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Introduction
ОглавлениеIf you're like most of us in the networking community, you probably have one or more network certifications. If that's you, you're very wise in choosing a CompTIA Network+ (N10-006) certification to proudly add to your repertoire because that achievement will make you all the more valuable as an employee. In these challenging economic times, keeping ahead of the competition – even standing out among your present colleagues – could make a big difference in whether you gain a promotion or possibly keep your job instead of being the one who gets laid off! Or maybe this is your first attempt at certification because you've decided to venture into a new career in information technology (IT). You've realized that getting into the IT sector is a good way to go because as the information age marches on, the demand for knowledgeable professionals in this dynamic field will only intensify dramatically.
Either way, certification is one of the best things you can do for your career if you are working in, or want to break into, the networking profession because it proves that you know what you're talking about regarding the subjects in which you're certified. It also powerfully endorses you as a professional in a way that's very similar to a physician being board certified in a certain area of expertise.
In this book, you'll find out what the Network+ exam is all about because each chapter covers a part of the exam. I've included some great review questions at the end of each chapter to help crystallize the information you learned and solidly prepare you to ace the exam.
A really cool thing about working in IT is that it's constantly evolving, so there are always new things to learn and fresh challenges to master. Once you obtain your Network+ certification and discover that you're interested in taking it further by getting into more complex networking (and making more money), the Cisco CCNA certification is definitely your next step; you can get the skinny on that and even more in-depth certifications on my blog at www.lammle.com.
For Network+ training with Todd Lammle, both instructor-led and online, please see www.lammle.com/networkplus.
What Is the Network+ Certification?
Network+ is a certification developed by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) that exists to provide resources and education for the computer and technology community. This is the same body that developed the A+ exam for PC technicians.
Way back in 1995, members of the organization got together to develop a new certification that tests skills for IT. To ensure industry-wide support, it was sponsored by many past and present IT industry leaders like these:
● Compaq Computers
● Digital Equipment Corporation (a part of Compaq)
● IBM
● Lotus
● Microsoft
● Novell
● TSS
● U.S. Robotics
● US West
● Wave Technologies
The Network+ exam was designed to test the skills of network technicians with 18 to 24 months of experience in the field. It tests areas of networking technologies such as the definition of a protocol, the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and its layers, and the concepts of network design and implementation – the minimum knowledge required for working on a network and some integral prerequisites for network design and implementation.
Why Become Network+ Certified?
Because CompTIA is a well-respected developer of vendor-neutral industry certifications, becoming Network+ certified proves you're competent in the specific areas covered by the Network+ objectives.
Three major benefits are associated with becoming Network+ certified:
Proof of Professional Achievement Networking professionals are pretty competitive when it comes to collecting more certifications than their peers. And because the Network+ certification broadly covers the entire field of networking, technicians want this certification a lot more than just Microsoft certifications – Network+ is a lot more prestigious and valuable. Because it's rare to gain something that's worth a lot with little effort, I'll be honest – preparing for the Network+ exam isn't exactly a lazy day at the beach. (However, beaches do happen to be really high on my personal list of great places to study!) And people in IT know that it isn't all that easy to pass the Network+ exam, so they'll definitely respect you more and know that you've achieved a certain level of expertise about vendor-independent, networking-related subjects.
Opportunity for Advancement We all like to get ahead in our careers – advancement results in more responsibility and prestige, and it usually means a fatter paycheck, greater opportunities, and added options. In the IT sector, a great way to make sure all that good stuff happens is by earning a lot of technology certifications, including Network+.
Fulfillment of Training Requirements Network+, because of its wide-reaching industry support, is recognized as a baseline of networking information. Some companies actually specify the possession of a Network+ certification as a job requirement before they'll even consider hiring you, or it may be specified as a goal to be met before your next review.
Customer Confidence As companies discover the CompTIA advantage, they will undoubtedly require qualified staff to achieve these certifications. Many companies outsource their work to consulting firms with experience working with security. Firms that have certified staff have a definite advantage over firms that don't.
How to Become Network+ Certified
As this book goes to press, Pearson VUE is the sole Network+ exam providers. The following is the necessary contact information and exam-specific details for registering. Exam pricing might vary by country or by CompTIA membership.
When you schedule the exam, you'll receive instructions regarding appointment and cancellation procedures, ID requirements, and information about the testing center location. In addition, you'll receive a registration and payment confirmation letter. Exams can be scheduled up to six weeks out or as late as the next day (or, in some cases, even the same day).
Exam prices and codes may vary based on the country in which the exam is administered. For detailed pricing and exam registration procedures, refer to CompTIA's website at www.comptia.org.
After you've successfully passed your Network+ exam, CompTIA will award you acertification. Within four to six weeks of passing the exam, you'll receive your official CompTIA Network+ certificate and ID card. (If you don't receive these within eight weeks of taking the test, contact CompTIA directly using the information found in your registration packet.)
Tips for Taking the Network+ Exam
Here are some general tips for taking your exam successfully:
● Bring two forms of ID with you. One must be a photo ID, such as a driver's license. The other can be a major credit card or a passport. Both forms must include a signature.
