Network+ Tools

If you're preparing for the Network+ exam, you can expect to see some questions related to Network+ tools.  This includes:

• Command line tools such as ipconfig/ifconfig, ping, tracert/traceroute, nslookup, dig, arp, netstat, route, and nbtstat.
• Hardware tools such as cable testers, cable certifiers, crimpers, butt sets, toner probes, punch down tools, loop back plugs, TDRs, OTDRs, mulimeters, and environmental monitors.
• Common cable problems and information on how to troubleshoot them using many of these tools.

A new Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short is now available. The CompTIA Network+: Tools (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short) covers all of these tools and will help you master the following Network+ objectives:

• 3.6 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common physical connectivity problems.
• 4.2 Given a scenario, use appropriate hardware tools to troubleshoot connectivity issues.
• 4.3 Given a scenario, use appropriate software tools to troubleshoot connectivity issues.

Network+ Tools Practice Test Questions

Test your readiness with 60 realistic practice test questions in this Kindle short. Each question includes in-depth explanations so that you’ll know why the correct answer is correct and why the incorrect answers are incorrect. Here are two sample practice test questions from this Network+ tools Kindle Short.

1. You are troubleshooting connectivity issues with a Unix server and want to determine if it has valid IP address. What command would you use?

A. Ipconfig

B. Ifconfig

C. Ping

D. Arp

Answer at end of blog

2. Of the following choices, what is the BEST tool to verify a POTS line has a valid tone at the IDF?

A. Butt set

B. Toner probe

C. Punch down tool

D. Cable certifier

Answer at end of blog

Network+ Tools Chapter

This Kindle Short will be part of the full CompTIA Network+ Get Certified Get Ahead Study Guide written in the same style as the top selling CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead Study Guide. It includes the following sections:

• Introduction. Full description of the Network+ exam letting you know what you can expect when you take it. The introduction includes a section on the question types you can expect including information on the performance based questions.
• Assessment questions. An 18-question assessment exam with realistic practice test questions to help you assess your understanding of key topics. All questions have in-depth explanations and this Kindle Short covers the content in more depth.
• Full chapter: “Using Tools and Troubleshooting Networks.” A full chapter covering command line tools, hardware tools, software tools, and how to identify and troubleshoot common cable problems. The chapter includes "Remember This" text boxes throughout to help you focus on what you need to know for the exam.
• Exam review. Review key testable information with this concise review section.
• End of chapter practice test questions. 25 realistic practice test questions at the end of the chapter. Use these questions to test your understanding of the objectives covered in this eBook. The explanations help you master the content so that you can answer questions on the live exam no matter how CompTIA words them.
• Practice questions. 17 more realistic practice test questions in an end of book practice exam. As with all other questions in this Kindle Short, these questions include in-depth explanations.
• Acronym list. An acronym list covering all of the acronyms in this eBook plus many more needed for the Network+ exam.

All this for only $2.99. If you have a Kindle and Amazon Prime, you can get it for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library. If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for their 30-day free trial here.

If you don't have a Kindle, you can download free reading apps for just about any device from here.

More Kindle Shorts

You can use this Kindle Short along with other Kindle Shorts in the Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short series to focus your preparation for the Network+ exam.

• OSI. CompTIA Network+: OSI Topics (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short) covers the OSI and TCP/IP Model objectives for the Network+ exam. It includes a full chapter on OSI and TCP/IP model topics and practice test questions to test your comprehension of these topics. Only $2.99.
• Wireless. CompTIA Network+: Wireless Topics (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short) covers the wireless objectives for the Network+ exam. It includes a full chapter on Wireless topics and 55 practice test questions to test your comprehension of these topics. Only $2.99.

Over 275 realistic practice test questions available in the
CompTIA Network+ N10-005: Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead)Kindle book.
Only $9.99.
Free Kindle apps available for any platform.

Can You Identify These Tools?

You should be able to match pictures with tool names on the Network+ exam. The pictures in the following table are from this Kindle Short. Can you name them?

1)	2)
3)	4)

Here's a hint. The objectives expects you to know about the following hardware tools:  cable tester, cable certifier, crimper, butt set, toner probe, loop back plug, TDR, OTDR, multimeter, or environmental monitor?

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Network+ Tools Practice Test Question Answers

1. You are troubleshooting connectivity issues with a Unix server and want to determine if it has valid IP address. What command would you use?

