CompTIA A+ (A Plus - Core 1) Exam Syllabus

A+ Core 1 PDF, 220-1101 Dumps, 220-1101 PDF, A+ Core 1 VCE, 220-1101 Questions PDF, CompTIA 220-1101 VCE, CompTIA A Plus (Core 1) Dumps, CompTIA A Plus (Core 1) PDFUse this quick start guide to collect all the information about CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Certification exam. This study guide provides a list of objectives and resources that will help you prepare for items on the 220-1101 CompTIA A+ (Core 1) exam. The Sample Questions will help you identify the type and difficulty level of the questions and the Practice Exams will make you familiar with the format and environment of an exam. You should refer this guide carefully before attempting your actual CompTIA A Plus (Core 1) certification exam.

The CompTIA A+ Core 1 certification is mainly targeted to those candidates who want to build their career in Core domain. The CompTIA A+ exam verifies that the candidate possesses the fundamental knowledge and proven skills in the area of CompTIA A Plus (Core 1).

CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Summary:

Exam Name CompTIA A+
Exam Code 220-1101
Exam Price $253 (USD)
Duration 90 mins
Number of Questions 90
Passing Score 675 / 900
Books / Training CertMaster Learn for A+
CompTIA A+ Certification Training
Schedule Exam Pearson VUE
Sample Questions CompTIA A+ Core 1 Sample Questions
Practice Exam CompTIA 220-1101 Certification Practice Exam

CompTIA 220-1101 Exam Syllabus Topics:

Topic Details

Mobile Devices - 15%

Given a scenario, install and configure laptop hardware and components. - Hardware/device replacement
  • Battery
  • Keyboard/keys
  • Random-access memory (RAM)
  • Hard disk drive (HDD)/solid state drive (SSD) migration
  • HDD/SSD replacement
  • Wireless cards

- Physical privacy and security components

  • Biometrics
  • Near-field scanner features
Compare and contrast the display components of mobile devices. - Types
  • Liquid crystal display (LCD)
    - In-plane switching (IPS)
    - Twisted nematic (TN)
    - Vertical alignment (VA)
  • Organic light-emitting diode (OLED)

- Mobile display components
- WiFi antenna connector/placement
- Camera/webcam
- Microphone
- Touch screen/digitizer
- Inverter

Given a scenario, set up and configure accessories and ports of mobile devices. - Connection methods
  • Universal Serial Bus (USB)/USB-C/microUSB/miniUSB
  • Lightning
  • Serial interfaces
  • Near-field communication (NFC)
  • Bluetooth
  • Hotspot

- Accessories

  • Touch pens
  • Headsets
  • Speakers
  • Webcam

- Docking station
- Port replicator
- Trackpad/drawing pad

Given a scenario, configure basic mobile-device network connectivity and application support. - Wireless/cellular data network (enable/disable)
  • 2G/3G/4G/5G
  • Hotspot
  • Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) vs. code-division multiple access (CDMA)
  • Preferred Roaming List (PRL) updates

- Bluetooth

  • Enable Bluetooth
  • Enable pairing
  • Find a device for pairing
  • Enter the appropriate PIN code
  • Test connectivity

- Location services

  • Global Positioning System (GPS) services
  • Cellular location services

- Mobile device management (MDM)/mobile application management (MAM)

  • Corporate email configuration
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Corporate applications

- Mobile device synchronization

  • Account setup
    - Microsoft 365
    - Google Workspace
    - iCloud
  • Data to synchronize
    - Mail
    - Photos
    - Calendar
    - Contacts
    - Recognizing data caps

Networking - 20%

Compare and contrast Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports, protocols, and their purposes. - Ports and protocols
  • 20/21 – File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
  • 22 – Secure Shell (SSH)
  • 23 – Telnet
  • 25 – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
  • 53 – Domain Name System (DNS)
  • 67/68 – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
  • 80 – Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
  • 110 – Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3)
  • 137/139 – Network Basic Input/ Output System (NetBIOS)/ NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT)
  • 143 – Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP)
  • 161/162 – Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
  • 389 – Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
  • 443 – Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)
  • 445 – Server Message Block (SMB)/Common Internet File System (CIFS)
  • 3389 – Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

