CompTIA Network+ Practice Exam 1 (72 Questions)

The ipconfig utility can be used to view the TCP/IP configuration on a Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2003 system. None of these operating systems support the graphical winipcfg utility (answer B). The netstat utility (answer A) is used to view protocol statistics information. The ping utility (answer C) is used to test the connectivity between two systems on a TCP/IP network.

The figure shows a star topology.

The purpose of a firewall system is to protect one network from another. One of the most common places to use a firewall is to protect a private network from a public one such as the Internet. Answer A is incorrect because although a firewall can provide a single point of access, that is not its primary purpose. Answer B more accurately describes the function of a proxy server. Answer C describes the function of a DNS server.

A wireless AP has a limited range in which it can send and receive data signals. When a client system moves out of this range, client network access will either fail or be inconsistent. Answers A and C are incorrect because a misconfigured SSID or incompatible WEP settings would prevent communication between the wireless AP and client. Answer D is incorrect because an omnidirectional antenna is the type of antenna that would be used in this setting.

The NetBIOS computer name is not supplied to client systems by a DHCP server.

The default subnet mask for a Class B network is 255.255.0.0. Answer A is incorrect because it is not the default subnet mask for a Class B network. Answer B is not the default subnet mask for a Class B network; it is the default subnet mask for a Class C network. Answer C is the local loopback address.

Of the devices listed, only a router operates at the network layer of the OSI model. Answers A and B are incorrect because an AP and a switch are both considered data link layer devices. Answer C is incorrect because a hub is considered a physical layer device.

Both email and FTP work at the application layer of the OSI model. Email and FTP are application-layer protocols, not session or presentation layer protocols. User (answer D) is not a layer of the OSI model.

The purpose of Power over Ethernet (PoE) is to allow electrical power to be transmitted over twisted pair Ethernet cable. The power is transferred, along with data, to provide power to remote devices. These devices may include remote switches, wireless access points, Voice Over IP (VoIP) equipment, and more.

The Service Set Identifier (SSID) is a unique identifier sent over the WLAN that acts as a simple password used when a client attempts to access an access point. The SSID is used to differentiate between networks; therefore, the client system and the AP must use the same SSID. WEP represents a form of wireless security, and the wireless channel is the band of frequency used for the wireless communication.

FTP can be used to transfer files between Windows and UNIX systems. FTP is part of the TCP/IP protocol suite and is platform-independent. The Telnet utility is used to open a virtual terminal session on a remote host (answer A). PPP (answer B) is used to establish communications over a serial link. PPTP (answer D) is used to establish a secure link over a public network such as the Internet.

DNS is a platform-independent protocol used to resolve hostnames to IP addresses. TCP (answer A) is a network-layer connection-oriented protocol. ARP (answer B) resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses. The UDP protocol (answer D) is a connectionless protocol and is part of the TCP/IP protocol suite.

The netstat -a command can be used to display the current connections and listening ports. The ping utility (answer A) is used to test connectivity between two devices on a TCP/IP network. Telnet (answer C) is an application-level protocol that allows a virtual terminal session on a remote host. The tracert utility (answer D) allows a path to be traced between two hosts.

In this scenario, your first step is to gather information by examining the server log files. When you have that information, you can proceed with the rest of the troubleshooting process. Rebooting the server (answer B) is unlikely to cure the problem. Before you reinstall the printer (answer C) or printer software (answer D), you should examine the log files to see if they report any problems.

IP is responsible for network addressing. SSH, HTTP, and TCP are not responsible for network addressing.

In a typical configuration, a wireless antenna can be either omnidirectional or directional. An omnidirectional antenna provides a 360-degree dispersed wave pattern. This provides an even signal in all directions. Directional antennas are designed to focus the signal in a particular direction. Omni-dispersed and directional-dispersed are not valid types of antennas.

A VLAN is implemented on a switch to create multiple separate networks. A proxy server (answer A) is used to control access to the Internet. Subnet masking (answer B) is not a valid method of creating separate networks. NAS (answer C) describes storage devices that are attached directly to the network medium.

tracert is a Windows command that can be used to display the full path between two systems, including the number of hops between the systems. The ping utility (answer A) can be used to test connectivity between two devices, but it only reports the time taken for the round-trip; it does not give information about how long it takes to complete each hop in the route. The Telnet utility (answer B) is used to open a virtual terminal session on a remote host. The nbtstat command (answer D) is used to view statistical information about a system’s NetBIOS status.

