CompTIA Network+ Exam Objectives Checklist N10-008

1.0 Networking Fundamentals
1.1 Compare and contrast the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model layers and encapsulation concepts.
o 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

o Data encapsulation and decapsulation within the OSI model context
o – Ethernet header
o – Internet Protocol (IP) header
o – Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/ User Datagram Protocol (UDP) headers
o – TCP flags
o – Payload
o – Maximum transmission unit (MTU)

1.2 Explain the characteristics of network topologies and network types.
o Mesh
o Star/hub-and-spoke
o Bus
o Ring
o Hybrid
o Network types and characteristics
o Peer-to-peer
o Client-server
o Local area network (LAN)
o Metropolitan area network (MAN)
o Wide area network (WAN)
o Wireless local area network (WLAN)
o Personal area network (PAN)
o Campus area network (CAN)
o Storage area network (SAN)
o Software-defined wide area network (SDWAN)

o Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)
o Multipoint generic routing encapsulation (mGRE)

o Service-related entry point
o Demarcation point
o Smartjack

o Virtual network concepts
o vSwitch
o Virtual network interface card (vNIC)
o Network function virtualization (NFV)
o Hypervisor

o Provider links
o Satellite
o Digital subscriber line (DSL)
o Cable
o Leased line
o Metro-optical

1.3 Summarize the types of cables and connectors and explain which is the appropriate type for a solution.
o • Copper
o – Twisted pair
o – Cat 5
o – Cat 5e
o – Cat 6
o – Cat 6a
o – Cat 7
o – Cat 8
o – Coaxial/RG-6
o – Twinaxial
o – Termination standards
o – TIA/EIA-568A
o – TIA/EIA-568B

o • Fiber
o – Single-mode
o – Multimode

o • Connector types
o – Local connector (LC), straight tip (ST), subscriber connector (SC), mechanical transfer (MT), registered jack (RJ)
o – Angled physical contact (APC)
o – Ultra-physical contact (UPC)
o – RJ11
o – RJ45
o – F-type connector
o – Transceivers/media converters
o – Transceiver type
o – Small form-factor pluggable (SFP)
o – Enhanced form-factor pluggable (SFP+)
o – Quad small form-factor pluggable (QSFP)
o – Enhanced quad small form-factor pluggable (QSFP+)

o • Cable management
o – Patch panel/patch bay
o – Fiber distribution panel
o – Punchdown block
o – 66
o – 110
o – Krone
o – Bix

o • Ethernet standards
o – Copper
o – 10BASE-T
o – 100BASE-TX
o – 1000BASE-T
o – 10GBASE-T
o – 40GBASE-T
o – Fiber
o – 100BASE-FX
o – 100BASE-SX
o – 1000BASE-SX
o – 1000BASE-LX
o – 10GBASE-SR
o – 10GBASE-LR
o – Coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM)
o – Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM)
o – Bidirectional wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)

1.4 Given a scenario, configure a subnet and use appropriate IP addressing schemes.
o • Public vs. private
o – RFC1918
o – Network address translation (NAT)
o – Port address translation (PAT)

o • IPv4 vs. IPv6
o – Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA)
o – Extended unique identifier (EUI-64)
o – Multicast
o – Unicast
o – Anycast
o – Broadcast
o – Link local
o – Loopback
o – Default gateway

o • IPv4 subnetting
o – Classless (variable-length subnet mask)
o – Classful
● – A
● – B
● – C
● – D
● – E
o Classless Inter Domain Routing (CIDR) notation

o • IPv6 concepts

o – Tunneling
o – Dual stack
o – Shorthand notation
o – Router advertisement
o – Stateless address autoconfiguration (SLAAC)