- TCP vs. UDP

  • Connectionless
    - DHCP
    - Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)
  • Connection-oriented
    - HTTPS
    - SSH
Compare and contrast common networking hardware. - Routers
- Switches
  • Managed
  • Unmanaged

- Access points
- Patch panel
- Firewall
- Power over Ethernet (PoE)

  • Injectors
  • Switch
  • PoE standards

- Hub
- Cable modem
- Digital subscriber line (DSL)
- Optical network terminal (ONT)
- Network interface card (NIC)
- Software-defined networking (SDN)

Compare and contrast protocols for wireless networking. - Frequencies
  • 2.4GHz
  • 5GHz

- Channels

  • Regulations
  • 2.4GHz vs. 5GHz

- Bluetooth
- 802.11

  • a
  • b
  • g
  • n
  • ac (WiFi 5)
  • ax (WiFi 6)

- Long-range fixed wireless

  • Licensed
  • Unlicensed
  • Power
  • Regulatory requirements for wireless power

- NFC
- Radio-frequency identification (RFID)

Summarize services provided by networked hosts. - Server roles
  • DNS
  • DHCP
  • Fileshare
  • Print servers
  • Mail servers
  • Syslog
  • Web servers
  • Authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA)

- Internet appliances

  • Spam gateways
  • Unified threat management (UTM)
  • Load balancers
  • Proxy servers

- Legacy/embedded systems

  • Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)

- Internet of Things (IoT) devices

Given a scenario, install and configure basic wired/wireless small office/home office (SOHO) networks. - Internet Protocol (IP) addressing
  • IPv4
    - Private addresses
    - Public addresses
  • IPv6
  • Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA)
  • Static
  • Dynamic
  • Gateway
Compare and contrast common network configuration concepts. - DNS
  • Address
    - A
    - AAAA
  • Mail exchanger (MX)
  • Text (TXT)
    - Spam management
    (i) DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)
    (ii) Sender Policy Framework (SPF)
    (iii) Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC)

- DHCP

  • Leases
  • Reservations
  • Scope

- Virtual LAN (VLAN)
- Virtual private network (VPN)

Compare and contrast Internet connection types, network types, and their features. - Internet connection types
  • Satellite
  • Fiber
  • Cable
  • DSL
  • Cellular
  • Wireless Internet service provider (WISP)

- Network types

  • Local area network (LAN)
  • Wide area network (WAN)
  • Personal area network (PAN)
  • Metropolitan area network (MAN)
  • Storage area network (SAN)
  • Wireless local area network (WLAN)
Given a scenario, use networking tools. - Crimper
- Cable stripper
- WiFi analyzer
- Toner probe
- Punchdown tool
- Cable tester
- Loopback plug
- Network tap

Hardware - 25%

Explain basic cable types and their connectors, features, and purposes. - Network cables
  • Copper
    - Cat 5
    - Cat 5e
    - Cat 6
    - Cat 6a
    - Coaxial
    - Shielded twisted pair
    (i) Direct burial
    - Unshielded twisted pair
  • Plenum
  • Optical
    - Fiber
  • T568A/T568B

- Peripheral cables

  • USB 2.0
  • USB 3.0
  • Serial
  • Thunderbolt

- Video cables

  • High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
  • DisplayPort
  • Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
  • Video Graphics Array (VGA)

- Hard drive cables

  • Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)
  • Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)
  • External SATA (eSATA)
  • Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)

