Free Practice Questions for CompTIA N10-009 Exam

When high-bandwidth services like videoconferencing are introduced, two primary factors may degrade performance:

Incorrect QoS Settings (E):QoS (Quality of Service) is used to prioritize traffic. If not configured correctly, critical services like video may not get the necessary bandwidth and prioritization.

Network Congestion (F):Video services consume large amounts of data. If the network doesn’t have sufficient bandwidth or is not segmented properly, congestion will slow down all services.

DNS misconfiguration (A) would affect name resolution, not bandwidth.

Malware (C) could degrade performance, but is not tied to the described scenario.

Outdated software (D) may affect performance in some cases, but not directly linked to network congestion in this case.

Inadequate network security (B) isn ' t likely to cause general slowness related to video traffic.

✅ So, the most likely culprits are E. Incorrect QoS settings and F. Network congestion.

Routers determine the best route to a destination using longest prefix match. This means the router chooses the route entry with the most specific matching network prefix for the destination IP address. For example, if a routing table contains 10.1.0.0/16 and 10.1.2.0/24, a packet destined to 10.1.2.50 matches both entries, but the router prefers /24 because it is more specific (longer mask). Network+ (N10-009) routing fundamentals emphasize that route selection begins with prefix length specificity before considering other factors within the same prefix length (such as administrative distance and metric, depending on the platform).

“Shortest prefix match” is the opposite of correct behavior. “Routes learned from EIGRP” and “routes learned from OSPF” describe sources of routes, not the general selection rule routers use when multiple matching routes exist. Even if routes come from different protocols, the router still applies selection logic; the universal rule for matching destination networks is longest prefix match. Hence, option C is correct.

IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) is the best choice for secure communication over the internet, as it provides encryption, authentication, and data integrity. It is widely used in VPNs and site-to-site secure tunnels.

Breakdown of Options:

A. DCI (Data Center Interconnect) – A general term for linking data centers, but it doesn’t specify a secure tunneling protocol.

B. GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation) – Encapsulates traffic but lacks encryption, making it less secure than IPSec.

C. VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) – Used for Layer 2 network overlays, not for securing communication over the internet.

D. IPSec – ✅ Correct answer. Provides encryption, authentication, and integrity for data over the internet.

The correct answer is B. Network. In the OSI model, packets are the protocol data unit associated with Layer 3, which is the Network layer. This is the layer where logical addressing and routing functions take place, and it is the layer most closely associated with devices such as routers and Layer 3 switches.

The question is specifically asking about troubleshooting an issue related to packets, not frames, segments, or bits. That wording matters because each OSI layer has its own PDU name. Transport uses segments, Data Link uses frames, and Physical deals with bits and the actual transmission medium. Since packets belong to Layer 3, the technician would most likely be interacting with devices and functions at the Network layer.

This is a common CompTIA style concept check. Students are expected to know the mapping between OSI layers and PDUs, along with the kinds of devices that operate at each layer. When the problem involves routing paths, IP addresses, or packets moving between networks, the best answer is usually the Network layer. That is why B is correct.

The correct metric is RTO (Recovery Time Objective). RTO defines the maximum acceptable time to restore services after a disruption, ensuring business continuity. For example, if the RTO is 4 hours, systems must be back online within that timeframe after an outage.

B. MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) measures reliability by calculating the average time between hardware failures.

C. RPO (Recovery Point Objective) defines how much data loss (in terms of time, such as last backup point) is acceptable.

D. MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) measures the average time taken to fix a failure but is not a predefined business requirement like RTO.

Organizations define RTOs during disaster recovery planning to align IT recovery capabilities with business needs.

References (CompTIA Network+ N10-009):

Domain: Networking Concepts — Business continuity metrics (RTO, RPO, MTBF, MTTR).

TheSession Layer(Layer 5 of the OSI Model) is responsible for setting up, managing, and tearing down sessions between applications. It maintains dialog control and synchronizes data exchange between systems.

Definition of Jumbo Frames:

Jumbo frames are Ethernet frames with more than 1500 bytes of payload, typically up to 9000 bytes. They are used to improve network performance by reducing the overhead caused by smaller frames.

Why Switches Support Jumbo Frames:

Switches are network devices designed to manage data packets and can be configured to support jumbo frames. This capability enhances throughput and efficiency, particularly in high-performance networks and data centers.

Incompatibility of Other Devices:

Access Point: Primarily handles wireless communications and does not typically support jumbo frames.

Bridge: Connects different network segments but usually operates at standard Ethernet frame sizes.

Hub: A simple network device that transmits packets to all ports without distinguishing between devices, incapable of handling jumbo frames.

Practical Application:

Enabling jumbo frames on switches helps in environments where large data transfers are common, such as in storage area networks (SANs) or large-scale virtualized environments.

Wi-Fi 6E is the best choice for high-density environments, such as a university campus. It:

Supports more devices with OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access)

Uses the 6GHz band, reducing congestion

Provides faster speeds and lower latency

This makes Wi-Fi 6E ideal for large networks with high-bandwidth demands, like those in a university setting.