o • Virtual IP (VIP)
o • Subinterfaces

1.5 Explain common ports and protocols, their application, and encrypted alternatives.
o • File Transfer Protocol (FTP) 20/21
o • Secure Shell (SSH) 22
o • Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) 22
o • Telnet 23
o • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) 25
o • Domain Name System (DNS) 53
o • Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) 67/68
o • Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) 69
o • Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 80
o • Post Office Protocol v3 (POP3) 110
o • Network Time Protocol (NTP) 123
o • Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) 143
o • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) 161/162
o • Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) 389
o • Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) [Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)] 443
o • HTTPS [Transport Layer Security (TLS)] 443
o • Server Message Block (SMB) 445
o • Syslog 514
o • SMTP TLS 587
o • Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (over SSL) (LDAPS) 636
o • IMAP over SSL 993
o • POP3 over SSL 995
o • Structured Query Language (SQL) Server 1433
o • SQLnet 1521
o • MySQL 3306
o • Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 3389
o • Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) 5060/5061

o • IP protocol types
o – Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
o – TCP
o – UDP
o – Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)
o – Internet Protocol Security (IPSec)
o – Authentication Header (AH)/Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)

o • Connectionless vs. connection-oriented

1.6 Explain the use and purpose of network services.
o • DHCP
o – Scope
o – Exclusion ranges
o – Reservation
o – Dynamic assignment
o – Static assignment
o – Lease time
o – Scope options
o – Available leases
o – DHCP relay
o – IP helper/UDP forwarding

o • DNS
o – Record types
o – Address (A vs. AAAA)
o – Canonical name (CNAME)
o – Mail exchange (MX)
o – Start of authority (SOA)
o – Pointer (PTR)
o – Text (TXT)
o – Service (SRV)
o – Name server (NS)

o – Global hierarchy
o – Root DNS servers

o Internal vs. external
o Zone transfers
o Authoritative name servers
o Time to live (TTL)
o DNS caching
o Reverse DNS/reverse lookup/forward lookup
o Recursive lookup/iterative lookup

o NTP
o Stratum
o Clients
o Servers

1.7 Explain basic corporate and datacenter network architecture.
o • Three-tiered
o – Core
o – Distribution/aggregation layer
o – Access/edge

o • Software-defined networking
o – Application layer
o – Control layer
o – Infrastructure layer
o – Management plane

o • Spine and leaf
o – Software-defined network
o – Top-of-rack switching
o – Backbone

o • Traffic flows
o – North-South
o – East-West

o • Branch office vs. on-premises datacenter vs. colocation

o • Storage area networks
o – Connection types
o – Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
o – Fibre Channel
o – Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI)

1.8 Summarize cloud concepts and connectivity options.
o • Deployment models
o – Public
o – Private
o – Hybrid
o – Community

o • Service models
o – Software as a service (SaaS)
o – Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
o – Platform as a service (PaaS)
o – Desktop as a service (DaaS)

o • Infrastructure as code
o – Automation/orchestration

o • Connectivity options
o – Virtual private network (VPN)
o – Private-direct connection to cloud provider

o • Multitenancy
o • Elasticity
o • Scalability
o • Security implications

2.0 Network Implementations
2.1 Compare and contrast various devices, their features, and their appropriate placement on the network.
o • Networking devices
o – Layer 2 switch
o – Layer 3 capable switch
o – Router
o – Hub
o – Access point
o – Bridge
o – Wireless LAN controller
o – Load balancer
o – Proxy server
o – Cable modem
o – DSL modem
o – Repeater
o – Voice gateway
o – Media converter
o – Intrusion prevention system (IPS)/intrusion detection system (IDS) device
o – Firewall
o – VPN headend

o • Networked devices
o – Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone
o – Printer
o – Physical access control devices
o – Cameras
o – Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) sensors
o – Internet of Things (IoT)
o – Refrigerator
o – Smart speakers
o – Smart thermostats
o – Smart doorbells
o – Industrial control systems/ supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)

2.2 Compare and contrast routing technologies and bandwidth management concepts.
o • Routing
o – Dynamic routing
o – Protocols [Routing Internet Protocol (RIP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)]
o – Link state vs. distance vector vs. hybrid
o – Static routing
o – Default route
o – Administrative distance
o – Exterior vs. interior
o – Time to live

o • Bandwidth management
o – Traffic shaping
o – Quality of service (QoS)

