The CompTIA Storage+ Powered by SNIA Certification is a vendor-neutral credential.While there is no prerequisite requirement, CompTIA recommends that the Storage+ certification is intended to follow one of the CompTIA foundational level exams A+,Network+, or Server+.
This exam will certify that the successful candidate has the knowledge and skills required to configure basic networks to include archive, backup, and restoration technologies.Additionally, the successful candidate will be able to understand the fundamentals of business continuity, application workload, system integration, and storage/system administration, while performing basic troubleshooting on connectivity issues and referencing documentation.1.0 Storage Components1.1 Describe disk types, components, and features.? SATA? Fibre Channel? SAS? SCSI? SSD? Spindle? Platter? Cylinder? Heads? Speeds? I/O vs. throughput? Capacity vs. speed1.2 Compare removable media types, components, and features.? Tape? Other removable media1.3 Given a scenario, install and maintain connectors and cable types (keeping in mind their properties).? Fiber cables? Copper cables? SAS1 and SAS2 port speeds1.4 Describe the uses of physical networking hardware.? Switch and features? HBA? CNA? Router1.5 Given a scenario, install and maintain modular storage array components.? Controller head? Disk enclosure? Hot pluggable1.6 Identify the following environmental concerns and their associated impacts.? HVAC? Fire suppression? Floor and rack loading? Adequate power1.7 Use appropriate safety techniques during installation and maintenance of storage equipment.? Proper lifting techniques? Weight considerations? Antistatic devices? Rack stabilization2.0 Connectivity2.1 Identify common storage networking industry terms.? Link? Oversubscription? Worldwide node name? Worldwide port name? Flow control? N-port ID? Buffer-to—buffer credit2.2 Explain the following storage networking industry terms.? Alias? Name service? Link? Connection? Initiator? Target? Fabric2.3 Given a scenario, implement the following fibre channel technologies.? Topologies? Implementations? Multipathing? Physical connections vs. logical connections? Protocols2.4 Given a scenario, implement the following Ethernet network technologies.? Features? Multipathing? Protocols2.5 Identify the basics of converged storage network technologies.? FCoE? DCB (DCE, CEE)? LLDP? Class of service? Priority tagging? Baby-Jumbo frames? 10GbE2.6 Given a scenario, use the appropriate network tools.? TCP/IP network? Fibre channel network2.7 Troubleshoot the following common networking problems.? Bad cables? Bad ports? Bad connectors? Incorrect configuration on NIC? Incorrect VLAN? Bad NIC? NIC improperly connected? Incorrect firewall settings2.8 Troubleshoot the following common fibre channel problems.? Zoning errors? Zoning misconfiguration? Failed GBIC or SFP? Failed HBA? Intermittent HBA? Connectivity? Interoperability issues? Hardware/software incompatibility? Outdated firmware/drivers? Failed cable? Misconfigured fibre channel cable2.9 Compare and contrast common storage infrastructures.? SAN? NAS? DAS3.0 Storage Management3.1 Explain the following RAID levels and associated properties.? Levels? Properties3.2 Given a scenario, execute storage provisioning techniques.? LUN provisioning? LUN masking and sharing? Thin provisioning? Best practices for disk provisioning3.3 Explain volume management concepts.? File vs. block level architecture? Configuration layer? Logical volume? Volume group? File system? Mount point3.4 Describe general virtualization concepts.? Virtual storage? Virtual provisioning of the host, array and fabric? LVM? VSAN/Virtual fabric? VLAN? NPIV3.5 Given a scenario, implement monitoring, alerting, and reporting.? Setting thresholds? Trending? Forecasting/capacity planning? Recording baseline? Setting alerts? Auditing log files? Alerting methods3.6 Explain management protocols, interfaces, and associated purpose.? Management protocols? Administration? In-band vs. out-of-band management3.7 Explain Information Lifecycle Management concepts.? Data migration strategies (HSM) and storage tiers? Archiving and purging? Compliance and preservation? Content Addressable Storage (CAS) / Object Oriented Storage(OOS)? Value of data based on frequency of access3.8 Explain the various functions and differences of de-duplication and compression.? Inline and post-process de-duplication? Software based vs. appliance based? Single instance storage? Performance and capacity implications? Reduction ratios vs. data type4.0 Data Protection4.1 Explain redundancy concepts, associated purposes, and components.? High availability? Single point of failure? Component redundancy? Cache battery backup and cache mirroring4.2 Compare and contrast different replication methods and properties.? Synchronous and asynchronous? Local vs. remote? Site redundancy? Snapshots and clones? Replication consistency4.3 Explain the basics of data backup concepts for long term storage.? Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective(RTO)? Backup and restore methods? Backup implementation methods? Backup targets? Vaulting vs. e-vaulting? Verify backups? Data retention and preservation policy4.4 Explain the basic concepts and importance of data security.? Access management? Encryption? Storage security5.0 Storage Performance5.1 Explain how latency and throughput impact storage performance.? Cache? RAID type and size? IOPS calculations? Random vs. sequential I/O? Impact of replication5.2 Identify tuning and workload balance concepts.? Application to storage data profiling? Tiering? Partition alignment? Queue depth5.3 Describe storage device bandwidth properties and functions.? Bus bandwidth/loop bandwidth? Cable speeds? Disk throughput vs. bus bandwidth vs. cache? Embedded switch port speed? Shared vs. dedicated? Multipathing for load balancing5.4 Describe network device bandwidth properties and functions.? Shared vs. dedicated? Teaming/link aggregation? Class of service? Jumbo frames? TOE5.5 Explain performance metrics, parameters, and purposes of storage/host tools.? Baselining and data capture? Switch? Array? Host tools