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 internal addresses to public addresses.
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, the name of a wireless network.
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 ->WPA2
Wireless security standard using robust AES-based encryption.
Read full term ->WPA3
Newer Wi-Fi security standard with stronger protections than WPA2.
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 ->Change Management
Formal process for reviewing, approving, implementing, and documenting system changes.
Read full term ->RDP
Remote Desktop Protocol for remote graphical access to Windows systems.
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
Automatic or manual switch to standby components when primary systems fail.
Read full term ->High Availability
Design goal of maximizing uptime through redundancy and resilient architecture.
Read full term ->Hot Site
Fully provisioned disaster recovery site that can assume workloads quickly.
Read full term ->Latency
Time delay between request and response in a system or network.
Read full term ->Load Balancer
Service or device that distributes traffic across multiple backend resources.
Read full term ->Network ACL (NACL)
Stateless subnet-level traffic filter that evaluates ordered allow and deny rules.
Read full term ->RPO
Recovery Point Objective, the maximum acceptable data loss measured in time.
Read full term ->RTO
Recovery Time Objective, the target duration to restore service after disruption.
Read full term ->Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Formal commitment defining service expectations such as uptime and support response.
Read full term ->Warm Site
Partially provisioned recovery site with moderate activation time.
Read full term ->NTP
Network Time Protocol used to synchronize clocks across systems.
Read full term ->Throughput
Actual rate of successful data transfer through a network path.
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 ->SSH
Secure Shell protocol for encrypted remote command-line access.
Read full term ->SFTP
Secure file transfer protocol running over SSH.
Read full term ->dig
DNS lookup tool for querying records and troubleshooting name resolution.
Read full term ->traceroute (Linux)
Linux utility that traces packet path toward a remote host.
Read full term ->802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Wireless networking standard focused on higher efficiency and better performance in dense environments.
Read full term ->802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)
Wireless standard operating in 5 GHz with higher throughput than earlier generations.
Read full term ->Anycast
Addressing and routing method where multiple hosts share an address and nearest node responds.
Read full term ->BGP
Border Gateway Protocol used for routing between autonomous systems.
Read full term ->Broadcast Domain
Network segment where broadcast frames are propagated to all hosts.
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 ->CIDR Summarization
Route aggregation technique that combines multiple prefixes into broader supernets.
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 ->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 ->802.1Q
VLAN tagging standard used to carry multiple VLANs over a trunk link.
Read full term ->EIGRP
Cisco-developed dynamic routing protocol for efficient route exchange within networks.
Read full term ->FHRP
First-hop redundancy protocol family that provides gateway resilience.
Read full term ->Fiber Optic Cable
Cabling medium that transmits data as light for high speed and long distance links.
Read full term ->FTPS
File Transfer Protocol secured with TLS encryption.
Read full term ->FTP
File Transfer Protocol for transferring files between systems.
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 ->IPS
Intrusion Prevention System that can actively block malicious traffic.
Read full term ->IPAM
IP address management process or platform used to plan, track, and allocate addresses.
Read full term ->Jitter
Variation in packet delay that can affect real-time communication quality.
Read full term ->LDAP
Directory access protocol used for querying and managing identity directory services.
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 ->MTU
Maximum Transmission Unit defining largest packet size sent over an interface.
Read full term ->PAT
Port Address Translation allowing multiple private hosts to share one public IP using ports.
Read full term ->OSPF
Open Shortest Path First dynamic routing protocol used within autonomous systems.
Read full term ->Packet Loss
Condition where transmitted packets fail to reach destination.
Read full term ->Port Mirroring
Switch feature that copies traffic to a monitoring interface for analysis.
Read full term ->QoS
Quality of Service controls that prioritize critical traffic classes.
Read full term ->Route Poisoning
Routing technique marking failed paths with infinite metric to prevent loops.
Read full term ->SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol for monitoring and managing network devices.
Read full term ->Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Layer 2 protocol preventing switching loops by blocking redundant paths.
Read full term ->Split Tunnel VPN
VPN mode where only selected traffic is routed through encrypted tunnel.
Read full term ->Syslog
Standardized logging protocol for sending event messages to centralized collectors.
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 ->Multicast
One-to-many traffic delivery to subscribed receivers.
Read full term ->VPN Concentrator
Dedicated device or service that manages many simultaneous VPN sessions.
Read full term ->VXLAN
Overlay networking technology extending Layer 2 segments over Layer 3 networks.
Read full term ->Honeypot
Decoy system designed to attract and study attacker behavior.
Read full term ->NAC
Network Access Control enforcing endpoint posture and admission policies.
Read full term ->TACACS+
AAA protocol commonly used for administrative access to network devices.
Read full term ->