A. Ipconfig

B. Ifconfig

C. Ping

D. Arp

B is correct. You would use the ifconfig command on Unix/Linux-based systems to view TCP/IP configuration information. You would use ipconfig on Windows systems to provide similar information. Ping checks connectivity between systems. Arp shows media access control (MAC) addresses that the system has mapped to IP addresses.

Realistic practice test questions for the Network+ N10-005 exam Available through LearnZapp on your mobile phone

2. Of the following choices, what is the BEST tool to verify a POTS line has a valid tone at the IDF?

A. Butt set

B. Toner probe

C. Punch down tool

D. Cable certifier

A is correct. You would use a butt set to troubleshoot phone issues including issues related to a plain old telephone service (POTS) line terminated at an intermediate distribution frame (IDF). A valid tone on a phone line is a dial tone. You can use a toner probe to help you locate a cable terminated at an IDF but it is not the best choice to verify a POTS line has a valid dial tone. Punch down tools secure cables to a frame. Cable certifiers verify the integrity and operation of a cable.

More Network+ Resources

If you're studying for the Network+ exam and want to pass the first time you take it, check out these resources:

• CompTIA Network+ N10-005 Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead)
• Practice test questions for your mobile device
• CompTIA Network+ Wireless Topics (A Kindle Short)
• CompTIA Network+ OSI Topics (A Kindle Short)

Summary

If you're preparing for the Network+ exam, you should know the Network+ tools. This includes both software-based command line tools, and hardware-based tools. The CompTIA Network+: Tools (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short) covers all of these tools and will help you master these Network+ tools objectives so that you can pass the Network+ exam the first time you take it.

Network+ Practice Test Questions Book Update

I just updated the Network+ Practice Test Questions book (CompTIA Network+ N10-005 Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead)).

Some of the changes are minor text issues to correct typos. However, a much bigger change is the addition of a section on performance based questions. It provides a list of the different types of performance based questions you might see along with some examples.

I also modified the labels of the different sections for each chapter, hopefully to make them clearer.

• Quiz mode section. It shows a practice test question on one screen so that you can focus on only the question without seeing the answer. When you decide what you think is the correct answer, go to the next Kindle screen to see if you’re correct. 
• Flash cards section.  One Kindle screen shows a flash card type question and the next Kindle screen shows the answer. If the flash card question or answer includes an acronym, it is spelled out on the answer screen.
• Practice test mode section. This section repeats the questions in the Quiz Mode section but it doesn’t have the correct answers and explanations readily available. This allows you to go through all of the questions in the section without seeing the answers as you go through them. Use this section to test your readiness. Ideally, you should be able to look at the answers and know why the correct answer is correct, and why the incorrect answers are incorrect. Don’t worry if you’re not sure though. The next section repeats the question with the full answer and explanation.
• Review mode section. This section repeats the questions from the practice test mode section but also includes the answers on the same screen.

Each chapter includes all four sections and you can use one of the sections to study from, or all of them.

---

Pass the Network+ exam the first time you take it
 

Performance Based Question Links

This page includes links to multiple Network+ blogs I've written. It also includes a section titled Network+ Performance Based Questions with these links:

• CompTIA Testing Changes
• CompTIA Performance Based Testing
• Network+ Performance Based Questions
• Security+ WAP Performance Based Questions

Kindle Shorts

I'm also writing chapters on the Network+ exam and publishing them as Kindle Shorts. So far, I have published two:

• CompTIA Network+ Wireless Topics (A Kindle Short)
• CompTIA Network+ OSI Topics (A Kindle Short)

Practice Test Questions for your Mobile Device

Instead of the Kindle book, you can purchase these questions for your mobile device. I've partnered with Learnzapp and they have published several apps for a variety of different platforms.

 

Network+ OSI Topics

If you're preparing for the Network+ exam, you can expect to see some questions related to Network+ OSI topics.  The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model includes seven layers and you're expected to have some basic knowledge about these layers including the specific layers where different devices and protocols operate. The CompTIA Network+ OSI Topics (A Kindle Short) (only $2.99) covers the OSI model in depth, but this blog summarizes the important topics.

