CompTIA Network+ Review Guide

Jon Buhagiar, Network+, A+, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, BS/ITM, is Supervisor of Network Operations at Pittsburgh Technical College. In addition to teaching, he has been creating course content for the past 17 years. Some of his more recent work can be found on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/networkedminds.

Introduction xxiv

Chapter 1 Domain 1.0: Networking Concepts 1

1.1 Explain the purposes and uses of ports and protocols. 8

Protocols and Ports 8

Protocol Types 14

Exam Essentials 19

1.2 Explain devices, applications, protocols and services at their appropriate OSI layers. 20

Application Layer 21

Presentation Layer 22

Session Layer 22

Transport Layer 23

Network Layer 25

Data Link Layer 26

Physical Layer 29

Exam Essentials 29

1.3 Explain the concepts and characteristics of routing and switching. 30

Properties of Network Traffic 30

Segmentation and Interface Properties 35

Routing 48

IPv6 Concepts 56

Performance Concepts 60

NAT/PAT 63

Port Forwarding 66

Access Control List 67

Distributed Switching 68

Packet Switched vs. Circuit-Switched Networks 69

Software-Defined Networking 69

Exam Essentials 70

1.4 Given a scenario, configure the appropriate IP addressing components. 72

Private vs. public 72

Loopback and Reserved 73

Default Gateway 74

Virtual IP 74

Subnet Mask 75

Subnetting 76

Address Assignments 84

Exam Essentials 88

1.5 Compare and contrast the characteristics of network topologies, types, and technologies. 89

Wired Topologies 89

Wireless Topologies 94

Types 98

Technologies That Facilitate the Internet of Things (IoT) 99

Exam Essentials 102

1.6 Given a scenario, implement the appropriate wireless technologies and configurations. 103

802.11 Standards 103

Cellular 106

Frequencies 107

Speed and Distance Requirements 109

Channel Bandwidth 110

Channel Bonding 110

MIMO/MU-MIMO 111

Unidirectional/Omnidirectional 112

Site Surveys 113

Exam Essentials 114

1.7 Summarize cloud concepts and their purposes. 115

Types of Services 116

Cloud Delivery Models 117

Connectivity Methods 119

Security Implications/Considerations 119

Relationship between Local and Cloud Resources 120

Exam Essentials 120

1.8 Explain the functions of network services. 121

DNS 121

DHCP Service 129

NTP 134

IPAM 134

Exam Essentials 135

Review Questions 137

Chapter 2 Domain 2.0: Infrastructure 143

2.1 Given a scenario, deploy the appropriate cabling solution. 148

Media types 148

PVC vs. Plenum 152

Connector types 153

Transceivers 158

Characteristics of fiber transceivers 160

Termination points 161

Copper cabling standards 164

Copper termination standards 166

Ethernet deployment standards 169

Exam Essentials 170

2.2 Given a scenario, determine the appropriate placement of networking devices on a network and install/configure them. 171

