Are flashcards effective for the Server+ exam?

Yes. Flashcards use active recall — retrieving an answer from memory — which research shows is one of the most effective study methods, especially in short, spaced sessions. They're ideal for the Server+'s heavy memorization load: RAID levels, backup types, DR metrics, ports, and acronyms.

What topics do the Server+ flashcards cover?

All four SK0-005 domains: Server Hardware (form factors, RAID, storage), Server Administration (roles, virtualization, high availability), Security and Disaster Recovery (hardening, backups, RTO/RPO, DR sites), and Troubleshooting (the 7-step methodology and common faults).

How should I study with these Server+ flashcards?

Lead with the heaviest domains — Server Administration (30%) and Troubleshooting (28%). Drill RAID levels and backup/DR concepts with Type and Quiz modes until they're automatic, then mix in the other domains. Pair the cards with our full practice test before exam day.

Are the Server+ flashcards free?

Yes — 100% free, all four study modes, no paywall and no sign-up.

Do these flashcards match the current Server+ exam blueprint?

Yes. The cards are organized to the current CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 exam objectives, covering all four scored domains in their official proportions. SK0-005 is the current version — there is no SK0-006.

Redundant Array of Independent Disks — combining multiple drives for performance, redundancy, or both.

A unit of vertical rack space equal to 1.75 inches (44.45 mm). A 2U server occupies two of these slots in a standard 19-inch rack.

A standalone server in an upright chassis like a desktop PC; good for small offices, but consumes floor space and doesn't rack-mount efficiently.

A server (e.g., 1U, 2U, 4U) that bolts into a standard 19-inch rack to maximize density in a data center.

A stripped-down server module that slides into a shared blade enclosure, which supplies common power, cooling, and networking to many blades.

Blade enclosure (chassis)

The shared housing for blade servers; provides redundant power supplies, cooling, and backplane/network connectivity for all installed blades.

The physical size and shape of a server: tower, rack-mount (1U/2U/4U), or blade. Chosen for density, scalability, and the environment.

The connector on a motherboard that holds the processor; servers often have multiple sockets for multiprocessing.

Using two or more physical CPUs (multi-socket) so a server can execute more threads in parallel for heavy workloads.

Error-Correcting Code RAM that detects and corrects single-bit memory errors; standard in servers for data integrity.

Registered (buffered) memory

RDIMM memory with a register between DRAM and the controller to improve stability with large amounts of RAM; common in servers.

Combining multiple network interface cards into one logical interface for higher bandwidth and/or failover redundancy.

Host Bus Adapter — a card that connects a server to storage (e.g., Fibre Channel or SAS), offloading I/O from the CPU.

Striping with no parity. Data is split across drives for speed and full capacity, but ANY drive failure loses all data (no fault tolerance).

Mirroring — identical copies on two drives. Survives one drive failure; usable capacity is half the raw total.

Striping with distributed single parity across 3+ drives. Survives one drive failure; capacity = (n − 1) drives.

Striping with double distributed parity across 4+ drives. Survives two simultaneous drive failures; capacity = (n − 2) drives.

A stripe of mirrors — combines RAID 1 redundancy with RAID 0 speed. Needs 4+ drives; high performance and fault tolerance.

A standby drive that automatically rebuilds a RAID array when a member drive fails, minimizing exposure time.

A component (drive, power supply, fan) that can be replaced while the server is powered on, with no downtime.

Just a Bunch Of Disks — drives presented individually with no RAID; no striping, mirroring, or parity.

Serial Attached SCSI — a fast, reliable enterprise drive/interface common in servers; supports dual-porting for redundancy.

Serial ATA — a lower-cost drive interface common for capacity-oriented or less performance-critical server storage.

Non-Volatile Memory Express — a high-speed protocol for SSDs over PCIe, offering far lower latency than SAS/SATA.

Direct-Attached Storage — storage connected directly to one server (internal disks or an external SAS enclosure).

Network-Attached Storage — file-level storage shared over the LAN using protocols like SMB/CIFS and NFS.

Storage Area Network — block-level storage over a dedicated high-speed network (Fibre Channel or iSCSI).

Internet Small Computer System Interface — block storage encapsulated in TCP/IP, letting a SAN run over standard Ethernet.

Redundant power supply

A second PSU so the server keeps running if one supply fails; often hot-swappable and on separate circuits.

Power Distribution Unit — distributes power to rack equipment; managed PDUs allow remote monitoring and per-outlet control.