The OSI model is fully documented in ISO/IEC 7498 and can be quite complex. However, you don't need to maser the OSI model completely when studying the Network+ OSI topics. As an example, here are two practice test questions:

 Which layer of the OSI model is responsible for transmitting individual bits?
 A. 1
 B. 3
 C. 4
 D. 7

Which layer of the OSI model transmits data as frames?
A. Data Link
B. Physical
C. Network
D. Transport

Over 275 realistic practice test questions available in the CompTIA Network+ N10-005: Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead) Kindle book.Only $9.99. Free Kindle apps available for any platform.

Know the Layers

At the most basic layer, you need to know the layers including their names and numbers. The following figure shows them along with two common mnemonics used to memorize them.

After memorizing the mnemonic, you also need to remember which layer is layer 1, and which layer is layer 7. This memory technique may help you remember that the Application layer is layer 7. You may have heard about a “layer 8 error” which is a cryptic way of saying the error is a user error. What does a user interact with? Applications. A user on the mythical layer 8 interacts with applications, which are on layer 7.

I don’t mean to belittle users or user errors – I’m a user and I make my fair share of errors. However, this memory trick has helped me and many other people remember that the Application layer is layer 7. Combined with one of the mnemonics, you can then list all of the layers. The following sections introduce each of these layers.

Know the Hardware

In addition to knowing the layers, you also need to know what devices operate on different layers. The following figure shows some of the common hardware devices you should know about.

Know the Protocols

You should also be aware of different protocols specified within the Network+ objectives and which layer they operate on. The following table identifies common protocols used on different layers that you should know:

 

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Know the Data Names

Data is referred to with different names on different layers within the OSI model as follows:

• Layer 1 Physical Bits (or a bit stream)
• Layer 2 Data Link Frames
• Layer 3 Network Packets
• Layer 4 Transport Segments
• Layer 5 Session protocol data unit (PDU)
• Layer 6 Presentation PDU
• Layer 7 Application PDU

 A Simple Exercise to Remember the OSI Model

When I teach Network+ classes, we often repeat the following exercise regularly. Students start with a blank sheet of paper and then simply write down the mnemonic that they remember (such as Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away or All People Seem To Need Data Processing) with each word on a separate line. Next, they write down the layer numbers and the layer names.

When doing this, I encourage them to include everything they can remember without looking. Afterwards, I ask them to check their work and fill in everything that they missed or they couldn’t remember. From a learning perspective, there’s a lot to be said for combining multiple senses and this forces them to engage different parts of their brain to remember and then write.

During a weeklong class, we do this once or twice a day and during a college class we do it for almost every class meeting. However, I have the students progressively add more and more information such as the data name at different layers, then the devices, and the protocols. By the end of the class, they have written this table out several times and when they take the live exam, OSI questions are a breeze.

 You can do the same exercise. Periodically write down everything you can remember from memory and then double check your work with the following two tables. Don’t worry if you don’t memorize them all at first, but make sure you still fill in the blanks. The more you do it, the more you’ll remember.
   

Match the OSI and TCP/IP Model Layers

Last, you need to know the names of the TCP/IP model layers and how they match to the OSI model. The following table shows how they match up.You can do the same exercise starting with a blank sheet of paper and listing the layers of the OSI and TCP/IP models.

 

Practice Test Question Answers

Which layer of the OSI model is responsible for transmitting individual bits?
A. 1
B. 3
C. 4
D. 7

A is correct. Bits are transmitted on layer 1 (the Physical layer) of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Bits are not transmitted on layer 3 (the Network layer), layer 4 (the Transport layer), or layer 7 (the Application layer).

Realistic practice test questions for the Network+ N10-005 exam Available through LearnZapp on your mobile phone

Which layer of the OSI model transmits data as frames?
A. Transport
B. Physical
C. Network
D. Data Link

D is correct. The Data Link layer (layer 2) of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model transmits data as frames. The Transport layer (layer 4) transmits data segments. The Physical layer (layer 1) transmits data as bits. The Network layer (layer 3) transmits data as packets.

More Network+ Resources

If you're studying for the Network+ exam and want to pass the first time you take it, check out these resources:

• CompTIA Network+ N10-005 Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead)
• Practice test questions for your mobile device
• CompTIA Network+ Wireless Topics (A Kindle Short)
• CompTIA Network+ OSI Topics (A Kindle Short)

Summary

If you're preparing for the Network+ exam, you should know the Network+ OSI layers including their names, numbers, and the specific layers where different devices and protocols operate. You'll also need to know how the TCP/IP models map to the OSI layers.