2.3 Given a scenario, configure and deploy common Ethernet switching features.
o – Data virtual local area network (VLAN)
o – Voice VLAN
o – Port configurations
o – Port tagging/802.1Q
o – Port aggregation
o – Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
o – Duplex – Speed
o – Flow control
o – Port mirroring
o – Port security
o – Jumbo frames
o – Auto-medium-dependent interface crossover (MDI-X)
o – Media access control (MAC) address tables
o – Power over Ethernet (PoE)/ Power over Ethernet plus (PoE+)
o – Spanning Tree Protocol
o – Carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD)
o • Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
o • Neighbor Discovery Protocol

2.4 Given a scenario, install and configure the appropriate wireless standards and technologies.
o • 802.11 standards
o – a
o – b
o – g
o – n (WiFi 4)
o – ac (WiFi 5)
o – ax (WiFi 6)

o • Frequencies and range
o – 2.4GHz
o – 5GHz

o • Channels
o – Regulatory impacts

o • Channel bonding
o • Service set identifier (SSID)
o – Basic service set
o – Extended service set
o – Independent basic service set (Ad-hoc)
o – Roaming

o • Antenna types
o – Omni
o – Directional

o • Encryption standards
o – WiFi Protected Access (WPA)/ WPA2 Personal [Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)/ Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP)]
o – WPA/WPA2 Enterprise (AES/TKIP)

o • Cellular technologies
o – Code-division multiple access (CDMA)
o – Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
o – Long-Term Evolution (LTE)
o – 3G, 4G, 5G

o • Multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO)

3.0 Network Operations

3.1 Given a scenario, use the appropriate statistics and sensors to ensure network availability.
o • Performance metrics/sensors
o – Device/chassis
o – Temperature
o – Central processing unit (CPU) usage
o – Memory
o – Network metrics
o – Bandwidth
o – Latency
o – Jitter

o • SNMP
o – Traps
o – Object identifiers (OIDs)
o – Management information bases (MIBs)

o • Network device logs
o – Log reviews
o – Traffic logs
o – Audit logs
o – Syslog
o – Logging levels/severity levels

o • Interface statistics/status
o – Link state (up/down)
o – Speed/duplex
o – Send/receive traffic
o – Cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs)
o – Protocol packet and byte counts

o • Interface errors or alerts
o – CRC errors
o – Giants
o – Runts
o – Encapsulation errors

o • Environmental factors and sensors
o – Temperature
o – Humidity
o – Electrical
o – Flooding

o • Baselines
o • NetFlow data
o • Uptime/downtime
3.2 Explain the purpose of organizational documents and policies.
o • Plans and procedures
o – Change management
o – Incident response plan
o – Disaster recovery plan
o – Business continuity plan
o – System life cycle
o – Standard operating procedures

o • Hardening and security policies
o – Password policy
o – Acceptable use policy
o – Bring your own device (BYOD) policy
o – Remote access policy
o – Onboarding and offboarding policy
o – Security policy
o – Data loss prevention

o • Common documentation
o – Physical network diagram
o – Floor plan
o – Rack diagram
o – Intermediate distribution frame (IDF)/main distribution frame (MDF) documentation
o – Logical network diagram
o – Wiring diagram
o – Site survey report
o – Audit and assessment report
o – Baseline configurations

o • Common agreements
o – Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
o – Service-level agreement (SLA)
o – Memorandum of understanding (MOU)
3.3 Explain high availability and disaster recovery concepts and summarize which is the best solution
o • Load balancing
o • Multipathing
o • Network interface card (NIC) teaming
o • Redundant hardware/clusters
o – Switches
o – Routers
o – Firewalls

o • Facilities and infrastructure support
o – Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
o – Power distribution units (PDUs)
o – Generator
o – HVAC
o – Fire suppression