● Arrive early at the exam center so you can relax and review your study materials, particularly tables and lists of exam-related information. After you are ready to enter the testing room, you will need to leave everything outside; you won't be able to bring any materials into the testing area.
● Read the questions carefully. Don't be tempted to jump to an early conclusion. Make sure you know exactly what each question is asking.
● Don't leave any unanswered questions. Unanswered questions are scored against you. There will be questions with multiple correct responses. When there is more than one correct answer, a message at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to either “choose two” or “choose all that apply.” Be sure to read the messages displayed to know how many correct answers you must choose.
● When answering multiple-choice questions you're not sure about, use a process of elimination to get rid of the obviously incorrect answers first. Doing so will improve your odds if you need to make an educated guess.
● On form-based tests (nonadaptive), because the hard questions will take the most time, save them for last. You can move forward and backward through the exam.
● For the latest pricing on the exams and updates to the registration procedures, visit CompTIA's website at www.comptia.org.
Who Should Read This Book?
You – if want to pass the Network+ exam, and pass it confidently! This book is chock full of the exact information you need and directly maps to Network+ exam objectives, so if you use it to study for the exam, your odds of passing shoot way up.
And in addition to including every bit of knowledge you need to learn to pass the exam, I've included some really great tips and solid wisdom to equip you even further to successfully work in the real IT world.
What Does This Book Cover?
This book covers everything you need to know to pass the CompTIA Network+ exam.But in addition to studying the book, it's a good idea to practice on an actual network if you can.
Here's a list of the 20 chapters in this book:
Chapter 1 , “Introduction to Networks” This chapter includes an introduction to what a network is and an overview of the most common physical network topologies you'll find in today's networks.
Chapter 2 , “The Open Systems Interconnection Specifications” This chapter covers the OSI model, what it is, what happens at each of its layers, and how each layer works.
Chapter 3 , “Networking Topologies, Connectors, and Wiring Standards” This chapter covers the various networking media and topologies, plus the cable types and properties used in today's networks.
Chapter 4 , “The Current Ethernet Specifications” This chapter covers how a basic Ethernet LAN works, and describes and categorizes the different Ethernet specifications.
Chapter 5 , “Networking Devices” It's important for you to understand all the various devices used in today's networks, and this chapter will describe how hubs, routers, and switches and some other devices work within a network.
Chapter 6 , “Introduction to the Internet Protocol” This is your introduction to the all-important IP protocol stack.
Chapter 7 , “IP Addressing” This chapter will take up from where Chapter 6 left off and move into IP addressing. It also contains information about public versus private addressing and DHCP.
Chapter 8 , “IP Subnetting, Troubleshooting IP, and Introduction to NAT” Beginning where Chapter 7 ends, we'll be tackling IP subnetting in this one. But no worries here – I've worked hard to make this not-so-popular-yet-vital topic as painless as possible.
Chapter 9 , “Introduction to IP Routing” This is an introduction to routing that basically covers what routers do and how they do it. This chapter, along with Chapter 10 and Chapter 11, cover routing and switching in much more detail than what is necessary to meet the CompTIA Network+ objectives because this knowledge is so critical to grasp when working with today's networks.
Chapter 10 , “Routing Protocols” This chapter goes into detail describing the protocols that run on routers and that update routing tables to create a working map of the network.
Chapter 11 , “Switching and Virtual LANs” This chapter covers Layer 2 switching, the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), and virtual LANs. I went deeper than needed for the exam with the routing chapters, and I'll cover switching and virtual LANs (which are also vital in today's corporate networks) more thoroughly as well.
Chapter 12 , “Wireless Networking” Because wireless is so important for both home and business networks today, this chapter is loaded with all the information you need to besuccessful at wireless networking at home and work.
Chapter 13 , “Authentication and Access Control” This is the first of three securitychapters. There are tons of exam objectives about network security that are so important that I took three chapters to cover all of them. In this chapter, I'll introduce security, security filtering, tunneling, and user authentication.
Chapter 14 , “Network Threats and Mitigation” This is probably the most fun of the three security chapters because I'll tell you all about security threats and how to stop them. The only way to get good at network security is to implement it, and this chapter shows you how.
Chapter 15 , “Physical Security and Risk” This chapter's focus is on explaining basic firewalls, security devices, and device security.
Chapter 16 , “Wide Area Networks” In this chapter, you get to learn all about things like Frame Relay, E1/T1, DSL, cable modems, and more. All of the CompTIA Network+ WAN objectives are covered in this chapter.
Chapter 17 , “Troubleshooting Tools” This is also a fun chapter because, again, you can follow along and run all the commands yourself. And I repeat, it's a really good idea to run through all the commands in this chapter!
Chapter 18 , “Software and Hardware Tools” This chapter introduces you to the network tools you will use to help you run your networks. Both software and hardware tools will be discussed.
Chapter 19 , “Network Troubleshooting” In almost every chapter, I discuss how to verify and fix problems, but this chapter will really get into the nuts and bolts of detailed network troubleshooting and documentation.
