CompTIA It Fundamentals Certification Exams Preparation

By: Allen Udith Zarr

MySQL Database Administration

Instructor’s: Stephen Efange

January 18th, 2020

Table of Contents
CompTIA IT Fundamentals Certification Exams Preparation.....................................................................1
By: Allen Udith Zarr....................................................................................................................................1
MySQL Database Administration................................................................................................................1
Instructor’s: Stephen Efange........................................................................................................................1
January 18th, 2020......................................................................................................................................1
Overview.................................................................................................................................................3
Learning Objectives:....................................................................................................................................3
Identify and understand basic computer components and what they do...........................................3
Understand operating systems, data storage and sharing..................................................................3
Set up and configure a basic PC workstation.......................................................................................3
Work with applications and files..........................................................................................................3
Handle basic software installation.......................................................................................................3
Set up and configure a mobile device..................................................................................................3
Connect to networks and the Internet................................................................................................3
Identify/prevent basic security risks....................................................................................................3
Identify compatibility issues................................................................................................................3
Understand safety and preventative maintenance of computers.......................................................3
Features Common to Every Computing Device......................................................................................6
 Overview
What every USER needs to know about basic setup, configuration, and troubleshooting PCs,
networks, and mobile devices.

Learning Objectives:
Identify and understand basic computer components and what they do
Understand operating systems, data storage and sharing
Set up and configure a basic PC workstation
Work with applications and files
Handle basic software installation
Set up and configure a mobile device
Connect to networks and the Internet
Identify/prevent basic security risks
Identify compatibility issues
Understand safety and preventative maintenance of computers
 Chapter 1: How People Use Computers
The purpose of this text is to help any individual develop the essential computer
and information literacy skills that all IT professionals need.
Computer literacy describes a general knowledge of computers, software,
hardware, and how they work similarly. Although this proficiency is important, it
may not necessarily qualify an individual to work with a specific computer-related
product, or perhaps IT field.

Computer literacy usually simply refers to every user ability to run and locate
applications on both their professional and personal devices rather than just being
able to program.

Literacy

Literacy means the ability to navigate and use printed, any computer devices and
written information (Instructions) to make decisions and to be able to function in
society.
Computer Literacy:

In addition, “computer” to the term or word “literacy,” also refers to individual

ability to use the computer to perform practical tasks.

A variety of both personal and professional’s perspectives exist that identify

computer skills required for computer literacy, but there is general agreement that
computer literacy includes the ability to use basic computer applications to execute
tasks.
Things to Remember

Computer systems work similarly

Knowing one system helps learn another
User ability to run and locate applications
Literacy: The ability to navigate and use printed, any computer devices and
written information (Instructions).
 Features Common to Every Computing Device
The computing process can break down into four different stages: input,
processing, output, and storage.
A computer performs five major operations or functions irrespective of its size and
make. These are:

It accepts data or instructions as input

It stores data and instruction
It processes data as per the instructions,
It controls all operations inside a computer, and
It gives results in the form of output.
Input unit/ device
 Input unit means telling the computer to do something. In other word, input
unit is used for entering data and programs into the computer system by the
user for processing. Examples of daily input devices include keyboards,
mouse, scanners, digital cameras, joysticks, and microphones, calculators on
steroids, etc.

In some way. How do you tell a smartphone to do something for you? How about
taking a selfie? So, by touching, right? You poke an app icon, to make a specific…
program load, that enables you to accomplish…a specific task.…Hey Siri. Voice
works with smartphones too, sweet. It's just more input, telling the compute to do
something for you.

Processing Unit or device

 Processing: The task of performing operations like arithmetic and logical
operations is called processing. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) takes
data and instructions from the storage unit and makes all sorts of
calculations based on the instructions given and the type of data provided. It
is then sent back to the storage unit. CPU includes Arithmetic logic unit
(ALU) and control unit (CU.
With processing the computer figures out what your input means, and the
determines how to respond to your request.
 Output Unit or device
 Output Unit or device: An output device is a piece of computer hardware that
receives data or instructions from a computer. Essentially, the computer
interacts with the output device in some way. The most common output devices
are the monitor and printer, but there are many others. The key distinction
between an input device and an output device is that the former sends data to
the computer, whereas the latter receives data from the computer.

Examples of Output Devices or units:

