I'd like to get some input from the CIN community regarding Cyber Threats.
What do you see as top ones???

@Stephen Schneiter
Greetings!
I've been monitoring my email for the voucher and not received as today. Can you inform when will it be available?

Since there is an announcement...


PRE-DRAFT CompTIA Linux+XK0-006 Exam Objectives (pdf) (922 KB)


So you can start preparing already for that one in 2025 or 26?

Michael

Hello Community,

I was reading a little something about passkeys, and I saw the following comment:
"According to Google, the most immediate benefits of passkeys are that they’re
phishing-resistant and spare people the headache of remembering
numbers and special characters in passwords."

Anyone have any additional benefits of this authentication method???

Hello,

I was wondering if an Instructor Guide/Student Guide for the DataX certification will be available for purchase in the future?

Thanks!
Tracey

Fellow Instructors,

I’m curious about how you approach developing and delivering classroom labs, especially when there’s a need to differentiate from the provided CertMaster Labs or similar online lab environments. As we know, hands-on labs are essential for reinforcing concepts and giving students practical experience, but I want to explore ways to avoid redundancy while keeping the content engaging and effective.

Here are some points to consider:

Preferred Lab Environment:
- Do you tend to use physical hardware setups, or do you prefer virtual machines and simulations? In Cisco instruction, for example, Packet Tracer allows us to demonstrate network configurations without needing physical equipment, but what’s your go-to?

Guidebooks or Resources:
- Are there specific guidebooks, manuals, or resources you rely on for inspiration when designing in-classroom labs? I find that instructor guides provided by some vendors can be helpful, but I’m always looking for more diverse options that can complement the CertMaster Labs.

Unique Lab Scenarios:
- How do you ensure the lab scenarios you create are unique and add value beyond what’s covered in CertMaster or other vendor-provided labs? For instance, do you design scenario-based labs that connect multiple topics together, or do you prefer to break down complex tasks into smaller, focused demos?

Balancing Physical and Virtual Components:
- How do you strike the right balance between using physical hardware versus virtual environments like Packet Tracer or VMware? I find that while virtual environments are convenient, physical hardware can sometimes provide a more tactile learning experience. What has worked best for you and your students?

Please feel free to share your strategies, experiences, and any tips for creating in-class labs that are engaging, challenging, and complementary to the existing CertMaster content.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Prof. Jason C. Rochon, CISSP

Hello everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well! I wanted to share a recent teaching experience related to SSL/TLS certificate verification and seek your insights on a particular point of confusion that came up in class.

During a session on secure communications, I had my students test the SSL/TLS configuration of a web server using OpenSSL. We used the following command to retrieve and display the certificate details:

openssl s_client -connect 192.168.100.30:443 -showcerts

This command successfully connected to the server and displayed the server’s certificate chain. However, one student asked about the process of verifying whether the certificate is valid and trusted, particularly regarding the role of Certificate Authorities (CAs).

To clarify, I explained that the verification process involves checking several factors, including:

1. Whether the certificate is signed by a trusted CA.
2. The certificate’s expiration date.
3. The certificate's revocation status, often checked through OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol).

However, I realized I could provide more depth on how to perform these checks effectively. For example, we can check the certificate expiration date using:

openssl x509 -in certificate.crt -noout -dates

I’d love to hear your suggestions on the following:

1. How can I effectively demonstrate the entire SSL/TLS verification process in class, including checking the certificate’s revocation status?
2. Are there any additional tools or techniques you recommend for teaching about certificate verification and the role of CAs in ensuring secure communications?

Thank you for your insights!

a) Live Webinar
b) Training course

For the purpose of re-certification CE credits?

Thanks for your attention to this matter

Is anyone else being gatekept on CIN, by an overly protective Cloudflare?!

Every single pageload I do, that Cloudflare page pops up to "check the security of your connection.".

Every other "like" I want to click, runs into an "oops we ran into some problems".

It's rendered CIN next-to unusable for me.

EDIT: Ha! Posting this thread, again: "Oops, we ran into some problems."

I’m thrilled to have been part of this incredible CompTIA EMEA partner conferences as a speaker! The energy was amazing, and I had the chance to meet some truly inspiring people. This experience has left me more motivated than ever. Can’t wait to step back onto that big stage next year!

