller. You log on and configure:
A DNS record should be established for this network resource. DNS records allow users to access a resource via a name, rather than having to remember a complex IP address.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources connected to the Internet or a private network It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities Most prominently, it translates more readily memorized domain names to the numerical IP addresses needed for locating and identifying computer services and devices with the underlying network protocols By providing a worldwide, distributed directory service, the Domain Name System has been an essential component of the functionality of the Internet since 1985 The Domain Name System delegates the responsibility of assigning domain names and mapping those names to Internet… Read More
13) Multiple users have complained that they cannot access servers via RDP. You know that you should check to ensure that the following port is opened:
Remote Desktop Protocol utilizes port 3389 to function. If this port is closed RDP will not work.
This question is filed under objective 4, Hardware and Network Troubleshooting
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft which provides a user with a graphical interface to connect to another computer over a network connection The user employs RDP client software for this purpose, while the other computer must run RDP server software Clients exist for most versions of Microsoft Windows (including Windows Mobile), Linux, Unix, macOS, iOS, Android, and other operating systems RDP servers are built into Windows operating systems an RDP server for Unix and OS X also exists By default, the server listens on TCP port 3389 and UDP port 3389Microsoft currently refers to their official RDP client software as Remote Desktop Connection, formerly "Terminal Services Client"… Read More
14) Your boss has requested that you make the PC clients in the public area of the building more resistant to being tampered with. You recall seeing a setting in the BIOS of the clients called chassis intrusion detection which notes if the PC's case has been opened and reports this in the next boot. You set to implementing this because you believe that chassis intrusion detection does not require additional hardware, which your PC's are not equipped with. Does it function?
15) A user has lost the charging cable for their company issued Android smartphone. You are tasked with providing them with a replacement. The user has requested that they need not utilize an adapter to make the cable work with their device.
While you would need to know the specific make and model of the device to supply the correct charging cable, you can immediately rule out one of the following cables:
USB Type B connectors are typically utilized for connecting devices such as printers and while they can provide power to devices, they are not used with Android devices. Remember to read the question carefully! It is asking which cable is the least likely to be correct!
This question is filed under objective 3, Mobile Devices
16) You work for a struggling IT company and suspect that it will soon be bankrupt. Your boss has recently taken out a large insurance policy on the data center.
One morning, your boss sheepishly approaches you about re-cabling the entire data center and asks too many questions about fire-ratings.
Which of the following cable types should be used to mitigate the damage of your boss' s suspected insurance fraud scheme?
Plenum-rated cable is the best type of cable to be used for fire-resistance, as it produces the least smoke and is fire-retardant. Jokes aside you should report your boss to the local authorities.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
Plenum cable is electrical cable that is laid in the plenum spaces of buildings In the United States, plastics used in the construction of plenum cable are regulated under the National Fire Protection Association standard NFPA 90A: Standard for the Installation of Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems All materials intended for use on wire and cables to be placed in plenum spaces are designed to meet rigorous fire safety test standards in accordance with NFPA 262 and outlined in NFPA 90A Plenum cable is jacketed with a fire-retardant plastic jacket of either a low-smoke polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or a fluorinated ethylene polymer (FEP)… Read More
17) For security reasons, you've created a script on a server that monitors if non-domain users have been added to the local administrators group. You've added logic to the script that sends an email out every time the script is run.
Your script utilizes SMTP for its reporting. Select the port that you will need to ensure is open for your script to send emails.
Port 25 is the port that SMTP utilizes to send emails. You will also need to list a functioning SMTP server in your script for this to work.
This question is filed under objective 2, Networking
The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is a communication protocol for electronic mail transmission As an Internet standard, SMTP was first defined in 1982 by RFC 821, and updated in 2008 by RFC 5321 to Extended SMTP additions, which is the protocol variety in widespread use today Mail servers and other message transfer agents use SMTP to send and receive mail messages Proprietary systems such as Microsoft Exchange and IBM Notes and webmail systems such as Outlookcom, Gmail and Yahoo Mail may use non-standard protocols internally, but all use SMTP when sending to or receiving email from outside their own systems… Read More
18) A RAM module has gone out on your laptop and requires replacement. Without opening the laptop up or possessing any additional knowledge about your system, you know that you will most likely need to replace the module with a ______ type module.
Laptop and mobile devices typically utilize SO-DIMM type RAM modules, as these modules are smaller in form factor than typical DIMM modules.
While DDR 3 or DDR 4 could be an answer, this would require more detailed information about the motherboard on your system.
If you got this one right, you're not SO DIMM.
(Sorry for the pun; I couldn't help myself)
This question is filed under objective 3, Mobile Devices
A SO-DIMM, SODIMM, or small outline dual in-line memory module, is a type of computer memory built using integrated circuits SO-DIMMs are a smaller alternative to a DIMM, being roughly half the size of regular DIMMs SO-DIMMs are often used in systems that have limited space, which include laptops, notebooks, small-footprint personal computers such as those based on Mini-ITX motherboards, high-end upgradable office printers, and networking hardware such as routers and NAS devices… Read More
19) Laptops use a form of PCI slot similar to desktop PC's. These smaller form-factor slots are called:
The PCI expansion slot in a laptop is referred to as miniPCI. These slots can be used for an array of different add-ons, including WiFi cards.
This question is filed under objective 1, Hardware
20) You work in IT for a retailer that is looking to add new methods of payment to the POS devices.
You are currently in a meeting meeting with multiple different teams from IT brainstorming different technologies that could be implemented to meet the requirement listed above. You remember hearing about a sleek new method of payment supported by mobile devices on the Android and iOS platforms. You suggest implementing:
Near-Field Communication (NFC) is a method of mobile, contact-less payment commonly implemented by retailers, allowing customers to pay with their smartphone.
This question is filed under objective 3, Mobile Devices
Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of communication protocols for communication between two electronic devices over a distance of 4 cm (11⁄2 in) or less NFC offers a low-speed connection with simple setup that can be used to bootstrap more-capable wireless connectionsNFC devices can act as electronic identity documents and keycards They are used in contactless payment systems and allow mobile payment replacing or supplementing systems such as credit cards and electronic ticket smart cards This is sometimes called NFC/CTLS or CTLS NFC, with contactless abbreviated CTLS NFC can be used for sharing small files such as contacts, and bootstrapping fast connections to share larger media such as photos, videos, and other files… Read More
You can go back and review your answers or grade your test.