Networking Concepts - 23%
Explain concepts related to the OSI reference model
Layer 1 - Physical
Layer 2 - Data Link
Layer 3 - Network
Layer 4 - Transport
Layer 5 - Session
Layer 6 - Presentation
Layer 7 - Application
Compare and contrast networking appliances, applications, and functions
Router
Switch
Firewall
IDS/IPS
Load Balancer
Proxy
NAS
SAN
Wireless Access Point
Wireless Controller
CDN
VPN
QoS
TTL
Summarize cloud concepts and connectivity options
NFV
VPC
Network Security Groups
Network Security Lists
Internet Gateway
NAT Gateway
VPN
Direct Connect
Public
Private
Hybrid
SaaS
IaaS
PaaS
Scalability
Elasticity
Multitenancy
Explain common networking ports, protocols, services, and traffic types
FTP - Ports 20/21
SFTP - Port 22
SSH - Port 22
Telnet - Port 23
SMTP - Port 25
DNS - Port 53
DHCP - Ports 67/68
TFTP - Port 69
HTTP - Port 80
NTP - Port 123
SNMP - Ports 161/162
LDAP - Port 389
HTTPS - Port 443
SMB - Port 445
Syslog - Port 514
SMTPS - Port 587
LDAPS - Port 636
SQL Server - Port 1433
RDP - Port 3389
SIP - Ports 5060/5061
ICMP
TCP
UDP
GRE
IPSec
AH
ESP
IKE
Unicast
Multicast
Anycast
Broadcast
Compare and contrast transmission media and transceivers
Wireless - 802.11
Cellular
Satellite
Wired - 802.3
Single-mode Fiber
Multimode Fiber
DAC Cable
Twinaxial Cable
Coaxial Cable
Plenum Cable
Non-Plenum Cable
Ethernet Transceivers
Fibre Channel Transceivers
SFP
QSFP
SC
LC
ST
MPO
RJ11
RJ45
F-Type
Compare and contrast network topologies, architectures, and types
Mesh
Hybrid
Star / Hub-and-Spoke
Spine-and-Leaf
Point-to-Point
Three-Tier Hierarchical
Core
Distribution
Access
Collapsed Core
North-South Traffic
East-West Traffic
IPv4 Addressing
Public IP
Private IP
APIPA
RFC1918
Loopback
Subnetting
VLSM
CIDR
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class D
Class E
Modern Network Environments
SDN
SD-WAN
Application Aware Networking
Zero-Touch Provisioning
Transport Agnostic
Central Policy Management
VXLAN
DCI
Layer 2 Encapsulation
Zero Trust Architecture
SASE
SSE
Infrastructure as Code
Automation
Version Control
IPv6
Tunneling
Dual Stack
NAT64
Network Implementation - 20%
Routing Technologies
Static Routing
Dynamic Routing
BGP
EIGRP
OSPF
Administrative Distance
Prefix Length
Metric
NAT
PAT
FHRP
VIP
Subinterfaces
Switching Technologies
VLAN
VLAN Database
SVI
Native VLAN
Voice VLAN
802.1Q Tagging
Link Aggregation
Speed
Duplex
Spanning Tree
MTU
Jumbo Frames
Wireless Technologies
Channels
Channel Width
Non-overlapping Channels
802.11h
2.4GHz
5GHz
6GHz
Band Steering
SSID
BSSID
ESSID
Mesh
Ad Hoc
Point-to-Point
Infrastructure
WPA2
WPA3
Guest Networks
Captive Portal
PSK
Enterprise Authentication
Omnidirectional Antenna
Directional Antenna
Autonomous AP
Lightweight AP
Physical Installations
IDF
MDF
Rack Size
Port-side Exhaust
Port-side Intake
Patch Panel
Fiber Distribution Panel
Lockable Cabinets
Network Operations - 19%
Physical Diagrams
Logical Diagrams
Rack Diagrams
Cable Maps
Asset Inventory
IPAM
SLA
Wireless Survey
EOL
EOS
Patching
Firmware Updates
Decommissioning
Change Management
Configuration Management
Monitoring Technologies
SNMP
MIB
SNMP v2c
SNMP v3
Flow Data
Packet Capture
Baseline Metrics
Anomaly Alerts
Syslog Collector
SIEM
API Integration
Port Mirroring
Disaster Recovery
RPO
RTO
MTTR
MTBF
Cold Site
Warm Site
Hot Site
Active-Active
Active-Passive
Tabletop Exercises
Validation Tests
IPv4 and IPv6 Services
DHCP
Reservations
Scope
Lease Time
Relay
SLAAC
DNS
DNSSEC
DoH
DoT
A Record
AAAA Record
CNAME
MX
TXT
NS
PTR
Forward Zone
Reverse Zone
NTP
PTP
NTS
Access and Management Methods
Site-to-Site VPN
Client-to-Site VPN
Clientless VPN
Split Tunnel
Full Tunnel
SSH
GUI
API
Console
Jump Box
In-band Management
Out-of-band Management
Network Security - 14%
Encryption
Certificates
PKI
IAM
MFA
SSO
RADIUS
LDAP
SAML
TACACS+
Least Privilege
RBAC