Great job @Stephen Schneiter

The three CompTIA certifications you mentioned—Data+, DataSys+, and DataX—cater to different levels of expertise and specializations within the data and IT fields:

1. CompTIA Data+: This is an entry-level certification aimed at individuals who want to start their careers in data analysis. It covers foundational skills such as data mining, visualization, governance, and statistical analysis. It's ideal for those seeking roles like data analysts or business analysts, as it focuses on using data to generate actionable insights and reports. Data+ is a good starting point for those new to the field, with about 18-24 months of relevant experience being recommended.
   
   
2. CompTIA DataSys+: This is a more advanced certification focused on data systems management. It covers topics such as database architecture, cloud integration, and data security. DataSys+ is geared towards professionals responsible for managing and securing data storage and processing systems. It's suitable for roles like database administrators, data architects, and IT security specialists, as it requires deeper expertise in managing data infrastructures.
   
   
3. CompTIA DataX: This is an expert-level certification for professionals with at least five years of experience in data science or related fields. DataX is part of the Xpert series and covers advanced concepts in mathematics, machine learning, and specialized data science applications. It targets seasoned professionals who want to validate their expertise in high-level data science operations. This certification is designed to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of critical data science tools and concepts and is ideal for advanced roles such as data scientists.
   
   
   In summary, Data+ is for foundational data skills, DataSys+ is for managing data systems, and DataX is for expert-level data science skills.

I attended the Cloud+ TTT sessions. How do I go about claiming my voucher? Appreciate the support, I am new here so not familiar with the process.

So, I am really confused about maintenance fees. My understanding is we only pay for the most expensive cert and even then... Not sure how this works when you have multiple at the same level. I am also unsure when it starts. Looking at Continuing education, I have a lot of certifications, and I am confused about whether I need to pay anything this year.

I also see that most of my certs this year have not been sent to fulfillment. I think this is the paper certification.

Any way... I'm hoping I have a budget left over at work, and I can pay some of these, but I'm really confused as to what I should pay.

It looks like I partially paid Cloud+, and since it is listed in the professional series, is that the only one I need to care about?

Here is a transcript if you want to help me

Howdy!

We’re reaching out to hear from people who have taken the unique path of becoming an IT teacher in a U.S. high school. Whether you’re currently teaching or have taught IT in the past, we would greatly appreciate your input. Subjects in grades nine to twelve include computer hardware, networking, IT support, web development, cybersecurity, robotics, and programming.

Please take less than 20 minutes to complete our survey. As a thank you, participants will receive a $20 Amazon gift card!

Your participation will help us better understand the experiences and support needed for IT teachers, contributing to the future of IT education in U.S. high schools.

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Feel free to share this survey with any other IT teachers you know - we value every voice!

Thank you,
Kelli Adam, Network+
Texas A&M University

Hello,

I am delivering my first N10-009 class, and I noticed that for module 4, the book has section 4.6 on IP troubleshooting, but the PPT slides end at module 4.5, with no 4.6 slides. Has anyone else noticed this?

Excited that TTT and CIN resources helped me so much for my network certification prep! These two solidified my understanding of core fundamentals. See you at Tech+!

Hello everyone. I"m teaching the Network+ N10-009 course. I want to insure that my students have the most effective tools to use for the training. I've purchased the bundle for other courses in the past,, CompTIA A+, Learn, Practice Labs and Voucher. I hear that Perform is a new tool that has other features that may replace Certmaster Learn.

In your estimation, should I stick with the original bundle of Certmaster Learn, Practice, Labs and Voucher or purchase Perform, Practice and Voucher. Again, this is for Network+ N10-009.

Lastly, I want to confirm that when I purchase either of these bundles, there's an instructor or organization access key and student access key for all products. I need to make this purchase immediately.

With Appreciation,

Bobbie

Good morning/evening/night everyone,

Just caught up with the DataX TTT (great job, RJ!) and @Stephen Schneiter 's comments about CIN membership and the email address we use prompted me to look at my profile.

When I signed up a few years ago, I used my personal email address and for some time there was no issue with getting exam vouchers but lately I didn't receive any. I put one training provider I work for in the profile but it no longer seems sufficient. Now I tried to change my email address but it wouldn't let me.

Is there a way to change the email address to one supplied by the training provider?