Uninterruptible Power Supply — battery backup that bridges power loss and enables a graceful shutdown.

Baseboard Management Controller using IPMI — out-of-band hardware management for remote power, console, and sensor monitoring.

Out-of-band management

Managing a server over a dedicated channel (BMC/iLO/iDRAC) independent of the OS, even when the server is off or unresponsive.

Organizing power and data cables in a rack to maintain airflow, simplify service, and prevent accidental disconnects.

Hot aisle / cold aisle

A data-center layout that alternates equipment rows so cold intake air and hot exhaust air are separated for efficient cooling.

Keyboard, Video, Mouse switch — lets one console control many servers; KVM-over-IP adds remote access.

Software that creates and runs virtual machines by abstracting physical hardware. Type 1 runs on bare metal; Type 2 runs on a host OS.

A bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on hardware (e.g., ESXi, Hyper-V) for maximum performance; standard in production servers.

A hosted hypervisor that runs as an application on top of an OS (e.g., VirtualBox); used mainly for testing and labs.

A software-based computer with its own virtual CPU, memory, disk, and NIC, running on a hypervisor.

A lightweight, isolated package of an application and its dependencies that shares the host OS kernel; faster and smaller than a VM.

A point-in-time capture of a VM's state so you can roll back after a change; not a substitute for a real backup.

Physical-to-Virtual migration — converting a physical server into a virtual machine.

A primary function a server provides, such as file, print, web, database, DNS, DHCP, or directory services.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol — automatically assigns IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS to clients.

Your FREE CompTIA Server+ Flashcards 2026 – 150+ Cards

Realistic, Server+ (SK0-005) exam-style flashcards across all 4 domains — flip, match, type, and quiz yourself.

Master cards to boost your scoreMaster cards to raise your exam readiness score

How well do you know them?

