CompTIA Server+ CT-8737 Training Plan: Detailed Modules
Module 1: Understanding Server Administration Concepts
Introduction to the basics of server administration, including user, group, and network resource management.
Module 2: Understanding Virtualization and Cloud Computing
Exploration of virtualization technologies and fundamental cloud computing concepts, along with their benefits for businesses.
Module 3: Understanding Physical and Network Security Concepts
Overview of basic principles of physical and network security to protect infrastructures and data.
Module 4: Managing Physical Assets
Study of techniques for inventorying, tracking, and managing the physical assets of data centers.
Module 5: Managing Server Hardware
Guide on selecting, installing, and maintaining server hardware to optimize performance and reliability.
Module 6: Configuring Storage Management
Methods for configuring and managing storage solutions, including SAN and NAS systems.
Module 7: Installing and Configuring an Operating System
Steps for installing and configuring an operating system on a server, ensuring it meets the organization’s needs.
Module 8: Troubleshooting OS, Application, and Network Configurations
Techniques for diagnosing and resolving issues related to operating systems, applications, and network configurations.
Module 9: Managing Post-Installation Administrative Tasks
Procedures for managing administrative tasks after installation, such as updates and performance management.
Module 10: Managing Data Security
Strategies for protecting data against unauthorized access and loss, including encryption and backups.
Module 11: Managing Service and Data Availability
Approaches to ensure that services and data remain available and accessible at all times.
Module 12: Decommissioning Servers
Practices for safely and efficiently decommissioning servers, ensuring data protection and compliance with company policies.
Recommended prerequisite knowledge
To ensure your success in this course, you should have 18 to 24 months of hands-on experience in installing, configuring, diagnosing, and troubleshooting computer hardware and network operating system issues. It is also recommended to have the CompTIA A+ certification or equivalent training and experience.
Credentials and certification
Exam features
- Code: SK0-005
- Title: CompTIA Server+
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Number of Questions: 95
- Questions Format: Multiple-choice, multiple-answer
- Passing Score: 750 out of 900
- Cost: 358 USD
Exam topics
Server+ validates the practical skills of IT professionals who install, manage, and troubleshoot servers in data centers as well as in on-premises and hybrid environments.
CompTIA Career Advancement Pathways
Eccentrix offers multiple CompTIA certification pathways to develop your IT skills progressively. Here’s how CompTIA Server+ positions itself relative to other available certifications and how to build your complete training pathway.
Recommended CompTIA Infrastructure Pathway
- 📚 Level 1 – Foundations – Recommended foundation
CompTIA A+ – Technical support & computer hardware - ➡️ Level 2 – Networking – Recommended foundation
CompTIA Network+ – Network configuration & management - 🔧 Level 3 – Administration – You are here
CompTIA Server+ – Server management & virtualization - 🎯 Level 4 – Systems Expertise – Next step
CompTIA Linux+ – Linux administration & automation
Skills Development by Level
| Skill | A+ | Network+ | Server+ | Linux+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hardware & PC |
Mastered |
Mastered |
Mastered |
Mastered |
|
Networking |
Basics acquired |
Mastered |
Mastered |
Mastered |
|
Server Administration |
Introduction |
Basics acquired |
Mastered |
Mastered |
|
Linux Systems |
Not covered |
Introduction |
Basics acquired |
Mastered |
|
Virtualization |
Not covered |
Introduction |
Intermediate |
Mastered |
|
Infrastructure Security |
Basics acquired |
Intermediate |
Mastered |
Mastered |
Level 3 – Administration with Server+ (Your current step)
Why this is your logical step:
After mastering computer hardware and networking, Server+ allows you to deepen your skills in server administration. This certification positions you as a professional capable of managing the physical and virtual infrastructure that hosts network services and enterprise applications.
Roles accessible after Server+:
- Server Administrator
- Infrastructure Specialist
- Junior Systems Engineer
- Virtualization Technician
Level 4 – Systems Expertise with Linux+ (Recommended next step)
If you have completed Server+, Linux+ is the logical next step to deepen your skills in Linux systems and become an expert systems administrator.
Back to Level 1 – Foundations with A+
If you haven’t yet completed CompTIA A+, it’s the essential foundation for understanding computer hardware and operating systems before progressing in the Infrastructure pathway.
Back to Level 2 – Networking with Network+
If you haven’t yet completed CompTIA Network+, it’s the fundamental certification for mastering network concepts before administering servers.
Other Available CompTIA Pathways
After completing Server+, you can also explore other specialized pathways:
CompTIA Security Pathway
Ideal for those who want to specialize in cybersecurity, threat analysis, and penetration testing.
