CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) glossary
Terms selected for CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) based on common objective language and practice focus.
APIPA
Automatic Private IP Addressing in 169.254.0.0/16 when DHCP is unavailable.
Read full term ->ARP
Address Resolution Protocol maps IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses on a local network.
Read full term ->Cable Tester
A diagnostic tool that verifies continuity and pinout of network cables.
Read full term ->CIDR
Classless Inter-Domain Routing notation that represents subnet masks as prefix length.
Read full term ->Crimper
Hand tool used to attach connectors such as RJ45 to network cable.
Read full term ->Default Gateway
Router address used to forward traffic outside the local subnet.
Read full term ->DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol automatically assigns network settings.
Read full term ->DNS
Domain Name System translates hostnames into IP addresses.
Read full term ->IPv4
Internet Protocol version 4 with 32-bit addressing.
Read full term ->IPv6
Internet Protocol version 6 with 128-bit addressing.
Read full term ->Loopback Plug
Tool that loops signal for basic interface testing.
Read full term ->MAC Address
Hardware identifier assigned to a network interface at Layer 2.
Read full term ->NAT
Network Address Translation maps private IP addresses to public addresses for internet access.
Read full term ->PoE
Power over Ethernet delivers electrical power and data on one cable.
Read full term ->Punchdown Tool
Tool used to terminate twisted-pair wires into jacks and patch panels.
Read full term ->RJ45
Connector standard used for twisted-pair Ethernet cables.
Read full term ->SFP
Small form-factor pluggable transceiver for switch and router uplinks.
Read full term ->SSID (Service Set Identifier)
SSID is a unique identifier that wireless clients use to distinguish between different wireless networks.
Read full term ->Subnet Mask
A value used to split IP addresses into network and host portions.
Read full term ->TCP
Connection-oriented protocol offering reliable ordered data delivery.
Read full term ->Tone Generator and Probe
Toolset for tracing and identifying cable runs.
Read full term ->Troubleshooting Methodology
Structured process to identify, test, fix, verify, and document issues.
Read full term ->UDP
Connectionless protocol with low overhead and no delivery guarantee.
Read full term ->VLAN
Logical segmentation of a switched network into separate broadcast domains.
Read full term ->Wi-Fi Analyzer
Tool used to inspect wireless channels, signal levels, and interference.
Read full term ->Wireless Interference
Signal disruption from overlapping channels or non-Wi-Fi radio sources.
Read full term ->WPA2
Wireless security standard using robust AES-based encryption.
Read full term ->WPA3
Latest Wi-Fi security protocol providing stronger encryption and individualized data protection.
Read full term ->Change Management
A systematic approach to dealing with the transition or transformation of an organization's goals, processes, or technologies.
Read full term ->Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is a security process that requires users to provide multiple forms of identification before granting access to resources.
Read full term ->RDP
Remote Desktop Protocol for remote graphical access to Windows systems.
Read full term ->Social Engineering
Manipulation techniques that exploit human psychology to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or performing insecure actions.
Read full term ->VPN
Virtual private network that encrypts traffic between endpoint and remote network.
Read full term ->Cold Site
Disaster recovery facility with minimal pre-installed systems requiring setup before use.
Read full term ->Failover
Failover is the process of automatically switching to a standby server or system when the primary one fails.
Read full term ->High Availability
High availability refers to systems that are continuously operational with minimal downtime, often achieved through redundancy and failover mechanisms.
Read full term ->Hot Site
Fully provisioned disaster recovery site that can assume workloads quickly.
Read full term ->Latency
Latency is the delay between a request and the response in a network, affecting the speed of data transmission.
Read full term ->Load Balancer
Device or service that distributes incoming traffic across multiple backend servers for availability and performance.
Read full term ->Network ACL
A Network Access Control List (ACL) is an optional layer of security for your VPC that acts as a firewall for controlling traffic in and out of one or more subnets.
Read full term ->Network Time Protocol (NTP)
NTP is a protocol used to synchronize the clocks of computers over a network, ensuring accurate timekeeping.
Read full term ->RPO
Recovery Point Objective is the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time.
Read full term ->RTO
Recovery Time Objective is the maximum acceptable time to restore service after an outage.
Read full term ->Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Formal commitment defining service expectations such as uptime and support response.
Read full term ->Throughput
Actual rate of successful data transfer through a network path.
Read full term ->Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
A VPC is a private cloud computing environment hosted within a public cloud, providing a virtualized network environment that is logically isolated from other cloud tenants.
Read full term ->Warm Site
Partially provisioned recovery site with moderate activation time.
Read full term ->Zero-Touch Provisioning
Automated onboarding method that configures devices with minimal manual intervention.
Read full term ->IoT
Internet of Things, network-connected physical devices that collect and exchange data.
Read full term ->LAN
Local Area Network connecting devices within a limited geographic area.
Read full term ->Router
Network device that forwards traffic between different IP networks.
Read full term ->Switch
Network device that forwards frames within a local network using MAC addresses.
Read full term ->WAN
Wide Area Network connecting systems across large geographic distances.
