Essential Questions
- How can I get the best performance out of a network? What can I do to determine it is working optimally?
- What are common network issues that I can resolve? How do I do that?
- What if the problem isn’t with my network?
Big Ideas
So many people rely on connecting to the Internet most of the day. Sometimes they’ll do that on networks that you support. Those networks should operate efficiently and effectively so people can access them easily and find or share data quickly and effectively.
When issues arise with a network, you can apply the CompTIA A+ Troubleshooting model to diagnose and hopefully solve those problems, whether those are related to hardware or cables or with the performance of the network itself.
Command-line tools can be used for troubleshooting some network issues. Even though these are not on the 1001 exam, they are an easy and effective strategy for diagnosing some network problems.
Connection to Student Lives
Don’t you hate it when you can’t connect to the Internet? How often have you gone into a restaurant, coffee shop, or other store and asked, “Is there Wi-Fi?” Isn’t it frustrating when you do connect and it’s slow or just doesn’t work? It’s not just frustrating to you. So many people are dependent on being able to access a network wherever they are, that when it’s not working they feel like something has been taken from them. If you consider access to a network as the ability to connect with others and find information, then yes, when a network doesn’t work, those things have been taken from you. Keeping network connections running effectively and efficiently has become an important service for every IT department.
Framing Problem
Just as there were many components for installing and configuring wired and wireless networks, there are a number of different troubleshooting issues students should know about and be able to address to overcome network issues. Command-line tools are not on the 1001 exam but are an important method for resolving some network issues so are worth exploring this week. At the end of each week, students should determine the best documentation to add to the Knowledge Base.
Cornerstone Assessment
Students will document their troubleshooting efforts for each of the problems presented each week. There are multiple problems to troubleshoot each week. At the end of the week, students should determine the best documentation to add to the Knowledge Base.
DPI Standards
- NCCTE.2020.II21.02.08 - Use appropriate networking tools.
- NCCTE.2020.II21.05.07 - Troubleshoot common wired and wireless network problems.
- NCCTE.2020.II22.01.04 - Use appropriate Microsoft command line tools.
- NCCTE.2020.II22.03.01 - Troubleshoot Microsoft Windows OS problems.
A+ Standards
TOPIC 9E: Troubleshoot Network Connections
Knowledge
- Troubleshoot Network Connections
Radio Frequency (RF) signal
Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)
Wi-Fi Analyzer software
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
Skills
Apply (or explain how to use) the CompTIA A+ Troubleshooting model to network connection issues, such as
- Common wired and wireless network connectivity issues
- IP configuration issues using command-line tools
- IP connectivity issues
- Routing issues
- Internet access issues or unavailable local network resources
Vocabulary
Troubleshoot Network Connections
Radio Frequency (RF) signal
Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)
Wi-Fi Analyzer software
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
Weekly Map
Monday
Introduction to problem: Documenting Troubleshooting Strategies for Network Connections in the Knowledge Base
Online Pre-assessment (available for student practice, as well)
Review the use of the troubleshooting model from the previous week and consider adjustments for the current week
Team meetings to develop project plan and goals
Tuesday
Hands-on exploration: Troubleshooting common wired and wireless connectivity Issues
Review content resources with whole group, small group, or independently
Contribute to team project
Wednesday
Hands-on exploration: Troubleshooting IP configuration and IP connectivity issues
Review content resources with whole group, small group, or independently
Team progress check with supervisor (using project plan)
Thursday
Hands-on exploration: Troubleshooting routing issues and Internet access or unavailable local network resources
Review content resources with whole group, small group, or independently
Activity 9-7: Discussing Network Connection Troubleshooting
Contribute to team project
Friday
Hands-on exploration: Troubleshooting Printers. Activity 9-8: Troubleshooting Network Connections
Sharing of progress with whole group: Documenting Troubleshooting Strategies for Network Connections in the Knowledge Base
Online post-assessment
Lesson Ideas
As in module 5 where students installed and configured wired and wireless networks, troubleshooting networks can have many components, especially if you have time to explore the command-line tools and Windows OS problems. These last two topics are not on the 1001 exam, but they are helpful to know and use for troubleshooting network issues. Activity 9-8 does provide an overview of troubleshooting network connections with explicit steps. It is scheduled for Friday as a review but can be offered any time during the week, or even on multiple days across the week, as a framing problem.
