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CompTIA
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Network Plus
The CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) course teaches networking concepts, implementation, operations, security, and troubleshooting, preparing candidates for the associate-level certification through practical, analysis‑driven labs and exam‑focused instruction.
Who Should Take This
It is ideal for network administrators, support engineers, or IT professionals with 9‑12 months of hands‑on networking experience who seek to validate their skills, advance to higher‑level roles, and achieve the CompTIA Network+ credential. They aim to master design, configuration, and troubleshooting techniques, align with industry standards, and increase their marketability for future networking positions.
What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI
Adaptive Knowledge Graph
Practice Questions
Lesson Modules
Console Simulator Labs
Exam Tips & Strategy
20 Activity Formats
Course Outline
80 learning goals
1
Domain 1: Networking Concepts
5 topics
OSI Model and TCP/IP Stack
- Identify the seven layers of the OSI model and describe the function, protocols, and data units associated with each layer.
- Describe the four layers of the TCP/IP model and explain how they map to the OSI reference model layers.
- Explain the process of data encapsulation and de-encapsulation as frames traverse protocol layers from application to physical.
Ports, Protocols, and Services
- Identify common TCP and UDP port numbers including HTTP (80), HTTPS (443), FTP (20/21), SSH (22), DNS (53), DHCP (67/68), SMTP (25), and SNMP (161/162).
- Describe the differences between connection-oriented TCP and connectionless UDP protocols and identify appropriate use cases for each.
- Explain the functions of DNS, DHCP, NTP, and LDAP protocols and describe how each supports network operations.
- Compare the functions and security characteristics of FTPS, SFTP, SCP, HTTPS, SNMPv3, and LDAPS for secure data transfer and management.
IP Addressing and Subnetting
- Identify IPv4 address classes, private address ranges (RFC 1918), APIPA addresses, and loopback addresses and state their purposes.
- Calculate subnet masks, network addresses, broadcast addresses, and usable host ranges for given CIDR notations using binary and shortcut methods.
- Implement variable-length subnet masking (VLSM) to efficiently allocate IP address space across network segments of varying sizes.
- Describe IPv6 address types including global unicast, link-local, multicast, and anycast and explain IPv6 autoconfiguration mechanisms (SLAAC, DHCPv6).
- Compare IPv4 and IPv6 addressing schemes and evaluate transition mechanisms including dual-stack, tunneling (6to4, Teredo), and NAT64.
Routing Concepts
- Describe static routing, default routes, and the purpose of routing tables in directing traffic between network segments.
- Identify dynamic routing protocols including OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, and RIP and describe their algorithm types (link-state vs. distance-vector) and convergence characteristics.
- Evaluate routing protocol selection for given network topologies considering convergence time, scalability, administrative distance, and metric calculations.
Network Topologies and Architectures
- Identify physical and logical network topologies including star, mesh, bus, ring, and hybrid and describe their fault tolerance and scalability characteristics.
- Describe three-tier network architecture (core, distribution, access) and explain collapsed core designs for small-to-medium networks.
- Compare software-defined networking (SDN) architectures with traditional network designs and describe the separation of control plane and data plane.
2
Domain 2: Network Implementation
5 topics
Switching Technologies
- Describe the functions of managed and unmanaged switches and explain MAC address table operation and frame forwarding methods (store-and-forward, cut-through).
- Configure VLANs to segment broadcast domains and implement 802.1Q trunk ports for inter-VLAN communication across switches.
- Explain Spanning Tree Protocol (STP/RSTP) operation including root bridge election, port states, and loop prevention mechanisms.
- Configure port mirroring, port security, and link aggregation (LACP/802.3ad) on managed switches for monitoring and redundancy.
Wireless Networking
- Identify wireless standards (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) and describe their frequency bands, channel widths, maximum throughput, and range characteristics.
- Deploy wireless access points with appropriate SSID configuration, channel selection, and power level settings to minimize co-channel and adjacent-channel interference.
- Configure wireless security using WPA2-Enterprise and WPA3 with 802.1X authentication and explain the role of RADIUS servers in wireless authentication.
- Evaluate wireless site survey results to optimize access point placement, coverage overlap, and roaming behavior in enterprise environments.
