CompTIA Server+ Certification Guide

A comprehensive, end-to-end study guide for the SK0-004 certification, along with mock exams

Ron Price

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781789537918
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: System Administration
• Index: Computer Science

Master the concepts and techniques that will enable you to succeed on the SK0-004 exam the first time with the help of this study guide

Key Features

• Explore virtualisation, IPv4 & IPv6 networking, administration and more
• Enhancing limited knowledge of server configuration and function
• A study guide that covers the objectives for the certification examination

Book Description

CompTIA Server+ Certification is one of the top 5 IT certifications that is vendor neutral.System administrators opt for CompTIA server+ Certification to gain advanced knowledge of concepts including troubleshooting and networking.

This book will initially start with the configuration of a basic network server and the configuration for each of its myriad roles. The next set of chapters will provide an overview of the responsibilities and tasks performed by a system administrator to manage and maintain a network server. Moving ahead, you will learn the basic security technologies, methods, and procedures that can be applied to a server and its network. Next, you will cover the troubleshooting procedures and methods in general, and specifically for hardware, software, networks, storage devices, and security applications. Toward the end of this book, we will cover a number of troubleshooting and security mitigation concepts for running admin servers with ease. This guide will be augmented by test questions and mock papers that will help you obtain the necessary certification.

By the end of this book, you will be in a position to clear Server+ Certification with ease.

What you will learn

• Understand the purpose and role of a server in a computer network
• Review computer hardware common to network servers
• Detail the function and configuration of network operating systems
• Describe the functions and tasks of network operating system administration
• Explain the various data storage options on a computer network
• Detail the need for, and the functioning and application of, network and server security
• Describe the operational elements of a network provided by a server
• Explain the processes and methods involved in troubleshooting server issues

Who this book is for

This book is targeted towards professionals seeking to gain the CompTIA Server+ certification. People coming from a Microsoft background with basic operating system and networking skills will also find this book useful. Basic experience working with system administration is mandatory.

Section 1: System Architecture

This part of the book covers the configuration of a basic network server and the configuration appropriate to each of its myriad roles. The chapters in this part discuss hardware, operating systems, data storage, network addressing, and cabling.

The following chapters are included in this section:

• Chapter 1, Server Hardware
• Chapter 2, Server Internals
• Chapter 3, Data Storage
• Chapter 4, Server Operating Systems
• Chapter 5, Addressing
• Chapter 6, Cabling

Server Hardware

It's generally assumed that a computer network server, at least in the way we talk about it, is hardware first and software second. While it's easier to envision a computer as a network server, in fact, the server is a piece of software running on the computer. In its most strict definition, a server is anything that provides services to fulfill requests made to it. Therefore, someone who takes our order and brings us our meal in a restaurant is a server and, in the same way, software running on a computer that processes an SQL request on a database and returns the data to the requester is also a server. Regardless of the way you envision a server, for the sake of learning about servers, let's agree that a centralized computer running server software that provides services to a network is a server.

With that understanding, let's look at the various roles fulfilled by a computer network server and the hardware of a typical computer in the role of a server.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Server roles
• Form factors
• Server power systems
• System heat

Server roles

The software running on a server defines the role of that server. In fact, a server can have two or more different roles at times; it depends on the software. The list of the different roles a server can fulfill is long, but for the purposes of the Server+ exam, you should know the role and function of each of the following server types:

• Application server
• Database server
• Directory server
• File server
• Mail server
• Messaging server
• Network services server
• Print server
• Routing and remote access server
• Web server

The following sections explain each of these server roles.

Application servers

In the current environment of web-enabled or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications in the cloud, an application server functions much like the generic description given above. An application server often provides services for one or more applications and serves as a mid-level service between user requests and other server- or network-based functions, such as a database system . There are three basic types of application servers. Their differences lie in what they do and where they fit into a process. The three types of application servers are as follows:

• LAN application servers: This type of application server can exist internally within an organization's local network and provide data-processing support to network users on one or more applications. They may host an entire application's processing or share the processing with a user's computer. A common implementation of this type of application server is a three-tier client/server environment in which the application server is middle-ware between a network user and a database management system. The following diagram illustrates a three-tier client/server system:

In a three-tier client/server system, an application server provides services to both the user and a database management system or other function-specific servers

• Query-based application servers: This type of application server hosts one or more scripting or programming language services used to request data from a database. A user's computer may have an active dashboard, a status board, or a specific scripting or service request system, such as Active Server Page (ASP), JavaServer Pages (JSP), Django, or Ruby on Rails. The application server accesses a database and returns current or real-time data back to the client software.
• Application/web servers: In many cases, application servers are becoming web servers and vice versa. Either type of server can support Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request-and-response traffic and interact with client browsers. A stand alone web server (also called an HTTP server) typically includes several specialized scripts and database query services in addition to performing basic web server duties. A web-enabled application server includes the capability to deliver web content to a client's browser. Examples of web/application servers are IBM WebSphere, Oracle iPlanet, and Apache Tomcat, and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS).

Database servers

As shown in the preceding diagram, in the Application servers section, a database server provides an interface between client requests, either directly or through an application server, and a database management system and its database. In most cases, an application server passes data requests to the database server for the processing and retrieval of the requested data. The database server then returns the data back to the requesting node. In a database client/server environment, the database management system, which performs the input/output operations on the database, is the backend. The software running on a host computer or an application server is the frontend. Requests for data flow from the frontend to the backend and back again.

Directory servers

A directory server supports directory services. Okay, but what are directory services? Have you ever entered the lobby of a very tall building and used the directory board to locate where in the building the person or organization was that you needed to find? Typically, you'd find the name, which has the location on the same line. Sound familiar? Directory services cross-reference or map the names, designations, or locations of computer or network resources to their respective local or network addresses.

The resources identified and addressed typically include disk volumes, directories, folders, files, input devices, output devices, and any other devices attached or installed on a system. This service is essential in a network. With this information, a resource is located, used, and administered. Without directory services, network resource addressing would be like a town in which the houses don't have street addresses. Efficient network operations would be impossible. Directory services are also known as name services because they manage a namespace. A namespace is a data abstraction that holds a list of names or identities of system resources, in this case, and their network addresses or locations. The namespace allows users, applications, and other services to access resources without the need to know their locations ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright and Credits
• About Packt
• Contributors
• Preface
• Section 1: System Architecture
• Server Hardware
• Server Internals
• Data Storage
• Server Operating Systems
• Addressing
• Cabling
• Section 2: Administration
• Server Administration
• Server Maintenance
• Virtualization
• Disaster Recovery
• Section 3: Security
• Security Systems and Protocols
• Physical Security and Environmental Controls
• Logical Security
• Section 4: Troubleshooting
• Troubleshooting Methods
• Common Hardware Issues
• Common Software Issues
• Common Network Issues
• Common Storage Issues
• Common Security Issues
• CompTIA Server+ Examination
• Glossary
• Assessment
• Other Books You May Enjoy