Network+ and Wireless Standards

If you're preparing for the Network+ exam, you probably know that a good portion includes wireless topics including wireless standards. If you can master some basic facts on wireless standards, you'll be able to ace many Network+ questions without any trouble at all.  Another post covered Network+ and Wireless Encryption topics.

Several objectives address wireless standards directly:

• 2.2 Given a scenario, install and configure a wireless network. (This objective includes "Frequencies", "Wireless standards", and "Compatibility (802.11 a/b/g/n)"
• 2.4 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common wireless problems. (This objective includes "Configurations", and "Incompatibilities")
• 3.3 Compare and contrast different wireless standards. (This objective includes "802.11 a/b/g/n standards")

Network+ Practice Test Questions

Here are a couple of practice test questions you can use to check your knowledge of the Network+ wireless standards.

Q1. You are tasked with configuring a wireless network that can support legacy devices and operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHZ. What would you use?

A. 802.11a
B. 802.11b
C. 802.11g
D. 802.11n

Q2. Which of the following wireless standards operates at 5 GHz and has a maximum speed of 54 Mbps?

A. 802.11a
B. 802.11b
C. 802.11g
D. 802.11n

Q3. Which of the following wireless standards supports multiple transceivers within a single WAP?

A. 802.11a
B. 802.11b
C. 802.11g
D. 802.11n

Over 275 realistic practice test questions available in the
CompTIA Network+ N10-005: Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead) Kindle book.
Only $9.99 . Free Kindle apps available for any platform.

802.11a

The 802.11a standard is one of the early wireless standards and it was released in 1999. It uses Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) in the 5 GHz frequency range. One of the reasons 5 GHz was selected is to avoid the interference in the noisier 2.4 GHz frequency range. The original specification had 12 non-overlapping channels that could be used compared with the three non-overlapping channels supported in 802.11b and 802.11g. It also uses dynamic frequency selection (DFS) allowing the device to automatically switch channels when it detected interference. Radar technologies use portions of the 5 GHz range so DFS is useful to avoid interference from radar sources.

Unfortunately, 802.11a signals are much more susceptible to interference from physical objects such as walls and have the lowest transmission distance of the four standards. The maximum range of 802.11a is often quoted as 30 meters (about 98 feet) but this can be affected by the signal strength of the wireless access point (WAP) and interference sources.

It’s rare to see new 802.11a wireless devices today. However, you might run across some legacy devices using 802.11a.

802.11b

The 802.11b standard came out at about the same time as 802.11a. It operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency range, has a maximum speed of 11 Mbps, and a mildly longer range than 802.11a. Compared with 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n, it is the only standard that uses Direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS). 802.11b uses 22 MHz wide channels with some regions allowing as many as 13 channels. Commonly used non-overlapping channels are 1, 6, and 11. While 802.11b was more popular than 802.11a, it is rarely used today.

802.11g

The 802.11g standard was released in 2003 and up until the release of 802.11n has been the most popular. It supports speeds up to 54 Mbps, operates in the 2.4 GHz range and has a slightly longer range than 802.11b. It uses 20 MHz wide channels and channels 1, 6, and 11 are commonly used as non-overlapping channels. As with 802.11a and 802.11n, 802.11g uses OFDM.

One significant difference with 802.11g over 802.11a and 802.11b is that it supports channel bonding. This was also known as Super G and wasn’t supported by all wireless devices. When supported, Super G increased the maximum throughput from 54 Mbps to 108 Mbps.

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802.11n and MIMO

The newest standard is 802.11n and it is proving to be far superior to the three previous 802.11 standards. It is the fastest and supports speeds up to 600 Mbps and can operate in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency spectrums. It also has the longest range with distances up to 70 meters. As with 802.11a and 802.11g, it uses OFDM.

A significant difference with 802.11n is the use of a smart antenna technology called multiple input multiple output (MIMO) to achieve faster speeds. MIMO includes multiple antennas and transceivers to simultaneously transmit and receive data over multiple streams. MIMO can include as many as four streams of communication with each stream supporting up to 150 Mbps. When four streams are used, it supports connections up to 600 Mbps.

The multiple antennas used with MIMO provide diversity gain which improves the overall link reliability. These streams are sent separately in a process called spatial multiplexing.

Another difference with 802.11n is that it supports 20 MHz channels just like 802.11g and it also supports 40 MHz channels for greater throughput. When 40 MHz channels are used it is often referred to as channel bonding.

