Edward Tetz

To create and configure a Cisco network, you need to know about routers and switches to develop and manage secure Cisco systems. Become acquainted with Cisco network devices and code listings; and find out how to manage static routing and view routing information.OSI model for Cisco networkingWhile you may not use the OSI model every day, you should be familiar with it, specifically when working with Cisco switches and routers (which operate at Layer 2 and Layer 3, respectively).

Wireless networking is a topic you are sure to be tested on when taking the A+ Exam. You are responsible for knowing the wireless standards and the common security steps you should take to help secure a wireless network. Wireless standards Standard Description 802.11a Runs at the 5 GHz frequency range and has a speed of 54 Mbps.

Windows utilizes four boot files, and you will need an understanding of all four of them for the A+ Exam. The four boot files for Windows are: bootmgr: Operating system loader code; similar to ntldr in previous versions of Windows. Boot Configuration Database (BCD): Builds the operating system selection menu and data resides in the BCD store.

The most popular ports used today on the system are the USB and FireWire ports — which allow you to connect devices such as flash drives, digital cameras, and digital video cameras. This table compares features of USB and FireWire, including the transfer rate and number of devices supported. Standard Transfer Rate Device Support USB 1.

Each hardware manufacturer has its own diagnostic codes that identify specific POST errors. You need to consult the manufacturer documentation for the diagnostic codes for your hardware, but the general breakdown of the code categories is as follows: 100–199: Motherboard error 200–299: Memory error 300–39

Another term for the expansion slots on a computer’s motherboard is bus slots. A number of different bus architectures have been developed over time. For the A+ Exam, you need to be able to identify the differences between each of these bus architectures and know which ones are more popular today. Architecture Bus Width (In Bits) Speed PCI 32/64 33 MHz AGP 32 66 MHz (1x), 133 MHz (2x), 266 MHz (4x), 533 MHz (8x) PCMCIA (laptops) 16 33 MHz PCI-X 32/64 66/133/266/533 MHz PCIe Serial Uses multiple lanes with each lane carrying 250 MBps.

You will need to know types of RAID for the A+ Certification Exam. RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is a method of implementing redundancy (duplicated information) on your hard drives — if one disk fails, the other disk(s) can provide the missing information. There are many different levels of RAID, but the following are the only RAID levels pertinent to the A+ Exam: RAID 0: Disk striping (striped volume).