Firewall 171

Routers 172

Switches 173

Hubs 173

Bridges 174

Modems 174

Wireless access point 175

Media Converters 175

Wireless range extender 175

VoIP endpoint 176

Exam Essentials 176

2.3 Explain the purposes and use cases for advanced networking devices. 176

Multilayer switch 177

Wireless controller 177

Load balancer 178

IDS and IPS 178

Proxy Servers 179

VPN concentrator 181

AAA/RADIUS server 181

UTM appliance 182

NGFW/Layer 7 firewall 182

VoIP PBX 183

VoIP gateway 184

Content filter 185

Exam Essentials 185

2.4 Explain the purposes of virtualization and network storage technologies. 186

Virtual networking components 186

Network storage types 189

Connection type 190

Jumbo Frames 193

Exam Essentials 194

2.5 Compare and contrast WAN technologies. 194

Service type 194

Transmission mediums 199

Characteristics of service 201

Termination 205

Exam Essentials 207

Review Questions 209

Chapter 3 Domain 3.0: Network Operations 215

3.1 Given a scenario, use appropriate documentation and diagrams to manage the network. 219

Diagram symbols 220

Standard operating procedures/work instructions 223

Logical vs. physical diagrams 224

Rack diagrams 226

Change management documentation 227

Wiring and port locations 228

IDF/MDF documentation 229

Labeling 229

Network configuration and performance baselines 230

Inventory management 231

Exam Essentials 232

3.2 Compare and contrast business continuity and disaster recovery concepts. 233

Availability concepts 234

Recovery 242

Exam Essentials 246

3.3 Explain common scanning, monitoring and patching processes and summarize their expected outputs. 247

Processes 247

Event management 252

SNMP monitors 253

Metrics 254

Exam Essentials 256

3.4 Given a scenario, use remote access methods. 257

VPN 257

RDP 261

SSH 262

VNC 262

Telnet 263

HTTPS/management URL 263

Remote file access 263

Out-of-band management 264

Exam Essentials 266

3.5 Identify policies and best practices. 267

Privileged user agreement 268

Password policy 268

On-boarding/off-boarding procedures 268

Licensing restrictions 269

International export controls 270

Data loss prevention 270

Remote access policies 270

Incident response policies 271

BYOD 271

AUP 272

NDA 272

System life cycle 272

Safety procedures and policies 273

Exam Essentials 274

Review Questions 276

Chapter 4 Domain 4.0: Network Security 281

4.1 Summarize the purposes of physical security devices. 285

Detection 285

Prevention 289

Exam Essentials 292

4.2 Explain authentication and access controls. 292

Authentication, authorization, and accounting 292

Multifactor authentication 296

Access control 297

Exam Essentials 303

4.3 Given a scenario, secure a basic wireless network. 304

WPA 304

WPA2 305

TKIP-RC4 305

CCMP-AES 305

Authentication and authorization 305

Geofencing 307

Exam Essentials 307

4.4 Summarize common networking attacks. 308

DoS 308

Social engineering 309

Insider threat 309

Logic bomb 309

Rogue access point 310

Evil twin 310

War-driving 310

Phishing 310

Ransomware 310

DNS poisoning 310

ARP poisoning 311

Spoofing 311

Deauthentication 311

Brute force 311

VLAN hopping 311

Man-in-the-middle 312

Exploits vs. vulnerabilities 312

Exam Essentials 312

4.5 Given a scenario, implement network device hardening. 313

Changing default credentials 313

Avoiding common passwords 313

Upgrading firmware 314

Patching and updates 314

File hashing 315

Disabling unnecessary services 315

Using secure protocols 316

Generating new keys 316

Disabling unused ports 317

Exam Essentials 317

4.6 Explain common mitigation techniques and their purposes. 318

Signature management 318

Device hardening 319

Change native VLAN 319

Switch port protection 319

Network segmentation 321

Privileged user account 323

File integrity monitoring 323

Role separation 323

Restricting access via ACLs 324

Honeypot/honeynet 325

Penetration testing 325

Exam Essentials 325

Review Questions 327

Chapter 5 Domain 5.0 Network Troubleshooting and Tools 331

5.1 Explain the network troubleshooting methodology. 335

Identify the problem 336

Establish a theory of probable cause 338

Test the theory to determine the cause 339

Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential effects 340

Implement the solution or escalate as necessary 340

Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures 341

Document findings, actions, and outcomes 341

Exam Essentials 341

5.2 Given a scenario, use the appropriate tool. 342

Hardware tools 342

Software tools 352

Exam Essentials 371

5.3 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common wired connectivity and performance issues. 372

Attenuation 372

Latency 373

Jitter 373

Crosstalk 373

EMI 374

Open/Short 374

Incorrect pin-out 374

Incorrect cable type 374

Bad port 375

Transceiver mismatch 375

TX/RX reverse 376

Duplex/speed mismatch 377

Damaged cables 377

Bent pins 377

Bottlenecks 378

VLAN mismatch 378

Network connection LED status indicators 378

Exam Essentials 379

5.4 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common wireless connectivity and performance issues. 380

Reflection 380

Refraction 381

Absorption 381

Latency 382

Jitter 382

Attenuation 382

Incorrect antenna type 383

Interference 383

Incorrect antenna placement 384

Channel overlap 384

Overcapacity 385

Distance limitations 385

Frequency mismatch 386

Wrong SSID 386

Wrong passphrase 386

Security type mismatch 387

Power levels 387

Signal-to-noise ratio 387

Exam Essentials 388

5.5 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common network service issues. 388

Names not resolving 388

Incorrect gateway 393

Incorrect netmask 394

Duplicate IP addresses 396

Duplicate MAC addresses 397

Expired IP address 397

Rogue DHCP server 399

Untrusted SSL certificate 400

Incorrect time 401

Exhausted DHCP scope 402

Blocked TCP/UDP ports 403

Incorrect host-based firewall settings 403

Incorrect ACL settings 404

Unresponsive service 404

Hardware failure 404

Exam Essentials 405

Review Questions 406

Appendix Answers to Review Questions 411

Chapter 1: Domain 1.0: Networking Concepts 412

Chapter 2: Domain 2.0: Infrastructure 413

Chapter 3: Domain 3.0: Network Operations 415

Chapter 4: Domain 4.0: Network Security 417

Chapter 5: Domain 5.0 Network Troubleshooting and Tools 419

Index 421