Read full term ->Wireless Standard
Defined specification governing wireless protocol behavior and compatibility.
Read full term ->dig
DNS lookup tool for querying records and troubleshooting name resolution.
Read full term ->LDAP
Directory access protocol used for querying and managing identity directory services.
Read full term ->SFTP
Secure file transfer protocol running over SSH.
Read full term ->SSH
Secure Shell protocol for encrypted remote command-line access.
Read full term ->traceroute (Linux)
Linux utility that traces packet path toward a remote host.
Read full term ->802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)
Wireless standard operating in 5 GHz with higher throughput than earlier generations.
Read full term ->802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Wireless networking standard focused on higher efficiency and better performance in dense environments.
Read full term ->Access Control List (ACL)
ACLs are used to filter network traffic and control access to network resources by defining rules that permit or deny traffic.
Read full term ->Antenna
An antenna is a device used to transmit and receive radio waves, crucial for wireless communication.
Read full term ->Anycast
Addressing and routing method where multiple hosts share an address and nearest node responds.
Read full term ->ARP Spoofing
ARP spoofing is a technique used to send fake ARP messages to a local area network, resulting in the linking of an attacker's MAC address with the IP address of a legitimate computer or server.
Read full term ->BGP
Border Gateway Protocol used to exchange routing information between autonomous systems on the internet.
Read full term ->Broadcast Domain
Network segment where broadcast frames are propagated to all hosts.
Read full term ->Cable Map
A cable map is a detailed diagram that shows the physical connections between network devices, including cable types and lengths.
Read full term ->Cat5e
Twisted-pair cable category supporting up to 1 Gbps at typical distances.
Read full term ->Cat6
Twisted-pair cable category designed for improved performance and reduced crosstalk.
Read full term ->Cat6a
Enhanced twisted-pair cable category supporting 10 Gbps over longer distances than Cat6.
Read full term ->CIA Triad
The CIA Triad is a model designed to guide policies for information security within an organization, focusing on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Read full term ->CIDR Summarization
Route aggregation technique that combines multiple prefixes into broader supernets.
Read full term ->Command Line Interface Tools (CLI Tools)
CLI tools are software programs used from a command line interface to perform various network configuration and troubleshooting tasks.
Read full term ->Cloud Gateway
A cloud gateway is a service that connects an on-premises network to a cloud network, facilitating data transfer and communication.
Read full term ->Collision Domain
Area of network where packet collisions can occur on shared media.
Read full term ->Content Filtering
Policy-based control that blocks or allows traffic based on content categories or rules.
Read full term ->Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
A DDoS attack involves multiple compromised systems attacking a single target, causing denial of service for users of the targeted system.
Read full term ->Device Hardening
The process of securing devices by reducing their attack surface through configuration changes and security controls.
Read full term ->DHCP Snooping
Layer 2 security feature that blocks rogue DHCP server activity on switches.
Read full term ->DNS Poisoning
Attack where DNS records are altered to redirect users to malicious destinations.
Read full term ->Denial of Service (DoS)
A DoS attack is an attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting services.
Read full term ->802.1Q
VLAN tagging standard used to carry multiple VLANs over a trunk link.
Read full term ->Dynamic Routing
Dynamic routing is a networking technique that automatically adjusts the paths that data packets take through a network based on current conditions.
Read full term ->EIGRP
Cisco-developed dynamic routing protocol for efficient route exchange within networks.
Read full term ->End of Life/End of Support (EOL/EOS)
EOL and EOS refer to the stages in a product's lifecycle when it is no longer manufactured or supported by the vendor.
Read full term ->Evil Twin
An evil twin is a fraudulent Wi-Fi access point that appears to be legitimate but is set up to eavesdrop on wireless communications.
Read full term ->First Hop Redundancy Protocol (FHRP)
FHRP is a protocol used to ensure high availability of the default gateway by allowing multiple routers to provide backup for each other.
Read full term ->Fiber Optic Cable
Cabling medium that transmits data as light for high speed and long distance links.
Read full term ->Firewall
A network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an organization's previously established security policies.
Read full term ->FTP
File Transfer Protocol for transferring files between systems.
Read full term ->FTPS
File Transfer Protocol secured with TLS encryption.
Read full term ->General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
GDPR is a legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information from individuals who live in the European Union (EU).
Read full term ->Geofencing
Policy control that restricts access based on geographic location.
Read full term ->Honeynet
A honeynet is a network set up with intentional vulnerabilities to invite attacks and study hacker behavior.
Read full term ->Honeypot
Decoy system designed to attract and study attacker behavior.
Read full term ->Hop
A single routed transition from one network device to another.
Read full term ->HTTP
Protocol used for web communication without encryption.
Read full term ->HTTPS
HTTP secured by TLS to protect web traffic confidentiality and integrity.
Read full term ->IDS
Intrusion Detection System that monitors traffic and alerts on suspicious behavior.
Read full term ->IPAM
IP Address Management tracks and plans IP address allocation across the network.