WAN Technologies
- Identify WAN service types including MPLS, Metro Ethernet, leased lines, DSL, cable, satellite, and cellular (4G/5G) and describe their bandwidth and latency characteristics.
- Compare SD-WAN with traditional WAN architectures and evaluate scenarios where SD-WAN provides cost, performance, or management advantages.
Cabling and Physical Infrastructure
- Identify copper cable types (Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6a, Cat 8), their maximum distances, throughput ratings, and appropriate deployment scenarios.
- Describe fiber optic cable types (single-mode, multimode) and connector types (LC, SC, ST, MTRJ) and state their maximum distances and use cases.
- Implement structured cabling standards including T568A/T568B wiring, patch panels, cable management, and labeling in a network rack environment.
- Differentiate between straight-through, crossover, and rollover cable pinouts and determine the correct cable type for given device interconnections.
Network Appliances and Services
- Describe the functions of routers, Layer 3 switches, load balancers, proxy servers, and network controllers in enterprise networks.
- Configure NAT and PAT on a router to translate between private and public IP address spaces for internet connectivity.
- Implement DHCP server configuration including scope definition, reservations, exclusions, relay agents, and lease duration settings.
- Configure DNS services including forward and reverse lookup zones, A/AAAA/CNAME/MX/PTR/SRV records, and DNS forwarding and caching.
3
Domain 3: Network Operations
4 topics
Network Monitoring and Management
- Describe SNMP versions (v1, v2c, v3), MIB structure, and the roles of SNMP managers, agents, and traps in network device monitoring.
- Configure syslog servers to aggregate log data from network devices and explain severity levels (0-7) and facility codes.
- Implement NetFlow, sFlow, or IPFIX collection to analyze traffic patterns, identify bandwidth consumers, and detect anomalous network behavior.
- Evaluate network performance baselines and analyze trends to predict capacity requirements and identify degradation before service impact.
Documentation and Policies
- Identify types of network documentation including physical and logical diagrams, wiring schematics, IP address management tables, and asset inventories.
- Apply change management procedures including request submission, impact analysis, approval workflows, implementation windows, and rollback plans.
- Explain configuration management best practices including version control, standard templates, and automated configuration backup schedules.
High Availability and Disaster Recovery
- Describe high availability concepts including redundancy, failover, clustering, load balancing, and the relationship between MTBF, MTTR, and uptime percentages.
- Implement first-hop redundancy protocols (HSRP, VRRP, GLBP) to provide gateway failover for client networks.
- Apply backup and recovery procedures for network device configurations and evaluate disaster recovery strategies including cold, warm, and hot sites.
- Assess network designs for single points of failure and recommend redundancy improvements for power, links, devices, and service provider connections.
Network Services and Cloud Integration
- Describe cloud service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and deployment models (public, private, hybrid, community) as they relate to network infrastructure.
- Explain network functions virtualization (NFV) and virtual network appliances including virtual switches, routers, firewalls, and load balancers.
- Compare on-premises, hybrid, and cloud-only network architectures and assess connectivity requirements for each including VPN and direct-connect options.
4
Domain 4: Network Security
4 topics
Security Concepts and Authentication
- Define the CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, availability) and describe how each principle applies to network security design.
- Identify authentication methods including multifactor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), certificates, and biometrics for network access control.
- Configure 802.1X port-based network access control using RADIUS and TACACS+ authentication servers for wired and wireless networks.
- Compare RADIUS and TACACS+ protocols in terms of transport, encryption scope, authorization granularity, and appropriate deployment scenarios.
Network Attacks and Mitigation
- Identify common network attacks including DDoS, ARP spoofing, DNS poisoning, VLAN hopping, man-in-the-middle, and social engineering attacks.
- Implement attack mitigation techniques including DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, port security, and storm control on network switches.
- Assess network vulnerability scan results and prioritize remediation actions based on severity, exploitability, and asset criticality.
Firewalls, VPNs, and IDS/IPS
- Describe firewall types including stateless, stateful, next-generation (NGFW), and web application firewalls and explain their filtering capabilities.
- Configure site-to-site and remote-access VPN tunnels using IPsec and SSL/TLS protocols and explain IKE phase negotiation.
- Configure firewall ACLs and rules to permit or deny traffic based on source/destination IP, port, protocol, and application signatures.
