CompTIA Network+ Objectives

CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam Objectives 1 of 23
Copyright 2011 by the Computing Technology Industry Association. All rights reserved.
The CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam Objectives are subject to change without notice.
Certification Exam
Objectives: N10-005
INTRODUCTION
The CompTIA Network+ certification is an internationally recognized validation of the technical
knowledge required of foundation-level IT network practitioners.
Test Purpose: This exam will certify that the successful candidate has the knowledge and skills
required to implement a defined network architecture with basic network security. Furthermore, a
successful candidate will be able to configure, maintain, and troubleshoot network devices using
appropriate network tools and understand the features and purpose of network technologies.
Candidates will be able to make basic solution recommendations, analyze network traffic, and be
familiar with common protocols and media types.
It is recommended for CompTIA Network+ candidates to have the following:
 CompTIA A+ certification or equivalent knowledge, though CompTIA A+
certification is not required.
 Have at least 9 to 12 months of work experience in IT networking.
The table below lists the domains measured by this examination and the extent to which
they are represented. CompTIA Network+ exams are based on these objectives.
Domain % of Examination
1.0 Network Concepts 21%
2.0 Network Installation and Configuration 23%
3.0 Network Media and Topologies 17%
4.0 Network Management 20%
5.0 Network Security 19%
Total 100%
**Note: The bulleted lists below each objective are not exhaustive lists. Even though they are
not included in this document, other examples of technologies, processes or tasks pertaining to
each objective may also be included on the exam.
(A list of acronyms used in these objectives appears at the end of this document.)

1.0 Networking Concepts
1.1 Compare the layers of the OSI and TCP/IP models.
 OSI model:
o Layer 1 – Physical
o Layer 2 – Data link
o Layer 3 – Network
o Layer 4 – Transport
o Layer 5 – Session
o Layer 6 – Presentation
o Layer 7 – Application
 TCP/IP model:
o Network Interface Layer
o Internet Layer
o Transport Layer
o Application Layer
 (Also described as: Link Layer, Internet Layer,
Transport Layer, Application Layer)
1.2 Classify how applications, devices, and protocols relate to the OSI model
layers.
 MAC address
 IP address
 EUI-64
 Frames
 Packets
 Switch
 Router
 Multilayer switch
 Hub
 Encryption devices
 Cable
 NIC
 Bridge
1.3 Explain the purpose and properties of IP addressing.
 Classes of addresses
o A, B, C and D
o Public vs. Private
 Classless (CIDR)
 IPv4 vs. IPv6 (formatting)

 MAC address format
 Subnetting
 Multicast vs. unicast vs. broadcast
 APIPA
1.4 Explain the purpose and properties of routing and switching.
 EIGRP
 OSPF
 RIP
 Link state vs. distance vector vs. hybrid
 Static vs. dynamic
 Routing metrics
o Hop counts
o MTU, bandwidth
o Costs
o Latency
 Next hop
 Spanning-Tree Protocol
 VLAN (802.1q)
 Port mirroring
 Broadcast domain vs. collision domain
 IGP vs. EGP
 Routing tables
 Convergence (steady state)
1.5 Identify common TCP and UDP default ports.
 SMTP – 25
 HTTP – 80
 HTTPS – 443
 FTP – 20, 21
 TELNET – 23
 IMAP – 143
 RDP – 3389
 SSH – 22
 DNS – 53
 DHCP – 67, 68
1.6 Explain the function of common networking protocols.
 TCP
 FTP
 UDP
 TCP/IP suite

 DHCP
 TFTP
 DNS
 HTTPS
 HTTP
 ARP
 SIP (VoIP)
 RTP (VoIP)
 SSH
 POP3
 NTP
 IMAP4
 Telnet
 SMTP
 SNMP2/3
 ICMP
 IGMP
 TLS
1.7 Summarize DNS concepts and its components.
 DNS servers
 DNS records (A, MX, AAAA, CNAME, PTR)
 Dynamic DNS
1.8 Given a scenario, implement the following network troubleshooting
methodology:
 Identify the problem:
o Information gathering
o Identify symptoms
o Question users
o Determine if anything has changed
 Establish a theory of probable cause
o Question the obvious
 Test the theory to determine cause:
o Once theory is confirmed determine next steps to resolve
problem.
o If theory is not confirmed, re-establish new theory or escalate.
 Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential
effects
 Implement the solution or escalate as necessary

