1.1 – Explain the purposes and uses of ports and protocols.

Protocols and ports

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

Protocol types

• • • ICMP
    • UDP
    • TCP
    • IP

Connection-oriented vs. connectionless

1.2 – Explain devices, applications, protocols, and services at their appropriate OSI layers.

• • Layer 1 – Physical
  • Layer 2 – Data link
  • Layer 3 – Network
  • Layer 4 – Transport
  • Layer 5 – Session
  • Layer 6 – Presentation
  • Layer 7 – Application

1.3 – Explain the concepts and characteristics of routing and switching.

• • Properties of network traffic
    • Broadcast domains
    • CSMA/CD
    • CSMA/CA
    • Collision domains
    • Protocol data units
    • MTU
    • Broadcast
    • Multicast
    • Unicast
  • Segmentation and interface properites
    • VLANs
    • Trunking (802.1Q)
    • Tagging and untagging ports
    • Port mirroring
    • Switching loops/spanning tree
    • PoE and PoE+ (802.3af, 802.3at)
    • DMZ
    • MAC address table
    • ARP table
  • Routing
    • Routing protocols (IPv4 and IPv6)
      • Distance-vector routing protocols
        • RIP
        • EIGRP
      • Link-state routing protocols
        • OSPF
      • Hybrid
        • BGP
    • Routing types
      • Static
      • Dynamic
      • Default

• • IPv6 concepts
    • Addressing
    • Tunneling
    • Dual stack
    • Router advertisement
    • <="" mark="">
  • Performance concepts
    • Traffic shaping
    • QoS
    • Diffserv
    • CoS
  • NAT/PAT
  • Port forwarding
  • Access control list
  • Distributed switching
  • Packet-switched vs. circuit-switched network
  • Software-defined networking

• 1.4 – Given a scenario, configure the appropriate IP addressing components.
  • Private vs. public
  • Loopback and reserved
  • Default gateway
  • Virtual IP
  • Subnet mask
  • Subnetting
    • Classful
      • Classes A, B, C, D, and E
    • Classless
      • VLSM
      • CIDR notation (IPv4 vs. IPv6)
  • Address assignments
    • DHCP
    • DHCPv6
    • Static
    • APIPA
    • EUI64
    • IP reservations
  • • 1.5 – Compare and contrast the characteristics of network topologies, types, and technologies.
      • Wired topologies
        • Logical vs. physical
        • Star
        • Ring
        • Mesh
        • Bus
      • Wireless topologies
        • Mesh
        • Ad hoc
        • Infrastructure
      • Types
        • LAN
        • WLAN
        • MAN
        • WAN
        • CAN
        • SAN
        • PAN
      • Technologies that facilitate the Internet of Things (IoT)
        • Z-Wave
        • Ant+
        • Bluetooth
        • NFC
        • IR
        • RFID
        • 802.11
    • 1.6 – Given a scenario, implement the appropriate wireless technologies and configurations.
      • 802.11 standards
        • a
        • b
        • g
        • n
        • ac
      • Cellular
        • GSM
        • TDMA
        • CDMA
      • Frequencies
        • 2.4 GHz
        • 5.0 GHz
      • Speed and distance requirements
      • Channel bandwidth
      • Channel bonding
      • MIMO/MU-MIMO
      • Unidirectional/omnidirectional
      • Site surveys
    • 1.7 – Summarize cloud concepts and their purposes
      • Types of services
        • SaaS
        • PaaS
        • IaaS
      • Cloud delivery models
        • Private
        • Public
        • Hybrid
      • Connectivity methods
      • Security implications/considerations
      • Relationship between local and cloud resources
    • 1.8 – Explain the functions of network services
      • DNS service
        • Record types
          • A, AAAA
          • TXT (SPF, DKIM)
          • SRV
          • MX
          • CNAME
          • NS
          • PTR
        • Internal vs. external DNS
        • Third-party/cloud-hosted DNS
        • Hierarchy
        • Forward vs. reverse zone
      • DHCP service
        • MAC reservations
        • Pools
        • IP exclusions
        • Scope options
        • Lease time
        • TTL
        • DHCP relay/IP helper
      • NTP
      • IPAM

