Chapter 3: Advanced

Computer Hardware
IT Essentials 7.0 Planning Guide

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Chapter 3 - Sections & Objectives
 3.1 Boot the Computer

 Configure BIOS and UEFI Settings

• Describe POST, BIOS, CMOS and UEFI.
• Configure the computer firmware.

 3.2 Electrical Power

 Explain electrical power

• Describe wattage and voltage.
• Explain power fluctuations and devices that protect against damage caused by fluctuations.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 6
Chapter 3 - Sections & Objectives (Cont.)
 3.3 Advanced Computer Functionality

 Explain computer functionality

• Explain CPU architecture.
• Describe RAID.
• Describe common ports, cables, and connectors.
• Describe monitor characteristics.

 3.4 Computer Upgrade

 Select components to upgrade a computer to meet requirements

• Select appropriate components to upgrade a computer.
• Select components for specialized computers.

 3.5 Protecting the Environment

 Explain safe disposal methods to protect the environment

• Explain safe disposal methods. © 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 7
3.1 Boot the Computer
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POST, BIOS, CMOS and UEFI
Video Demonstration – BIOS – UEFI Menus

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POST, BIOS, CMOS and UEFI
POST
 When a computer is booted, the basic input/output system (BIOS) performs a hardware
check on the main components of the computer.
• This check is called a power-on self-test (POST).
 If a device is malfunctioning, an error or a beep code alerts the technician of the problem.

 BIOS manufacturers use different codes to indicate different hardware problems.

• Motherboard manufacturers may use different beep codes.
• Always consult the motherboard documentation to get the beep codes for your computer.
 Installation Tip: To determine if POST is working properly, remove all of the RAM modules
from the computer and power it on.
• The computer should emit the beep code for a computer with no RAM installed.
• This will not harm the computer.

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POST, BIOS, CMOS and UEFI
BIOS and CMOS
 All motherboards need a BIOS to operate.

 BIOS is a ROM chip on the motherboard that

contains a small program that controls the
communication between the operating system and
the hardware.
 Along with the POST, BIOS also identifies:
• Which drives are available
• Which drives are bootable
• How the memory is configured and when it can be
used
• How PCIe and PCI expansion slots are configured
• How SATA and USB ports are configured
• Motherboard power management features

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 11
POST, BIOS, CMOS and UEFI
BIOS and CMOS (Cont.)
 The motherboard manufacturer saves the
motherboard BIOS settings in a Complementary
Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) memory chip.
 When a computer boots, the BIOS software reads
the configured settings stored in CMOS to determine
how to configure the hardware.
 The BIOS settings are retained by CMOS using a
battery.
• If the battery fails, important settings can be lost.
 Installation Tip: If the computer’s time and date are
incorrect, it could indicate that the CMOS battery is
bad or is getting very low.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 12
POST, BIOS, CMOS and UEFI
UEFI
 Most computers today run Unified Extensible
Firmware Interface (UEFI).
 All new computers come with UEFI, which
provides additional features and addresses
security issues with legacy BIOS.
 UEFI can run on 32-bit and 64-bit systems,
supports larger boot drives, and includes
additional features such as secure boot.
• Secure boot ensures your computer boots to
your specified operating system.
• This helps prevent rootkits from taking over
the system.

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POST, BIOS, CMOS and UEFI
Lab – Investigate BIOS or UEFI Settings

In this lab, you will boot the computer, explore the firmware setup utility program,
and change the boot order sequence.

Part 1: Enter BIOS or UEFI

Part 2: Explore the Settings

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BIOS/UEFI Configuration
Video Demonstration – Configure BIOS – UEFI Settings

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BIOS/UEFI Configuration
BIOS and UEFI Security
 The legacy BIOS supports some security features to protect the BIOS setting, however UEFI adds
additional security features.
 Some common security features found in the BIOS/UEFI systems includes:
• Passwords - Passwords allow for different levels of access to the BIOS settings.
• Drive encryption - A hard drive can be encrypted to prevent data theft.
• LoJack – This is a security feature that allows the owner to locate, lock, and delete the device.
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) – This is a chip designed to secure hardware by storing encryption
keys, digital certificates, passwords, and data.
• Secure boot - Secure Boot is a UEFI security standard that ensures that a computer only boots an OS
that is trusted by the motherboard manufacturer.