o • Redundancy and high availability (HA) concepts
o – Cold site
o – Warm site
o – Hot site
o – Cloud site
o – Active-active vs. active-passive
o – Multiple Internet service providers (ISPs)/diverse paths
o – Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)/First Hop Redundancy Protocol (FHRP)
o – Mean time to repair (MTTR)
o – Mean time between failure (MTBF)
o – Recovery time objective (RTO)
o – Recovery point objective (RPO)

o • Network device backup/restore
o – State
o – Configuration

4.0 Network Security
4.1 Explain common security concepts.
o • Confidentiality, integrity, availability (CIA)
o • Threats
o – Internal
o – External

o • Vulnerabilities
o – Common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE)
o – Zero-day

o • Exploits
o • Least privilege
o • Role-based access
o • Zero Trust
o • Defense in depth
o – Network segmentation enforcement
o – Perimeter network [previously known as demilitarized zone (DMZ)]
o – Separation of duties
o – Network access control
o – Honeypot

o • Authentication methods
o – Multifactor
o – Terminal Access Controller Access
o – Control System Plus (TACACS+)
o – Single sign-on (SSO)
o – Remote Authentication Dial
o – in User Service (RADIUS)
o – LDAP
o – Kerberos
o – Local authentication
o – 802.1X
o – Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
o • Risk Management
o – Security risk assessments
o – Threat assessment
o – Vulnerability assessment
o – Penetration testing
o – Posture assessment
o – Business risk assessments
o – Process assessment
o – Vendor assessment

o • Security information and event management (SIEM)

4.2 Compare and contrast common types of attacks.
o • Technology-based
o – Denial-of-service (DoS)/ distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)
o – Botnet/command and control
o – On-path attack (previously known as man-in-the-middle attack)
o – DNS poisoning
o – VLAN hopping
o – ARP spoofing
o – Rogue DHCP
o – Rogue access point (AP)
o – Evil twin
o – Ransomware
o – Password attacks
o – Brute-force
o – Dictionary
o – MAC spoofing
o – IP spoofing
o – Deauthentication
o – Malware

o • Human and environmental
o – Social engineering
o – Phishing
o – Tailgating
o – Piggybacking
o – Shoulder surfing

4.3 Given a scenario, apply network hardening techniques.
o • Best practices
o – Secure SNMP
o – Router Advertisement (RA) Guard
o – Port security
o – Dynamic ARP inspection
o – Control plane policing
o – Private VLANs
o – Disable unneeded switchports
o – Disable unneeded network services
o – Change default passwords
o – Password complexity/length
o – Enable DHCP snooping
o – Change default VLAN
o – Patch and firmware management
o – Access control list
o – Role-based access
o – Firewall rules
o – Explicit deny
o – Implicit deny

o • Wireless security
o – MAC filtering
o – Antenna placement
o – Power levels
o – Wireless client isolation
o – Guest network isolation
o – Preshared keys (PSKs)
o – EAP
o – Geofencing
o – Captive portal

o • IoT access considerations

4.4 Compare and contrast remote access methods and security implications.
o • Site-to-site VPN
o • Client-to-site VPN
o – Clientless VPN
o – Split tunnel vs. full tunnel

o • Remote desktop connection
o • Remote desktop gateway
o • SSH
o • Virtual network computing (VNC)
o • Virtual desktop
o • Authentication and authorization considerations
o • In-band vs. out-of-band management

4.5 Explain the importance of physical security.
o • Detection methods
o – Camera
o – Motion detection
o – Asset tags
o – Tamper detection

o • Prevention methods
o – Employee training
o – Access control hardware
o – Badge readers
o – Biometrics
o – Locking racks
o – Locking cabinets
o – Access control vestibule (previously known as a mantrap)
o – Smart lockers

o • Asset disposal
o – Factory reset/wipe configuration
o – Sanitize devices for disposal