Many wireless networks have a combination of both 802.11g and 802.11n devices. An 802.11n WAP can support both standards. Also, they can be configured to use only 2.4 GHz or a combination of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

If you create a network using all 802.11n devices and they all support 5 GHz, you can configure the WAP to use only 5 GHz. Because this frequency band has less interference you can often get much better throughput. However, before switching over, it’s important to verify that all the devices support 5 GHz because it isn’t required. Many vendors create 802.11n wireless devices using only 2.4 GHz to make the devices more affordable.

Realistic practice test questions for the Network+ N10-005 exam and more.
Available through LearnZapp on your mobile devices.

Answer to Practice Test Question 1

Q1. You are tasked with configuring a wireless network that can support legacy devices and operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHZ. What would you use?
A. 802.11a
B. 802.11b
C. 802.11g
D. 802.11n

Answer 1. D is correct. Only an 802.11n network will operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. 802.11n networks can also support older (legacy) devices because it is backwards compatible with earlier wireless standards.

802.11a only uses 5 GHZ.

802.11b and 802.11g only uses 2.4 GHz.

Answer to Practice Test Question 2

Q2. Which of the following wireless standards operates at 5 GHz and has a maximum speed of 54 Mbps?
A. 802.11a
B. 802.11b
C. 802.11g
D. 802.11n

Answer 2. A is correct. The 802.11a standard operates at 5 GHz and has a maximum speed of 54 Mbps.

802.11b and 802.11g both operate at 2.4 GHz.

802.11n uses 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz but it has a maximum transfer rate of 600 Mbps, not 54 Mbps.

Answer to Practice Test Question 3

Q3. Which of the following wireless standards supports multiple transceivers within a single WAP?
A. 802.11a
B. 802.11b
C. 802.11g
D. 802.11n

Answer 3. D is correct. 802.11n uses multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technologies and MIMO supports multiple transceivers within a single wireless access point (WAP).

MIMO is not supported in 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g.

Summary

Here's a short summary of some of the key characteristics with each of the different wireless standards.

802.11a

• Maximum speed of 54 Mbps
• Operates in the 5 GHz frequency range
• Shortest distance - can travel about 35 meters (about 115 feet)

802.11b

• Maximum speed of 11 Mbps
• Operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency range
• Can travel about 35 meters (about 115 feet)

802.11g

• Maximum speed of 54 Mbps
• Operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency range
• Can travel about 38 meters (about 125 feet)
• Supports channel bonding with Super G (combines two 54 Mbps channels to give 108 Mbps max speed)

802.11n

• Maximum speed of 600 Mbps
• Operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency ranges
• Longest distance - can travel about 70 meters (about 230 feet)
• Uses MIMO supporting multiple transceivers within a single wireless access point
• Can use 40 MHz channels (referred to as channel bonding

A+ Mobile Apps on Android

Learnzapphas recently released practice test question mobile apps for the A+ 220-801 and 220-802 exams on Android devices. If you enjoy studying while on the go, these apps provide you with an easy to use tool where you can squeeze in some study time whenever you have a spare moment.

This release includes some great improvements to their existing mobile apps which improved their performance and the user interface. They have also created some great bundles for people planning on taking multiple CompTIA exams such as Network+ and Security+.

If you search Google Play with "LearnZapp" you'll find all of their offerings including the following new items:

• CompTIA A+ 220-801
• CompTIA A+ 220-802
• CompTIA A+ Bundle (801 and 802)
• CompTIA Value Pack (801, 802, Security+ and Network+)

Other apps that have been upgraded with the new platform are:

• CompTIA Security+
• CompTIA Network+
• CompTIA Bundle (Security+ and Network+)

All of these apps are also available for Apple devices such as iPads and iPhones. Search the App Store with "LearnZapp" and you'll see a similar listing.

Network+ and Security+ Blog Links

I created an easy to navigate page of Security+ blog links last week and in response to requests, I've completed a similar page for Network+ blog links.

• Security+ Blog Links. This page includes links to posts about the Security+ exam, multiple free practice test questions, and various topics such as risk, authentication, cryptography, networking, and attacks.
• Network+ Blog Links. This page includes links to posts about the Network+ exam, multiple free practice test questions, command line tools, hardware tools, wireless topics, and more.

New Mobile Apps for A+

Learnzapp has been producing outstanding mobile apps with practice test questions for awhile now. For people that enjoy studying while on the go, these apps provide them with an easy to use tool where they can squeeze in some study just about any time they have a spare moment.

