Cumulative Computer Quiz #1

[sumthinelse]

Originally posted by starlifter

A sniffer is a software that monitor network packets, and identifies certain patterns, typically addresses, that pass.


Don't know, but a guess would be a NOP. I still have an original 486 that was defective. I never had it replaced following the 486 defect mess.

Thanks starlifter. A Sniffer is one example of a protocol analyzer. Also called network monitor, as you said. Suppose you have a problem between client and a server but you don't know which machine the problem occurs on. By using a protocol analyzer you can often see which machine has the problem and thereby cut your debug time dramatically.

This is the answer for question #3.

the cli (clear interrupts) flag protects a critical code section, for example, inside a semaphore. You have a routine that has such a critical section, but you don't know if the routine that called your routine already disabled interrupts. On the 286, people used to do this

pushf (push the flags register, including the interrupt flag)

cli (disable interrupts)

.... (critical section)

popf (pop the flags register. now I have restored the interrupt state that was in effect before the pushf.

However, the 386 had a bug in the popf that allowed an interrupt to occur, and this caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

solution - replace popf with:

push cs

push ip

iret (interrupt return - pops ip, cs, and flags in one instruction)



OK, now back to your question....

 

[sumthinelse]

Dot clock -- here is one definition:

dot clock (DCF)
More formally, `driving clock frequency'; The frequency of the crystal or VCO on your adaptor --- the maximum dots-per-second it can emit.

I believe that "Dot clock" could also refer to the little processor that clocks your display (there exist more than one on the market). Some have tried to replace a chip and gotten into trouble.

 

[starlifter]

dot clock (DCF)
More formally, `driving clock frequency'; The frequency of the crystal or VCO on your adaptor --- the maximum dots-per-second it can emit.

I believe that "Dot clock" could also refer to the little processor that clocks your display (there exist more than one on the market). Some have tried to replace a chip and gotten into trouble.

Outstanding definition!! That is indeed the formal definition, and I myself would probably not have been able to phrase it that well.

What I'm looking for is

2. Some plain words for the other parts, the intent being to explain the use of this in the real world, e.g., with respect to the "bandwidth" rating on your monitor (people probably notice that in general, monitor with higher Bandwidth cost more... until recent years, mucho mucho more dinero).

3. How is the dot clock related mathematically to things like vertical refresh, resolution, etc. (the usual "hype" among comteting monitors!)...

4. What are the names of the 2 pieces of hardware affected/related with the dot clock?

5. Also, how can dot clock relate to your eyesight when using a CRT, in particular.


None of the above are trick questions (don't try to outthink them).... I just like to make sure non-techies can gain something "real world" out of my questions (at least most of them )

 

[sumthinelse]

Somebody else should finish this answer. I am going to have very limited connect time in the next 2 weeks. Thanks. I don't want to stop progress.

 

[starlifter]

The dot clock stuff is actually just a couple three sentences, nothing cosmic (really). I'll give the hint about the math part:

# of dots: (vertical * horizontal) visible pixels (dots)

Required dot clock is actual Vertical * Horizontal pixes (this includes the unseen, off screen dot scanning).


Dot Clock = (actual V) * (actual H) * (refresh rate)

e.g., for 800 resolution @ 100Hz:

(600+unseen) * (800+unseen) * 100 = over 48,000,000, or over 48MHz bandwidth.

So you probably need a monitor with excess of 50 MHz bandwidth to display 800x600 at 100Hz. The more bandwidth, the higher combos of resolution and refresh you can do.

There is always an unseen part of the scan, BTW....


OK, so that's pretty much parts 2 & 3, leaving the easy parts of 4 & 5 .

 

[starlifter]

OK, since no one replied 4 & 5, I'll pass the question to sumthinelse....


4.: The two main peices of hardware are the Video Card and the Monitor.

5. : At higher Dot Clock rates, you can have finer resolutions and higher refresh rates, both of which are easier on your eyes, esp. with CRTs (tubes, as opposed to flat screen LCD/TFTs).