5.0 Network Troubleshooting
5.1 Explain the network troubleshooting methodology.
o • Identify the problem
o – Gather information
o – Question users
o – Identify symptoms
o – Determine if anything has changed
o – Duplicate the problem, if possible
o – Approach multiple problems individually

o • Establish a theory of probable cause
o – Question the obvious
o – Consider multiple approaches
o – Top-to-bottom/ bottom-to-top OSI model
o – Divide and conquer

o • Test the theory to determine the cause
o – If the theory is confirmed, determine the next steps to resolve the problem
o – If the theory is not confirmed, reestablish a new theory or escalate

o • Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential effects
o • Implement the solution or escalate as necessary
o • Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures
o • Document findings, actions, outcomes, and lessons learned

5.2 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common cable connectivity issues and select the appropriate tools.
o • Specifications and limitations
o – Throughput – Speed
o – Distance

o • Cable considerations
o – Shielded and unshielded
o – Plenum and riser-rated

o • Cable application
o – Rollover cable/console cable
o – Crossover cable
o – Power over Ethernet

o • Common issues
o – Attenuation
o – Interference
o – Decibel (dB) loss
o – Incorrect pinout
o – Bad ports
o – Open/short
o – Light-emitting diode (LED) status indicators
o – Incorrect transceivers
o – Duplexing issues
o – Transmit and receive (TX/RX) reversed
o – Dirty optical cables

o • Common tools
o – Cable crimper
o – Punchdown tool
o – Tone generator
o – Loopback adapter
o – Optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR)
o – Multimeter
o – Cable tester
o – Wire map
o – Tap
o – Fusion splicers
o – Spectrum analyzers
o – Snips/cutters
o – Cable stripper
o – Fiber light meter

5.3 Given a scenario, use the appropriate network software tools and commands.

o • Software tools
o – WiFi analyzer
o – Protocol analyzer/packet capture
o – Bandwidth speed tester
o – Port scanner
o – iperf
o – NetFlow analyzers
o – Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server
o – Terminal emulator
o – IP scanner

o • Command line tool
o – ping
o – ipconfig/ifconfig/ip
o – nslookup/dig
o – traceroute/tracert
o – arp
o – netstat
o – hostname
o – route
o – telnet
o – tcpdump
o – nmap

o • Basic network platform commands
o – show interface
o – show config
o – show route

5.4 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common wireless connectivity issues.

o • Specifications and limitations
o – Throughput
o – Speed
o – Distance
o – Received signal strength indication (RSSI) signal strength
o – Effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP)/power settings

o • Considerations
o – Antennas
o – Placement
o – Type
o – Polarization
o – Channel utilization
o – AP association time
o – Site survey

o • Common issues
o – Interference
o – Channel overlap
o – Antenna cable attenuation/signal loss
o – RF attenuation/signal loss
o – Wrong SSID
o – Incorrect passphrase
o – Encryption protocol mismatch
o – Insufficient wireless coverage
o – Captive portal issues
o – Client disassociation issues

5.5 Given a scenario, troubleshoot general networking issues.
o • Considerations
o – Device configuration review
o – Routing tables
o – Interface status
o – VLAN assignment
o – Network performance baselines

o • Common issues
o – Collisions
o – Broadcast storm
o – Duplicate MAC address
o – Duplicate IP address
o – Multicast flooding
o – Asymmetrical routing
o – Switching loops
o – Routing loops
o – Rogue DHCP server
o – DHCP scope exhaustion
o – IP setting issues
o – Incorrect gateway
o – Incorrect subnet mask
o – Incorrect IP address
o – Incorrect DNS
o – Missing route
o – Low optical link budget
o – Certificate issues
o – Hardware failure
o – Host-based/network
o – based firewall settings
o – Blocked services, ports, or addresses
o – Incorrect VLAN
o – DNS issues
o – NTP issues
o – BYOD challenges
o – Licensed feature issues
o – Network performance issues