cap infra.pdf

52 Chapter 7 Input/Output Device Interfaces We have two basic options for connecting computers, mobile devices, and other network-­ connected components to our networks: wired networks and wireless networks....

52 Chapter 7 Input/Output Device Interfaces We have two basic options for connecting computers, mobile devices, and other network-­ connected components to our networks: wired networks and wireless networks. Wired Networks Wired network connections function by connecting a cable called an Ethernet cable from a computer to a network jack in the wall, such as the one shown in Figure 7.1. Behind that wall plate there are more cables running back to switches and other network devices that make the network function. F I G U R E 7. 1 Wall plate containing four network jacks The Ethernet cables that we use for wired networks have plugs at the end that look like the one shown in Figure 7.2. This is called an RJ-­45 connector and it’s an industry standard. RJ is an acronym for “Registered Jack” and the RJ-­45 connector is the 45th standard in that series. F I G U R E 7. 2 RJ-­45 network connector Chapple897811_c07.indd 52 06-02-2023 11:08:07  Network Interfaces 53 You’ll sometimes hear the RJ-­45 connector referred to as an 8-­pin connector. That’s because it has eight copper pins on the end. If you were to cut an Ethernet cable open, you’d find that there are actually eight copper wires inside. Each one of those wires connects to one of the pins on the connector. You may also come across RJ-­11 connectors in your work. These connectors look similar to RJ-­45 Ethernet connectors, but they’re smaller, as you can see in Figure 7.3. F I G U R E 7. 3 RJ-­11 telephone connector RJ-­11 connectors were used for landline telephones and older networks. They’re quite similar to RJ-­45 connectors except that they only have either four or six pins. EXAM TIP Don’t be tricked if you see a question asking you about Voice over IP (VoIP) tele- phones. VoIP telephones connect to Ethernet networks, so they use RJ-­45 con- nectors, not RJ-­11 connectors. Chapple897811_c07.indd 53 06-02-2023 11:08:08  54 Chapter 7 Input/Output Device Interfaces Wireless Networks Wired networks have the advantage of offering very high-­speed connections, but they come with the major inconvenience of requiring physical cables between devices. For that reason, we often rely on wireless networks to make life more convenient. Wi-­Fi networks create powerful wireless LANs (WLANs) that allow us to use smartphones, laptops, and other networked devices anywhere in our home or office. We’ll talk more about Wi-­Fi networking in Chapter 16, “Wireless Networks.” You’ve probably also used a couple of other wireless networking technologies. Bluetooth networks are what we call personal area networks (PANs). They’re usually created by a com- puter or smartphone, and they’re designed to support a single person. The main use of Blue- tooth networks is to create wireless connections between a computer and its peripherals. Bluetooth allows us to use wireless headsets and connect our phones to our cars for hands-­ free access. The range of a Bluetooth network is around 30 feet, or 10 meters, and they use radio frequency (RF) communications. Near-­field communication (NFC) technology allows extremely short-­range wireless con- nections. For two devices to communicate using NFC, they need to be no more than a few inches apart. NFC technology is often used for wireless payments and building access con- trol systems. EXAM TIP Be sure that you know the uses and distances associated with the various wireless networking options and be prepared to select the one that’s appropriate for a given scenario! Bluetooth and NFC networks aren’t general-­purpose networks that connect many com- puters together, but they’re very useful for short-­range applications. PERIPHERAL INTERFACES Peripheral devices are the ancillary components, such as printers, scanners, keyboards, and mice, that we connect to computer systems. You’ll learn more about the different types of peripherals in Chapter 8, “Installing Peripherals.” For now, you need to know that there are many different kinds of connectors and cables used to connect peripheral devices to com- puter systems. As you get ready for the exam, you should be able to recognize each one of these connectors. USB The first set of connectors work with many different kinds of devices. The most common of these is the Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector. USB connectors come in three different Chapple897811_c07.indd 54 06-02-2023 11:08:08  Peripheral Inter faces 55 variations: USB-­A, USB-­B, and USB-­C. Those connectors each come in different sizes to make things more complicated. Figure 7.4 shows you the common types of USB connectors that you might come across. You’ll want to be able to recognize them so that you can select an appropriate cable for any situation that you face. USB Type A USB Type B USB Type C USB Micro USB Mini F I G U R E 7. 