CompTIA Cloud Pathway
Perfect for IT professionals wanting to master cloud environments and hybrid architectures.
CompTIA Project Management Pathway
Develop your IT project management skills to advance toward coordination and leadership roles.
CompTIA Data & Analytics Pathway
Master data systems, data analysis, visualization, and data governance for analytical roles.
Benefits of the Complete Pathway
Structured progression
Each certification builds on previously acquired knowledge, creating a solid and coherent technical foundation.
Global recognition
CompTIA certifications are internationally recognized and valued by employers across all sectors.
Increased versatility
You develop comprehensive expertise covering hardware, networking, servers, and systems—a profile highly sought by organizations.
Rapid career advancement
Progress from technical support to systems administration in 12-24 months.
Ready to Progress?
CompTIA Server+ Training
The CompTIA Server+ (CT8737) certification training is designed for IT professionals seeking advanced skills in server installation, management, troubleshooting, and maintenance. This course covers essential topics such as server architecture, storage, security, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting, ensuring participants can handle the complexities of server environments.
Aligned with the CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) certification exam, this training emphasizes hands-on exercises and real-world applications to prepare participants for the demands of modern server management roles.
Why Choose the CompTIA Server+ Certification Training?
The CompTIA Server+ certification validates your expertise in server administration, making it a valuable credential for IT professionals managing hardware and software infrastructure. Unlike certifications limited to specific vendors, Server+ provides a vendor-neutral approach, equipping participants with skills applicable to diverse server environments.
With the growing reliance on servers in business operations, this certification demonstrates your ability to install, configure, and maintain server infrastructure effectively, ensuring organizational uptime and productivity.
Skills Developed During the Training
Server Installation and Configuration
Master the installation, setup, and configuration of physical and virtual servers.Storage Management
Learn to configure RAID, implement storage solutions, and optimize performance.Server Security Implementation
Understand best practices for securing server environments and mitigating vulnerabilities.Troubleshooting and Maintenance
Develop expertise in identifying and resolving server-related issues to ensure minimal downtime.Disaster Recovery Planning
Learn to create and implement disaster recovery plans to safeguard data and infrastructure.Networking Concepts in Servers
Gain insights into integrating servers with network infrastructure, ensuring seamless connectivity.
Hands-On Training Delivered by Certified Instructors
This training is led by experienced instructors who provide interactive labs and real-world scenarios to enhance learning. Participants gain practical skills to manage server environments efficiently and prepare for the CompTIA Server+ certification exam.
Who Should Attend?
- IT professionals responsible for managing servers and storage solutions
- System administrators seeking advanced server management skills
- Individuals preparing for the CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) certification exam
- Professionals aiming to validate their expertise in server environments
Enhance Your Server Management Skills with CompTIA Server+
The CompTIA Server+ Certification Training (CT8737) equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in server administration. Enroll today to gain practical expertise, earn a globally recognized certification, and advance your career in IT infrastructure and server management.
Exam Success Strategies for SK0-005
Mastering the CompTIA Server+ certification requires more than hardware knowledge—comprehensive understanding of server architecture, storage solutions, virtualization technologies, security hardening, disaster recovery planning, and troubleshooting methodologies are equally crucial for success. By understanding server installation, configuration management, performance optimization, high availability solutions, and maintenance procedures, you’ll develop the confidence and expertise needed to excel in the Server+ certification exam.