Server+ Flashcards

RAID: Redundant Array of Independent Disks — combining multiple drives for performance, redundancy, or both.
Rack unit (U): A unit of vertical rack space equal to 1.75 inches (44.45 mm). A 2U server occupies two of these slots in a standard 19-inch rack.
Tower server: A standalone server in an upright chassis like a desktop PC; good for small offices, but consumes floor space and doesn't rack-mount efficiently.
Rack-mount server: A server (e.g., 1U, 2U, 4U) that bolts into a standard 19-inch rack to maximize density in a data center.
Blade server: A stripped-down server module that slides into a shared blade enclosure, which supplies common power, cooling, and networking to many blades.
Blade enclosure (chassis): The shared housing for blade servers; provides redundant power supplies, cooling, and backplane/network connectivity for all installed blades.
Form factor: The physical size and shape of a server: tower, rack-mount (1U/2U/4U), or blade. Chosen for density, scalability, and the environment.
CPU socket: The connector on a motherboard that holds the processor; servers often have multiple sockets for multiprocessing.
Multiprocessing: Using two or more physical CPUs (multi-socket) so a server can execute more threads in parallel for heavy workloads.
ECC memory: Error-Correcting Code RAM that detects and corrects single-bit memory errors; standard in servers for data integrity.
Registered (buffered) memory: RDIMM memory with a register between DRAM and the controller to improve stability with large amounts of RAM; common in servers.
NIC teaming: Combining multiple network interface cards into one logical interface for higher bandwidth and/or failover redundancy.
HBA: Host Bus Adapter — a card that connects a server to storage (e.g., Fibre Channel or SAS), offloading I/O from the CPU.
RAID 0: Striping with no parity. Data is split across drives for speed and full capacity, but ANY drive failure loses all data (no fault tolerance).
RAID 1: Mirroring — identical copies on two drives. Survives one drive failure; usable capacity is half the raw total.
RAID 5: Striping with distributed single parity across 3+ drives. Survives one drive failure; capacity = (n − 1) drives.
RAID 6: Striping with double distributed parity across 4+ drives. Survives two simultaneous drive failures; capacity = (n − 2) drives.
RAID 10 (1+0): A stripe of mirrors — combines RAID 1 redundancy with RAID 0 speed. Needs 4+ drives; high performance and fault tolerance.
Hot spare: A standby drive that automatically rebuilds a RAID array when a member drive fails, minimizing exposure time.
Hot-swappable: A component (drive, power supply, fan) that can be replaced while the server is powered on, with no downtime.
JBOD: Just a Bunch Of Disks — drives presented individually with no RAID; no striping, mirroring, or parity.
SAS: Serial Attached SCSI — a fast, reliable enterprise drive/interface common in servers; supports dual-porting for redundancy.
SATA: Serial ATA — a lower-cost drive interface common for capacity-oriented or less performance-critical server storage.
NVMe: Non-Volatile Memory Express — a high-speed protocol for SSDs over PCIe, offering far lower latency than SAS/SATA.
DAS: Direct-Attached Storage — storage connected directly to one server (internal disks or an external SAS enclosure).
NAS: Network-Attached Storage — file-level storage shared over the LAN using protocols like SMB/CIFS and NFS.
SAN: Storage Area Network — block-level storage over a dedicated high-speed network (Fibre Channel or iSCSI).
iSCSI: Internet Small Computer System Interface — block storage encapsulated in TCP/IP, letting a SAN run over standard Ethernet.
Redundant power supply: A second PSU so the server keeps running if one supply fails; often hot-swappable and on separate circuits.
PDU: Power Distribution Unit — distributes power to rack equipment; managed PDUs allow remote monitoring and per-outlet control.
UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply — battery backup that bridges power loss and enables a graceful shutdown.
BMC / IPMI: Baseboard Management Controller using IPMI — out-of-band hardware management for remote power, console, and sensor monitoring.
Out-of-band management: Managing a server over a dedicated channel (BMC/iLO/iDRAC) independent of the OS, even when the server is off or unresponsive.
Cable management: Organizing power and data cables in a rack to maintain airflow, simplify service, and prevent accidental disconnects.
Hot aisle / cold aisle: A data-center layout that alternates equipment rows so cold intake air and hot exhaust air are separated for efficient cooling.
KVM: Keyboard, Video, Mouse switch — lets one console control many servers; KVM-over-IP adds remote access.
Hypervisor: Software that creates and runs virtual machines by abstracting physical hardware. Type 1 runs on bare metal; Type 2 runs on a host OS.
Type 1 hypervisor: A bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on hardware (e.g., ESXi, Hyper-V) for maximum performance; standard in production servers.
Type 2 hypervisor: A hosted hypervisor that runs as an application on top of an OS (e.g., VirtualBox); used mainly for testing and labs.
Virtual machine (VM): A software-based computer with its own virtual CPU, memory, disk, and NIC, running on a hypervisor.
Container: A lightweight, isolated package of an application and its dependencies that shares the host OS kernel; faster and smaller than a VM.
Snapshot: A point-in-time capture of a VM's state so you can roll back after a change; not a substitute for a real backup.
P2V: Physical-to-Virtual migration — converting a physical server into a virtual machine.
Server role: A primary function a server provides, such as file, print, web, database, DNS, DHCP, or directory services.
DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol — automatically assigns IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS to clients.
DNS: Domain Name System — resolves hostnames to IP addresses; a core server role for name resolution.
Directory services: A centralized identity store (e.g., Active Directory, LDAP) for authentication, authorization, and resource management.