UDP is a connectionless protocol. TCP (answer A) is a connection-oriented protocol. IP (answer C) is also a connection-oriented protocol. THC (answer B) is not a valid protocol.

10Base-T has a maximum segment length of 100 meters. The maximum length of a 10Base2 segment (answer A) is 185 meters. The maximum length of a 10Base-FL segment (answer B) is 2,000 meters. Answer C is not a valid networking standard.

Fiber-optic cable can use either SC- or ST-type connectors. RJ-11 connectors (answer A) are associated with telephone cable, RJ-45 connectors (answer C) are associated with UTP cable, and BNC connectors (answer E) are associated with thin coaxial cable.

The netstat utility can be used to display protocol statistics and TCP/IP network connections. The nbtstat utility (answer B) shows statistical information about the NetBIOS over TCP/IP connections. The ping utility (answer C) is used to test the connectivity between two devices on a TCP/IP network. The tracert utility (answer D) traces the path between two hosts on a TCP/IP network.

The arp -a command is used to display the IP addresses that have been resolved to MAC addresses. The nbtstat command (answer B) is used to view protocol statistics for NetBIOS connections. arp -d (answer C) is used to delete entries in the ARP cache. The arp -s command (answer D) allows you to add static entries to the ARP cache.

IPv4 broadcast addresses are IP address that can target all systems on a subnet or network instead of single hosts. In other words, a broadcast message goes to everyone on the network or to a specific network segment. Answer A, multicast, sends data to an entire identified group of network users. Answer B, unicast, sends data to a specific system. Answer D is incorrect because anycast is not a valid networking term.

Class A subnets use the range 1 to 126 for the value of the first octet. Answer B is the loopback address, which allows the IP stack functionality to be tested. Answers C and D are both addresses in the Class B range (128 to 191).

Because the system errors are over the entire network, it is likely that the cause of the problem lies with the virus suite, because it is installed on all computers. To troubleshoot such a problem, it would be a good idea to check for patches or updates on the vendor’s website. A problem with a RAID array (answer A) would affect only the server on which it is installed, not the entire network. Because the office suite (answer B) was installed on only some of the systems, it can be eliminated as a problem, because all the systems are affected. The virus software (answer D) appears to be the cause of the problem, but reinstalling it is unlikely to help.

TCP operates at the transport layer of the OSI model. TCP does not operate at the network, session, or presentation layers.

Of the protocols listed, only AFP (AppleTalk Filing Protocol) is not part of the TCP/IP protocol suite. Answers B, C, D, and E are all used in TCP/IP networks.

In this scenario, you would first check the remote-access gateway to see if it is running and operating correctly. Because the user can browse web pages, this is not a connectivity problem. Answer B is incorrect because, although rebooting the system might help, the system appears to be working correctly, so rebooting it is unlikely to cure the problem. The IP address configuration appears to be working, because the user can access web pages, so answer C is incorrect. The Internet connection appears to be working, so cycling the power on the DSL modem, as described in answer D, is unlikely to help.

To specify a TCP/IP port other than the default of 80, simply append the port number to the end of the address, using a colon (:) to separate the two.

The most likely cause of the problem is that the default gateway is not configured. Answer A is incorrect because from the output it appears that the DNS servers are on the same subnet as this system. Answer B does not apply because addressing is configured statically, so there is no DHCP service. This is not a problem, however. Answer C is incorrect because the subnet mask is the correct default subnet mask for a Class C network.

The output displayed in this question is from the Windows tracert utility. The utilities in answers A, B, and C produce different output from what is shown.

SMTP is used to send email and is a protocol within the TCP/IP protocol suite. Answer A is not a valid protocol. Answers B and D are incorrect because POP3 and IMAP are email retrieval protocols, not protocols for sending email.

Private address ranges are designed for use on private networks. The ranges are 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x to 172.32.x.x, and 192.168.x.x. Therefore, answers A, B, and C are all valid private IP address ranges.

The WPA wireless security protocol uses TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol), which scrambles encryption keys using a hashing algorithm. Then the keys are issued an integrity check to verify that they have not been modified or tampered with during transit. Answers A and B are incorrect because TKIP encryption is not used with WEP. Answer D is not a valid encryption protocol.