SK0-005 Exam Statistics & Success Rates
- Average Pass Rate: 68-75% on first attempt
- Most Common Score Range: 680-750 out of 900 for passing candidates (passing score: 750/900 or approximately 83%)
- Average Study Time: 8-12 weeks for IT professionals with basic hardware knowledge or server exposure
- Retake Rate: 23-28% of candidates require a second attempt
- Top Failure Areas: Storage technologies and RAID configurations (30%), disaster recovery and business continuity (27%), virtualization and cloud concepts (25%)
Study Method Comparison
| Study Approach | Duration | Pass rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hands-on Practice Only |
14-16 weeks |
48-58% |
Experienced server technicians |
|
Documentation + Practice |
16-18 weeks |
68-75% |
Methodical learners |
|
Training + Labs + Practice |
8-12 weeks |
80-88% |
Comprehensive preparation |
|
Practice Tests Only |
6-7 weeks |
35-45% |
Not recommended |
Strategic Study Approach
- Create an 8-12 week study schedule – Server+ requires mastery of server hardware, storage management, virtualization, operating system installation, security, disaster recovery, troubleshooting, and maintenance procedures
- Follow the 55-35-10 rule – 55% hands-on practice with server hardware and configurations, 35% reading server concepts and administration techniques, 10% practice exams
- Focus on practical server administration skills – Server+ emphasizes real-world server management, hardware troubleshooting, and infrastructure maintenance rather than theoretical concepts
- Study in 90-minute blocks with 15-minute breaks to maximize retention and avoid burnout
- Practice with server hardware and configurations repeatedly – work with physical servers, virtual environments, storage systems, and RAID configurations
- Master all exam domains – comprehend server hardware, administration, security, troubleshooting, and disaster recovery with equal depth
- Understand scenario-based questions – Server+ includes practical scenarios that test your ability to diagnose hardware failures, configure storage, and implement disaster recovery solutions
Common Exam Pitfalls to Avoid
- Don’t confuse server hardware components – Know the difference between RAID controller vs. HBA, hot-swappable vs. hot-pluggable, redundant power supplies vs. UPS, ECC RAM vs. standard RAM
- RAID levels serve different purposes – Understand RAID 0 (striping, no redundancy), RAID 1 (mirroring), RAID 5 (striping with parity), RAID 6 (double parity), RAID 10 (mirroring + striping), and their use cases
- Storage technologies have specific characteristics – Know DAS (Direct Attached Storage), NAS (Network Attached Storage), SAN (Storage Area Network), iSCSI, Fibre Channel, and their applications
- Virtualization concepts are fundamental – Understand hypervisors (Type 1 bare-metal vs. Type 2 hosted), virtual machines, resource allocation, snapshots, and migration (live migration, vMotion)
- Server roles require proper configuration – Know file servers, print servers, web servers, database servers, application servers, domain controllers, and their specific requirements
- Backup strategies vary by need – Understand full backup, incremental backup, differential backup, synthetic backup, backup rotation schemes (GFS – Grandfather-Father-Son), and recovery objectives (RTO, RPO)
- High availability requires multiple components – Know clustering (active-active, active-passive), load balancing, failover mechanisms, redundancy, and fault tolerance
- Environmental factors affect server operation – Understand cooling (HVAC, hot aisle/cold aisle), power (UPS, PDU, generator), humidity control, and environmental monitoring
- Security hardening is multi-layered – Know physical security (locks, biometrics, surveillance), logical security (authentication, authorization, encryption), patch management, and security baselines
- Troubleshooting follows a methodology – Understand identifying the problem, establishing a theory, testing the theory, establishing a plan of action, implementing the solution, verifying functionality, and documenting findings
Topic Weight Distribution
| Exam Domain | Weight | Focus Areas | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Server Hardware Installation and Management (Domain 1) |
18% |
Server components, installation, firmware, hardware maintenance |
Critical |
|
Server Administration (Domain 2) |
30% |
OS installation, configuration, virtualization, asset management |
Critical |
|
Security and Disaster Recovery (Domain 3) |
24% |
Physical/logical security, hardening, backup, disaster recovery, business continuity |
Critical |
|
Troubleshooting (Domain 4) |
28% |
Hardware issues, storage problems, network connectivity, performance optimization |
Critical |
Exam Day Time Management
- Allocate approximately 1.3 minutes per question on average – the exam has 90 questions and 120 minutes total time
- Expect performance-based questions (PBQs) – Server+ includes 2-4 simulations that test hands-on server configuration and troubleshooting skills
- Complete PBQs strategically – some candidates prefer to skip PBQs initially and return after completing multiple-choice questions to maximize time efficiency
- Read scenario questions completely before attempting to answer – Server+ questions often contain server specifications, error logs, or configuration details
- Flag uncertain questions and return to them – don’t get stuck on complex RAID or disaster recovery scenarios and waste valuable time
- Reserve 15-20 minutes at the end to review flagged questions and double-check your answers
- Manage your pace strategically – aim to complete 60 questions in the first 80 minutes, leaving time for PBQs and review
- Pay attention to questions with “BEST” or “MOST appropriate” – these require evaluating multiple correct approaches and choosing the most optimal server solution
Managing Exam Stress & Performance
- Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep the night before – avoid last-minute cramming that reduces analytical thinking capacity