Active Directory: Microsoft's directory service for managing users, computers, and policies via domains, organizational units, and Group Policy.
Group Policy: A Windows feature that centrally enforces configuration and security settings on users and computers in a domain.
Patch management: The process of testing and applying OS and firmware updates on a schedule to fix bugs and close security holes.
Firmware update: Updating low-level device code (BIOS/UEFI, RAID controller, NIC) to fix issues or add support; test before applying in production.
Baseline: A documented record of normal performance (CPU, memory, disk, network) used to detect abnormal behavior later.
Performance monitoring: Tracking CPU, memory, disk I/O, and network utilization over time to find bottlenecks and plan capacity.
Resource pool: Aggregated CPU and memory from hosts that can be allocated to VMs, often with reservations, limits, and shares.
Memory overcommit: Allocating more virtual RAM to VMs than the host physically has, relying on the fact that not all VMs peak at once.
Thin provisioning: Allocating storage on demand as data is written, so a volume can be presented larger than the space currently consumed.
Thick provisioning: Pre-allocating the full storage capacity up front, guaranteeing space at the cost of immediate consumption.
Logical volume: A flexible storage volume (e.g., via LVM) that can span disks and be resized without repartitioning physical drives.
Mount point: The directory location where a filesystem or volume is attached and made accessible within the OS.
Local user account: An account that exists only on a single server, used when domain authentication is unavailable or not appropriate.
Service account: A dedicated, often non-interactive account that runs an application or service; should use least privilege.
Scripting / automation: Using shell, PowerShell, or Bash scripts to automate repetitive administration consistently and at scale.
Documentation: Maintaining diagrams, asset inventories, configuration records, and runbooks so the environment is understood and recoverable.
Change management: A formal process to request, review, approve, schedule, and document changes to reduce risk and outages.
Asset management: Tracking hardware and software inventory, including warranties, licenses, and lifecycle, for the entire server estate.
Licensing: Tracking and complying with software license terms (per-core, per-socket, per-user, or subscription) for servers and apps.
NTP: Network Time Protocol — synchronizes server clocks; accurate time is essential for logging, authentication, and certificates.
Remote administration: Managing a server from elsewhere via SSH (Linux), RDP (Windows), or web/console tools; secure the channel.
SSH: Secure Shell — an encrypted protocol (TCP 22) for remote command-line administration and secure file transfer.
RDP: Remote Desktop Protocol — Microsoft's protocol (TCP 3389) for graphical remote administration of Windows servers.
High availability (HA): Designing systems with redundancy and failover so services keep running despite component failures.
Clustering: Linking multiple servers to act as one system for high availability or load balancing; a failed node's load shifts to others.
Load balancing: Distributing client requests across multiple servers to improve performance and avoid overloading any single node.
VM migration (live): Moving a running VM between hosts with little or no downtime (e.g., vMotion/Live Migration) for maintenance or balancing.
CIA triad: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability — the three core goals that guide all information security decisions.
Least privilege: Granting users and services only the minimum access required to do their job, limiting damage from compromise or error.
Role-based access control (RBAC): Assigning permissions to roles rather than individuals, then placing users into roles for consistent, manageable access.
Multifactor authentication (MFA): Requiring two or more factors — something you know, have, or are — to authenticate, strongly reducing credential theft risk.
Hardening: Reducing a server's attack surface by removing unused services/roles, closing ports, patching, and applying secure baselines.
Host-based firewall: Software on the server itself that filters inbound/outbound traffic by rules, complementing network firewalls.
Data at rest encryption: Encrypting stored data (full-disk or volume encryption) so drives are unreadable if stolen or improperly disposed.
Data in transit encryption: Protecting data moving over the network with TLS, IPsec, or SSH so it can't be read if intercepted.
HSM: Hardware Security Module — a tamper-resistant device that securely generates, stores, and uses cryptographic keys, and accelerates crypto.
TPM: Trusted Platform Module — a chip that stores keys and measurements to support secure boot and full-disk encryption (e.g., BitLocker).
Secure boot: A UEFI feature that verifies the bootloader and OS signatures so unauthorized or tampered code cannot load at startup.
Physical security: Controlling physical access to servers with locked racks, badge entry, cameras, and mantraps to prevent tampering and theft.
Data destruction: Securely disposing of media by wiping, degaussing, or physical destruction (shredding) so data cannot be recovered.
Backup: A copy of data kept separately so it can be restored after loss, corruption, ransomware, or disaster.
Full backup: A complete copy of all selected data; slowest to create and largest, but fastest and simplest to restore.
Incremental backup: Backs up only data changed since the LAST backup (full or incremental); fast/small but restore needs the full plus every increment in order.
Differential backup: Backs up data changed since the last FULL backup; larger than incremental but restore needs only the full plus the latest differential.
Synthetic full backup: A full backup assembled from a prior full plus subsequent incrementals, without re-reading all source data.
3-2-1 backup rule: Keep 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite, to survive most failure and disaster scenarios.
Backup rotation (GFS): Grandfather-Father-Son — a media rotation scheme using daily, weekly, and monthly sets for layered retention.
