Contents at a Glance

Introduction

Registering for the Network+ N10-006 Exam

Day 31. Network Devices

Day 30. Network Services and Applications

Day 29. WAN Technologies

Day 28. Cable Installation

Day 27. Network Topologies and Infrastructure

Day 26. Implement IPv4 Addressing

Day 25. Implement IPv6 Addressing

Day 24. Routing Concepts

Day 23. Unified Communications, Virtualization, and Cloud

Day 22. Network Design and Documentation

Day 21. Network Monitoring and Metrics

Day 20. Network Segmentation, Patches, and Updates

Day 19. Switch Configuration

Day 18. STP, VLANs, Trunking, and VTP

Day 17. WLAN Implementation

Day 16. Risks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

Day 15. Hardening Devices

Day 14. Physical Security, Firewalls, Access Control, and Forensics

Day 13. Network Models

Day 12. Network Theory

Day 11. Wired and Wireless Standards

Day 10. Implement Policies, Procedures, and Safety Practices

Day 9. Best Practices and Change Management

Day 8. Implement Ports and Protocols

Day 7. Troubleshooting Methodology

Day 6. Troubleshooting Tools

Day 5. Troubleshoot Wireless Issues

Day 4. Troubleshoot Copper and Fiber Cabling Issues

Day 3. Troubleshoot Network Issues

Day 2. Troubleshoot Security Issues

Day 1. Troubleshoot WAN Issues

Exam Day

Post-Exam Information

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Introduction

You are almost there! If you’re reading this Introduction, you’ve probably already spent a considerable amount of time and energy pursuing your CompTIA Network+ certification. Regardless of how you got to this point in your travels through your networking studies, 31 Days Before Your CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam most likely represents the last leg of your journey on your way to the destination: to become Network+ certified.

However, if you’re like me, you might be reading this book at the beginning of your studies. If such is the case, then this book provides you with an excellent overview of the material you must now spend a great deal of time studying and practicing. However, I must warn you: unless you are extremely well-versed in networking technologies and have considerable experience as a network technician or administrator, this book will not serve you well as the sole resource for Network+ exam preparation. I know this first hand. I recently took the Network+ exam and was impressed with both the breadth and depth of knowledge required to pass. I have been teaching, writing about, and implementing networks for more than a decade, and yet there was a moment during the Network+ exam where I thought, “Wow, this is really a tough exam!”

You see, CompTIA states that the Network+ exam “covers the configuration, management, and troubleshooting of common wired and wireless network devices.” You simply cannot just study this content. You must practice it. Although I have a solid understanding of networking concepts and technologies, I also have extensive experience implementing and troubleshooting networks. That’s why I was able to easily pass the exam. There really is no other way to correctly answer the many scenario-based questions a candidate will receive during the exam than to have experienced the same or similar scenarios in the real-world or a lab simulation.

Now that I’ve sufficiently challenged you, let me spend some time discussing my recommendations for study resources.

• Read the complete text of the book on any web browser that supports HTML5, including mobile.
• Watch dozens of unique embedded videos that demonstrate configurations, explain important topics, and visually describe key Network+ exam objectives.
• Reinforce key network concepts with more than 30 dynamic and interactive hands-on exercises, and see the results with the click of a button.
• Test your understanding of the material at the end of each day with more than 300 fully interactive online quiz questions.

Throughout this book you’ll see references to the Digital Study Guide enhancements that look like this:

Video: Data Encapsulation Summary

Activity: Identify the Encapsulation Layer

Check Your Understanding

When you are at these points in the Digital Study Guide, you can start the enhancement.

• A title for the day that concisely states the overall topic
• A list of one or more CompTIA Network+ N10-006 exam topics to be reviewed
• A “Key Topics” section to introduce the review material and quickly orient you to the day’s focus
• An extensive review section consisting of short paragraphs, lists, tables, examples, and graphics
• A “Study Resources” section to provide you a quick reference for locating more in-depth treatment of the day’s topics

The book counts down starting with Day 31 and continues through the exam day to provide post-test information. Here are a calendar and checklist that you can use during your exam preparation.

Use the calendar to enter each actual date beside the countdown day and the exact day, time, and location of your Network+ exam. The calendar provides a visual for the time that you can dedicate to each Network+ exam topic.

The checklist highlights important tasks and deadlines leading up to your exam. Use it to help you map out your studies.

