Channel: itfreetraining

Category: Education

Tags: 220-1001interfacescomptiaa+portsconnectionsitfreetraining

Description: In this video from ITFreeTraining, I will look at interfaces, connections and ports. A computer system consists of many different components that need to communicate with each other. Understanding how devices communicate with each other will help you troubleshoot problems when they occur. Download the PDF handout: itfreetraining.com/handouts/ap/1c10.pdf Interface 0:16 The first way that I will look at how computers communicate is via an interface. An interface is a shared boundary over which information can be exchanged. For example, this can be between hardware and the user. Later in the video I will look at how this applies to software. An example of a hardware interface is a keyboard connected to a computer. In this case the keyboard is considered an input interface. Each side uses the information differently and the interface provides a method to convert the information into a form the other can understand. The interface can be defined as having mechanical, electrical and logical signals that are used to communicate. In the case of the keyboard, the interface is mechanical in that the keys are pushed down to provide input. A device like a mouse will sense the mouse moving through its hardware. This information is sent through an interface to the computer. The computer will take this information and convert it to mouse positions based on the movement information it receives. Both sides have different hardware and use the information differently, but the interface allows the information to be exchanged between the two. An interface that is considered to be input/output would be a device that can transfer data in both directions. An example of this would be a device like a USB stick. An interface can also be between the user and the computer. For example, the monitor of the computer is an output interface which shows images to the user. If the monitor was a touch screen, then this would be and example of an input/output interface. Connection 1:56 The next part is the connection. The connection is the physical link. This includes the port, device and transmission medium. This can be a physical cable or it could be wireless. The connection is different from the interface in that it is what the data travels over. Port 2:14 Next, I will look at the port. A port is a hardware interface that connects devices together. The port transfers electrical signals between the device and the computer. For example, an electrical wired plug. These ports are often defined as male, that is they have pins, or female, meaning they have holes. By using male and female ports, this makes it impossible to connect them incorrectly. Some connectors are not designed so they are clearly a male or female connector, and in this case a lot of them are keyed to prevent them from being put in upside down or in the wrong port. A port can also be referred to as an end point. There are many examples of this in a computer. The plugs differ in size, pins and color. A port can also be present in a wireless device. The port on the wireless device is the connection between the device and the air that receives and sends data. A port essentially is where the data arrives or leaves. Input/Output (I/O) Ports 3:20 Ports found on the computer are often referred to as input/output ports or I/O ports. Most of the external ports are found in the I/O panel on the computer. The I/O panel generally will have an I/O shield covering it which, in most cases, will be silver in color. On most computer cases the I/O panel is found at the rear of the computer. Some ports will be found at the front of the computer case. If you need more, it is possible to add additional ports using an expansion card. Expansion cards allow for additional ports like USB ports to be added. The expansion card can also have an older style connector allowing older hard disks to be added. This can be useful if you need to install some old hardware and your motherboard does not support it. We have had a look at how interfaces, connections and ports work in hardware, let’s now have a look at how they work in software. Description too long for YouTube. Please see the following link for the rest of the description. itfreetraining.com/ap/1c10 References “The Official CompTIA A+ Core Study Guide (Exam 220-1001)” Chapter 3 Lesson 8816-9322 “Interface (computing)” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(computing) “Picture of monitor” pexels.com/photo/photography-of-person-typing-1181675 “Picture of plush toy” pexels.com/photo/green-and-orange-dinosaur-plush-toy-63637 Credits Trainer: Austin Mason ITFreeTraining.com Voice Talent: HP Lewis hplewis.com Quality Assurance: Brett Batson pbb-proofreading.uk