This practice exam covers basic computer networking, to include the installation and configuration of networks, media types, configuration types, and network security. Passing this exam will require knowledge in the Ethernet Protocol, IPv4, and some IPv6, MAC addressing, TCP/UDP, the OSI Layer, and various other protocols such as SNMP, SSH, FTP, SSL/TLS, and more.
1) Which OSI model layer is used for logical addressing?
Layer 3, the network layer, is the OSI model layer that uses logical (IP) addressing.
This question is filed under objective 5, Industry standards, practices, and network theory
In the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking, the network layer is layer 3 The network layer is responsible for packet forwarding including routing through intermediate routers… Read More
2) What would the default subnet mask for the IP 172.16.24.45 be?
When determining the default subnet mask of an IP you need to identify which class (A, B, C, etc.) the IP falls under. The first octet of the IP is 172 which falls in the class B range of 128 – 191. The corresponding default subnet for this range is 255.255.0.0. A network architect is not required to use the default and could design the network to use any subnet mask, but the question specifically asks for the default mask.
This question is filed under objective 1, Network Architecture
Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR ) is a method for allocating IP addresses and for IP routing The Internet Engineering Task Force introduced CIDR in 1993 to replace the previous classful network addressing architecture on the Internet Its goal was to slow the growth of routing tables on routers across the Internet, and to help slow the rapid exhaustion of IPv4 addressesIP addresses are described as consisting of two groups of bits in the address: the most significant bits are the network prefix, which identifies a whole network or subnet, and the least significant set forms the host identifier, which specifies a particular interface of a host on that network… Read More
3) Which protocol periodically uses a 3-way handshake to authenticate a connection?
CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol) uses a 3-way handshake to authenticate the opposing end of a connection, and will periodically repeat the authentication process during the connection.
This question is filed under objective 5, Industry standards, practices, and network theory
In computing, the Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) authenticates a user or network host to an authenticating entity That entity may be, for example, an Internet service provider CHAP provides protection against replay attacks by the peer through the use of an incrementally changing identifier and of a variable challenge-value CHAP requires that both the client and server know the plaintext of the secret, although it is never sent over the network Thus, CHAP provides better security as compared to Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) which is vulnerable for both these reasons The MS-CHAP variant does not require either peer to know the plaintext and does not transmit it, but has been broken… Read More
4) Which devices can block ports and filter data on a network?
A firewall will allow you to filter a network or areas of a network based on ports as well as the data inside of each packet.
This question is filed under objective 3, Network security
In computing, a firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules A firewall typically establishes a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external network, such as the InternetFirewalls are often categorized as either network firewalls or host-based firewalls Network firewalls filter traffic between two or more networks and run on network hardware Host-based firewalls run on host computers and control network traffic in and out of those machines … Read More
5) Which of these default ports, when disabled, will disallow TFTP traffic?
TFTP (Trivial-File Transfer Protocol) uses default port 69. Do not confuse this with FTP, which uses 20 and 21.
This question is filed under objective 5, Industry standards, practices, and network theory
Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is a simple lockstep File Transfer Protocol which allows a client to get a file from or put a file onto a remote host One of its primary uses is in the early stages of nodes booting from a local area network TFTP has been used for this application because it is very simple to implement TFTP was first standardized in 1981 and the current specification for the protocol can be found in RFC 1350 … Read More
6) What command will allow you to determine the MAC Address of a local print server?
Arp (Address Resolution Protocol) queries a network to find the MAC Address for an IP Address. The Windows command to use ARP is easy, it's just 'arp'!
This question is filed under objective 4, Troubleshooting
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a communication protocol used for discovering the link layer address, such as a MAC address, associated with a given internet layer address, typically an IPv4 address This mapping is a critical function in the Internet protocol suite ARP was defined in 1982 by RFC 826, which is Internet Standard STD 37 ARP has been implemented with many combinations of network and data link layer technologies, such as IPv4, Chaosnet, DECnet and Xerox PARC Universal Packet (PUP) using IEEE 802 standards, FDDI, X25, Frame Relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) In Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) networks, the functionality of ARP is provided by the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP)… Read More
7) What type of IP address should be a assigned to a server?
A server needs to be accessed at all times, with outages kept to a minimum. Using anything but static IP addresses will cause issues when clients attempt to access the server. If the Ip changed, the network and clients will have to learn about the change.