 Verify full system functionality and if applicable implement
preventative measures
 Document findings, actions and outcomes
1.9 Identify virtual network components.
 Virtual switches
 Virtual desktops
 Virtual servers
 Virtual PBX
 Onsite vs. offsite
 Network as a Service (NaaS)
2.0 Network Installation and Configuration
2.1 Given a scenario, install and configure routers and switches.
 Routing tables
 NAT
 PAT
 VLAN (trunking)
 Managed vs. unmanaged
 Interface configurations
o Full duplex
o Half duplex
o Port speeds
o IP addressing
o MAC filtering
 PoE
 Traffic filtering
 Diagnostics
 VTP configuration
 QoS
 Port mirroring
2.2 Given a scenario, install and configure a wireless network.
 WAP placement
 Antenna types
 Interference
 Frequencies
 Channels
 Wireless standards
 SSID (enable/disable)

 Compatibility (802.11 a/b/g/n)
2.3 Explain the purpose and properties of DHCP.
 Static vs. dynamic IP addressing
 Reservations
 Scopes
 Leases
 Options (DNS servers, suffixes)
2.4 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common wireless problems.
 Interference
 Signal strength
 Configurations
 Incompatibilities
 Incorrect channel
 Latency
 Encryption type
 Bounce
 SSID mismatch
 Incorrect switch placement
2.5 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common router and switch problems.
 Switching loop
 Bad cables/improper cable types
 Port configuration
 VLAN assignment
 Mismatched MTU/MUT black hole
 Power failure
 Bad/missing routes
 Bad modules (SFPs, GBICs)
 Wrong subnet mask
 Wrong gateway
 Duplicate IP address
 Wrong DNS
2.6 Given a set of requirements, plan and implement a basic SOHO network.
 List of requirements
 Cable length
 Device types/requirements
 Environment limitations
 Equipment limitations
 Compatibility requirements

3.0 Network Media and Topologies
3.1 Categorize standard media types and associated properties.
 Fiber:
o Multimode
o Singlemode
 Copper:
o UTP
o STP
o CAT3
o CAT5
o CAT5e
o CAT6
o CAT6a
o Coaxial
o Crossover
o T1 Crossover
o Straight-through
 Plenum vs. non-plenum
 Media converters:
o Singlemode fiber to Ethernet
o Multimode fiber to Ethernet
o Fiber to Coaxial
o Singlemode to multimode fiber
 Distance limitations and speed limitations
 Broadband over powerline
3.2 Categorize standard connector types based on network media.
 Fiber:
o ST
o SC
o LC
o MTRJ
 Copper:
o RJ-45
o RJ-11
o BNC
o F-connector
o DB-9 (RS-232)

o Patch panel
o 110 block (T568A, T568B)
3.3 Compare and contrast different wireless standards.
 802.11 a/b/g/n standards
o Distance
o Speed
o Latency
o Frequency
o Channels
o MIMO
o Channel bonding
3.4 Categorize WAN technology types and properties.
 Types:
o T1/E1
o T3/E3
o DS3
o OCx
o SONET
o SDH
o DWDM
o Satellite
o ISDN
o Cable
o DSL
o Cellular
o WiMAX
o LTE
o HSPA+
o Fiber
o Dialup
o PON
o Frame relay
o ATMs
 Properties:
o Circuit switch
o Packet switch
o Speed
o Transmission media
o Distance
3.5 Describe different network topologies.