So sumthinelse, you question. If you're on vacation & don't aske for the next day or so, I'll ask another question instead .

 

[sumthinelse]

Starlifter, I can't be sure I will have time, so I pass but I will be back in a few days!

 

[starlifter]

OK, here is an easy one:

What is DRM, RIA, and Palladium, in reference to computers and copyright? When is Microsoft on record for deploying hardware and software to take control of your computer from you (e.g., the final say of using software, playing MP3s, etc. is theirs, not yours)?

 

[Grisu]

DRM would be "Digital Rights Management" which is a way of making sure (through hard- or softwaresolutions) that only legal software/files can be played on your computer. It would then refuse to playany illegaly acquired files (or any files it "thinks" were illegaly acquired, or files that are not DRM-enabled (don't know the prober word for this mechanism)

 

[starlifter]

Good enough. RIA is Recording Industry Association, and they are pushing for DRM and want MS to do the Palladium thing, supposedly to "protect" their intellectual property, but in reality this is a vast left-wing conspiracy to take freedom away from average computer users and control what you can and cannot do with yout machine.

MS is on record for saying that they want to control your machine by mid 2004. However, knowing a bit about the industry from "inside", I can say that date will slip to the right (e.g., be delayed). The original target was 2002, but they are having lots of problems with scaling up their database to control the entire world's computers. Everyone that is part of the MSN is part of the MS effort to work out those technical problems (whether MSN users are aware of it or not).

You question, KaeptnOvi

 

[Grisu]

Uh, I didn't think I'd get the question since I only answered one out of three question and now I have to think of something.....

Ok, since I couldn't think of anything better I'll ask you some acronyms (again) of course all related to computers:

What are:
HAL
RIMM
GPU
ADSL
API
ALU
CMOS
DAC
SMTP
SNMP

Ok, that's enough for now.

 

[Black Fluffy Lion]

ADSL - asymetric digital subscriber line
SMTP - simple mail transfer protocol
GPU - general public license spelt wrong
SNMP - simple network management protocol

 

[ainwood]

API = Application Programming Interface.
CMOS = Something like "Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor"
HAL = evil computer from 1999: a Space oddesy

 

[Lucky]

HAL - main comp in the SS in the book 2001 - A space odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
RIMM - Rambus Inline Memory Module (for RDRAM)
GPU - Graphics Processing Unit ("CPU" of the graphics card")
ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (new encoding algorithm to increase the data rate possible on old cables)
API - Application Program Interface
ALU - Arithmetic Logic Unit
CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
DAC - Digital Analogue Converter (as opposed to the ADU(ADC))
SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (today, POP3 mail servers are more common)
SNMP - Simple Network Management Protocol (set of protocols to manage complex networks, like TCP/IP)

"Ok, that's enough for now. "

I agree!

 

[starlifter]

PS,

HAL is the Hardware Abstraction Layer. NTx uses the HAL to communicate with the specific hardware on your machine.

 

[Grisu]

Excellent, Lucky got it all, except the HAL which starlifter supplied. But your answer is correct also, just not the one I was thinking of.

SMTP-servers are still used for outbound mail, whereas pop3 usually takes care of inbound mail.

Your question, hopefully a little more creative than mine

 

[starlifter]

PS#2... The HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odessey) had a meaning of the acronym HAL... anyone remember what it was?

 

[ainwood]

There was a theory that it was a parody of IBM - a word made out of the letter preceding each of the lettes in IBM.

Other than that, I'm not sure.

Heuristic Artificial L-something?

 

[newfangle]

Heres a question for ya'll (its not a very hard one):
What is the true bus speed of the 533MHz Intel MoBo chipset.

 

[starlifter]

66 MHz. I don't know about the particular CPU, but the Bus will be 66.7 with an 8x CPU multiplier for the 533 CPU speed. in most Motherboards, this can be set by jumper; but some, use BIOS settings to make it even easier.

The PCI bus speed (if you meant this bus) is 33 MHz.