A+, Network+, Security+ Exams in a Nutshell

Areas of Study for the Network+ Exam

Media and Topologies

• Recognize the following logical or physical network topologies given a diagram, a schematic, or a description:

  • Star

  • Bus

  • Mesh

  • Ring

• Specify the main features of 802.2 (Logical Link Control), 802.3 (Ethernet), 802.5 (token ring), 802.11 (wireless), and FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) networking technologies, including speed, access method (CSMA/CA and CSMA/CD), topology, or media.

• Specify the characteristics (speed, length, topology, and cable type) of the following cable standards:

  • 10BASE-T and 10BASE-FL

  • 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-FX

  • 1000BASE-T, 1000BASE-CX, 1000BASE-SX, and 1000BASE-LX

  • 10 GBASE-SR, 10 GBASE-LR, and 10 GBASE-ER

• Recognize the following media connectors and describe their uses:

  • RJ-11 and RJ-45 (Registered Jacks)

  • F-Type

  • ST (Straight Tip) and SC (Subscriber or Standard Connector)

  • IEEE 1394 (FireWire)

  • Fiber LC (Local Connector)

  • MT-RJ (Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack)

  • USB (Universal Serial Bus)

• Recognize the following media types and describe their uses:

  • Category 3, 5, 5e, and 6

  • UTP (unshielded twisted pair)

  • STP (shielded twisted pair)

  • Coaxial cable

  • SMF (Single-Mode Fiber) and MMF (Multimode Fiber) optic cables

• Identify the purposes, features, and functions of the following network components:

  • Hubs, switches, bridges, routers, and gateways

  • CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit)

  • NICs (Network Interface Card)

  • ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) adapters

  • WAPs (Wireless Access Point)

  • Modems

  • Transceivers (media converters)

  • Firewalls ...