Chapter 20 , “Management, Monitoring, and Optimization” This last chapter willprovide configuration-management documentation, and covers wiring, logical diagrams, baselines, policies, and regulations.
What's Included in the Book
I've included several study tools throughout the book:
Assessment Test At the end of this introduction is an assessment test that you can use to check your readiness for the exam. Take this test before you start reading the book; it will help you determine the areas you might need to brush up on. The answers to the assessment test questions appear on a separate page after the last question of the test. Each answer includes an explanation and a note telling you the chapter in which the material appears.
Objective Map and Opening List of Objectives On the inside front cover of this book is a detailed exam objective map showing you where each of the exam objectives is covered in this book. In addition, each chapter opens with a list of the exam objectives it covers. Use these to see exactly where each of the exam topics is covered.
Exam Essentials Each chapter, just after the summary, includes a number of exam essentials. These are the key topics you should take from the chapter in terms of areas to focus on when preparing for the exam.
Written Lab Each chapter includes a written lab. These are short exercises that map to the exam objectives. Answers to these can be found in Appendix A.
Chapter Review Questions To test your knowledge as you progress through the book, there are review questions at the end of each chapter. As you finish each chapter, answer the review questions and then check your answers – the correct answers and explanations are in Appendix B. You can go back to reread the section that deals with each question you got wrong to ensure that you answer correctly the next time you're tested on the material.
Interactive Online Learning Environment and Test Bank
The interactive online learning environment that accompanies CompTIA Network+ Study Guide: Exam N10-006, Third Edition provides a test bank with study tools to help you prepare for the certification exam – and increase your chances of passing it the first time! The test bank includes the following tools:
Sample Tests All of the questions in this book are provided, including the assessment test, which you'll find at the end of this introduction, and the chapter tests that include the review questions at the end of each chapter. In addition, there are two practice exams. Use these questions to test your knowledge of the study guide material. The online test bank runs on multiple devices.
Flashcards Questions are provided in digital flashcard format (a question followed by a single correct answer). You can use the flashcards to reinforce your learning and provide last-minute test prep before the exam.
Other Study Tools A glossary of key terms from this book and their definitions are available as a fully searchable PDF.
Go to http://sybextestbanks.wiley.com to register and gain access to this interactive online learning environment and test bank with study tools.
How to Use This Book
If you want a solid foundation for the serious effort of preparing for the Network+ exam, then look no further because I've spent countless hours putting together this book with the sole intention of helping you pass it!
This book is loaded with valuable information, and you will get the most out of your study time if you understand how I put the book together. Here's a list that describes how to approach studying:
1. Take the assessment test immediately following this introduction. (The answers are at the end of the test, but no peeking!) It's okay if you don't know any of the answers – that's what this book is for. Carefully read over the explanations for any question you get wrong, and make note of the chapters where that material is covered.
2. Study each chapter carefully, making sure you fully understand the information and the exam objectives listed at the beginning of each one. Again, pay extra-close attention to any chapter that includes material covered in questions you missed on the assessment test.
3. Complete the written lab at the end of each chapter. Do not skip these written exercises because they directly map to the CompTIA objectives and what you've got to have nailed down to meet them.
4. Answer all the review questions related to each chapter. Specifically note any questions that confuse you, and study the corresponding sections of the book again. And don't just skim these questions – make sure you understand each answer completely.
5. Try your hand at the practice exams. In addition, check out www.lammle.com for more CompTIA Network+ exam prep questions. The questions found on my site will be updated at least monthly, maybe weekly, or even daily. Before you take your test, be sure to visit my website for questions, videos, audios, and other useful information.
6. Test yourself using all the electronic flashcards. This is a brand-new and updated flashcard program to help you prepare for the latest CompTIA Network+ exam, and it is a really great study tool.
I tell you no lies – learning every bit of the material in this book is going to require applying yourself with a good measure of discipline. So try to set aside the same time period every day to study, and select a comfortable and quiet place to do so. If you work hard, you will be surprised at how quickly you learn this material.
If you follow the steps listed here and study with the review questions, practice exams, electronic flashcards, and all the written labs, you would almost have to try to fail the CompTIA Network+ exam. However, studying for the Network+ exam is like training for a marathon – if you don't go for a good run every day, you're not likely to finish very well.
This book covers everything about CompTIA Network+. For up-to-date information about Todd Lammle CompTIA boot camps, audio training, and training videos, please see www.lammle.com and/or www.lammle.com/networkplus.
Exam Objectives
Speaking of objectives, you're probably pretty curious about those, right? CompTIA asked groups of IT professionals to fill out a survey rating the skills they felt were important in their jobs, and the results were grouped into objectives for the exam and divided into five domains.
This table gives you the extent by percentage that each domain is represented on the actual examination.
Exam objectives are subject to change at any time without prior notice and at CompTIA's sole discretion. Please visit CompTIA's website (www.comptia.org) for the most current listing of exam objectives.
N10-006 Exam Objectives
Exam specifications and content are subject to change at any timewithout prior notice and at CompTIA's sole discretion. Please visit CompTIA's website (www.comptia.org) for the most current information on the exam content.