 MPLS
 Point to point
 Point to multipoint
 Ring
 Star
 Mesh
 Bus
 Peer-to-peer
 Client-server
 Hybrid
3.6 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common physical connectivity problems.
 Cable problems:
o Bad connectors
o Bad wiring
o Open, short
o Split cables
o DB loss
o TXRX reversed
o Cable placement
o EMI/Interference
o Distance
o Cross-talk
3.7 Compare and contrast different LAN technologies.
 Types:
o Ethernet
o 10BaseT
o 100BaseT
o 1000BaseT
o 100BaseTX
o 100BaseFX
o 1000BaseX
o 10GBaseSR
o 10GBaseLR
o 10GBaseER
o 10GBaseSW
o 10GBaseLW
o 10GBaseEW
o 10GBaseT
 Properties:
o CSMA/CD

o CSMA/CA
o Broadcast
o Collision
o Bonding
o Speed
o Distance
3.8 Identify components of wiring distribution.
 IDF
 MDF
 Demarc
 Demarc extension
 Smart jack
 CSU/DSU
4.0 Network Management
4.1 Explain the purpose and features of various network appliances.
 Load balancer
 Proxy server
 Content filter
 VPN concentrator
4.2 Given a scenario, use appropriate hardware tools to troubleshoot connectivity
issues.
 Cable tester
 Cable certifier
 Crimper
 Butt set
 Toner probe
 Punch down tool
 Protocol analyzer
 Loop back plug
 TDR
 OTDR
 Multimeter
 Environmental monitor
4.3 Given a scenario, use appropriate software tools to troubleshoot connectivity
issues.
 Protocol analyzer
 Throughput testers

 Connectivity software
 Ping
 Tracert/traceroute
 Dig
 Ipconfig/ifconfig
 Nslookup
 Arp
 Nbtstat
 Netstat
 Route
4.4 Given a scenario, use the appropriate network monitoring resource to analyze
traffic.
 SNMP
 SNMPv2
 SNMPv3
 Syslog
 System logs
 History logs
 General logs
 Traffic analysis
 Network sniffer
4.5 Describe the purpose of configuration management documentation.
 Wire schemes
 Network maps
 Documentation
 Cable management
 Asset management
 Baselines
 Change management
4.6 Explain different methods and rationales for network performance
optimization.
 Methods:
o QoS
o Traffic shaping
o Load balancing
o High availability
o Caching engines
o Fault tolerance
o CARP

 Reasons:
o Latency sensitivity
o High bandwidth applications (VoIP, video applications, unified
communications)
o Uptime
5.0 Network Security
5.1 Given a scenario, implement appropriate wireless security measures.
 Encryption protocols:
o WEP
o WPA
o WPA2
o WPA Enterprise
 MAC address filtering
 Device placement
 Signal strength
5.2 Explain the methods of network access security.
 ACL:
o MAC filtering
o IP filtering
o Port filtering
 Tunneling and encryption:
o SSL VPN
o VPN
o L2TP
o PPTP
o IPSec
o ISAKMP
o TLS
o TLS1.2
o Site-to-site and client-to-site
 Remote access:
o RAS
o RDP
o PPPoE
o PPP
o ICA
o SSH
5.3 Explain methods of user authentication.

o PKI
o Kerberos
o AAA (RADIUS, TACACS+)
o Network access control (802.1x, posture assessment)
o CHAP
o MS-CHAP
o EAP
o Two-factor authentication
o Multifactor authentication
o Single sign-on
5.4 Explain common threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigation techniques.
 Wireless:
o War driving
o War chalking
o WEP cracking
o WPA cracking
o Evil twin
o Rogue access point
 Attacks:
o DoS
o DDoS
o Man in the middle
o Social engineering
o Virus
o Worms
o Buffer overflow
o Packet sniffing
o FTP bounce
o Smurf
 Mitigation techniques:
o Training and awareness
o Patch management
o Policies and procedures
o Incident response
5.5 Given a scenario, install and configure a basic firewall.
 Types:
o Software and hardware firewalls
 Port security
 Stateful inspection vs. packet filtering
 Firewall rules:

o Block/allow
o Implicit deny
o ACL
 NAT/PAT
 DMZ
5.6 Categorize different types of network security appliances and methods.
 IDS and IPS:
o Behavior based
o Signature based
o Network based
o Host based
 Vulnerability scanners:
o NESSUS
o NMAP
 Methods:
o Honeypots
o Honeynets