The IPv4 address 127.0.0.1 is reserved as the loopback address. IPv6 has the same reservation. IPv6 address 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 is reserved as the loopback address. The address can also be shown using the :: notation with the 0s removed, resulting in ::1.

The most likely explanation is that port 443, the HTTPS default port, is being blocked by a corporate firewall. Port 80 (answer A) is used by HTTP. All modern web browsers support HTTPS automatically; therefore, answer C is incorrect. Port 110 (answer D) is used by POP3.

The ifconfig command is used on a Linux system to determine the system’s IP configuration. Answer B is incorrect because with NetWare, you use the config command to obtain information about network addresses. Answer C is incorrect because on a Windows system, the ipconfig command is used to view the networking configuration, including the IP address. Answer D is incorrect because the ifconfig command can be used on UNIX/Linux platforms to view the networking configuration.

The netstat -s command can be used to display per-protocol statistics. The arp command (answers A and B) is used to view a list of the IP address-to-MAC address resolutions performed by the system. The nbtstat utility (answers C and D) is used to view protocol statistics for the NetBIOS protocol.

The 100Base-TX standard specifies twisted-pair UTP cable. Answer B is incorrect because 10Base-FL is a fiber standard and uses fiber-optic cable. There is no standard called 100Base-UX (answer C). 10Base2 (answer D) is an Ethernet networking standard that specifies thin coaxial cable.

Category 6 high-performance UTP cable can transmit data up to 10Gbps. Category 6 has a minimum of 250MHz of bandwidth and specifies cable lengths of up to 100 meters, with 10/100/1000Mbps transfer, along with 10Gbps over shorter distances. Answers B and C are incorrect because they are not copper-based media, but fiber. Answer A is not a valid standard.

The ping -t command is used to send continuous ping requests to a remote system. The ping request continues until it is stopped manually. The traceroute utility (answer A) shows the route taken by a packet to reach the destination host. The ping command (answer B) shows how long a packet takes to complete the round-trip from the host to the destination. Answer C is incorrect because the ping command with the -n switch allows the number of ping messages to be specified.

The first octet of a Class B address must be in the range 128 to 191. Answers B and C represent Class A addresses, which run from 1 to 126. Answer D is not a valid IP address; it is the subnet mask for a Class C network.

To prevent unauthorized access to a private network from the Internet, you can use a firewall server to restrict outside access. Implementing a more secure password policy (answer A) is a good idea, but it is not the best choice. Implementing a file-level encryption system (answer C) is a good idea, but it is not the best choice. Kerberos (answer D) is an authentication system, not a method to prevent unauthorized access to the system.

To verify the local IP configuration, you can either ping the localhost or use the IP address 127.0.0.1. The default hostname for a system is localhost, not host, which means that answer A is incorrect. Answer D is incorrect because this is the network address for the Class A loopback address, not a valid node loopback address.

A network hub operates at the physical layer of the OSI model. A router operates at the network layer of the OSI model. A bridge operates at the data link layer of the OSI model. A NIC operates at the data link layer of the OSI model.

CSMA/CD relates to the IEEE specification 802.3. The 802.11b standard (answer A) describes wireless LAN networking. The 802.2 standard (answer B) defines the media access methods for various networking standards. The 802.5 standard (answer C) defines token ring networking.

RIP is a distance-vector routing protocol used on TCP/IP networks. Answer A is incorrect because ARP is a component of the TCP/IP protocol suite used to resolve MAC addresses to IP addresses. Answer B is incorrect because NLSP is a link-state routing protocol used on IPX networks. Answer C is incorrect because OSPF is a link-state routing protocol used on TCP/IP networks.

The MAC address is a 6-byte address expressed in six pairs of hexadecimal values. Because it is hexadecimal, only the letters A through F and numbers can be used. Answer B is incorrect because MAC addresses are expressed as six hexadecimal pairs. Answer C is an example of an IPv4 address. Answer D is an example of an IPv6 address. Answer E is incorrect because MAC addresses are expressed in hexadecimal; therefore, only the letters A through F and numbers can be used.

DNS allows hostname resolutions to occur internally. In most cases, companies use a DNS server provided by the ISP. In some cases, however, it might be appropriate to have a DNS server on the internal network. Answer A is incorrect because NAT is normally a function of firewall or proxy servers. Answer B describes the purpose of a WINS server. Answer D describes the function of a proxy server.