Network+ Study Tips

Know the different layers of the OSI model. Although only the first four layers are covered in depth, know what occurs in these four layers and what networking equipment is used to get the job done.

Know which protocols are connection oriented and which ones are connectionless.

Only a few cable types are covered. Fiber Optic is covered briefly and Wireless is not covered at all.

Know IP addressing, TCP/IP and Domain Name Services (DNS). The exam covers the importance of the Internet and Intranets extensively in the field of networking.

Remember that a packet of data arrives successfully at its destination in a TCP/IP Internetwork, when the IP address and application port number is embedded in the TCP/IP header.

Note: the combination of IP address and port number is called a socket.

Know the purpose of the TCP/IP utilities and how they appear on the screen. As a practice tip, on a Windows-based computer, connect to the Internet and then use the utilities to see them in action. You need to provide an IP address or host name to use the utilities.

With remote connectivity, know that a modem is used for analog signal transmission between computers over phone lines, and ISDN uses digital signal transmission over phone lines. ISDN is also much faster.

PPP is the preferred remote access protocol over SLIP.

PPTP is used to create Virtual Private Networks so that sensitive information can be securely transmitted over public lines.

For security purposes, remember that user-level security is preferred over share-level security, and that Firewalls are used to control access between private and public networks.