CompTIA Server+ Study Guide

Troy McMillan, A+, Network+, Server+, CCNA, CCNP, writes practice tests, study guides, and online course materials for Kaplan IT Cert Prep. He holds more than 30 industry certifications, delivers certification training classes, appears in training videos, and runs his own consulting and training business.

• Introduction xxi Assessment Test liChapter 1 Server Hardware 1Server Form Factors 3Rack Mount 3Tower 6Blade Technology 7Installing and Configuring Server Components 11CPU 11RAM 16Bus Types, Bus Channels, and Expansion Slots 19NICs 21Hard Drives 22Riser Cards 25RAID Controllers 26BIOS/UEFI 26Firmware 28USB Interface/Ports 28Hot-Swappable Component 29Maintaining Power and Cooling Requirements 29Power 29Cooling 34Summary 37Exam Essentials 37Review Questions 39Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Servers 43Installing and Configuring Server Operating Systems 45Determining the Server Role/Purpose 45Updating Firmware 46BIOS/UEFI Configuration 46Disk Preparation 49Configuring Hostnames 54Local Account Setup 55Connecting to the Network 56Joining a Domain/Directory 56Addressing Security Concerns 57Enabling Services 58Installing Features, Roles, Applications, and Drivers 60Performance Baseline 60Unattended/Remote Installations 63Using Access and Control Methods to Administer a Server 66Local Hardware Administration 66Network-Based Hardware Administration 69Network-Based Operating System Administration 71Purpose and Operation of Virtualization Components 73Hosts and Guests 73Management Interface for Virtual Machines 74Hypervisor 74Hardware Compatibility List 77Resource Allocation Between Guest and Host 78Summary 85Exam Essentials 85Review Questions 87Chapter 3 Server Maintenance 91Server Roles and Requirements 93Web Server 93Application Server 94Directory Services Server 95Database Server 96File Servers 96Print Server 97Messaging Server 98Mail Server 98Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) Server 98Network Services Server 99Proper Server Maintenance Techniques 100Change Management 101Patch Management 101Outages and Service-Level Agreements 104Performance Monitoring 105Hardware Maintenance 108Fault Tolerance and High Availability Techniques 120Asset Management and Documentation 123Asset Management 123Documentation 125Secure Storage of Sensitive Documentation 129Summary 130Exam Essentials 130Review Questions 131Chapter 4 Storage Technologies 135Hardware and Features of Various Storage Technologies 136Direct Attached Storage (DAS) 136Network-Attached Storage (NAS) 136Storage Area Networks (SANs) 137Using iSCSI and FCoE 140JBOD 142Tape 142Optical Drive 144Flash, Compact Flash, and USB Drive 144Installing and Deploying Primary Storage Devices 144Disk Specifications 144Interfaces 146Hard Drive vs. SSD 150Summary 152Exam Essentials 152Review Questions 153Chapter 5 Identifying Capacity and Fault Tolerance Requirements 157Calculating Appropriate Storage Capacity and Planning for Future Growth 158Base 10 vs. Base 2 Disk Size Calculation 158Disk Quotas 159Compression 160Capacity Planning Considerations 160Configuring RAID 164RAID Levels and Performance Considerations 165Software vs. Hardware RAID 167Configuration Specifications 169Hot-Swap Support and Ramifications 171Hot Spare vs. Cold Spare 171Array Controller 171Summary 173Exam Essentials 173Review Questions 174Chapter 6 Securing the Server 179Physical Security Methods and Concepts 180Multifactor Authentication 180Security Concepts 181Server Hardening Techniques 187OS Hardening 187Endpoint Security 189Remediating Security Issues Based on a Vulnerability Scan 190Hardware Hardening 192Proper Environmental Controls and Techniques 196Power Concepts and Best Practices 197Safety 206Summary 215Exam Essentials 215Review Questions 216Chapter 7 Securing Server Data and Network Access 221Basic Network Security Systems and Protocols 222Firewall 222Network Access Control 226Router Access List 228NIDS 229Authentication Protocols 229PKI 230VPN 232IPsec 232VLAN 233Security Zones 234Logical Access Control Methods 235Access Control Lists 235Permissions 240Data Security Methods and Secure Storage Disposal Techniques 243Storage Encryption 243Storage Media 245Summary 247Exam Essentials 247Review Questions 248Chapter 8 Networking 253Configuring Servers to Use IP Addressing and Network Infrastructure Services 255IPv4 vs. IPv6 255Default Gateway 256CIDR Notation and Subnetting 256Public and Private IP Addressing 257Static IP Assignment vs. DHCP 258DNS 259NetBIOS 265WINS 265NAT/PAT 267MAC Addresses 267Network Interface Card Configuration 269Ports and Protocols 275TCP vs. UDP 275SNMP 161 276SMTP 25 276FTP 20/21 276SFTP 22 276SSH 22 276SCP 22 276NTP 123 277HTTP 80 277HTTPS 443 277Telnet 23 277IMAP 143 277POP3 110 277RDP 3389 277FTPS 989/990 278LDAP 389/3268 278DNS 53 278DHCP 68 278Cable Management Procedures 278Copper 278Fiber 281Connectors 282Cable Placement and Routing 285Summary 288Exam Essentials 289Review Questions 290Chapter 9 Disaster Recovery 293Disaster Recovery Principles 294Site Types 294Replication Methods 295Continuity of Operations 297Backup 298Methodology 299Backup Media 304Media and Restore Best Practices 305Media Storage Location 307Summary 309Exam Essentials 309Review Questions 310Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Hardware and Software Issues 315Troubleshooting Theory and Methodologies 317Identifying the Problem and Determining the Scope 317Establish a Theory of Probable Cause (Question the Obvious) 319Test the Theory to Determine Cause 320Establish a Plan of Action to Resolve the Problem and Notify Impacted Users 320Implement the Solution or Escalate as Appropriate 320Verify Full System Functionality and If Applicable Implement Preventative Measures 321Perform a Root Cause Analysis 321Document Findings, Actions and Outcomes Throughout the Process 321Troubleshooting Hardware Problems 322Common Problems 322Causes of Common Problems 328Environmental Issues 331Hardware Tools 333Troubleshooting Software Problems 334Common Problems 334Cause of Common Problems 343Software Tools 348Summary 360Exam Essentials 360Review Questions 361Chapter 11 Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues 365Diagnosing Network Problems 366Common Problems 366Causes of Common Problems 378Networking Tools 384Diagnosing Security Issues 391Common Problems 391Causes of Common Problems 393Security Tools 399Summary 404Exam Essentials 405Review Questions 406Chapter 12 Troubleshooting Storage Issues 411Troubleshooting Storage Problems 412Common Problems 412Causes of Common Problems 418Storage Tools 426Summary 438Exam Essentials 439Review Questions 440Appendix Answers to Review Questions 443Chapter 1: Server Hardware 444Chapter 2: Installing and Configuring Servers 445Chapter 3: Server Maintenance 447Chapter 4: Storage Technologies 448Chapter 5: Identifying Capacity and Fault Tolerance Requirements 450Chapter 6: Securing the Server 451Chapter 7: Securing Server Data and Network Access 453Chapter 8: Networking 455Chapter 9: Disaster Recovery 456Chapter 10: Troubleshooting Hardware and Software Issues 458Chapter 11: Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues 460Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Storage Issues 461Index 463