CompTIA Network+ Domain 1: Networking Concepts

Introduction

The CompTIA Network+ certification can help launch your career to the next level and is a strong professional asset to have on your side. To earn this certification, you are required to earn a passing score on the Network+ certification exam.

This exam is composed of five different Domains of knowledge that certification candidates will need to master. This article will detail Domain 1.0 — Networking Concepts, complete with its different objectives and what you will need to cover. This article should not serve as your sole means of preparing for the Network+ certification exam, but rather as a general review or an outline foundation.

Networking Concepts Outline

The following objectives can be expected to be tested in the Network Concepts section of the Network+ exam:

1.1 Ports and protocols — their purposes and uses
1.2 Devices, applications, services and protocols at appropriate OSI layers
1.3 Concepts and characteristics of switching and routing
1.4 Scenario-specific configuration of appropriate IP addressing components
1.5 Comparing and contrasting characteristics of network topologies, technologies and types
1.6 Scenario-specific implementation and configuration of appropriate wireless technologies
1.7 Cloud concepts
1.8 Functions of network services

1.1 Ports and Protocols — Their Purposes and Uses

Knowing the meaning of the seemingly countless acronyms in Networking Concepts is only the beginning. Candidates are expected to fully understand the purpose and use of all ports and protocols covered.

Protocol Types

This objective covers the types of protocols most commonly encountered — you will be expected to understand their different uses. Types covered include:

ICMP
TCP
UDP
IP

Protocols and Ports

The meat of this objective is really in this subtopic. Protocols and their related ports covered include:

DNS 53
SSH22
SMTP 25
SFTP 22
FTP 20, 21
TELNET 23
TFTP 69
DHCP 67, 68
HTTP 80
HTTPS 443
RDP 3389
SNMP 161
NTP 123
SIP 5060, 5061
POP 110
SMB 445
IMAP 143
LDAP 389
LDAPS 636
H.323 1720

Connection-Oriented vs. Connectionless

You will be expected to explain the differences between TCP and UDP protocols.

1.2 Devices, Applications, Services and Protocols at Appropriate OSI Layers

Candidates will be responsible to know the seven different OSI layers inside and out. The individual layers are

Layer 1 — Physical
Layer 2 — Data Link
Layer 3 — Network
Layer 4 — Transport
Layer 5 — Session
Layer 6 — Presentation
Layer 7 — Application

Aside from knowing the individual layers and their related devices, applications, services and protocols, candidates will also be expected to know the macro groupings of these layers. These macro groupings are:

Layers 1 and 2: Where connectivity technology operates
Layers 3 and 4: Where TCP/IP operates
Layers 5, 6 and 7: Where applications operate

1.3 Concepts and Characteristics of Switching and Routing

This is the largest of this objective’s subtopics and covers an enormous amount of material.

Segmentation and Interface Properties

VLANs
Trunking
Port mirroring
Port tagging and untagging
Switching loops/spanning tree
PoE and PoE+ (802.3af, 802.3at)
DMZ
ARP table
MAC address table

Routing

Routing protocols (IPv4 and IPv6)
- Distance-vector routing protocols
- Link-state routing protocols
- Hybrid
Routing types
- Static
- Dynamic
- Default

IPv6 Concepts

Addressing
Tunneling
Router advertisement
Dual stack
Neighbor discovery

Performance Concepts

Traffic shaping
QoS
CoS
Diffserv

Other switching and routing concepts and characteristics covered include:

NAT/PAT
Port forwarding
Distributed switching
Access control list
Packet-switched versus circuit-switched network
Software-defined networking

1.4 Scenario-Specific Configuration of Appropriate IP Addressing Components

Subnetting

Classful
- Classes A, B, C, D and E
Classless
- VLSM
- CIDR notation (IPv4 versus IPv6)

Address Assignments

DHCP
DHCPv6
APIPA
Static
EU164
IP reservations

Other related IP addressing components and concepts covered include:

Private versus public
Loopback and reserved
Virtual IP
Default gateway
Subnet mask

1.5 Network Topologies, Technologies and Types

Candidates will be expected to successfully compare and contrast all major network topologies, technologies and their types. These include:

Wired Topologies

Physical versus logical
Star
Mesh
Ring
Bus

Wireless Topologies

Mesh
Infrastructure
Ad hoc

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is facilitated by certain technologies that are covered by this subtopic. These technologies include:

Z-Wave
Bluetooth
Ant+
IR
NFC
RFID
802.11

Network Types

LAN
WLAN
WAN
MAN
SAN
CAN
PAN

1.6 Scenario-Specific Implementation and Configuration of Wireless Technologies

Given the increasing importance of wireless technologies, Network+ has given wireless technology implementation and configuration its own in-depth objective. Covered material includes:

802.11 Standards

Cellular Technologies

GSM
TDMA
CDMA

Frequencies

2.4 GHz
5.0 GHz

Other related subtopics covered include:

Speed and distance requirements
Channel bandwidth
Channel bonding
Unidirectional and omnidirectional
MIMO/MU-MIMO
Site surveys

1.7 Cloud Concepts

Types of Cloud Services

SaaS
PaaS
IaaS

Cloud Delivery Models

Private
Public
Hybrid

Other cloud concepts covered include:

Connectivity methods
Security implications/considerations
The relationship between cloud resources and local resources

1.8 Functions of Network Services

DNS Service

Record types
- A, AAA
- SRV
- TXT (SPF, DKIM)
- MX
- CNAME
- PTR
- NS
Internal versus external DNS
Third-party and cloud-hosted DNS
Forward versus reverse zone
Hierarchy

DHCP Service

MAC reservations
Pools
IP exclusions
Lease time
Scope options
TTL
DHCP relay/IP helper

Other covered concepts include:

NTP
IPAM

Conclusion

The CompTIA Network+ exam covers five Domains of knowledge, one of which is Networking Concepts. This Domain is foundational for the Network+ exam in that it covers the underlying knowledge base underpinning the other Domains.

Use this article and the others in this series as a general review and outline builder for your Network+ study regimen. It will provide you with a solid review of what the exam will cover and will put you in a better position to pass the exam and earn the sought-after CompTIA Network+ certification.

Sources

CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam Objectives, CompTIA
Buhagiar, Jon. “CompTIA Network+ Review Guide: Exam N10-007,” Sybex, 2018
Weissman, Jonathan S., Meyers, Mike. “Mike Meyers’ CompTIA Network+ Certification Passport, Sixth Edition (Exam N10-007) (Mike Meyers’ Certification Passport),” McGraw-Hill Education, 2018

Articles Author

Greg Belding

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Greg is a Veteran IT Professional working in the Healthcare field. He enjoys Information Security, creating Information Defensive Strategy, and writing – both as a Cybersecurity Blogger as well as for fun.