There may be some network issues you cannot replicate, especially if you do not have some administrator rights to the network. This is the case in some districts where IT departments want to ensure data and devices shared on the network remain safe and secure. In this case, you may have to discuss network issues rather than resolve them through hands-on practice.
Another strategy is to encourage network technicians to visit your class and share their experiences on some of the topics addressed in the Instructor Guide. If they can’t attend in person, perhaps they can use web- or videoconferencing software, and if they can’t attend every class, consider recording the sessions so you can use them again.
This is the final opportunity to review the students’ use of the Troubleshooting Model from the previous weeks. They could be asked to write out or state the steps of the model and describe what happens in each step. Hopefully by this point they will not have any problems remembering or replicating the model when it counts, like on the 1001 exam.
Potential Resources
The Official CompTIA A+ Core 1 & Core 2 Instructor Guide for Exams 220-1001 and 220-1002
- Topic 8A: Wired Networks (480-495)
- Activity 8-1: Discussing Wired Networks (496-497)
- Topic 8B: Network Hardware Devices (498-505)
- Activity 8-2: Discussing Network Hardware Devices (506-507)
- Topic 8C: Wireless Networks (508-512)
- Activity 8-3: Wireless Networks (513)
CompTIA also offers videos for purchase through their website or on ITPro.TV.
Professor Messer at ProfessorMesser.com and YouTube offers numerous free videos of various lengths for many of the topics for the CompTIA 220-1001 A+ Exam. They are easy to understand, narrated videos with visuals. If you are teaching a CompTIA course, the site notes “You’re welcome to use them as much as you’d like, provided you embed the videos with the associated YouTube link or link directly to my site. Please click the “Contact Us” link at the top of our web page and let me know how you’re using them.”
- Professor Messer’s 220-1001 Core 1 CompTIA A+ Training Course videos on ProfessorMesser.com. Search or scroll to find the topics you’re interested in.
- Professor Messer’s CompTIA 220-1001 A+ Training Course playlist on YouTube
Entry Level I.T. Training from Technology Gee
- Networking Tools (Article | Video – 9:30) introduced previously
- Troubleshooting Networks (Article | Video – 7:35)
- Microsoft Command Line Tools (Article | Video – 7:09) optional
- Troubleshooting Microsoft Windows (Article | Video – 7:50) optional
PowerCert Animated Videos on YouTube
- IPCONFIG Explained – Flush DNS Cache (8:54)
- PING Command – Troubleshooting (9:13)
- PING and TRACERT (traceroute) networking commands (4:39)
- Traceroute (tracert) Explained – Network Troubleshooting (9:54)
- NETSTAT Command Explained (6:10)
Tutorials from Cisco:
Articles and Other Resources:
Diagnosing network issues
A Guide to Network Troubleshooting: Basic Steps, Tips and Tools from CompTIA
IT Pro Guide to the Most Common Network Troubleshooting Techniques and Best Practices from DNSStuff
8 Easy-to-Do Ways to Troubleshoot Network Connections by Christopher Jan Benitez for Help Desk Geek
How to Troubleshoot Network Connectivity Problems for Windows by Hari Subedi for Jones IT
IPconfig
How to Use ipconfig Command with Examples from Meridian Outpost, a digital business and IT support company
Ipconfig – Windows Command LIne Utility by Bradley Mitchell for Lifewire
Ping
How to use the ping command to Test Your Network by Brady Gavin for How-To Geek
Ping Command by Tim Fisher for Lifewire
Tracert
How to Use tracert to Troubleshoot TCP/IP Problems in Windows from Microsoft Support
How to Use Traceroute to Identify Network Problems by Chris Hoffman for How-To Geek
Tracert Command by Tim Fisher for Lifewire
Internet availability
12 Tips to Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection by John R. Delaney & Whitson Gordon for PC Magazine
Unavailable Network Resources
Fix Network Resource Unavailable Error on Windows 10 Now! By Alexandra Bagratian for auslogics, an Australian computer maintenance and optimization company
How to fix Windows 10 “Network Resource Unavailable” Errors by Rich Edmonds for Windows Central