- Adapters
- Connector types

  • RJ11
  • RJ45
  • F type
  • Straight tip (ST)
  • Subscriber connector (SC)
  • Lucent connector (LC)
  • Punchdown block
  • microUSB
  • miniUSB
  • USB-C
  • Molex
  • Lightning port
  • DB9
Given a scenario, install the appropriate RAM. - RAM types
  • Virtual RAM
  • Small outline dual inline memory module (SODIMM)
  • Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3)
  • Double Data Rate 4 (DDR4)
  • Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5)
  • Error correction code (ECC) RAM

- Single-channel
- Dual-channel
- Triple-channel
- Quad-channel

Given a scenario, select and install storage devices. - Hard drives
  • Speeds
    - 5,400rpm
    - 7,200rpm
    - 10,000rpm
    - 15,000rpm
  • Form factor
    - 2.5
    - 3.5

- SSDs

  • Communications interfaces
    - Non-volatile Memory Express (NVMe)
    - SATA
    - Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)
  • Form factors
    - M.2
    - mSATA

- Drive configurations

  • Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks (RAID) 0, 1, 5, 10

- Removable storage

  • Flash drives
  • Memory cards
  • Optical drives
Given a scenario, install and configure motherboards, central processing units (CPUs), and add-on cards. - Motherboard form factor
  • Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX)
  • Information Technology eXtended (ITX)

- Motherboard connector types

  • Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
  • PCI Express (PCIe)
  • Power connectors
  • SATA
  • eSATA
  • Headers
  • M.2

- Motherboard compatibility

  • CPU sockets
    - Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
    - Intel
  • Server
  • Multisocket
  • Desktop
  • Mobile

- Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)/Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) settings

  • Boot options
  • USB permissions
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security features
  • Fan considerations
  • Secure Boot
  • Boot password

- Encryption

  • TPM
  • Hardware security module (HSM)

- CPU architecture

  • x64/x86
  • Advanced RISC Machine (ARM)
  • Single-core
  • Multicore
  • Multithreading
  • Virtualization support

- Expansion cards

  • Sound card
  • Video card
  • Capture card
  • NIC

- Cooling

  • Fans
  • Heat sink
  • Thermal paste/pads
  • Liquid
Given a scenario, install or replace the appropriate power supply. - Input 110-120 VAC vs. 220-240 VAC
- Output 3.3V vs. 5V vs. 12V
- 20-pin to 24-pin motherboard adapter
- Redundant power supply
- Modular power supply
- Wattage rating
Given a scenario, deploy and configure multifunction devices/printers and settings. - Properly unboxing a device – setup location considerations
- Use appropriate drivers for a given OS
  • Printer Control Language (PCL) vs. PostScript

- Device connectivity

  • USB
  • Ethernet
  • Wireless

- Public/shared devices

  • Printer share
  • Print server

- Configuration settings

  • Duplex
  • Orientation
  • Tray settings
  • Quality

- Security

  • User authentication
  • Badging
  • Audit logs
  • Secured prints

- Network scan services

  • Email
  • SMB
  • Cloud services

- Automatic document feeder (ADF)/flatbed scanner

Given a scenario, install and replace printer consumables. - Laser
  • Imaging drum, fuser assembly, transfer belt, transfer roller, pickup rollers, separation pads, duplexing assembly
  • Imaging process: processing, charging, exposing, developing, transferring, fusing, and cleaning
  • Maintenance: Replace toner, apply maintenance kit, calibrate, clean

- Inkjet

  • Ink cartridge, print head, roller, feeder, duplexing assembly, carriage belt
  • Calibration
  • Maintenance: Clean heads, replace cartridges, calibrate, clear jams

- Thermal

  • Feed assembly, heating element
  • Special thermal paper
  • Maintenance: Replace paper, clean heating element, remove debris
  • Heat sensitivity of paper

- Impact

  • Print head, ribbon, tractor feed
  • Impact paper
  • Maintenance: Replace ribbon, replace print head, replace paper

