What is a CPU and why do we care about it (when picking a new computer?)
- “Central Processing Unit”
- The speed of the CPU is dependent on the unit’s clock speed (aka processor speed)
What unit is used to measure a computer’s CPU clock speed? What does it measure?
- Hertz (cycles per second)
“You’re such a hard worker”
- Mommy
What is the benefit of a computer having multiple physical cores?
Your computer can multitask, actually!
When a single-core processor seems to be running mulitiple things at once, what is it actually doing?
It is multi-threading. That means that it is interweaving two processes to create the illusion of multi-tasking.
What is multi-threading?
One processor interweaving time slices from separate programs to create the illusion of multiple programs running at once.
What is hyper-threading?
One physical core is assigned to virtual cores, or logical cores. Each logical core is assigned a thread. The cores break each program into parts to gain efficiency in the order of operations.
What is the more common term for “primary storage” ?
Memory
Primary memory is volatile, true or false?
True
What does it mean for storage to be “volatile” ?
Everything stored in memory is lost if the power is turned off.
What is cache memory?
Holds the information between the RAM and the computer so the CPU doesn’t have to sit around waiting for the RAM to load. It’s the quickest-to-access storage.
What is RAM? Bonus points: what does it stand for?
The decently easy-access storage on a computer.
Stands for Random-Access Memory (because you can access any part of it as easily as the next)
How does secondary storage differ from primary storage? (3 main ways)
Secondary:
- Non-volatile
- Must be loaded before it can be accessed
- Takes way longer to retrieve (think booting up a computer)
What are the two main types of secondary storage? (full names & acronyms)
& what are the main differences between the two?
- Hard-Disk Drives (HDDs)
- Solid-state Drives (SSDs)
HDDs are slower, cost less, and are easier to break.
What is a CPU’s sequence for accessing data?
- Check the cache
- Check the RAM
- If it IS in the RAM, overwrite the cache with the new information
- If it is NOT in the RAM, go to secondary storage
What are the two base units for measuring data quantity?
A bit
A byte = 8 bits
A byte looks like this, for context:
00110101
Each one of those numbers is a bit.
What are the commonly used prefixes in IS and what do they mean?
Kilo: Thousand
Mega: Million
Giga: Billion
Tetra: Trillion
What is a local area network and how does it relate to a wide-area network?
- A Local Area Network (LAN) is a set of two or more computers physically connected
- A Wide-Area Network (WAN) is a mama LAN -> computers connected across nearby cities.
What does HTTP stand for and what is it?
- “Hypertext Transfer Protocol”
- Language used to transfer web-based information
Tell me a bit about the World Wide Web why dontcha
- WWW is NOT the only service that runs on the internet (they are not interchangeable words)
- It is a collected of interconnected documents and other web resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs
(If you are still confused, Julia, there is a great diagram about the differences and similarities between the two in figure 2.11 in ch 2.5 Networking Concepts)
What is “the cloud” ?
Some of the servers connected to the Internet that offer specific services/functions
What does TCP/IP stand for and what does it do?
- “Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol”
- It specifies how files should be chopped up into “packets” and delivered
What is an IP address?
Gives every single device connected to the internet a unique location (like a home address)
What is the value of a VPN? (And what does it stand for?)
- “Virtual Private Network”
- Allows two devices to connect over internet utilizing encryption to prevent unauthorized access to the data being shared
- You need a shared encryption key. Kind of cool.