Monitor
Printer
Headphones
GPS
Monitor
 Monitor: The most common output device used with computers is the
monitor, which displays video images and text. A monitor essentially
consists of a screen, circuitry, a power supply, buttons to adjust screen
settings, and a casing that contains all these components.
Printer
 Printers are another common output device found in homes in offices. In
computing terms, they take electronic data stored on a computer and
generates a hard copy of it. Usually that means printing images and text
onto paper. There are numerous different types of printer, with Inkjet and
laser printers being two of the most common. Modern printers usually
connect to a computer with a USB cable or via Wi-Fi.
Headphones
 Headphones: Also known as earphones, headphones allow you
to listen to audio without disrupting other people in the vicinity.
They connect via the computer line out, or to the speakers.
Nowadays, headphones come in all sorts of shapes and sizes,
from basic earbuds to the more traditional style with padding
 around the earpieces and a connecting band that fits over the
user's head.
GPS
 GPS: GPS (Global Positioning System) uses a network of
satellites to provide information, which can then be used to
calculate the location of a specific device. It is often used with
other digital technology, such as mapping apps.
Storage Unit/ device
 Storage Unit/ device: The storage unit is used for storing data
and instructions before and after processing. Provides one of the
core functions of the modern computer.
Types of Storage
There are four type of storage:
Primary Storage
Secondary Storage
Tertiary Storage
Off-line Storage
Primary Storage
Primary Storage: Also known as main memory. Main memory
is directly or indirectly connected to the central processing unit
via a memory bus. The CPU continuously reads instructions
stored there and executes them as required. Example:
 RAM: It is called Random Access Memory because any of the data
in RAM can be accessed just as fast as any of the other data. There
are two types of RAM:
DRAM (Dynamic Random-Access Memory)
SRAM (Static Random-Access Memory)
 ROM: This memory is used as the computer begins to boot up.
Small programs called firmware are often stored in ROM chips on
hardware
 devices (like a BIOS chip), and they contain instructions the
computer can use in performing some of the most basic
operations required to operate hardware devices. ROM memory
cannot be easily or quickly overwritten or modified.
 Cache: is a high-speed access area that can be either a reserved
section of main memory or a storage device.
Most computers today come with L3 cache or L2 cache, while
older computers included only L1
Cache.

Secondary Storage
Secondary Storage: It is not directly accessible by the CPU.
Computer usually uses its input/output channels to access
secondary storage and transfers the desired data using intermediate
area in primary storage.
Example:
Hard disk: The hard disk drive is the main, and usually largest,
data storage device in a computer.
It can store anywhere from 160 gigabytes to 2 terabytes.
Disk access time is measured in milliseconds.
A hard disk unit comes with a set rotation speed varying from 4500
to 7200 rpm.

Tertiary Storage
Tertiary Storage: Typically, it involves a robotic mechanism which
will mount (insert) and dismount removable mass storage media
into a storage device.
This is primarily useful for extraordinarily large data stores,
accessed without human operators.
 Examples:
Magnetic Tape: Tapes for computers are similar to tapes used to store music.
A magnetically coated strip of plastic on which data can be encoded
Optical Disc: is any storage media that holds content in digital format and is
read using a laser assembly is considered optical media.
The most common types of optical media are:
Blu-ray (BD)
Compact Disc (CD)
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)

Things to Remember

Input/ Output devices enable communication with a computer

Processing components handle commands
Storage devices save data and programs for later use
I/O devices enhance capabilities of computers
Specialty devices include POS systems, printers, joysticks, multifunction
devices.

Chapter 2: System Hardware and Software

System Hardware
• Hardware: The physical equipment used to process information. For
example; printers, monitor and speaker. Without any hardware, our
computer would not exist, and software could not be used. The picture
is a Logitech webcam, an example of an external hardware peripheral.
This hardware device allows users to take videos or pictures and
transmit them over the Internet.

Peripheral Device
Processing hardware Controls the peripheral devices, as directed by computer
software. Peripheral Device: any hardware device connected to and controlled by
the central processing unit. Examples of peripherals are modems, disk drives,
printers, scanners and keyboard. CPUs: Central Processing Units: do the bulk of
processing in a computing device

CPU speed is measured in gigahertz

Modern CPUs are 32-bit or 64-bit

Passing and Active Cooling

 Passing Colling: This type of cooler solely consists of a heatsink. he heats
spreader on the CPU makes contact with the heatsink, which draws the heat
from the heat spreader to help it dissipate across a larger surface area. Pure
passive CPU Coolers (those requiring no airflow at all, like from a case fan)
are not recommended for modern CPUs since they do not exchange heat at a
high enough rate to keep current CPUs within acceptable operational
temperatures.
 Active Colling: This type of cooler also consists of a heatsink and fan.
Active CPU Coolers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and configurations.
Most modern Active CPU Coolers offer heat pipes for faster heat exchange
from the heat spreader to the heat sink. When the heat sink fins absorb the
heat, the attached fan circulates air over the fins to facilitate faster cooling.

RAM and Active Memory

 RAM Memory is the component that provides the workspace for a
processor. Random access memory (RAM) isvolatile memory. RAM
requires a constant source of electricity to keep track of the data stored in it.
When the power is no longer available, the data stored in RAM is lost. The
computer can both read thee data stored in RAM and write different data
into the same RAM. Any byte of data can be accessed without disturbing
other data, so the computer has random access to the data in RAM.

RAM is measured in small groups of data called bytes. A byte is the

fundamental unit of measure for computer data.
 One typed character is about one byte. Each byte consists of eight bits,
which are individual ones and zeros.

RAM holds all active programming on computer. Example 16 GB

System memory is the amount of usable RAM
Upgrading RAM improves Computing performing.
Things to Remember

Heat sinks help heat dissipate into air

Fans pull more heat out into the air
Liquid cooling pulls heat into fluid