- 3-D printer

  • Filament
  • Resin
  • Print bed

Virtualization and Cloud Computing - 11%

Summarize cloud-computing concepts. - Common cloud models
  • Private cloud
  • Public cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
  • Community cloud
  • Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
  • Software as a service (SaaS)
  • Platform as a service (PaaS)

- Cloud characteristics

  • Shared resources
  • Metered utilization
  • Rapid elasticity
  • High availability
  • File synchronization

- Desktop virtualization

  • Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) on premises
  • VDI in the cloud
Summarize aspects of client-side virtualization. - Purpose of virtual machines
  • Sandbox
  • Test development
  • Application virtualization
    - Legacy software/OS
    - Cross-platform virtualization

- Resource requirements
- Security requirements

Hardware and Network Troubleshooting - 29%

Given a scenario, apply the best practice methodology to resolve problems. - Always consider corporate policies, procedures, and impacts before implementing changes
  1. Identify the problem
    - Gather information from the user, identify user changes, and, if applicable, perform backups before making changes
    - Inquire regarding environmental or infrastructure changes
  2. Establish a theory of probable cause (question the obvious)
    - If necessary, conduct external or internal research based on symptoms
  3. Test the theory to determine the cause
    - Once the theory is confirmed, determine the next steps to resolve the problem
    - If the theory is not confirmed, re-establish a new theory or escalate
  4. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution
    - Refer to the vendor’s instructions for guidance
  5. Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures
  6. Document the findings, actions, and outcomes
Given a scenario, troubleshoot problems related to motherboards, RAM, CPU, and power. - Common symptoms
  • Power-on self-test (POST) beeps
  • Proprietary crash screens (blue screen of death [BSOD]/ pinwheel)
  • Black screen
  • No power
  • Sluggish performance
  • Overheating
  • Burning smell
  • Intermittent shutdown
  • Application crashes
  • Grinding noise
  • Capacitor swelling
  • Inaccurate system date/time
Given a scenario, troubleshoot and diagnose problems with storage drives and RAID arrays. - Common symptoms
  • Light-emitting diode (LED) status indicators
  • Grinding noises
  • Clicking sounds
  • Bootable device not found
  • Data loss/corruption
  • RAID failure
  • Self-monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) failure
  • Extended read/write times
  • Input/output operations per second (IOPS)
  • Missing drives in OS
Given a scenario, troubleshoot video, projector, and display issues. - Common symptoms
  • Incorrect data source
  • Physical cabling issues
  • Burned-out bulb
  • Fuzzy image
  • Display burn-in
  • Dead pixels
  • Flashing screen
  • Incorrect color display
  • Audio issues
  • Dim image
  • Intermittent projector shutdown
Given a scenario, troubleshoot common issues with mobile devices. - Common symptoms
  • Poor battery health
  • Swollen battery
  • Broken screen
  • Improper charging
  • Poor/no connectivity
  • Liquid damage
  • Overheating
  • Digitizer issues
  • Physically damaged ports
  • Malware
  • Cursor drift/touch calibration
Given a scenario, troubleshoot and resolve printer issues. - Common symptoms
  • Lines down the printed pages
  • Garbled print
  • Toner not fusing to paper
  • Paper jams
  • Faded print
  • Incorrect paper size
  • Paper not feeding
  • Multipage misfeed
  • Multiple prints pending in queue
  • Speckling on printed pages
  • Double/echo images on the print
  • Incorrect color settings
  • Grinding noise
  • Finishing issues
    - Staple jams
    - Hole punch
  • Incorrect page orientation
Given a scenario, troubleshoot problems with wired and wireless networks. - Common symptoms
  • Intermittent wireless connectivity
  • Slow network speeds
  • Limited connectivity
  • Jitter
  • Poor Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) quality
  • Port flapping
  • High latency
  • External interference

To ensure success in CompTIA A Plus (Core 1) certification exam, we recommend authorized training course, practice test and hands-on experience to prepare for CompTIA A+ (Core 1) (220-1101) exam.

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