CompTIA A+ Practice Test (220-1201)

Cloud-hosted VDI can be scaled up or down almost instantly because virtual desktops are provisioned from a large pool of cloud resources. This allows organizations to handle spikes in demand-such as seasonal hiring-without purchasing additional on-premises hardware. Although management overhead is lowered, IT staff must still maintain desktop images, user policies, and application updates, so the need for IT management is not eliminated entirely. Security improvements depend on the provider's controls and customer configuration, and latency is usually higher than with on-premises deployments.

The Video Graphics Array (VGA) video standard uses a 15-pin connector with a D-subminiature shell. The official name for this connector is DE-15. DVI and HDMI use physically different connectors and are incorrect.

Activating the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) within the BIOS/UEFI settings establishes a hardware root of trust, handling tasks like secure cryptographic key generation and storage essential for protecting highly sensitive data. Enabling features such as Virtualization support and configuring Boot options help provide data protection and system robustness but they aren't explicitly designed to deliver secure hardware-based key storage and management like TPM.

Storage I/O performance (measured in available IOPS and latency) is usually the primary bottleneck in an on-premises VDI environment. During boot, logon, antivirus scans and other "I/O storms," hundreds of desktops can generate intense, bursty disk traffic. If the shared storage array cannot deliver enough IOPS with low latency, desktops will feel sluggish no matter how much CPU, RAM or network capacity is available. Adequate LAN bandwidth and strong security are important, but they rarely limit user experience in a local deployment before storage throughput does.

Public cloud allows companies to pay for only the resources they use, a feature known as metered utilization. Additionally, it supports rapid elasticity, enabling the system to automatically scale up or down based on demand. On the other hand, private cloud and community cloud models might not provide the same level of cost efficiency and automatic scalability for such varying demands.

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is the most suitable type of network for connecting multiple sites that are geographically dispersed, such as offices in different cities or countries. It allows for secure communication and resource sharing across wide geographic areas. A Local Area Network (LAN) is limited to a smaller area, typically a single building or campus, and is not designed to cover cities or countries. A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) covers a city or a metropolitan area and is not intended to connect locations in different cities or countries. A Storage Area Network (SAN) focuses on providing access to consolidated, block-level data storage and is unrelated to geographical connectivity of office locations.

The error 'IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL' typically indicates a problem related to memory access, where a driver or process has attempted to access a memory address without proper access rights. The best initial step in troubleshooting this error is to check the RAM, as faulty or incompatible RAM can often be the cause of this issue. Other options listed may be responsible for other types of crash screens or general system instability, but for the specific IRQL error, the RAM is the most probable cause.

The correct answer is 'An adapter from the laptop's standard peripheral connection to RS-232 serial port'. The DB9 9-pin serial connector was commonly implemented for RS-232 serial ports on older equipment for direct management access. Given that modern laptops typically do not have RS-232 serial ports, an adapter is necessary. Options suggesting an Ethernet or storage interface (e.g., 'An adapter from the laptop's standard peripheral connection to Ethernet port') or an A/V output interface (e.g., 'An adapter from the laptop's standard peripheral connection to HDMI') are incorrect because Ethernet is for networking, HDMI is for audiovisual, and none are used for 9-pin serial communications.

An on-premises VDI is a setup where the virtual desktops are hosted within the organization's own data center. This means the servers and storage that manage and deploy the virtual desktops are locally housed, providing the company with full control over the infrastructure and possibly enhanced performance due to the proximity of resources. The option of managing the virtual desktops internally without relying on a third-party service provider is a key characteristic of this type of deployment.

An MX record specifies the mail servers responsible for receiving email for a domain. Its purpose is to direct email traffic, not to provide security. Email encryption is handled by protocols like TLS (for in-transit) or PGP/S/MIME (for end-to-end), not by DNS records. Mapping an IP address to a domain name is the function of an A record, and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) uses TXT records for email authentication. Therefore, the correct option accurately describes the MX record's role in specifying email servers.

The 5 GHz band provides far more non-overlapping 20 MHz channels (approximately 24-25) and is not shared by common household devices such as microwave ovens, Bluetooth peripherals, cordless phones, and baby monitors that crowd the 2.4 GHz ISM band. This wider, less-congested spectrum greatly reduces co-channel and adjacent-channel interference, so users on 5 GHz networks typically see cleaner signals.

Electronic Ink (also known as Electronic Paper) are used in eReaders as they provide a screen most similar to physical ink and paper.

Microsoft Hyper-V is implemented as a bare-metal (type 1) hypervisor that loads below the host operating system and has direct access to hardware resources. Oracle VM VirtualBox, VMware Workstation, and Parallels Desktop are all hosted (type 2) hypervisors that run as applications inside a conventional operating system.

Type 1 example: Hyper-V.
Type 2 examples: VirtualBox, VMware Workstation, Parallels Desktop.

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) has two main connector types. The power connector is larger with 15 pins, while the data connector is 7 pins. Both are an L shape to avoid inserting a connector incorrectly.

In the 2.4GHz band, channels 1 through 11 are available for use in North America. To prevent signal overlap and reduce adjacent-channel interference, the best practice is to use channels 1, 6, or 11, as they are spaced far enough apart not to interfere with each other. Channels like 3 and 9 would overlap with this standard three-channel plan, causing potential interference. Channel 13 is not authorized for Wi-Fi use in North America, though it is used in other regions. Therefore, choosing one of the non-overlapping channels is the best strategy, making Channel 11 the correct choice among the given options.