3/6/2002 -- For those of you considering Network+ as your next certification goal, you may or may not realize that the objectives for the exam have recently been revised. On January 31st, CompTIA released new objectives for the popular Network+ exam. While the new objectives take effect at this date, there is a grace period for which you can still test under the old objectives. However, the deadline is approaching soon: The grace period ends on March 14th, 2002. After this date, the old exam will no be longer available.

Although the new exam retains the majority of the information from the old exam, there are some changes to the objective groups. Whereas the old exam had two main objective groups, the new exam is divided into four main domains. In addition, the exam has been updated to reflect new networking trends and technologies. In this months column, Ill take a look at some basic information on the new topics covered in the 2002 Network+ objectives

Exam Overview
Network+ is one of the most widely recognized ventral-neutral networking certifications available today. Whereas the former Network+ exam was geared toward beginning-level professionals with 18-24 months of experience working in IT, the new exam is directed at candidates nine months of experience in a network-specific capacity.

The test consists of 72 questions and is scored on a scale of 100 to 900, with the minimum passing score being 646. The maximum time allotted for the exam is 90 minutes. The exam can be taken either at VUE or Prometric testing centers worldwide. The exam code for the Network+ exam is N10-002.

The four main subject matter domains (and their weighting) for the new exam are:

• Media & Topologies (1.0) -- 20 percent
• Protocols & Standards (2.0)-- 25 percent
• Network Implementation (3.0) -- 23 percent
• Network Support (4.0) -- 32 percent

The following sections discuss some of the sub-objectives that are new to the latest release of the Network+ exam.

Specifying Standards (1.3)
There are a two new topics that you'll need to be familiar with in this Media & Technologies sub-domain: 100BASE-FX and Gigabit Ethernet.

100BASE-FX is a networking standard that supports a data transfer rate of 100 Mbps (megabits per second). The previous 100BASE standards (100BASE-T and 100BASE-TX) are based on the older Ethernet standard. 100BASE-FX is based on the CSMA/CD LAN access method. 100BASE-FX uses fiber-optic cable, the physical topology supported by 100BASE-FX fiber optic link segments is the star, and the maximum segment length for 100BASE-FX is 412 meters, or 1351 feet.

Gigabit Ethernet is a LAN architecture that is based on the Ethernet frame format. Gigabit Ethernet most often utilizes fiber optic cabling, although copper cabling can be used for shorter cable runs of 100 meters or less. Gigabit Ethernet supports transfer rates of 1,000 megabits (or 1 Gigabit) per second. Gigabit Ethernet uses two main types of topologies: CSMA/CD and Full Duplex. The CSMA/CD IEEE 802.3 standard supports a 100-meter cabling distance over all media options. Full duplex supports variable cabling distances, depending on the cabling capabilities. (Editor's Note: For more on this topic, see our fiber optic primer.)

Identifying Network Components (1.6)
The new addition in this category (also from the Media & Topologies domain) is wireless access points. A wireless access point is a network device that facilitates communication between wireless network clients. Make sure you are familiar with the different types of vendor wireless access points available.

Identifying Network Services (2.7)
CompTIA has added two Microsoft networking components to this Protocols and Standards sub-objective: Network Address Translation (NAT) and Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). NAT is the Internet standard that enables the network to use two sets of IP addresses: one set for internal traffic, and a second set for external traffic. NAT provides firewall-type protection by hiding internal IP addresses; it also allows for the company to use more internal IP addresses. Because the addresses are used only internally, theres no chance of IP address conflict with IPs used by other facilities.

ICS is a sharing feature found in many Microsoft operating systems, including Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It allows you to connect multiple machines in a small office or home office to the Internet. ICS provides network address translation, addressing, and name resolution services for all computers on the network. Be sure you are familiar with both of these networking components.

Identifying Security Protocols (2.13)
The objectives for the revised Network+ exam include a few security protocols not covered by the old objectives: SSL, IPSec, L2TP and Kerberos. The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol was developed for the purpose of encrypting documents sent over the Internet. IPSec (IP Security) is a protocol that negotiates encryption and authentication at the IP level. IPSec will encrypt all transmissions between two hosts. L2TP (Layer Two Tunneling Protocol) is an extension of PPTP. L2TP is most commonly used to establish a VPN connection via the Internet. Originally developed by MIT, Kerberos is the default authentication protocol for Microsoft operating systems. Kerberos lets a client request an encrypted ticket via an authentication process that is then used to request a type of service from a server.

Identifying Characteristics of VLANs (3.3)
In the Network Implementation domain, you now need to know about virtual LANs. A virtual LAN (also called a logical LAN) is another new addition to the revised Network+ objectives. A VLAN is a LAN that maps clients, workstations, and devices on a basis that is not specific to a geographical area. For example, you might have a VLAN that is mapped by company departments, or by types of users. In this manner, a VLAN administrator can manage tasks such as load balancing and bandwidth allocation with little trouble.

Troubleshooting Small Office/Home Office Failure (4.2)
In this component, under the Network Support domain, you will need to understand the different types of Internet connection options that have emerged. These are primarily Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable modems.

DSL allows for high-bandwidth transmission into homes and small business environments. Within the realm of DSL, there are four distinct categories: ADSL (asymmetric DSL), SDSL (symmetric DSL), HDSL (high-data-rate DSL) and VDSL (very high-speed DSL). The different types of DSL lines have specific uses and transfer rates.

For the exam, make sure you understand the situations in which each should be used. Knowing the transfer rates for each would be helpful as well.

The cable modem, the direct competitor to DSL, is used frequently for high-speed home and home office Internet connections. Cable Internet service can usually provide about 27 Mbps download and about 2.5 Mbps for upload. If the local cable provider is only utilizing a T-carrier system, then 1.5 Mbps is more likely the rate. The system uses a standard coaxial cable for the cabling side.

Don't Stop There
Above are the main points to be aware of if you were studying for the old exam and now find yourself having to take the new version. However, you should, of course, review the new objectives in their entirety. You can find them here. For more information about Network+ in general, click here.