They have released some new mobile apps with practice test questions and are improving the platform for some existing apps. They've added apps for A+ practice test questions (both the 801 and 802 exams) and have made some changes to Network+ and Security+ apps. The changes include implementing recommendations they've received by users, improving the performance of the apps, and making the user interface more fluid.

The following apps have been launched on Apple iTunes and are available for Apple devices such as Apple iPhones and iPads. If you search the Apple App Store with "LearnZapp" you'll find the following new selections are now available:

• CompTIA A+ 220-801
• CompTIA A+ 220-802
• CompTIA A+ Bundle (801 and 802)
• CompTIA Value Pack (801, 802, Security+ and Network+)

Other apps that have been upgraded with the new platform are:

• CompTIA Security+
• CompTIA Network+
• CompTIA Bundle (Security+ and Network+)

All of these apps will also be available on Google Play for Android devices within the next two weeks.

Network+ and Wireless Encryption

If you're preparing for the Network+ SY0-301 exam, you probably realize that a good chunk of it covers wireless topics including wireless encryption. More specifically, two specific objectives address wireless encryption directly:

• 2.4 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common wireless problems. (This objective includes "Encryption type".)
• 5.1 Given a scenario, implement appropriate wireless security measures. (This objective includes "Encryption protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA Enterprise".)

Network+ Practice Test Questions

Here are a couple of practice test questions you can use to check your knowledge:

Q1. Of the following choices, what provides the most security for a wireless network?
A. WEP
B. WPA
C. WPA2
D. WPA2 Enterprise

Q2. Of the following choices, what provides the most security for a wireless network that doesn’t have access to a RADIUS server?

A. WEP
B. WPA
C. WPA2
D. WPA2 Enterprise

Q3. Attackers have recently hacked into a small business owner’s wireless network and you are asked to help him secure it. Of the following choices, what provides the best security?

A. WEP
B. WPA
C. Disabling SSID broadcast
D. Selecting alternate channels

Over 275 realistic practice test questions available in the

CompTIA Network+ N10-005: Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead) Kindle book.

Only $9.99 . Free Kindle apps available for any platform.

WEP

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) was the original security protocol used to secure wireless networks. As the name implies, the goal was to provide the same level of privacy and security within a wireless network as you’d have in a wired network. Unfortunately, WEP has significant vulnerabilities, and attackers have many tools they can use to break into WEP-protected networks. WEP was officially deprecated in 2004 and is not recommended for use. WPA was identified as an interim replacement and WPA2 is a permanent replacement.

WEP uses a key that is similar to a password or passphrase. Each device in the wireless network is configured with same key.

WPA

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) was an intermediate replacement for WEP. It provided a significant increase in security over WEP without requiring users to upgrade their hardware. WPA was never meant to be a permanent replacement for WEP, but instead was intended to provide a temporary replacement while developers created a permanent solution with WPA2.

WPA originally used a stream encryption technique with Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). TKIP provides several improvements for WPA over WEP. A benefit of WPA with TKIP is that it can be used on the same hardware used by WEP.  It requires different software or firmware upgrades, but the hardware doesn't need to be replaced. Unfortunately, WPA with TKIP was ultimately cracked too.

Later, WPA was modified so that it could use  Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) instead of TKIP. AES is a very strong and efficient encryption algorithm and it is recommended for use in many implementations. Several people have been successful at cracking WPA with TKIP, so whenever possible, it’s best to upgrade WPA to WPA2, or at least use WPA with AES instead of TKIP.

WPA (also known as WPA Personal) uses a password or passphrase sometimes referred to as a pre-shared key (PSK). All devices in the wireless network must be configured with the same PSK.

WPA2

Hardware in most systems today supports Wi-Fi Protected Access v2 (WPA2). It is the permanent replacement for WEP and WPA but it is not supported on legacy hardware designed for WEP. WPA2 (also known as IEEE 802.11i) uses stronger cryptography than both WEP and WPA and the Wi-Fi Alliance requires all devices carrying its WI-FI CERTIFIED logo to meet WPA2 standards.

Just as WPA uses a PSK, WPA2 uses a PSK and all devices in the wireless network need to have the same PSK. When a PSK is used with WPA2 it is known as WPA2 Personal.