This question is filed under objective 2, Network operations
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication An IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) defines an IP address as a 32-bit number However, because of the growth of the Internet and the depletion of available IPv4 addresses, a new version of IP (IPv6), using 128 bits for the IP address, was standardized in 1998 IPv6 deployment has been ongoing since the mid-2000s IP addresses are written and displayed in human-readable notations, such as 172… Read More
8) You need to confirm the configuration of a NIC, what command should you use?
The ipconfig command will present you with information on all NIC's on a computer or server.
This question is filed under objective 4, Troubleshooting
9) If a CAT5 cable is longer than the standard maximum length, which problem is most likely to be an issue?
Db (Decibel) levels will decrease, causing errors and loss of data. For CAT cables, the standard maximum is 100 meters, anything beyond that will be unreliable.
This question is filed under objective 1, Network Architecture
The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement corresponding to one tenth of a bel It is used to express the ratio of one value of a power or field quantity to another, on a logarithmic scale, the logarithmic quantity being called the power level or field level, respectively It can be used to express a change in value (eg, +1 dB or −1 dB) or an absolute value In the latter case, it expresses the ratio of a value to a fixed reference value when used in this way, a suffix that indicates the reference value is often appended to the decibel symbol… Read More
10) You suspect a hacker has accessed the network. Which of the following may help you confirm your suspicion?
System logs will show every event on an operating system. This is very useful to find if some one accessed the system, among many other things.
This question is filed under objective 3, Network security
In computing, a log file is a file that records either events that occur in an operating system or other software runs, or messages between different users of a communication software Logging is the act of keeping a log In the simplest case, messages are written to a single log file A transaction log is a file (ie, log) of the communications between a system and the users of that system, or a data collection method that automatically captures the type, content, or time of transactions made by a person from a terminal with that system For Web searching, a transaction log is an electronic record of interactions that have occurred during a searching episode between a Web search engine and users searching for information on that Web search… Read More
11) What media would be best for a backbone connection, which will connect multiple floors of a large buildings network with thousands of users?
Because your traversing different levels, wireless is out. Coax isn't practical to begin with, so that leave Ethernet and Fiber. The question specifies this is a large building, with a large network, so fiber is the best choice.
This question is filed under objective 1, Network Architecture
Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of infrared light through an optical fiber The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information Fiber is preferred over electrical cabling when high bandwidth, long distance, or immunity to electromagnetic interference is required This type of communication can transmit voice, video, and telemetry through local area networks or across long distancesOptical fiber is used by many telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals, Internet communication, and cable television signals Researchers at Bell Labs have reached internet speeds of over 100 petabit×kilometer per second using… Read More
12) Which of the following is a technology used specifically for wireless communications?
CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) is a technology in networking when each node senses if anyone else is communicating. If the node senses that some one else is using the network, then it will wait and try again in a moment. CSMA/CD (Carrier Detection) is not used with wireless because a single antenna cannot send & receive at the same time and therefor can't detect detection.
This question is filed under objective 2, Network operations
Carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) in computer networking, is a network multiple access method in which carrier sensing is used, but nodes attempt to avoid collisions by beginning transmission only after the channel is sensed to be "idle" When they do transmit, nodes transmit their packet data in its entirety It is particularly important for wireless networks, where the collision detection of the alternative CSMA/CD is not possible due to wireless transmitters desensing their receivers during packet transmission CSMA/CA is unreliable due to the hidden node problemCSMA/CA is a protocol that operates in the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model… Read More
13) Which wireless encryption protocol supports the AES cipher?
WPA2 (WiFi Protected Access v2) supports the use of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) for encryption.
This question is filed under objective 1, Network Architecture
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2), and Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) are three security and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks The Alliance defined these in response to serious weaknesses researchers had found in the previous system, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)WPA (sometimes referred to as the draft IEEE 80211i standard) became available in 2003 The Wi-Fi Alliance intended it as an intermediate measure in anticipation of the availability of the more secure and complex WPA2, which became available in 2004 and is a common shorthand for the full IEEE 802… Read More
14) Which command will give you a list of host names connected to the local network?
Nbtstat will query the network for hostnames, while nslookup queries for domain name to IP. Nbtstat is often found only on 64 bit (not 32 bit) Windows Operating Systems.
This question is filed under objective 2, Network operations
NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NBT, or sometimes NetBT) is a networking protocol that allows legacy computer applications relying on the NetBIOS API to be used on modern TCP/IP networks NetBIOS was developed in the early 1980s, targeting very small networks (about a dozen computers) Some applications still use NetBIOS, and do not scale well in today's networks of hundreds of computers when NetBIOS is run over NBF When properly configured, NBT allows those applications to be run on large TCP/IP networks (including the whole Internet, although that is likely to be subject to security problems) without change NBT is defined by the RFC 1001 and RFC 1002 standard documents… Read More
15) The transmission of bits is considered to be on which layer in the OSI model?
