Table 7-4 Securing a SOHO Wired Network

Security Feature	Benefit	Notes
Changing default user-	Prevents unauthorized	Be sure to record new username and
names and passwords	users from accessing	password for access to router.
	router setup screens

 

Enabling MAC Allows only listed net-

 

filtering work devices to use net-

 

work

MAC addresses can be spoofed, so use other security features as well.

 

Assigning static IP	Only devices known to	Requires you to create a list of
addresses	you get an IP address	IP addresses to assign to known
		devices; each device must be set up
		separately; disable DHCP unless you
		host transient wireless guests (tab-
		lets, smartphones, and so on).

		Chapter 7: Security 147
Security Feature	Benefit	Notes
Disabling Ports	Prevents unused ports on	Some routers might not include this
	router from being used	feature. Look for firmware updates
		(vendor and third-party) to add this
		option.
Establishing physical	Prevents unauthorized	Routers and switches need adequate
security	access to router	ventilation to avoid overheating, so
		be sure to choose a secure location
		that has adequate airflow.

 

 

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Chapter 8

 

 

Mobile Devices

 

Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones have broadened the scope of business automation and, as a consequence, have broadened the responsibility of IT technicians. As a result, mobile devic-es are a new domain in the CompTIA A+ Certification exams, representing 9% of the 220-802 exam.

 

 

Mobile Operating Systems

 

Although there are other players in the mobile operating systems space, Android and Apple iOS are the principle players. The following sections review their differences and cover features of these mobile operating systems.

 

Android (Open Source)

 

Android is an example of open source software. It is a Linux-based operating system used mostly on smartphones and tablet computers and is developed by the Open Handset Alliance, a group directed by Google. Google releases the Android OS code as open source, allowing developers to modify it and freely create applications for it.

 

To find out the version you are currently running, start at the Home screen; this is the main screen that boots by default. Then tap the Menu button, and then tap Settings. Scroll to the bottom and tap the About Phone (or just About) option. Then tap Software Information or a similar option. This willdisplay the version of Android. Figure 8-1 shows a smartphone running Android version 2.3.3 (also known as Gingerbread).

 

Many versions of the Android operating system are currently in use. Table 8-1 provides a brief over-view of the major Android releases.

 

Table 8-1 Android Releases

Android Version	Code Name	Some Significant	Used With
		Features
1.0	None	Android Market, Wi-Fi,	Smartphones
		Bluetooth
1.1	None	Message attachments	Smartphones
1.5	Cupcake	Widgets, uploads to	Smartphones
		YouTube and Picasa
1.6	Donut	Speech synthesis, WVGA	Smartphones
		screen resolutions

150 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference

 

Table 8-1 Continued

Android Version	Code Name	Some Significant	Used With
		Features
2.0.x, 2.1	Йclair	Microsoft Exchange sup-	Smartphones
		port, HTML 5 support
2.2.x	Froyo	USB tethering, Wi-Fi hot-	Smartphones
		spot, Adobe Flash support
2.3.x	Gingerbread	Support for gyroscopes	Smartphones and
		and barometers, support	tablets
		for VoIP using SIP
3.x	Honeycomb	Tabbed browsing, video	Tablets
		chat with Google Talk,
		hardware acceleration
4.x	Ice Cream	Virtual buttons, data usage	Smartphones and
	Sandwich	warnings, hardware accel-	tablets
		eration of user interface

 

OS Version

 

 

Figure 8-1 Smartphone using Version 2.3.3 of Android.

 

 

Apple iOS (Closed Source)

 

Apple’s iOS is an example of closed source software. Previously known as the iPhone Operating System, it is now simply referred to as iOS because it is used on iPhones and iPads as well. It is

Chapter 8: Mobile Devices 151

 

based on Mac OS X (used on Mac desktops and laptops) and is therefore effectively UNIX based. Only Apple devices can run iOS.

 

To find out the version of iOS you are running, go to the Home screen, then tap Settings. Tap General, and then tap About. You will see the version number. For example, Figure 8-2 shows aniPad2 running version 5.0 (9A334). 9A334 is the build number; this was the public release of ver-sion 5.0.

 

OS Version

 

Figure 8-2 iPad2 using version 5.0 of iOS.