And if that's not the issue, any pointers would be very much appreciated!

Many thanks,

Andreas

Hi all,

I passed the CompTIA DataSys+ on Thursday. It was a great experience!

Thank you for the great resources and support!

Tracey

I have only recently started going through the material for Certmaster N10-009, and already I am getting the feeling that this course may be lacking content that may be useful to students. Just in the first section where it discusses topologies, it does not cover ring and bus topologies, which even though those topologies are relatively old and unused, I feel like they should still be included in the material. On top of that, one of the practice questions uses a logical topology as one of it's answers, which was not covered at all. Is this a consistent theme throughout the course, or am I just off to a bad start? Let me know what you think of the new Certmaster Network+ N10-009.

Hi All,
I would have sworn they discussed having example videos for the various labs in Net+ 009 CM Perform. I can't find them for the trees - so to speak.
Can someone point me in the right direction?

Also, are there any explanations or videos for the few PBQs in the CM Perform final?

I trying NOT to reinvent the wheel if they are already somewhere I'm over looking.

Thanks in advance CINners,
Amy

I hope you’re all doing well. Are there any new requirements or programs from CompTIA for becoming a trainer, especially since CompTIA Trainer+ is no longer available?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Tagging @Rick Butler and @Stephen Schneiter for insights. Thanks in advance for any information.

CompTIA Cloud+ CV0-004
have started now please do well to join the platform .

Cloud load balancers distribute traffic across multiple virtual machines (VMs), containers, or servers within the cloud infrastructure. Here are some specific ways cloud load balancing can be deployed:

1. Cloud-Based Load Balancers:​

• Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) in AWS
• Azure Load Balancer in Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Load Balancing in Google Cloud
• These services automatically distribute incoming traffic across multiple instances in multiple regions or zones.

2. Global Load Balancing:​

• In cloud environments, load balancers can distribute traffic across multiple data centers or regions. This ensures global availability and low-latency access for users based on their geographic location.

3. Auto-Scaling Integration:​

• Cloud-based load balancers often work hand-in-hand with auto-scaling. As traffic increases, the cloud environment automatically spins up new instances, and the load balancer evenly distributes traffic among these instances.

4. Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Load Balancing:​

• Some organizations use load balancers that work across multiple cloud environments (multi-cloud) or between on-premises and cloud (hybrid cloud), ensuring seamless traffic distribution across different platforms.

Advantages of Cloud Load Balancers:​

• Scalability: As demand grows, load balancing in the cloud enables you to scale out (add more resources) without manually configuring the infrastructure.
• Flexibility: Cloud load balancers can handle a variety of traffic types (HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, etc.) and can work at both Layer 4 (transport) and Layer 7 (application) levels.
• Cost-Efficiency: Instead of investing in expensive physical load balancers, cloud load balancers are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis, making them more cost-effective.
• Resilience: They offer automatic failover and redundancy across regions or availability zones, enhancing fault tolerance.
• Security: Cloud providers often integrate security features like SSL offloading, DDoS protection, and traffic filtering at the load balancer level.

Common Cloud Load Balancing Use Cases:​

• Web Applications: Ensure smooth performance by distributing traffic across multiple cloud instances.
• Microservices: Manage and balance traffic between various containers or services.
• Global Traffic Management: Serve content from the nearest location to reduce latency for users worldwide.

Cloud Load Balancing Services by Major Providers:​

• AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ELB): Offers Application Load Balancer (Layer 7), Network Load Balancer (Layer 4), and Gateway Load Balancer.
• Azure Load Balancer: Supports both internal and public load balancing and integrates with Azure's global regions.
• Google Cloud Load Balancer: Offers regional and global load balancing, with features like SSL offloading and content-based routing.

Conclusion:​

Load balancing is essential in cloud environments for achieving high performance, redundancy, and scalability. Cloud providers make it easy to deploy and manage load balancers, allowing businesses to handle varying traffic demands efficiently while ensuring service reliability across regions or zones.

Hello,
I am an instructor at a CompTIA Corporate Partner. Is there a way that instructors can get free access to labs. While I can create an own environment when teaching, it takes time to build and also since I don't have access to the student labs, it becomes difficult to support my students when they are stuck. It doesn't make sense for the organization to buy me a lab every time I am delivering a class.