Geofencing
Honeypot
Honeynet
CIA Triad
PCI DSS
GDPR
IoT
IIoT
SCADA
ICS
OT
Common Attacks
DoS
DDoS
VLAN Hopping
MAC Flooding
ARP Poisoning
ARP Spoofing
DNS Poisoning
DNS Spoofing
Rogue DHCP
Rogue AP
Evil Twin
On-path Attack
Phishing
Dumpster Diving
Shoulder Surfing
Tailgating
Malware
Security Features
Disable Unused Ports
Change Default Passwords
NAC
Port Security
802.1X
MAC Filtering
ACL
URL Filtering
Content Filtering
Trusted Zone
Untrusted Zone
Screened Subnet
Network Troubleshooting - 24%
Identify Problem
Gather Information
Establish Theory
Test Theory
Plan Action
Implement Solution
Verify Functionality
Document Findings
Cabling and Physical Issues
Incorrect Cable
Single Mode vs Multimode
Cat5/6/7/8
STP vs UTP
Crosstalk
Interference
Attenuation
Improper Termination
TX/RX Transposed
CRC Errors
Runts
Giants
Drops
Error Disabled
Administratively Down
Suspended
PoE Issues
Power Budget Exceeded
Transceiver Mismatch
Network Service Issues
STP Loops
Incorrect VLAN
ACL Issues
Routing Table Errors
Default Route Errors
Address Pool Exhaustion
Incorrect Gateway
Incorrect IP
Duplicate IP
Incorrect Subnet Mask
Performance Issues
Congestion
Bottleneck
Bandwidth Limits
Latency
Packet Loss
Jitter
Wireless Interference
Channel Overlap
Coverage Issues
Roaming Misconfiguration
Troubleshooting Tools
Protocol Analyzer
Ping
Traceroute
Nslookup
Tcpdump
Dig
Netstat
Ipconfig / Ifconfig
ARP
Nmap
LLDP
CDP
Speed Tester
Toner
Cable Tester
Taps
Wi-Fi Analyzer
Visual Fault Locator
show mac-address-table
show route
show interface
show config
show arp
show vlan
show power
Additional Networking Concepts
Broadcast Domain
Collision Domain
MAC Address Table
ARP Table
Default Gateway
Subnet Mask
Gateway of Last Resort
Routing Protocol Convergence
Network Convergence Time
Failover
Redundancy
High Availability
Advanced Routing Concepts
Route Redistribution
Route Summarization
Policy-Based Routing
Equal Cost Multi Path (ECMP)
Recursive Lookup
Floating Static Routes
Blackhole Routes
Default Route Injection
Advanced Switching Concepts
PortFast
BPDU Guard
Root Guard
Loop Guard
Storm Control
Private VLAN
Port Security Sticky MAC
MAC Address Aging
Advanced Wireless Concepts
Roaming
Fast Roaming
Load Balancing
Client Isolation
Wireless Interference Mitigation
Radio Resource Management
DFS
TPC
Advanced Security Concepts
Zero Trust
Microsegmentation
Defense in Depth
Least Privilege
AAA
Authentication
Authorization
Accounting
Security Baselines
Risk Assessment
Operational Best Practices
Backup Configurations
Golden Configurations
Configuration Drift Detection
Patch Management
Firmware Lifecycle
Capacity Planning
Change Approval
Maintenance Window
Incident Escalation
Root Cause Analysis
Common Network Commands
show ip route
show running-config
show startup-config
show interfaces status
show logging
show spanning-tree
show ip interface brief
show cdp neighbors
show lldp neighbors
show inventory
Network Documentation
Topology Diagram
Rack Diagram
Cable Map
IP Address Plan
Subnet Allocation Sheet
Device Inventory
Change Log
Incident Log
Runbook
Disaster Recovery Plan
Network Design Principles
Scalability
Redundancy
Resiliency
Fault Tolerance
Availability
Security
Performance Optimization
Manageability
Automation
Enterprise Network Architecture
Campus Network
Branch Network
Data Center Network
Cloud Network
Hybrid Network
WAN Edge
Internet Edge
DMZ
Traffic Engineering
Traffic Shaping
Policing
Rate Limiting
Packet Prioritization
Bandwidth Reservation
QoS Classification
Congestion Avoidance
Virtualization and Overlay Networks
Virtual Switch
Overlay Network
Underlay Network
Virtual Router
Network Virtualization
VXLAN Overlay
Virtual Appliances
Automation and Programmability
Infrastructure as Code
Python Automation
REST API
JSON
YAML
Ansible
Terraform
Automation Scripts
Configuration Templates