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Personal and Enterprise Modes

Both WPA and WPA2 operate in either Personal or Enterprise modes. Most home and small business networks use Personal mode while some larger organizations use Enterprise mode.

As mentioned previously, Personal mode uses a passphrase or PSK and is rather simple to implement. You enter the PSK on the WAP and enter the same PSK on each of the wireless devices in the network. In this way, anyone with the PSK can access the wireless network. WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK both indicate Personal mode.

Enterprise mode provides additional security by adding an authentication server and requiring each user to authenticate through this server. Authentication requires all users to prove their identities and a common way authentication is accomplished is with a username and password.

The authentication server is a separate RADIUS server or an 802.1x server which is configured separately from the access point. After the RADIUS server is configured, you can configure the access point to use Enterprise mode and include details related to the RADIUS server. You’ll commonly enter the IP address of the RADIUS server, the port it is using, and a shared secret that has been preconfigured on the RADIUS server.

Once Enterprise mode is configured properly, users will be challenged to authenticate before they are granted access to the wireless network. The user’s credentials are passed to the RADIUS server and the RADIUS server has access to a database of the user’s credentials used for comparison. If the user provides the correct credentials, the user is granted access. If the credentials are incorrect, the user is blocked from accessing the wireless network.

Enterprise mode is more advanced than most home networks need but many larger organizations use it. It prevents anonymous access to a network and is effective at liming unauthorized access. Similarly, some hotels use pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi access. For example, many hotels provide wireless access for $20 per day. When you attempt to access the wireless network you are challenged to enter a username and password. This is often as simple as entering your room number and your last name. The RADIUS checks the database to verify your room number is associated with your last name and you are granted access.

It’s important to recognize that Enterprise mode provides the strongest level of security for a wireless network. A combination of both a security protocol such as WPA2 and an authentication server significantly reduces the chance of unauthorized personnel accessing a wireless network. Even WPA Enterprise using AES provides stronger security than WPA2 Personal using only a PSK.

Realistic practice test questions for the Network+ N10-005 exam

Available through LearnZapp on your mobile phone

Answer to Practice Test Question 1

Q1. Of the following choices, what provides the most security for a wireless network?

A. WEP
B. WPA
C. WPA2
D. WPA2 Enterprise

Q1 Answer. D is correct.

Wi-Fi Protected Access v2 (WPA2) Enterprise mode provides greatest amount of security for a wireless network. It adds in an authentication server such as a Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS) server.

WEP provides the least amount of security for a wireless network and is not recommended for use. WEP was temporarily replaced with WPA and WPA2 which provide progressively more security.

WPA and WPA2 are also known as WPA Personal and WPA2 Personal and each use a preshared key or passphrase instead of an authentication server.

Answer to Practice Test Question 2

Q2. Of the following choices, what provides the most security for a wireless network that doesn’t have access to a RADIUS server?

A. WEP
B. WPA
C. WPA2
D. WPA2 Enterprise

Q2 Answer. C is correct.

Wi-Fi Protected Access v2 (WPA2) provides the most security when compared to WEP and WPA.

If a Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS) server was used, you could implement WPA2 Enterprise mode which is even stronger but the question states that a RADIUS server is not available.

Answer to Practice Test Question 3

Q3. Attackers have recently hacked into a small business owner’s wireless network and you are asked to help him secure it. Of the following choices, what provides the best security?

A. WEP
B. WPA
C. Disabling SSID broadcast
D. Selecting alternate channels

Q3 Answer. B is correct.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) provides the best security of the given choices and WPA2 (not a possible choice) is even better.

WEP is cracked and not recommended for use.

Disabling SSID broadcast hides the wireless network and provides minimal security because attackers can still detect the SSID with a wireless sniffer.

Selecting an alternate channel is effective if there is interference but it doesn’t add to security.

Security+ and Performance Based Questions

If you’re planning on taking the Security+ exam you can expect to see performance based questions.  They have already been added to A+ and Network+ exams. You can read more about performance based questions here, but in short a performance based question requires you to perform a task rather than simply requiring you to answer a multiple choice question.

I've field several questions about these related to Security+ so here are some answers to some common questions.

When Do They Appear in Security+?

CompTIA has stated that these types of questions will begin to appear in the Security+ exam in the first quarter of 2013. This could be any time between January 1st and March 31st, 2013.

If you've taken the exam and you saw them, I'd love to hear from you so that I can let readers know they have started to appear. You can leave a comment on this page or send me a note through my contact page.

