Learn About CompTIA Network+ 2009 exam

  By Certification Magazine —

The following are questions from MeasureUp’s Practice Test for the CompTIA N10-004: Network+ 2009 exam.

The audience for this exam includes individuals who are in the early stages of a career in information technology (IT) networking. This includes positions such as network technicians, network installers and help-desk and support staff. This exam not only includes the new technologies that you would expect in an updated exam, but it also requires quite a bit more technical knowledge in many areas than exam N10-003 (Network+ 2007) requires. CompTIA recommends that candidates for Network+ certification have nine to 12 months of experience in the IT networking field. Candidates should also have A+ certification or the equivalent knowledge.

Passing N10-004 earns a candidate one of the certifications required by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Directive 8570.1. This directive mandates that both DOD employees and contractors who work with the DOD on any security-related initiative must receive proper training and earn one or more network-related and security-related certifications.

You may also use these questions to prepare for CompTIA’s Network+ Bridge Exam , BR0-002. If you passed the 2005 or 2007 version of Network+, you can take the shorter Bridge exam that focuses only on the new topics to update your certification.

Objective: Network media and topologies.
Sub-objective: Install components of wiring distribution.

Single answer, multiple-choice

In a telecommunication wiring distribution design, what type of device acts as the demarcation point (demark)?

A.    66 block
B.    Smart jack
C.    Main Distribution Frame (MDF)
D.    Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF)

Answer:
B

Tutorial:
A smart jack acts as the demark in telecommunication distribution. The demark refers to the point where the telephone network ends and the customer equipment begins. A smart jack, also referred to as a network interface device (NID) or network interface unit (NIU), performs telephone network interface functions enabling the connection to the telephone company network.

A 66 block does not act as the demark. A 66 block is a component in the customer’s on-premise wiring. It is a punch-down block with 50 rows of 4 clips used for terminating telephone lines.

An MDF does not act as a demark. An MDF typically is found at the telephone company central office or local loop, but it also can be installed on the customer premises in a large installation. It is used as a termination point for trunk cables and a connection point for IDFs.

An IDF does not act as a demark. An IDF provides the intermediate connection to the customer telecommunication equipment and typically is connected to a punch-down block or patch panel that is then connected to the customer equipment.

For example, when wiring a large office building, you might have an MDF when the building connects to the telephone network. You could then have an IDF on each floor that connects to the MDF through vertical cross connects between floors. Finally, the patch panels used for the final wiring would connect to the IDFs.

References:
intermediate distribution frame
TechTarget.com
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213773,00.html

66 block
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/66_block

Network interface device
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_interface_device

Main distribution frame
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_distribution_frame

Demarcation point
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demarcation_point

Objective: Network devices.
Sub-objective: Identify the functions of specialized network devices.

Single answer, multiple-choice

You need to prioritize network traffic so you can control data transmission rates by port usage. What should you use?

A.    Multilayer switch
B.    Content switch
C.    Bandwidth shaper
D.    Load balancer

Answer:
C

Tutorial:
You should use a bandwidth shaper, also known as a traffic shaper, to prioritize network traffic so that you can control data transmission rates by port usage. A bandwidth shaper can delay packets, letting you control bandwidth usage, a process known as bandwidth throttling, effectively limiting the transmission rate for the data packets. Many bandwidth shapers can categorize traffic by protocol or port and control transmission rates based on these categories.

A bandwidth shaper usually is employed as one of multiple quality of service (QoS) mechanisms. QoS often is implemented through a set of control mechanisms used to ensure minimum service levels for critical or high-bandwidth applications.

You should not use a multilayer switch. A multilayer switch is a network switch that operates at different layers within the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model. The simplest type of multilayer switch is a layer 3 (Network layer) switch that also provides high-speed routing. Some multilayer switches can perform various functions, operating up through layer 7 (Application layer) of the OSI model.

You should not use a content switch. A content switch is a specific type of multilayer switch that is used to balance the load among network servers of the same type, such as a Web farm with multiple Web servers. A content switch often also performs network address translation (NAT) for the servers, hiding the server address from the clients accessing the servers.

You should not use a load balancer. A load balancer performs the same basic function as a content switch, balancing the traffic load among multiple servers.

References:
Traffic shaping
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_shaping

Multilayer switch
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilayer_switch

Quality of service
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_service

Objective: Network management.
Sub-objective: Explain different methods and rationales for network performance optimization.

Single answer, multiple-choice

You are deploying voice over IP (VoIP) on your network. You need to be able to ensure VoIP is given priority so it has sufficient bandwidth. What should you do?

A.    Configure load balancing.
B.    Implement traffic shaping.
C.    Configure high availability features.
D.    Implement data caching.

Answer:
B

Tutorial:
You should implement traffic shaping, also known as bandwidth shaping, on the network. Traffic shaping lets you prioritize traffic based on various factors, including port and protocol usage. Lower-priority traffic can be delayed to provide sufficient bandwidth (throughput) for the higher-priority VoIP traffic. Traffic shaping is one of the technologies that can help ensure quality of service. QoS assures that minimum performance levels are provided to critical network services.