Cloud Networking Security
Security Groups
Cloud Firewall
Private Endpoint
Public Endpoint
Network ACL
Service Mesh
Cloud Segmentation
Performance Metrics
Throughput
Bandwidth
Latency
Packet Loss
Jitter
Error Rate
Utilization
CPU Usage
Memory Usage
Network Maintenance Tasks
Configuration Backup
Software Upgrade
Firmware Upgrade
Patch Validation
Health Check
Capacity Upgrade
Lifecycle Planning
Final Exam Focus Areas
OSI Model
Protocols and Ports
IPv4 Subnetting
IPv6
Routing
Switching
Wireless
Network Security
Troubleshooting
Monitoring Tools
Cloud Networking
Automation
Advanced Troubleshooting Scenarios
Intermittent Connectivity
Slow Network Performance
Packet Corruption
Duplicate MAC Address
Broadcast Storm
Routing Loop
DNS Resolution Failure
DHCP Failure
Authentication Failure
High CPU on Network Device
Network Optimization Techniques
Load Balancing
Traffic Engineering
Bandwidth Optimization
Link Aggregation
Caching
Compression
Path Optimization
Wireless Optimization
Channel Planning
Coverage Optimization
Transmit Power Adjustment
Band Steering
Roaming Optimization
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Interference Reduction
Security Monitoring
SIEM Monitoring
Threat Detection
Log Correlation
Anomaly Detection
Behavior Analysis
Incident Response
Threat Hunting
Business Continuity Concepts
Failover Planning
Redundancy Planning
Disaster Recovery Testing
Backup Validation
Recovery Procedures
Business Impact Analysis
Exam Critical Skills
Subnet Calculations
OSI Troubleshooting
Protocol Identification
Wireless Troubleshooting
Security Hardening
Routing Logic
Switching Logic
Packet Analysis
Performance Analysis
Quick Reference Ports
FTP - 20/21
SSH - 22
Telnet - 23
SMTP - 25
DNS - 53
DHCP - 67/68
TFTP - 69
HTTP - 80
POP3 - 110
NTP - 123
IMAP - 143
SNMP - 161/162
LDAP - 389
HTTPS - 443
SMB - 445
RDP - 3389
Master Topics Summary
Networking Fundamentals
Infrastructure
Routing & Switching
Wireless Networking
Network Operations
Network Security
Troubleshooting
Cloud Networking
Automation
Monitoring
Certification Preparation Strategy
Learn Concepts
Practice Labs
Memorize Ports
Master Subnetting
Review Security Topics
Practice Troubleshooting
Take Mock Exams
Review Weak Areas
Exam Readiness Checklist
Understand Core Concepts
Memorize Key Protocols
Master Port Numbers
Practice IPv4 Subnetting
Understand IPv6
Learn Routing Concepts
Learn Switching Concepts
Understand Wireless Technologies
Master Security Fundamentals
Practice Troubleshooting
Core Knowledge Areas
OSI Model
TCP/IP Model
Ports and Protocols
IP Addressing
Subnet Masks
Routing Tables
Switching Logic
VLANs
ACLs
Firewall Rules
Infrastructure Components
Routers
Switches
Firewalls
Wireless Controllers
Access Points
Load Balancers
IDS
IPS
Proxies
Gateways
Cloud and Virtual Networking
Cloud Connectivity
VPC
Virtual Networking
Overlay Networks
SDN
SD-WAN
SASE
Zero Trust
Security Essentials
Authentication
Authorization
Accounting
MFA
Encryption
Certificates
PKI
Segmentation
NAC
802.1X
Troubleshooting Workflow
Identify Problem
Gather Data
Establish Theory
Test Theory
Create Action Plan
Implement Fix
Validate Solution
Document Everything
Essential Troubleshooting Tools
Ping
Traceroute
Nslookup
Dig
Tcpdump
Wireshark
Nmap
Ipconfig
Netstat
Cable Tester
Performance Monitoring Metrics
Bandwidth
Throughput
Latency
Jitter
Packet Loss
CPU Utilization
Memory Usage
Error Rate
Common Failure Points
Cabling Issues
DNS Failures
DHCP Problems
Routing Errors
VLAN Misconfigurations
Wireless Interference
ACL Blocking
Authentication Errors
Final Preparation
Review Notes Daily
Practice Labs
Take Practice Exams
Review Weak Topics
Improve Speed
Improve Accuracy
Build Troubleshooting Confidence
Stay Consistent
Network Security - 14%
Explain the importance of basic network security concepts.