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BIOS/UEFI Configuration
Update the Firmware
 Motherboard manufacturers may publish updated BIOS versions to provide enhancements to
system stability, compatibility, and performance.
 Early computer BIOS information was contained in ROM chips and to upgrade the BIOS
information, the ROM chip had to be physically replaced.
 Modern BIOS chips are Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM)
which can be upgraded by the user without opening the computer case.
• This is called “flashing the BIOS”.
 To download a new BIOS, consult the manufacturer’s website and follow the recommended
installation procedures.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 17
BIOS/UEFI Configuration
Lab – Search for BIOS or UEFI Firmware Updates
In this lab, you will identify the current BIOS or UEFI version and then search for BIOS or UEFI
update files.

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BIOS/UEFI Configuration
Lab – Install Windows
In this lab, you will install Windows 10.

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BIOS/UEFI Configuration
Lab – Install Third-Party Software in Windows
In this lab, you will install and remove a third-party software application supplied by your instructor.
You will install the Packet Tracer Windows application.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 20
RAID
RAID Concepts
 Computers can implement redundant array of independent disks (RAID) technology.
• RAID provides a way to store data across multiple storage devices for availability, reliability,
capacity, and redundancy and/or performance improvement
 The following terms describe how RAID stores data on the various disks:
• Striping – enables data to be distributed across multiple drives with a significant performance
increase, however the failure of a single drive means that all data is lost.
• Mirroring – stores duplicate data on one or more other drives and provides redundancy so that
the failure of a drive does not cause the loss of data.
• Parity – provides basic error checking and fault tolerance by storing checksums separately from
data and enables the reconstruction of lost data without sacrificing speed and capacity.
• Double Parity – provides fault tolerance for up to two failed drives.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 21
RAID
RAID Levels
 There are several levels of RAID available.
• These levels use mirroring, striping, and parity in different ways.
• Higher levels of RAID, such as RAID 5 or 6, use striping and parity in combination to provide
speed and to create large volumes.
• RAID levels higher than 10 combine lower RAID levels.

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Ports, Connectors, and Cables
Legacy Ports
 Serial
• Used for connecting various peripherals such as printers, scanners,
modems, and console connections to network devices.
 Parallel
• Used for connecting to various peripheral devices, commonly printers.
 Game
• Used for connecting a joystick input
 PS/2
• Used for connecting a keyboard and mouse. Purple for keyboard and
green for the mouse.
 Audio ports
• Analog ports were used for connecting stereo system, microphone and
speakers/headphones.
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 23
Ports, Connectors, and Cables
Video and Graphic Ports
 VGA
• An analog port and commonly the oldest graphics port still used on
some PCs.
 DVI
• Provides support for transmitting uncompressed digital video.
• Includes DVI-A (analog), DVI-D (digital), and DVI-I (integrated).
 HDMI
• Carries the same video information as DVI but is also capable of
providing digital audio and control signals..
 DisplayPort
• Designed to replace both DVI and VGA for computer monitors while
including high bandwidth video and audio signals.

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Ports, Connectors, and Cables
USB Cables and Connectors
 Over the years, USB has evolved with various standards. (USB 1.0,
USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB 3.2)
 USB Type-A
• The typical rectangular connector found on almost all desktop and laptop
computers, TVs, game consoles, and media players.
 Mini-USB
• A rectangular connector with a small indention on each side that is being
replaced with the micro-USB connector.
 Micro-USB
• A common connector on smartphones, tablets and other devices.
• This connector has two corners pushed in at an angle.