4 USB connectors FireWire The FireWire connector is a specialized connector that was designed by Apple and intended for use in many different applications, but it never really took off. Today, FireWire use is rare, but it is still listed on the IT Fundamentals exam objectives, so you should be able to recognize it. Figure 7.5 shows two common types of FireWire connector: FireWire 400 and FireWire 800. FireWire 400 FireWire 800 F I G U R E 7. 5 FireWire connectors Serial ATA The serial ATA (SATA) connector is used to connect hard drives, optical drives, and other storage devices for high-­speed data transfer. The SATA standard is typically used for devices that reside inside a computer system, whereas external storage devices can use the external SATA (eSATA) connector for the same purpose. Figure 7.6 shows the SATA and eSATA connectors. Chapple897811_c07.indd 55 06-02-2023 11:08:08  56 Chapter 7 Input/Output Device Interfaces SATA eSATA F I G U R E 7. 6 SATA and eSATA connectors NOTE Some older devices may still use infrared (IR) communications, but this is rare in a modern computing environment. GRAPHIC INTERFACES We use a whole set of connectors to work specifically with video displays, projectors, and other graphics devices. VGA Older displays use Video Graphics Array (VGA) connectors, such as the one shown in Figure 7.7. They can only support very low-resolution displays that run at 640×480 resolu- tion, so you won’t find them in use on modern equipment, but you should be able to rec- ognize VGA connectors on the exam. VGA PORT F I G U R E 7. 7 VGA connector DVI Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connectors, such as the ones shown in Figure 7.8, are also an older standard that you still may find out there. These connectors support high-­definition video up to 1080p resolution. Chapple897811_c07.indd 56 06-02-2023 11:08:09  Graphic Interfaces 57 DVI-D DUAL LINK DVI-D SINGLE LINK DVI-I DUAL LINK DVI-I SINGLE LINK DVI-A SINGLE LINK F I G U R E 7. 8 DVI connectors EXAM TIP The various connector types are an alphabet soup that can be very confusing! Be sure that you understand which connectors are used for video and which are used for other types of peripherals as you prepare for the ITF+ exam. HDMI High-­Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connectors are commonly used to connect home audio and video equipment and to connect computers to televisions and many monitors. The unique thing about HDMI is that it can carry both audio and video on the same wire. HDMI supports high-­resolution video, up to 5K and beyond. You can see an example of an HDMI connector in Figure 7.9. HDMI F I G U R E 7. 9 HDMI connector Chapple897811_c07.indd 57 06-02-2023 11:08:09  58 Chapter 7 Input/Output Device Interfaces DisplayPor t DisplayPort (DP) and Mini DisplayPort (mDP) connectors also support very high-­resolution video, including 5K and greater resolution. They are also capable of carrying audio along with the video signal. Figure 7.10 shows these connectors. MINI DISPLAYPORT DISPLAYPORT F I G U R E 7. 1 0 DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort connectors USB and Thunderbolt Modern monitors also may be connected to computers using USB-­C connections. USB-­C connections can also run at the maximum resolutions available today and have the added benefit of sending video, audio, and power over the same cable when used with the Thun- derbolt standard. Thunderbolt is a hardware interface standard designed by Intel that allows both data and power to be sent over a single wire. Thunderbolt uses some familiar connectors. The first two versions of Thunderbolt used Mini DisplayPort connectors whereas newer versions of Thunderbolt (Thunderbolt 3 and 4) use USB-­C connectors. CERTMIKE EXAM ESSENTIALS ▶▶ Users may connect to wired networks using Ethernet cables that follow the 8-­pin RJ-­45 standard. Old telephone cables used the 4-­pin or 6-­pin RJ-­11 connector. ▶▶ Radio frequency connections include Wi-­Fi, which provides wireless networking connections that cover a large area, such as a building or outdoor area. Bluetooth connections are used for peripherals with a range of approximately 30 feet. Near-­ field communication (NFC) connections are used for short-­range connections, such as contactless payment. ▶▶ Peripherals may be connected to computers using USB, FireWire, eSATA, or wireless connections. ▶▶ Graphic displays may be connected to computers using VGA, DVI, HDMI, Display- Port, Mini DisplayPort, USB-­C, and Thunderbolt connections. Chapple897811_c07.indd 58 06-02-2023 11:08:09