Logical security
Encryption
Data in transit
Data at rest
Certificates
Public key infrastructure (PKI)
Self-signed certificates
Identity and access management (IAM)
Authentication
Multifactor authentication (MFA)
Single sign-on (SSO)
Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)
Terminal Access Controller Access Control System Plus (TACACS+)
Time-based authentication
Authorization
Least privilege
Role-based access control (RBAC)
Geofencing
Physical security
Cameras
Locks
Deception technologies
Honeypot
Honeynet
Common security terminology
Risk
Vulnerability
Exploit
Threat
Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability (CIA triad)
Audits and regulatory compliance
Data locality
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Network segmentation enforcement
Internet of Things (IoT)
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
Operational Technology (OT)
Guest networks
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Summarize various types of attacks and their impact to the network.
Denial-of-service (DoS)
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)
VLAN hopping
MAC flooding
ARP poisoning
ARP spoofing
DNS poisoning
DNS spoofing
Rogue devices and services
Rogue DHCP
Rogue AP
Evil twin
On-path attack
Social engineering
Phishing
Dumpster diving
Shoulder surfing
Tailgating
Malware
Given a scenario, apply network security features, defense techniques, and solutions.
Device hardening
Disable unused ports and services
Change default passwords
Network access control (NAC)
Port security
802.1X
MAC filtering
Key management
Security rules
Access control lists (ACL)
URL filtering
Content filtering
Zones
Trusted vs. untrusted
Screened subnet
Network Troubleshooting - 24%
Explain the troubleshooting methodology.
Identify the problem
Gather information
Question users
Identify symptoms
Determine if anything has changed
Duplicate the problem if possible
Approach multiple problems individually
Establish a theory of probable cause
Question the obvious
Consider multiple approaches
Top-to-bottom OSI model
Bottom-to-top OSI model
Divide and conquer
Test the theory to determine the cause
If theory is confirmed, determine next steps
If theory is not confirmed, establish a new theory or escalate
Establish a plan of action
Implement the solution or escalate
Verify full system functionality
Implement preventive measures
Document findings, actions, outcomes, and lessons learned
Given a scenario, troubleshoot common cabling and physical interface issues.
Cable issues
Incorrect cable
Single mode vs. multimode
Category 5/6/7/8
Shielded twisted pair (STP) vs. unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
Signal degradation
Crosstalk
Interference
Attenuation
Improper termination
TX/RX transposed
Interface issues
Increasing interface counters
CRC errors
Runts
Giants
Drops
Port status
Error-disabled
Administratively down
Suspended
Hardware issues
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Power budget exceeded
Incorrect standard
Transceivers
Mismatch
Signal strength
Given a scenario, troubleshoot common issues with network services.
Switching issues
STP
Network loops
Root bridge selection
Port roles
Port states
Incorrect VLAN assignment
ACL issues
Route selection
Routing table
Default routes
Address pool exhaustion
Incorrect default gateway
Incorrect IP address
Duplicate IP address
Incorrect subnet mask
Given a scenario, troubleshoot common performance issues.
Congestion/contention
Bottlenecking
Bandwidth limitations
Throughput capacity
Latency
Packet loss
Jitter
Wireless issues
Interference
Channel overlap
Signal degradation or loss
Insufficient wireless coverage
Client disassociation issues
Roaming misconfiguration
Given a scenario, use the appropriate tool or protocol to solve networking issues.
Software tools
Protocol analyzer
Command line tools
ping
traceroute / tracert
nslookup
tcpdump
dig
netstat
ip / ifconfig / ipconfig
arp
Nmap
LLDP
CDP
Speed tester
Hardware tools
Toner
Cable tester
Taps
Wi-Fi analyzer
Visual fault locator
Basic networking device commands
show mac-address-table
show route
show interface
show config
show arp
show vlan
show power