• 2.1 – Given a scenario, deploy the appropriate cabling solution.
  • Media types
    • Copper
      • UTP
      • STP
      • Coaxial
    • Fiber
      • Single-mode
      • Multimode
  • Plenum vs. PVC
  • Connector types
    • Copper
      • RJ-45
      • RJ-11
      • BNC
      • DB-9
      • DB-25
      • F-type
    • Fiber
      • LC
      • ST
      • SC
        • APC
        • UPC
      • MTRJ
  • Transceivers
    • SFP
    • GBIC
    • SFP+
    • QSFP
    • Characteristics of fiber transceivers
      • Bidirectional
      • Duplex
  • Termination points
    • 66 block
    • 110 block
    • Patch panel
    • Fiber distribution panel
  • Copper cable standards
    • Cat 3
    • Cat 5
    • Cat 5e
    • Cat 6
    • Cat 6a
    • Cat 7
    • RG-6
    • RG-59
  • Copper termination standards
    • TIA/EIA 568a
    • TIA/EIA 568b
    • Crossover
    • Straight-through
  • Ethernet deployment standards
    • 100BASE-T
    • 1000BASE-T
    • 1000BASE-LX
    • 1000BASE-SX
    • 10GBASE-T
  • 2.2 – Given a scenario, determine the appropriate placement of networking devices on a network and install/configure them.
    • Firewall
    • Router
    • Switch
    • Hub
    • Bridge
    • Modems
    • Wireless access point
    • Media converter
    • Wireless range extender
    • VoIP endpoint

• 2.3 – Explain the purposes and use cases for advanced networking devices.
  • Multilayer switch
  • Wireless controller
  • Load balancer
  • IDS/IPS
  • Proxy server
  • VPN concentrator
  • AAA/RADIUS server
  • UTM appliance
  • NGFW/Layer 7 firewall
  • VoIP PBX
  • VoIP gateway
  • Content filter

• 2.4 – Explain the purposes of virtualization and network storage technologies.
  • Virtual networking components
    • Virtual switch
    • Virtual firewall
    • Virtual NIC
    • Virtual router
    • Hypervisor
  • Network storage types
    • NAS
    • SAN
  • Connection type
    • FCoE
    • Fibre Channel
    • iSCSI
    • InfiniBand
  • Jumbo frame

• 2.5 – Compare and contrast WAN technologies.
  • Service type
    • ISDN
    • T1/T3
    • E1/E3
    • OC-3 – OC-192
    • DSL
    • Metropolitan Ethernet
    • Cable broadband
    • Dial-up
    • PRI
  • Transmission mediums
    • Satellite
    • Copper
    • Fiber
    • Wireless
  • Characteristics of service
    • MPLS
    • ATM
    • Frame relay
    • PPPoE
    • PPP
    • DMVPN
    • SIP trunk
  • Termination
    • Demarcation point
    • CSU/DSU
    • Smart jack

• 3.1 – Given a scenario, use appropriate documentation and diagrams to manage the network.
  • Diagram symbols
  • Standard operating procedures/work instrutions
  • Logical vs. physical diagrams
  • Rack diagrams
  • Change management documentation
  • Wiring and port locations
  • IDF/MDF documentation
  • Labeling
  • Network configuration and performance baselines
  • Inventory management

• 3.2 – Compare and contrast business continuity and disaster recovery concepts.
  • Availability concepts
    • Fault tolerance
    • High availability
    • Load balancing
    • NIC teaming
    • Port aggregation
    • Clustering
    • Power management
      • Battery backup/UPS
      • Power generators
      • Dual power supplies
      • Redundant circuits
  • Recovery
    • Cold sites
    • Warm sites
    • Hot sites
    • Backups
      • Full
      • Differential
      • Incremental
    • Snapshots
  • MTTR
  • MTBF
  • SLA requirments

• 3.3 – Explain common scanning, monitoring and patching processes and summarize their expected outputs.
  • Processes
    • Log reviewing
    • Port scanning
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Patch management
      • Rollback
    • Reviewing baselines
    • Packet/traffic analysis
  • Event management
    • Notifications
    • Alerts
    • SIEM
  • SNMP monitors
    • MIB
  • Metrics
    • Error rate
    • Utilization
    • Packet drops
    • Bandwidth/throughput

• 3.4 – Given a scenario, use remote access methods.
  • VPN
    • IPsec
    • SSL/TLS/DTLS
    • Site-to-site
    • Client-to-site
  • RDP
  • SSH
  • VNC
  • Telnet
  • HTTPS/management URL
  • Remote file access
    • FTP/FTPS
    • SFTP
    • TFTP
  • Out-of-band management
    • Modem
    • Console router

• 3.5 – Identify policies and best practices.
  • Privileged user agreement
  • Password policy
  • On-boarding/off-boarding procedures
  • Licensing restrictions
  • International export controls
  • Data loss prevention
  • Remote access policies
  • Incident response policies
  • BYOD
  • AUP
  • NDA
  • System life cycle
    • Asset disposal
  • Safety procedures and policies

• 4.1 – Summarize the purposes of physical security devices.
  • Detection
    • Motion detection
    • Video surveillance
    • Asset tracking tags
    • Tamper detection
  • Prevention
    • Badges
    • Biometrics
    • Smart cards
    • Key fob
    • Locks

