CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) Online Training & Certification Prep
Build vendor-neutral server administration and data-center skills validated by the industry's only hardware-agnostic server certification, covering physical, virtual, and cloud-integrated infrastructure.
Course Overview
CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) is the only vendor-neutral certification dedicated to server administration, covering physical servers, virtualized environments, and the increasingly common hybrid model where on-premises infrastructure integrates with cloud services. Updated in 2021, the SK0-005 exam reflects modern data-center realities: containerization, hyperconverged infrastructure, cloud-connected storage, and automation are all represented alongside foundational topics like RAID configuration, server form factors, and power management.
The SK0-005 exam tests across four domains: Server Hardware Installation & Management, Server Administration, Security & Disaster Recovery, and Troubleshooting. Our course covers all four with particular depth in areas where candidates commonly struggle—storage architecture, virtualization networking, and systematic troubleshooting methodology—as well as the foundational hardware knowledge that distinguishes this certification from purely software-focused credentials.
Boost eLearning’s Live Labs are a particular strength for Server+ preparation. You’ll work with real rack-mounted servers, configure actual RAID arrays, install hypervisors, and manage virtual machines—not simulated environments. This hardware-level fluency is exactly what the exam’s performance-based questions (PBQs) test, and it’s what separates candidates who understand servers from those who have merely read about them.
The course is offered in online self-paced, live virtual, and on-site formats. All include our Pass Guarantee. CompTIA recommends A+ certification or equivalent experience and 18–24 months of server administration experience before sitting SK0-005, which aligns with the level of depth the exam reaches on hardware diagnostics and OS-level troubleshooting.
What You'll Learn
- Install, configure, and manage rack and tower servers including components: CPUs, RAM (ECC/RDIMM), PCIe expansion, and power supplies
- Design and implement RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10) and evaluate trade-offs between performance, redundancy, and capacity
- Deploy and manage storage architectures: DAS, NAS, SAN (FC and iSCSI), and object storage
- Install and configure hypervisors (Type 1 and Type 2), manage VMs, and configure virtual networking and storage
- Administer server operating systems (Windows Server and Linux) including user management, group policies, and service configuration
- Implement server security controls: hardening, patch management, access control, encryption at rest, and secure remote administration
- Plan and execute backup strategies: full/incremental/differential, offsite/cloud replication, and restoration testing
- Develop and test disaster recovery plans including RTO/RPO definitions and failover procedures
- Apply systematic troubleshooting methodology to diagnose and resolve hardware, OS, and connectivity failures
- Monitor server performance using OS tools and SNMP/IPMI interfaces, and interpret event logs and alerts
Who This Course Is For
- IT technicians and help-desk professionals with 18+ months of experience moving into server administration
- CompTIA A+ or Network+ certified professionals adding a server specialization
- Systems administrators seeking a vendor-neutral credential to complement vendor-specific certs
- Data-center technicians and field service engineers working with physical server infrastructure
- IT generalists in small-to-medium businesses responsible for server maintenance and reliability
Course Outline
- Server form factors: tower, rack (1U/2U/4U), blade, and modular chassis
- Processor architecture: multi-core, NUMA, hyper-threading, and server-class CPU selection
- Memory types and configurations: ECC RAM, RDIMM/LRDIMM, memory channels, and capacity planning
- Storage interfaces: SATA, SAS, NVMe, PCIe, and U.2/M.2 form factors in server contexts
- Power systems: redundant PSUs, UPS sizing, PDUs, and power usage effectiveness (PUE)
- Server management interfaces: IPMI, iLO, iDRAC, and out-of-band management
- RAID levels in depth: RAID 0/1/5/6/10 u2014 stripe width, parity overhead, and rebuild times
- Hardware vs. software RAID: RAID controller features, write-back/write-through caching, and BBU
- Direct-attached storage (DAS) vs. network-attached storage (NAS) vs. SAN architecture
- Fibre Channel SAN: HBAs, switches, zoning, and fabric configuration
- iSCSI SAN: target/initiator configuration, CHAP authentication, and multipath I/O
- Object and cloud-integrated storage: S3-compatible APIs and tiered storage policies
- Windows Server installation, roles (AD DS, DNS, DHCP, File Services), and core vs. GUI modes
- Linux server administration: package management (apt/yum), services (systemd), and log management
- Virtualization with Type 1 hypervisors: Hyper-V and VMware ESXi installation and VM lifecycle management
- Virtual networking: vSwitches, port groups, VLANs, and virtual NIC teaming
- Containerization basics: Docker engine, image management, and container networking in server environments
- Automation and scripting: PowerShell and Bash scripting for server administration tasks
- Server hardening: disabling unnecessary services, changing default credentials, and applying CIS Benchmarks
- Patch management: WSUS for Windows Server, yum-cron/unattended-upgrades for Linux
- Remote access security: SSH key authentication, RDP gateway, and jump hosts
- Physical security controls: server room access, asset tagging, and drive locking
- Encryption at rest: BitLocker on Windows Server and LUKS on Linux
- Audit logging: Windows Security Event Log, Linux auditd, and centralized syslog
- Backup strategies: full, incremental, differential, and synthetic full u2014 trade-offs in RTO/RPO
- Backup media and rotation schemes: tape (LTO), disk-to-disk, and cloud backup targets
- Replication: synchronous vs. asynchronous, snapshot-based, and VM replication with Hyper-V Replica
- DR planning: recovery site types (hot/warm/cold), failover procedures, and DR test methodologies
- CompTIA troubleshooting methodology applied to server hardware, OS, storage, and network connectivity failures
- POST diagnostics: error codes, beep codes, and UEFI/BIOS event logs
- Performance analysis: CPU saturation, memory pressure, storage I/O bottlenecks, and network throughput
- PBQ walkthroughs: RAID configuration, VM provisioning, and troubleshooting scenario simulations
- Full-length practice exam with answer rationale and domain gap analysis
About the Certification Exam
- Exam code
- SK0-005
- Length
- 90 minutes
- Questions
- Maximum 90 (multiple-choice and performance-based)
- Passing score
- 750 on a scale of 100u2013900
- Exam cost
- ~$338 USD
- Where
- Pearson VUE testing center or online proctored
The certification exam fee is paid separately to the testing provider and is not included in the course price unless stated otherwise.
Live Labs Included
Hands-on practice on real environments
This course includes Live Labs — direct access to real hardware and cloud environments so you build the skills the exam actually tests.
- Install RAM and PCIe storage in a physical rack server, configure BIOS/UEFI settings, and perform a POST diagnostic
- Configure a RAID 5 and RAID 10 array on a hardware RAID controller and measure rebuild time under a simulated disk failure
- Install VMware ESXi on physical hardware, provision three VMs, and configure a distributed vSwitch with VLAN segmentation
- Set up an iSCSI SAN target on a Linux server, connect a Windows Server initiator, and configure multipath I/O
- Execute a full and incremental backup using Windows Server Backup, simulate data loss, and verify a bare-metal restore
- Harden a freshly installed Ubuntu Server 22.04 against a provided CIS Benchmark checklist and document remediation steps
Pass Guarantee Included
Complete this course and if you don't pass the certification exam on your first attempt, we'll refund your course fee or give you a free retake — your choice.