Network+ Acronym List
AAA Authentication Authorization and Accounting
ACL Access Control List
ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
AES Advanced Encryption Standard
AH Authentication Header
AM Amplitude Modulation
APIPA Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing
ARIN American Registry for Internet Numbers
ARP Address Resolution Protocol
ASP Application Service Provider
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
BERT Bit-Error Rate Test
BGP Border Gateway Protocol
BNC British Naval Connector / Bayonet Niell-Concelman
BootP Boot Protocol /Bootstrap Protocol
BPDU Bridge Protocol Data Unit
BRI Basic Rate Interface
CARP Common Address Redundancy Protocol
CHAP Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
CIDR Classless inter domain routing
CNAME Canonical Name
CRAM-MD5 Challenge-Response Authentication Mechanism – Message Digest 5
CSMA / CA Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance
CSMA / CD Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detection
CSU Channel Service Unit
dB decibels
DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DLC Data Link Control

DMZ Demilitarized Zone
DNS Domain Name Service / Domain Name Server / Domain Name System
DOCSIS Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification
DoS Denial of Service
DDoS Distributed Denial of Service
DSL Digital Subscriber Line
DSU Data Service Unit
DWDM Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
E1 E-Carrier Level 1
EAP Extensible Authentication Protocol
EDNS Extension Mechanisms for DNS
EGP Exterior Gateway Protocol
EIGRP Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol
EMI Electromagnetic Interference
ESD Electrostatic Discharge
ESSID Extended Service Set Identifier
ESP Encapsulated security packets
FDDI Fiber Distributed Data Interface
FDM Frequency Division Multiplexing
FHSS Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
FM Frequency Modulation
FQDN Fully Qualified Domain Name / Fully Qualified Distinguished Name
FTP File Transfer Protocol
GBIC Gigabit Interface Converter
Gbps Giga bits per second
GPG GNU Privacy Guard
HDLC High-Level Data Link Control
HSRP Hot Standby Router Protocol
HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol

HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure
Hz Hertz
IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
ICA Independent Computer Architecture
ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol
ICS Internet Connection Sharing
IDF Intermediate Distribution Frame
IDS Intrusion Detection System
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IGMP Internet Group Multicast Protocol
IGP Interior Gateway Protocol
IIS Internet Information Services
IKE Internet Key Exchange
IMAP4 Internet Message Access Protocol version 4
InterNIC Internet Network Information Center
IP Internet Protocol
IPS Intrusion Prevention System
IPSec Internet Protocol Security
IPv4 Internet Protocol version 4
IPv6 Internet Protocol version 6
ISAKMP Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ISP Internet Service Provider
IT Information Technology
IV Initialization Vector
Kbps Kilobits per second
L2F Layer 2 Forwarding
L2TP Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol

LACP Link aggregation control protocol
LAN Local Area Network
LC Local Connector
LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
LEC Local Exchange Carrier
LED Light Emitting Diode
LLC Logical Link Control
MAC Media Access Control / Medium Access Control
Mbps Megabits per second
MBps Megabytes per second
MDF Main Distribution Frame
MDI Media Dependent Interface
MDIX Media Dependent Interface Crossover
MIB Management Information Base
MMF Multimode Fiber
MPLS Multi-Protocol Label Switching
MS-CHAP Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
MT-RJ Mechanical Transfer-Registered Jack
MX Mail Exchanger
NAC Network Access Control
NaaS Network as a Service
NAS Network Attached Storage
NAT Network Address Translation
NCP Network Control Protocol
NetBEUI Network Basic Input / Output Extended User Interface
NetBIOS Network Basic Input / Output System
NFS Network File Service
NIC Network Interface Card
NIPS Network Intrusion Prevention System