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Ports, Connectors, and Cables
USB Cables and Connectors (Cont.)
 USB Type-B
• This connector has a square shape with beveled exterior corners and an
extra notch at the top.
• Used to connect printers or external hard drives.
 USB Type-C
• This connector is rectangular with four rounded corners and is the newest
USB interface.
• Used as a multipurpose cable to attach different kinds of peripheral
devices to a PC.
 Lightning
• This connector is a small proprietary 8-pin connector used by Apple mobile
devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods for both power and data.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 26
Ports, Connectors, and Cables
SATA Cables and Connectors
 SATA Cable
• One end plugs into a SATA port on a motherboard and the other end into
the back of an internal storage device.
• The SATA data cable does not provide power so a SATA power cable is
needed in addition to power the internal storage device.
• SATA data and power cables are keyed so they can only be installed in
one way.
 eSATA Cable
• This cable is used to connect external SATA drives and is a keyed
connector.
 eSATA Adapter
• An expansion card is commonly used to provide eSATA ports.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 27
Ports, Connectors, and Cables
Twisted Pair Cables and Connectors
 Twisted pair cable is used in wired Ethernet networks and older
telephone networks.
 Twisted Pairs
• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cabling is the most common form of
twisted pair cabling and uses color-coded insulated copper wires.
• Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) also uses color-coded insulated copper
wires but includes foil or braiding as well.
 RJ-45
• Each end of a UTP cable must be terminated with an RJ-45 connector so
it can be plugged into an Ethernet port.
 RJ-11
• Older telephone networks used a four-wire UTP cable terminated with an
RJ-11 connector.
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 28
Ports, Connectors, and Cables
Coax Cables and Connectors
 Coax Cable Construction
• Coaxial cable has an inner center conductor surrounded by insulating
material.
• The insulating material is surrounded by a foil shield which is used as an
outer conductor and also shields against electromagnetic interference (EMI).
 RG-6
• A heavy gauge cable with insulation and shielding for high-bandwidth, high-
frequency applications (Internet, Cable TV, and Satellite TV)
 RG-59
• A thinner cable similar to RG-6, used for low bandwidth and lower frequency
applications (analog video and CCTV)
 BNC
• An older connector, used with digital or analog audio or video.
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 29
Ports, Connectors, and Cables
SCSI and IDE Cables and Connectors
 Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) is a standard for connecting
peripheral and storage devices in a daisy-chained format.
 External SCSI Cable
• Used for connecting older external SCSI devices (scanners and printers).
 Internal SCSI Cable
• Common SCSI connector for internal hard drives with 50 pins arranged in
two rows and attached to a ribbon cable.
 IDE Cable
• Visually similar to the internal SCSI cable, but commonly with three 40-
pin connectors.
• One connector connects to the IDE port on the motherboard and two for
attaching IDE drives.

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Monitors
Monitor Characteristics
 There are many types of computer monitors available and they vary by use, size, quality, clarity,
brightness and more.
 Computer monitors are usually described by:
• Screen size – The diagonal measurement of the screen (i.e., top left to bottom right) in inches.
• Resolution – Resolution is measured by the number of horizontal and vertical pixels. For example,
1920 x 1080 (i.e., 1080p) means it has 1920 horizontal pixels and 1080 vertical pixels.
• Monitor resolution – This relates to the amount of information that can be displayed on a screen.
• Native resolution – This identifies the best monitor resolution for the specific monitor.
• Native mode – This term describes when the image sent to the monitor by the video adapter card
matches the native resolution of the monitor.
• Connectivity – Older monitors used VGA or DVI while newer monitors support HDMI and
DisplayPort.

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Monitors
Monitor Terms
 Pixel – a tiny dot capable of displaying red, green, and blue.

 Dot pitch – The distance between pixels on the screen.

 Brightness – The luminance of a monitor, measured in candelas per square meter (cd/m2)

 Contrast ratio – The measurement of how white and how black a monitor can get.

 Aspect ratio – The horizontal to vertical measurement of the viewing area of a monitor.

 Refresh rate – The amount of seconds for an image to be rebuilt, measured in Hertz (Hz).

 Response time - The amount in time for a pixel to change properties (color or brightness)

 Interlaced – Creates an image by scanning the screen two times. (Odd lines and then even lines)

 Non-Interlaced – Creates an image by scanning the screen one line at a time, from top to bottom.

© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 32
Monitors
Display Standards
 CGA – Color Graphics Adapter (320 x 200 resolution)

 VGA – Video Graphics Array (640 x 480 resolution)

 SVGA – Super Video Graphics Array ( 800 x 600 resolution)

 HD – High Definition (1280 x 720 resolution) – Also known as 720p

 FHD – Full High Definition (1920 x 1280 resolution) – Also known as 1080p

 QHD – Quad High Definition (2560 x 1440 resolution) – Also known as 1440p

 UHD – Ultra High Definition ( 3840 x 2160 resolution) – Also known as 4k

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Monitors
Using Multiple Monitors
 Adding monitors can increase your visual desktop
area and improve productivity.
• The added monitors enable you to expand the size
of the monitor or duplicate the desktop so you can
view additional windows.
 Many computers have built-in support for multiple
monitors.
 To connect multiple monitors to a computer, you
need to:
• enable your computer to support multiple monitors
• gather the appropriate display cables

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