• 4.2 – Explain authentication and access controls.
  • Authorization, authentication, and accounting
    • RADIUS
    • TACACS+
    • Kerberos
    • Single sign-on
    • Local authentication
    • LDAP
    • Certificates
    • Auditing and logging
  • Multifactor authentication
    • Something you know
    • Something you have
    • Something you are
    • Somewhere you are
    • Something you do
  • Access control
    • 802.1X
    • NAC
    • Port security
    • Captive portal
    • Access control lists

• 4.3 – Given a scenario, secure a basic wireless network.
  • WPA
  • WPA2
  • TKIP/RC4
  • CCMP/AES
  • Authentication and Authorization
    • EAP
    • PEAP
    • EAP-FAST
    • EAP-TLS
    • Shared or open
    • Preshared key
    • MAC filtering
  • Geofencing

• 4.4 – Summarize common networking attacks.
  • DoS
    • Reflective
    • Amplified
    • Distributed
  • Social engineering
  • Insider threat
  • Logic bomb
  • Rogue access point
  • Evil twin
  • War-driving
  • Phishing
  • Ransomware
  • DNS poisoning
  • ARP poisoning
  • Spoofing
  • Deauthentication
  • Brute force
  • VLAN hopping
  • Man-in-the-middle
  • Exploits vs. vulnerabilities

• 4.5 – Given a scenario, implement network device hardening.
  • Changing default credentials
  • Avoiding common passwords
  • Upgrading firmware
  • Patching and updates
  • File hashing
  • Disabling unnecessary services
  • Using secure protocols
  • Generating new keys
  • Disabling unused ports
    • IP ports
    • Device ports (physical and virtual)

• 4.6 – Explain common mitigation techniques and their purposes
  • Signature management
  • Device hardening
  • Change native VLAN
  • Switch port protection
    • Spanning tree
    • Flood guard
    • BPDU guard
    • Root guard
    • DHCP snooping
  • Network segmentation
    • DMZ
    • VLAN
  • Privileged user account
  • File integrity monitoring
  • Role separation
  • Restricting access via ACLs
  • Honeypot/honeynet
  • Penetration testing

• 5.1 – Explain the network troubleshooting methodology.
  • Identify the problem
    • Gather information
    • Duplicate the problem, if possible
    • Question users
    • Identify symptoms
    • Determine if anything has changed
    • Approach multiple problems individually
  • Establish a theory of probable cause
    • Question the obvious
    • Consider multiple approaches
      • Top-to-bottom/bottom-to-top
      • OSI model
      • Divide and conquer
  • Test the theory to determine the cause
    • Once the theory is confirmed, determine the next steps to resolve the problem
    • If the theory is not confirmed, reestablish a new theory or escalate
  • Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential effects
  • Implement the solution or escalate as necessary
  • Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures
  • Document findings, actions, and outcomes

• 5.2 – Given a scenario, use the appropriate tool.
  • Hardware tools
    • Crimper
    • Cable tester
    • Punchdown tool
    • OTDR
    • Light meter
    • Tone generator
    • Loopback adapter
    • Multimeter
    • Spectrum analyzer
  • Software tools
    • Packet sniffer
    • Port scanner
    • Protocol analyzer
    • WiFi analyzer
    • Bandwidth speed tester
    • Command line
      • ping
      • tracert, traceroute
      • nslookup
      • ipconfig
      • ifconfig
      • iptables
      • netstat
      • tcpdump
      • pathping
      • nmap
      • route
      • arp
      • dig

• 5.3 – Given a scenario, secure a basic wireless network.
  • Attenuation
  • Latency
  • Jitter
  • Crosstalk
  • EMI
  • Open/short
  • Incorrect pin-out
  • Incorrect cable type
  • Bad port
  • Transceiver mismatch
  • TX/RX reverse
  • Duplex/speed mismatch
  • Damaged cables
  • Bent pins
  • Bottlenecks
  • VLAN mismatch
  • Network connection LED status indicators

• 5.4 – Given a scenario, troubleshoot common wireless connectivity and performance issues.
  • Reflection
  • Refraction
  • Absorption
  • Latency
  • Jitter
  • Attenuation
  • Incorrect antenna type
  • Interference
  • Incorrect antenna placement
  • Channel overlap
  • Overcapacity
  • Distance limitations
  • Frequency mismatch
  • Wrong SSID
  • Wrong passphrase
  • Security type mismatch
  • Power levels
  • Signal-to-noise ratio

• 5.5 – Given a scenario, troubleshoot common network service issues.
  • Names not resolving
  • Incorrect gateway
  • Incorrect netmask
  • Duplicate IP addresses
  • Duplicate MAC addresses
  • Expired IP address
  • Rogue DHCP server
  • Untrusted SSL certificate
  • Incorrect time
  • Exhausted DHCP scope
  • Blocked TCP/UDP ports
  • Incorrect host-based firewall settings
  • Incorrect ACL settings
  • Unresponsive service
  • Hardware failure