Write the build order and the addressing plan before touching a router

short · 40 min · Objective 2.2

Task

Produce the configuration plan for a small office network, with every value decided and justified, so that the build is transcription rather than improvisation.

Steps

  1. Write lab/soho/order.csv with header step,action,why_this_order with at least eight steps, beginning with isolating the device and changing the administrative password.
  2. Write lab/soho/addressing.csv with header range,purpose,count,note allocating a private /24 into router, infrastructure, DHCP pool and reserved space, with no overlap.
  3. Write lab/soho/wireless.csv with header setting,value,alternative_rejected,why covering name, band, channel, width, security mode and passphrase policy.
  4. Write lab/soho/exposure.md stating your decision on universal plug and play and on any port forwarding, with the reasoning stated as who decides rather than as a preference.
  5. Write lab/soho/verify.csv with header check,from_where,expected listing at least five post-build checks performed from a CLIENT rather than from the router's own status page.

Verify

awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=3 {n++} END {print n" build step(s)"}' lab/soho/order.csv
head -3 lab/soho/order.csv | grep -Eic 'password'
awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=4 {n++} END {print n" address range(s)"}' lab/soho/addressing.csv
awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=4 {n++} END {print n" wireless setting(s)"}' lab/soho/wireless.csv
grep -Eic 'plug and play|upnp|forward' lab/soho/exposure.md
awk -F, 'NR>1 && NF>=3 {n++} END {print n" client-side check(s)"}' lab/soho/verify.csv

Eight or more steps with the password change in the first three, four address ranges, six wireless settings each with a rejected alternative, an exposure decision, and five client-side checks. A verification list that checks the router's own status page has verified the router's opinion of itself.

Notes

The alternative_rejected column is what turns a settings list into a design. A value with no rejected alternative was a default rather than a decision.

This is an independent study companion for CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 and is not produced by or endorsed by CompTIA.