nm Nanometer
NNTP Network News Transport Protocol
NTP Network Time Protocol
NWLINK Microsoft IPX/SPX Protocol
OCx Optical Carrier
OS Operating Systems
OSI Open Systems Interconnect
OSPF Open Shortest Path First
OTDR Optical Time Domain Reflectometer
PAP Password Authentication Protocol
PAT Port Address Translation
PC Personal Computer
PGP Pretty Good Privacy
PKI Public Key Infrastructure
PoE Power over Ethernet
POP3 Post Office Protocol version 3
POTS Plain Old Telephone System
PPP Point-to-Point Protocol
PPPoE Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet
PPTP Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
PRI Primary Rate Interface
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
PVC Permanent Virtual Circuit
QoS Quality of Service
RADIUS Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service
RARP Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
RAS Remote Access Service
RDP Remote Desktop Protocol
RFI Radio Frequency Interface

RG Radio Guide
RIP Routing Internet Protocol
RJ Registered Jack
RSA Rivest, Shamir, Adelman
RSH Remote Shell
RTP Real Time Protocol
RTSP Real Time Streaming Protocol
RTT Round Trip Time or Real Transfer Time
SA Security Association
SC Standard Connector / Subscriber Connector
SCP Secure Copy Protocol
SDSL Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line
SFTP Secure File Transfer Protocol
SFP Small Form-factor Pluggable
SIP Session Initiation Protocol
SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol
SMF Single Mode Fiber
SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SNAT Static Network Address Translation
SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol
SNTP Simple Network Time Protocol
SOA Start of Authority
SOHO Small Office / Home Office
SONET Synchronous Optical Network
SPS Standby Power Supply
SSH Secure Shell
SSID Service Set Identifier
SSL Secure Sockets Layer
ST Straight Tip or Snap Twist

STP Shielded Twisted Pair
T1 T-Carrier Level 1
TA Terminal Adaptor
TACACS+ Terminal Access Control Access Control System+
TCP Transmission Control Protocol
TCP / IP Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
TDM Time Division Multiplexing
TDR Time Domain Reflectometer
Telco Telephone Company
TFTP Trivial File Transfer Protocol
TKIP Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
TLS Transport Layer Security
TTL Time to Live
UDP User Datagram Protocol
UNC Universal Naming Convention
UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply
URL Uniform Resource Locator
USB Universal Serial Bus
UTP Unshielded Twisted Pair
VDSL Variable Digital Subscriber Line
VLAN Virtual Local Area Network
VNC Virtual Network Connection
VoIP Voice over IP
VPN Virtual Private Network
VTP Virtual Trunk Protocol
WAN Wide Area Network
WAP Wireless Application Protocol / Wireless Access Point
WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy
WINS Window Internet Name Service

WPA Wi-Fi Protected Access
www World Wide Web
X.25 CCITT Packet Switching Protocol
XML eXtensible Markup Language
XDSL Extended Digital Subscriber Line
Zeroconf Zero Configuration
Network+ Proposed Hardware and Software List
** CompTIA has included this sample list of hardware and software to assist candidates
as they prepare for the Network+ exam. This list may also be helpful for training
companies who wish to create a lab component to their training offering. The bulleted
lists below each topic are a sample list and not exhaustive.
Equipment
 Patch Panels
 Punch downs blocks
 Layer 3 Switch
 Router
 Firewall
 Two basic PCs
 Access point
 Media converters
 Configuration terminal (with telnet and SSH)
Spare hardware
 NICs
 Power supplies
 GBICs
 SFPs
Spare parts
 Patch cables
 RJ-45 connectors, modular jacks
 RJ-11 connectors
 Cable spool
 Coaxial cable spool
 F-connectors

Tools
 Telco/network crimper
 Cable tester
 Punch down tool
 Cable striper
 Coaxial crimper
 Wire cutter
 Tone generator
Software
 Packet Sniffer
 Protocol Analyzer
 Terminal Emulation Software
 Linux/Windows OSs
 Software Firewall
 Software IDS / IPS
 Network mapper
 Virtual network environment
Other
 Sample network documentation
 Sample logs
 Defective cables

CompTIA Network+ Objectives

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