- Arrive at the test center 15 minutes early (or log in 10 minutes early for online testing) – settle in and complete check-in procedures calmly
- Use deep breathing techniques if you feel overwhelmed during the exam – clear thinking is essential for hardware troubleshooting and configuration scenarios
- Trust your server experience – your first instinct is usually correct for hardware and storage questions
- Remember that the passing score is 750 out of 900 (approximately 83%) – you need strong competence but not perfection
Technical Preparation Tips
- Master server hardware components – understand CPUs (sockets, cores, threads, cache), RAM (ECC, registered, capacity planning), storage (HDD, SSD, NVMe), RAID controllers, network adapters (1GbE, 10GbE, bonding/teaming), power supplies (redundant, hot-swappable), and cooling systems
- Know RAID configurations – master RAID 0 (performance, no redundancy), RAID 1 (mirroring, 50% capacity), RAID 5 (striping with parity, n-1 capacity, single drive failure), RAID 6 (double parity, n-2 capacity, two drive failures), RAID 10 (mirroring + striping, 50% capacity, high performance)
- Understand storage technologies – know DAS (direct connection, simple), NAS (file-level, network-attached, SMB/NFS), SAN (block-level, high-performance, Fibre Channel/iSCSI), and storage protocols
- Practice virtualization concepts – master hypervisors (VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM), virtual machine creation, resource allocation (CPU, RAM, storage), snapshots, cloning, and migration techniques
- Master server operating systems – understand Windows Server (installation, roles, features, Active Directory), Linux server distributions (RHEL, Ubuntu Server, CentOS), and basic administration tasks
- Know backup and recovery – understand backup types (full, incremental, differential), backup rotation (GFS), backup media (tape, disk, cloud), recovery objectives (RTO – Recovery Time Objective, RPO – Recovery Point Objective), and disaster recovery planning
- Understand high availability – know clustering (active-active, active-passive), load balancing (round-robin, least connections, weighted), failover mechanisms, redundancy (N+1, 2N), and fault tolerance
- Master server security – understand physical security (locks, biometrics, surveillance, secure areas), logical security (authentication, authorization, encryption, firewalls), patch management, hardening (disabling unnecessary services, closing ports), and security baselines
Final Week Preparation
- Take 2-3 full practice exams to identify knowledge gaps and build confidence
- Review the official CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) exam objectives one final time
- Focus on your weakest areas – storage technologies, disaster recovery, and virtualization are the most common challenge areas
- Practice RAID calculations – work on understanding usable capacity, fault tolerance, and performance characteristics for different RAID levels
- Review server hardware components – understand server specifications, component compatibility, and troubleshooting procedures
- Avoid learning completely new server concepts – focus on reinforcing what you already know
- Prepare your exam day logistics – required identification, test center location (or computer setup for online proctoring)
Mental Preparation Strategies
- Visualize success scenarios – imagine yourself confidently configuring servers and troubleshooting hardware issues
- Recall your server experience – you’ve likely worked with server hardware, storage systems, or data center equipment before
- Stay positive when facing difficult questions – all candidates encounter challenging storage and disaster recovery scenarios
- Remember that Server+ is a professional-level certification – your practical server experience and problem-solving mindset are your greatest assets
- Approach the exam as a validation of your server administration skills and hardware troubleshooting proficiency, not a test of memorized specifications
How to Schedule Your SK0-005 Exam
- Testing is done through Pearson VUE, with options for in-person test centers or online proctoring
- Scheduling Process: Create a Pearson VUE account, search for “SK0-005”, select test center location or online option, choose your date and time
- Exam Cost: Included in your Eccentrix training – exam voucher provided for this certification
- Scheduling Timeline: Book at least 2-3 weeks in advance for better test center and time slot availability
- Rescheduling Policy: Free rescheduling up to 24 hours before your exam appointment
- Required ID: Two forms of identification required – primary (government-issued photo ID with signature) and secondary (credit card, student ID, or other ID with name matching registration)
- Test Center Benefits: Controlled environment, no technical setup concerns, immediate score report
- Online Testing Option: Test from home with remote proctoring, requires webcam, stable internet, and quiet private space
Success Mindset: Approach Server+ as a validation of your ability to install, configure, secure, maintain, and troubleshoot server hardware and infrastructure using hands-on technical skills and best practices, not as a test of memorized server specifications. Your practical server administration experience and analytical troubleshooting mindset are your greatest assets.
Frequently asked questions - CompTIA Server+ official training (FAQ)
The course includes server architecture, storage, security, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting.
Basic IT and networking knowledge are recommended, but the course is designed for professionals with varying levels of experience.
Yes, the course content aligns with the certification exam objectives and includes practical labs for effective preparation.
Yes, participants engage in interactive labs to develop practical server management skills.
The certification validates your server administration expertise, enhancing career prospects in IT infrastructure roles.
Yes, the training covers concepts relevant to both physical and virtual server management.