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Pass the Security+ exam the first time you take it
CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-301 Study Guide

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How Many Questions Are on The Security+ Exam?

When you have only multiple choice questions, the Security+ exam includes 100 questions.

When performance based questions are added, you'll probably have 90 questions with 87 questions being basic multiple choice questions and three being performance based questions. Here are a couple of pages that give sample multiple choice questions:

• Security+ Practice Test Questions on Objective 2.1

• Security+ Practice Test Questions on Objective 3.2

What Performance Based Questions Should I Expect?

At this writing, the only people that know the answer to this question are people at CompTIA. However, based on how CompTIA has done this with other exams, we can predict what you might see.

Command Prompt

You might be asked to perform a task from the command prompt. You'll have access to a simulated command prompt and be required to perform a specific task.

In the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-301 Study Guide, I gave an example (pages 411 and 412) with a couple of graphics that could easily be used in this exam.

The question could go like this: "Determine if the file shown in the graphic is valid."  The file in the graphic includes a valid MD5 hash.

You are then put into a command prompt with nothing more than a blinking cursor. What do you do?

The first step is to see what is in the current directory. You could do so with the dir command. More than likely, you'll see the file that was displayed in the graphic, along with programs that can be used to create a hash such as md5sum and sha1sum.

Next, you'd calculate the hash on the file using the correct program. This requires you to know that the hash shown in the graphic is an MD5 hash. You'd then run the md5sum program against the file to calculate the hash. If the hash shown in the graphic was a SHA1 hash, you'd need to run sha1sum instead.

That's it. In retrospect, you only need to enter two commands: dir and md5sum filename. However, you need to have some underlying knowledge to do so successfully.

Click on a Diagram

You might be asked to click on a diagram to select something. As an example, you might be tasked with giving a user appropriate permissions to perform job tasks. The diagram then shows a list of groups with specific permissions assigned. You then need to pick which group (or groups) to put the user into.

The key here would be to remember the principle of least privilege and ensure that the user is granted enough rights and permissions to perform the job and no more.

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Learn by listening 
Key points from the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-301 Study Guide
Over one hour and 20 minutes of audio from the "Remember This" blocks
Over three hours and 20 minutes of questions and answers on audio

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What is the Biggest Challenge?

Many of the questions are straight forward and it's easy to identify what is desired. However, the biggest challenge many people report with these types of questions is figuring out what some of the questions are actually asking. For example, the sample in the Command Prompt section earlier only states "Determine if the file shown in the graphic is valid" and shows a graphic. It doesn't tell you to run the dir and the md5sum commands. However, this is the only way you can determine if the file is valid.
With that in mind, you often need to give these types of questions a little more thought and pay attention to the clues given in the question.

How Much Are These Questions Worth?

More than likely these questions are worth more than a typical multiple choice question. While CompTIA doesn't release the actual value of any single question, it's entirely possible that each question is worth a little more than 4 percent of the total.

If the original exam has 100 multiple choice questions and the new exam has 87 multiple choice questions with three performance based questions, these three performance based questions could be worth about 13 percent of the total. If you divide 13 percent by three, it's a little over 4.

Will Books Be Updated to Include Performance Based Questions?

It's unlikely that any books will be updated specifically for the Performance Based Questions. It takes an extensive amount of time and effort to rewrite, edit, layout, proof, and reprint books.

Certification books are typically only updated when the certification changes significantly. For example, the differences in the objectives between SY0-201 and SY0-301 Security+ objectives were significant. Publishers that had SY0-201 books in print published new books on the SY0-301 exam.

Further, most books include the content needed to successfully pass these performance based questions. The objectives aren't changing. The only that is changing is the way that the objectives are being tested. If you understand the content, you will be able to answer the questions.

Along these lines, I've been asked a few times if the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-301 Study Guide will be updated. This isn't likely. I expect that CompTIA will be releasing new objectives for the SY0-401 exam sometime this year.  When they do, I'll be updating the SY0-301 Study Guide. You'll probably still be able to take the SY0-301 exam through at least part of 2014.

Realistic practice test questions for the Security+ SY0-301 exam
Available through LearnZapp on your mobile phone

Summary

If you’re planning on taking the Security+ exam any time from today on, you can expect to see performance based questions. These questions are different than multiple choice questions but they are not impossible to answer. If you understand the content, you will likely be able to answer these questions without too much difficulty.