Currently for the Network+ exam, you are allowed 90 minutes to answer a maximum of 90 questions. A passing score is 720 on a scale of 100 to 900. If you’ve never taken a certification exam before with Pearson VUE, there is a 2-minute 45-second video titled “What to expect in a Pearson VUE test center” that nicely summarizes the experience. You will find it under “Related Links” at http://www.pearsonvue.com/comptia, or you can search for it on YouTube.

When you get to the testing center and check in, the proctor verifies your identity, gives you some general instructions, and then takes you into a quiet room containing a PC. When you’re at the PC, you have a few things to do before the timer starts on your exam. For instance, you can take the tutorial to get accustomed to the PC and the testing engine. Every time I sit for an exam, I go through the tutorial even though I know how the test engine works. It helps me settle my nerves and get focused. Anyone who has user-level skills in getting around a PC should have no problems with the testing environment.

• Legal name
• Social Security or passport number
• Company name
• Valid email address
• Method of payment

You can schedule your exam at any time by visiting http://www.pearsonvue.com/comptia/. I recommend you schedule it for 31 days from now. The process and available test times will vary based on the local testing center you choose.

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About the Author

Allan Johnson entered the academic world in 1999 after 10 years as a business owner/operator to dedicate his efforts to his passion for teaching. He holds both an MBA and an M.Ed in Occupational Training and Development. He taught CCNA courses at the high school level for 7 years and has taught both CCNA and CCNP courses at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 2003, Allan began to commit much of his time and energy to the CCNA Instructional Support Team, providing services to Networking Academy instructors worldwide and creating training materials. He now works full time for Cisco Networking Academy as a Learning Systems Developer.

About the Technical Reviewer

Chris Crayton (MCSE) is an author, technical consultant, and trainer. He has worked as a computer technology and networking instructor, information security director, network administrator, network engineer, and PC specialist. Chris has authored several print and online books on PC repair, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Security+, and Microsoft Windows. He has also served as technical editor and content contributor on numerous technical titles for several of the leading publishing companies. He holds numerous industry certifications, has been recognized with many professional teaching awards, and has served as a state-level SkillsUSA competition judge.

Dedication

For my wife, Becky. You continue to travel with me through those “thin times” when projects like these need to be nurtured. Without your constant vigilance and loving support, this work would not have come to fruition.

Acknowledgments

This book is a concise summary of networking concepts and draws upon the work of several Pearson authors. Thank you to Keith Barker, Emmett Dulaney, Anthony Sequeira, and Kevin Wallace for blazing a trail in the Network+ domain by authoring some outstanding resources for the reader.

Thank you to my technical editor, Chris Crayton, who is a tough task master and excellent subject matter expert. This book was made much better by his attentive guidance.

The Digital Study Guide version of this book includes activities, videos, and quizzes for each day.

I am grateful to Dan Alberghetti for agreeing to do the videos. Students of Cisco Network Academy will be familiar with his work. But you can also find Dan’s work at his website, http://danscourses.com, and his YouTube channel, http://youtube.com/danscourses.

For writing outstanding quiz items to challenge our readers, we called on Troy McMillan. Thank you, Troy, for your attention to detail and assessment-authoring skill.

Lisa Matthews took my activity designs and Troy’s quiz questions and made them interactive—a task that requires creativity, talent, and skill. Thank you, Lisa, for taking the final steps to make activities and quizzes available on PCs, tablets, and mobile devices.

Thank you to Drew Cupp, development editor, and Tonya Simpson, project editor, for juggling all the many pieces that must be managed to bring this product to our students, both in a book format and as a digital study guide.

A project like this goes through many review cycles. One of the very last reviews is for grammar and style. It always amazes me how much of an impact a copy editor can have on the final readability of a product. Thank you, Bart Reed, for making me look good.

And, finally, thank you to my editor, Mary Beth Ray, for bringing me this project when I said, “Okay, what’s next?” You continue to challenge me to grow and expand my horizons.

Command Syntax Conventions

The conventions used to present command syntax in this book are the same conventions used in the IOS Command Reference. The Command Reference describes these conventions as follows:

• Boldface indicates commands and keywords that are entered literally as shown. In actual configuration examples and output (not general command syntax), boldface indicates commands that are manually input by the user (such as a show command).
• Italic indicates arguments for which you supply actual values.
• Vertical bars (|) separate alternative, mutually exclusive elements.
• Square brackets ([ ]) indicate an optional element.
• Braces ({ }) indicate a required choice.
• Braces within brackets ([{ }]) indicate a required choice within an optional element.

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