Breakdown of Options:

A. Bluetooth – Used for short-range, low-power connections, not large-scale wireless networks.

B. Wi-Fi 6E – ✅ Correct answer. Designed for high-density environments, improving speed and efficiency.

C. 5G – Used for mobile networks, but not ideal for campus-wide local wireless infrastructure.

D. LTE – Used for cellular data, not for campus-wide Wi-Fi.

Disabling unused ports prevents unauthorized access and reduces the attack surface by ensuring that no inactive or unmonitored entry points are available for exploitation. Changing default passwords is critical for security because default credentials are widely known and can easily be exploited by attackers. These techniques are fundamental steps in hardening devices against unauthorized access and ensuring network security. References: CompTIA Network+ Exam Objectives and official study guides.

802.1X provides port-based Network Access Control (NAC). Ports remain in a blocked state until a device authenticates (usually with RADIUS). This is ideal for public or semi-public areas where ports should not be “always on.”

A. Port security restricts by MAC addresses but does not authenticate users.

C. MAC filtering is easily spoofed and weaker than 802.1X.

D. ACLs filter traffic but do not enforce port-based authentication.

References (CompTIA Network+ N10-009):

Domain: Network Security — NAC, 802.1X authentication, port-based security.

The correct answer is Autonomous system path because BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) prevents routing loops by using the AS_PATH attribute. According to CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) objectives under routing protocols, BGP is a path vector protocol used to exchange routing information between autonomous systems (AS) on the internet.

When a BGP router advertises a route, it includes its autonomous system number (ASN) in the AS_PATH attribute. As the route passes through additional autonomous systems, each AS appends its own ASN to the path. If a BGP router receives a route advertisement that already contains its own ASN in the AS_PATH list, it recognizes this as a loop and rejects the route. This mechanism effectively prevents routing loops across large-scale networks such as the internet.

Option B (Peer autonomous system) refers to neighboring BGP routers but does not describe the loop prevention mechanism. Option C (Autonomous system length) relates to path selection metrics, as shorter AS_PATH lengths are generally preferred, but this is not the loop avoidance function itself. Option D (Public autonomous system) is not a loop prevention mechanism.

Therefore, BGP uses the AS_PATH attribute for loop avoidance.

Troubleshooting poor performance of a newly installed access point involves multiple steps. Checking for network bottlenecks and ensuring the device firmware is up to date are crucial first steps. The document confirms:“Network bottlenecks can severely limit the performance of even the fastest wireless access points, so it’s essential to verify that no other devices are causing a slowdown. In addition, keeping firmware updated ensures optimal performance and security.”

If a SQL server is allowing FTP access to all users, the most direct and best practice action is to disable unused services/ports on the server itself. Network+ (N10-009) security objectives emphasize host hardening and the principle of least functionality: only required services should be running and listening. If FTP is not required for the SQL server’s role, stopping and disabling the FTP service (and closing the associated ports on the host firewall) reduces the attack surface regardless of network firewall rules. This approach ensures the server cannot be reached via FTP even if it is placed on a different network segment or if upstream controls are misconfigured later.

Changing default passwords is important, but it does not address the unnecessary exposure of an unneeded service. Deleting NGFW rules that allow all FTP traffic could help at the perimeter, but it may unintentionally break legitimate FTP usage elsewhere and still doesn’t guarantee the server isn’t reachable from internal networks. Switch ACLs along SQL traffic paths are indirect and easy to misapply; they also add operational complexity and may not cover all access paths. The best “only required services are allowed” control is to disable the unused service/ports on the server.

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RPO (Recovery Point Objective) describes a data recovery goal by defining the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. For example, an RPO of 4 hours means the organization must be able to restore data to a point no more than four hours before the outage—so backups, replication, or snapshots must occur frequently enough to meet that target. In Network+ (N10-009) operations objectives, disaster recovery and business continuity concepts include understanding recovery metrics and how they influence backup strategies, replication design, and service resilience planning. RPO specifically answers: “How much data can we afford to lose?”

By contrast, MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) is a reliability metric describing how often failures occur. MTTR (Mean Time To Repair/Recover) measures how long it takes to restore a system after failure, which is more aligned with service restoration time rather than data loss. BCP (Business Continuity Plan) is the overall plan/process for keeping critical business functions running during disruptions; it is not a single data recovery metric. Therefore, RPO is the correct term for a data recovery goal.

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The correct solution is a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN caches web content (like images, videos, scripts) on distributed servers close to end users. This reduces latency, improves load times, and decreases the load on origin servers. For a business requiring high-speed access to media-rich content, a CDN is the most effective option.

B. SAN (Storage Area Network) is used for storage in a data center, not for distributing web content.

C. Firewall secures traffic but doesn’t accelerate content delivery.

D. Switches forward packets within a LAN, not globally distribute content.

By leveraging CDNs, businesses can handle large traffic volumes efficiently while improving user experience.

References (CompTIA Network+ N10-009):

Domain: Network Infrastructure — CDNs, caching, performance optimization.