Each bit is represented by a physical signal, either electric or optic. Because it is a physical signal, it resides on layer 1 (Physical layer) of the OSI model.
This question is filed under objective 5, Industry standards, practices, and network theory
In the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking, the physical layer or layer 1 is the first and lowest layer This layer may be implemented by a PHY chip The physical layer defines the means of transmitting raw bits over a physical data link connecting network nodes The bitstream may be grouped into code words or symbols and converted to a physical signal that is transmitted over a transmission medium The physical layer provides an electrical, mechanical, and procedural interface to the transmission medium The shapes and properties of the electrical connectors, the frequencies to broadcast on, the line code to use and similar low-level parameters, are specified by the physical layer… Read More
16) Your company wants to allow only HTTPS traffic to a web server, what port should be allowed?
HTTPS uses TCP port 443 and HTTP uses TCP port 80
This question is filed under objective 3, Network security
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) It is used for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet In HTTPS, the communication protocol is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS) or, formerly, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) The protocol is therefore also referred to as HTTP over TLS, or HTTP over SSL The principal motivations for HTTPS are authentication of the accessed website, and protection of the privacy and integrity of the exchanged data while in transit It protects against man-in-the-middle attacks, and the bidirectional encryption of communications between a client and server protects the communications against eavesdropping and… Read More
17) Which cable type would be a cost effective choice for a data center with large amounts of servers?
STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) is a type of Ethernet that has an EMI resistant jacket. Because there are a large amount servers, STP is necessary. UTP should be avoided in data centers because they are susceptible to crosstalk. Fiber is incorrect because the question specifies we need a cost effective solutions. Typically, fiber will be used on trunk and backbone connections.
This question is filed under objective 2, Network operations
Twisted pair cabling is a type of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purposes of improving electromagnetic compatibility Compared to a single conductor or an untwisted balanced pair, a twisted pair reduces electromagnetic radiation from the pair and crosstalk between neighboring pairs and improves rejection of external electromagnetic interference It was invented by Alexander Graham Bell… Read More
18) What is the effect of increasing antenna gain on an access point?
Increasing antenna gain will increase the amount of energy projected in a certain direction (gain). This will increase the distance of travel, and therefor the overall cell size of the AP.
This question is filed under objective 1, Network Architecture
In electromagnetics, an antenna's power gain or simply gain is a key performance number which combines the antenna's directivity and electrical efficiency In a transmitting antenna, the gain describes how well the antenna converts input power into radio waves headed in a specified direction In a receiving antenna, the gain describes how well the antenna converts radio waves arriving from a specified direction into electrical power When no direction is specified, "gain" is understood to refer to the peak value of the gain, the gain in the direction of the antenna's main lobe A plot of the gain as a function of direction is called the gain pattern or radiation pattern… Read More
19) How many collision and broadcast domains are present on a 24-port router?
A router separates both collision and broadcast domains. This means each port will represent it's own domains. Because there are 24 ports, there are 24 broadcast and 24 collision domains.
This question is filed under objective 1, Network Architecture
A collision domain is a network segment connected by a shared medium or through repeaters where simultaneous data transmissions collide with one another The collision domain applies particularly in wireless networks, but also affected early versions of Ethernet A network collision occurs when more than one device attempts to send a packet on a network segment at the same time Members of a collision domain may be involved in collisions with one another Devices outside the collision domain do not have collisions with those inside Only one device in the collision domain may transmit at any one time, and the other devices in the domain listen to the network and refrain from transmitting while others are already transmitting in order to avoid… Read More
20) An employee connects to her desktop from her home computer, using the built in Windows Remote Desktop feature. What port is she most likely using?
Windows remote desktop uses RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) which uses port 3389 as it's default port.
This question is filed under objective 2, Network operations
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft which provides a user with a graphical interface to connect to another computer over a network connection The user employs RDP client software for this purpose, while the other computer must run RDP server software Clients exist for most versions of Microsoft Windows (including Windows Mobile), Linux, Unix, macOS, iOS, Android, and other operating systems RDP servers are built into Windows operating systems an RDP server for Unix and OS X also exists By default, the server listens on TCP port 3389 and UDP port 3389Microsoft currently refers to their official RDP client software as Remote Desktop Connection, formerly "Terminal Services Client"… Read More
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