Aligned to N10-009 official exam objectives across all 5 domains. Covers networking concepts, implementation, operations, security, and troubleshooting.
Level: Beginner
Grade band: Certification
Time: about 35 hours
Outcomes
- Explain the OSI model, TCP/IP stack, and common protocols and ports
- Implement wired and wireless network infrastructure
- Monitor, document, and maintain network operations
- Apply network security controls and identify common vulnerabilities
- Troubleshoot connectivity, performance, and security issues
Domain 1 — Networking Concepts (23%)
OSI Model, Protocols & Ports
- OSI and TCP/IP models: layers, PDUs, encapsulation — 25 min
- Common ports and protocols: DNS, DHCP, HTTP/S, FTP, SSH, SMTP, SNMP, RDP — 25 min
- TCP three-way handshake, connection termination, UDP characteristics — 25 min
- DNS record types: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, PTR, TXT, NS, SOA — 25 min
- DHCP process: DORA, scopes, leases, options, relay agents — 25 min
Topologies & Addressing
- Network topologies: star, mesh, bus, ring, hybrid; IP addressing and subnetting — 25 min
- IPv4 subnetting: CIDR notation, subnet masks, network/broadcast/host addresses — 25 min
- IPv6 addressing: types, notation, autoconfiguration (SLAAC), DHCPv6 — 25 min
- VLANs and network segmentation: purpose, configuration, inter-VLAN routing — 25 min
Domain 2 — Network Implementation (20%)
Cabling, Wireless & Devices
- Cabling and connectors: Cat 5e/6/6A, fiber (SMF/MMF), LC/SC/ST, RJ-45, twinaxial — 25 min
- Wireless standards: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, channels, WPA2/WPA3, SSID, BSSID — 25 min
- Network devices: switches, routers, firewalls, IDS/IPS, load balancers, VPN concentrators, NAS/SAN — 25 min
- Routing protocols: RIP, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP — purpose and characteristics — 25 min
- Spanning Tree Protocol: STP, RSTP, port roles, port states, BPDU — 25 min
- WAN technologies: MPLS, SD-WAN, broadband, leased lines, cellular, satellite — 25 min
Domain 3 — Network Operations (17%)
Monitoring, Documentation & High Availability
- Network monitoring: SNMP, syslog, NetFlow, SIEM, baseline metrics — 25 min
- Network documentation: diagrams, IP schema, change management, disaster recovery — 25 min
- High availability: redundancy, HSRP/VRRP, link aggregation, load balancing — 25 min
- Backup and recovery: full, incremental, differential; 3-2-1 rule, RTO, RPO — 25 min
- Network performance optimization: QoS, traffic shaping, bandwidth management — 25 min
Domain 4 — Network Security (20%)
Security Concepts, Attacks & Hardening
- Network attacks: DoS/DDoS, MITM, ARP poisoning, VLAN hopping, DNS spoofing — 25 min
- Network hardening: ACLs, port security, 802.1X, NAC, firewall rules, VPNs — 25 min
- Wireless security threats: evil twin, deauthentication, WPS attacks, rogue APs — 25 min
- Firewalls: stateful vs stateless, UTM, NGFW, WAF, DMZ architecture — 25 min
- VPN types: site-to-site, remote access, SSL/TLS, IPsec, split tunneling — 25 min
Domain 5 — Network Troubleshooting (20%)
Troubleshooting Methodology & Tools
- Troubleshooting methodology: identify, establish theory, test, implement, verify, document — 25 min
- Troubleshooting tools: ping, traceroute, nslookup, netstat, Wireshark, cable tester, OTDR — 25 min
- Troubleshooting wired connectivity: cable faults, duplex mismatch, VLAN issues, STP problems — 25 min
- Troubleshooting wireless: signal strength, interference, channel overlap, authentication failures — 25 min
- Troubleshooting routing: missing routes, incorrect AD, route redistribution issues — 25 min
Start the first lesson: OSI and TCP/IP models: layers, PDUs, encapsulation