- Differentiate between IDS and IPS deployment modes (inline vs. passive), detection methods (signature vs. anomaly), and evaluate alert tuning strategies.
Encryption and PKI
- Describe symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms (AES, 3DES, RSA, ECC) and their roles in securing network communications.
- Explain PKI components including certificate authorities, certificate revocation lists, OCSP, and the certificate lifecycle from issuance to renewal.
- Analyze TLS handshake operations and evaluate certificate chain validation to troubleshoot HTTPS and secure communication failures.
5
Domain 5: Network Troubleshooting
5 topics
Troubleshooting Methodology
- Describe the CompTIA network troubleshooting methodology steps: identify the problem, establish a theory, test the theory, establish a plan, implement and verify, and document.
- Apply the divide-and-conquer approach using OSI layers to systematically isolate network faults from physical through application layers.
Command-Line Diagnostic Tools
- Apply ping, traceroute/tracert, and pathping commands to verify connectivity, measure latency, and identify routing path failures.
- Apply nslookup and dig commands to query DNS records, verify name resolution, and troubleshoot DNS configuration issues.
- Apply netstat, ss, and tcpdump commands to examine active connections, listening ports, and capture network traffic for analysis.
- Apply ipconfig/ifconfig and ip commands to verify interface configuration, release and renew DHCP leases, and flush DNS caches.
- Analyze Wireshark packet captures to identify protocol errors, retransmissions, malformed packets, and security anomalies in network traffic.
Cable and Physical Layer Troubleshooting
- Apply cable testing tools (cable certifier, TDR, OTDR, tone generator, visual fault locator) to diagnose physical layer faults including opens, shorts, and crosstalk.
- Troubleshoot common physical connectivity issues including duplex mismatches, speed negotiation failures, damaged connectors, and incorrect cable types.
Wireless Troubleshooting
- Troubleshoot wireless connectivity issues including signal interference, channel overlap, SSID misconfiguration, and authentication failures using wireless analyzers.
- Evaluate wireless performance metrics including signal-to-noise ratio, RSSI values, and channel utilization to optimize coverage and throughput.
Network Service and Connectivity Troubleshooting
- Troubleshoot DHCP issues including scope exhaustion, rogue DHCP servers, relay agent misconfiguration, and incorrect lease parameters.
- Troubleshoot routing issues including asymmetric routing, missing routes, route redistribution problems, and routing loop detection.
- Troubleshoot VLAN and trunking issues including native VLAN mismatches, allowed VLAN list errors, and inter-VLAN routing failures.
- Troubleshoot VPN connectivity failures including tunnel establishment errors, encryption mismatches, split tunneling issues, and certificate validation problems.
- Assess network performance issues including bandwidth saturation, latency spikes, jitter, and packet loss and recommend quality of service (QoS) configurations.
Scope
Included Topics
- All domains in the CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) exam: Networking Concepts (23%), Network Implementation (20%), Network Operations (19%), Network Security (18%), and Network Troubleshooting (20%).
- OSI and TCP/IP models, common protocols and port numbers, IP addressing schemes including IPv4 subnetting, CIDR notation, and IPv6 addressing, routing concepts, switching features, and network topologies.
- Wireless standards including 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), WAN technologies, network appliances, VPN configurations, firewall rule sets, IDS/IPS deployment, and authentication protocols (802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+).
- Network monitoring tools (SNMP, NetFlow, syslog), documentation practices, backup and restore procedures, disaster recovery planning, high availability concepts, and network troubleshooting methodology using standard diagnostic tools.
- Scenario-driven network design, cable testing and selection, wireless site surveys, and performance optimization at the associate certification level.
Not Covered
- Deep vendor-specific CLI syntax for Cisco IOS, Juniper JunOS, or other proprietary network operating systems beyond general configuration concepts.
- Advanced cloud networking architectures, software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) implementation details, and cloud-native load balancing configurations.
- Programming and scripting for network automation beyond basic conceptual understanding of APIs and automation frameworks.
- Physical layer electrical engineering, RF propagation mathematics, and antenna design calculations.
- Enterprise-scale network architecture design decisions reserved for professional-level certifications such as CCNP or CCIE.
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