Read full term ->IPS
Intrusion Prevention System that can actively block malicious traffic.
Read full term ->Jitter
Variation in packet delay that can affect real-time communication quality.
Read full term ->Jumbo Frames
Jumbo frames are Ethernet frames with more than 1500 bytes of payload, used to increase data transfer efficiency by reducing overhead.
Read full term ->Link Aggregation
Technique combining multiple physical interfaces into one logical connection.
Read full term ->LLDP
Link Layer Discovery Protocol used by devices to advertise identity and capabilities on local links.
Read full term ->MAC Flooding
MAC flooding is a network attack that sends numerous packets to a switch, each with a different source MAC address, to overwhelm the switch's MAC address table.
Read full term ->MTU
Maximum Transmission Unit defining largest packet size sent over an interface.
Read full term ->Multicast
One-to-many traffic delivery to subscribed receivers.
Read full term ->NAC
Network Access Control evaluates device posture and identity before granting network access.
Read full term ->Network Attached Storage (NAS)
NAS is a file-level storage architecture that makes stored data more accessible to networked devices.
Read full term ->Network Address Translation / Port Address Translation (NAT/PAT)
NAT/PAT is a method used to map private IP addresses to public IP addresses, allowing multiple devices to share a single public IP.
Read full term ->Network Security Group
A network security group contains security rules that allow or deny inbound network traffic to, or outbound network traffic from, several types of Azure resources.
Read full term ->Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)
NFV is a network architecture concept that uses IT virtualization technologies to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may connect, or chain together, to create communication services.
Read full term ->OSI Model
The OSI Model is a conceptual framework used to understand network interactions in seven layers: Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, and Application.
Read full term ->OSPF
Open Shortest Path First is a link-state routing protocol that calculates the best path using cost metrics.
Read full term ->Packet Loss
Condition where network packets fail to reach their destination.
Read full term ->PCI DSS
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.
Read full term ->PKI
Public Key Infrastructure for issuing, managing, and validating certificates.
Read full term ->Port Mirroring
Switch feature that copies traffic to a monitoring interface for analysis.
Read full term ->Protocol Analyzer
A protocol analyzer is a tool used to capture and analyze signals and data traffic over a network, often used for troubleshooting and network diagnostics.
Read full term ->Precision Time Protocol (PTP)
PTP is a protocol used to synchronize clocks throughout a computer network, achieving high accuracy and precision.
Read full term ->QoS
Quality of Service controls that prioritize critical traffic classes.
Read full term ->Rack Diagram
A rack diagram is a visual representation of the equipment in a server rack, showing the placement and connections of devices.
Read full term ->RFC 1918
RFC 1918 defines a set of IP addresses reserved for private networks, which are not routable on the public internet.
Read full term ->Route Poisoning
Routing technique marking failed paths with infinite metric to prevent loops.
Read full term ->SAN
Storage Area Network provides block-level access to shared storage over a dedicated fabric.
Read full term ->Screened Subnet
A screened subnet, also known as a DMZ, is a physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization's external-facing services to an untrusted network, usually the internet.
Read full term ->Signal Strength
Signal strength refers to the power level being received by the wireless client, which affects the quality and reliability of the wireless connection.
Read full term ->Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC)
SLAAC is a method used in IPv6 networks that allows devices to automatically configure their own IP addresses without the need for a DHCP server.
Read full term ->SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol collects and organizes device metrics for monitoring.
Read full term ->Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Layer 2 protocol preventing switching loops by blocking redundant paths.
Read full term ->Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
STP is a network protocol that ensures a loop-free topology for Ethernet networks by blocking redundant paths.
Read full term ->Split Tunnel VPN
VPN mode where only selected traffic is routed through encrypted tunnel.
Read full term ->Stateful Switchover (SSO)
SSO is a high availability feature that enables a standby router to take over without losing state information, minimizing downtime.
Read full term ->Static Routing
Static routing is a network routing technique in which routes are manually entered into the routing table by an administrator.
Read full term ->Subnetting
Subnetting is the process of dividing a network into smaller, more manageable pieces, or subnets, each with its own range of IP addresses.
Read full term ->Syslog
Syslog is a standard protocol used to send system log or event messages to a centralized server for monitoring and analysis.
Read full term ->TACACS+
AAA protocol commonly used for administrative access to network devices.
Read full term ->Telnet
Legacy remote terminal protocol that transmits data without encryption.
Read full term ->Traceroute
Diagnostic tool that shows packet path and delay across network hops.
Read full term ->Unicast
One-to-one traffic communication from one sender to one receiver.
Read full term ->Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM)
VLSM allows network administrators to divide an IP address space into subnets of different sizes, optimizing the allocation of IP addresses.
Read full term ->VPN Concentrator
Dedicated device or service that manages many simultaneous VPN sessions.
Read full term ->VXLAN
Virtual Extensible LAN encapsulates Layer 2 frames in UDP packets to create overlay networks across Layer 3.
Read full term ->Wireless Authentication
Wireless authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or device trying to connect to a wireless network.
Read full term ->