Snapshot vs backup: A snapshot captures point-in-time state on the same system (quick rollback); a true backup is a separate, restorable copy offsite.
RTO: Recovery Time Objective — the maximum acceptable time to restore a service after an outage.
RPO: Recovery Point Objective — the maximum acceptable amount of data loss, measured as time back to the last good backup.
MTTR: Mean Time To Repair — the average time to fix a failed component and restore service.
MTBF: Mean Time Between Failures — the average operating time between failures; a measure of reliability.
Disaster recovery (DR) plan: A documented, tested process for restoring IT services after a major disruption, defining roles, steps, RTO, and RPO.
Business continuity plan (BCP): A broader plan to keep the whole business operating during and after a disruption; DR is the IT subset of BCP.
Hot site: A fully equipped, continuously updated alternate site that can take over almost immediately — the fastest, most expensive option.
Warm site: A partially equipped alternate site with hardware and connectivity ready, needing data restore and some setup before takeover.
Cold site: A basic facility (space, power, cooling) with no ready equipment; cheapest but slowest to bring online after a disaster.
Failover: Automatically switching to a redundant system or site when the primary fails, to maintain availability.
Failback: Returning operations to the primary system or site once it is repaired and verified after a failover.
Replication: Copying data to another system or site in real time or near-real time so a current copy is always available.
Backup testing: Periodically performing test restores to verify backups are complete, valid, and recoverable — an untested backup may not work.
Air-gapped backup: A backup kept physically or logically disconnected from the network so ransomware and attackers cannot reach it.
Patching for security: Applying security updates promptly to close known vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
Troubleshooting methodology: CompTIA's structured process: identify the problem, theorize a cause, test it, plan, implement/escalate, verify, and document.
Identify the problem: The first step: gather information, question users, identify symptoms, and determine whether anything recently changed.
Establish a theory: Step two: form a probable cause, questioning the obvious and considering multiple possibilities.
Test the theory: Step three: confirm or refute the suspected cause; if not confirmed, form a new theory or escalate.
Verify functionality: After fixing, confirm the full system works and implement preventive measures before closing the issue.
Document the outcome: The final step: record the cause, the solution, and lessons learned for future reference.
POST: Power-On Self-Test — firmware diagnostics at boot; beep codes or POST codes indicate hardware faults like bad RAM or no video.
Beep codes: Audible POST signals whose pattern maps to a hardware fault (e.g., memory or video) per the vendor's reference.
No POST: A server that won't complete POST — check power, reseat RAM and cards, and look for shorts or a failed component.
Boot failure: The OS won't load — possible causes include a bad boot order, failed boot drive, corrupt bootloader, or degraded RAID array.
Blue Screen / kernel panic: A fatal OS crash (Windows BSOD or Linux kernel panic) often caused by bad drivers, hardware faults, or corruption.
Event logs: OS logs (Windows Event Viewer; Linux /var/log, journalctl) that record errors and warnings to diagnose problems.
Degraded array: A RAID array running with a failed member; still operational but unprotected — replace the drive and let it rebuild promptly.
Array rebuild: The process of reconstructing data onto a replacement drive from parity or a mirror after a RAID member fails.
Disk failure signs: SMART errors, bad sectors, unusual noise, rising latency, or array degradation indicate a failing drive.
SMART: Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology — drive self-diagnostics that predict failures before they happen.
Overheating: Excessive temperature from failed fans, blocked airflow, or dust; can cause throttling, shutdowns, or hardware damage.
Thermal shutdown: An automatic power-off triggered when temperature exceeds safe limits, protecting components from damage.
Memory error: Faulty RAM causing crashes or corruption; ECC logs and memory diagnostics help isolate the bad module.
Network connectivity issue: No or poor network access — check cabling, link lights, NIC config, IP settings, VLAN, and switch port.
ping: Tests reachability and round-trip time using ICMP; a basic first step for network connectivity problems.
traceroute / tracert: Maps the per-hop path to a destination to find where traffic stops along the route.
ipconfig / ifconfig / ip: Shows a server's IP address, subnet mask, and gateway; reveals misconfiguration or a missing DHCP lease.
nslookup / dig: Diagnoses DNS resolution; if you can ping by IP but not by name, suspect DNS.
Storage capacity issue: A full disk or LUN causing failures; identify large files/logs, expand the volume, or archive data.
High CPU utilization: Sustained high processor use causing slowness — find the offending process, then tune, scale, or schedule the workload.
Memory leak: A process that fails to release RAM over time, eventually exhausting memory and degrading or crashing the server.
Service won't start: A failed service — check dependencies, configuration, permissions, ports in use, and the related event/log entries.
Performance bottleneck: The single resource (CPU, memory, disk I/O, or network) limiting throughput; identified by comparing usage to the baseline.
Reseat component: Removing and firmly reinstalling a module (RAM, card, cable) to fix faults caused by a poor connection.
Swap / page file thrashing: Excessive paging to disk when RAM is exhausted, causing severe slowdowns; add memory or reduce load.
Authentication failure: Users can't log in — check the directory service, time sync (Kerberos), account lockouts, and password/policy issues.
Cable / connector fault: A bad or loose data/power cable causing intermittent or no connectivity; test or replace and verify link.
Change-related issue: A problem that started right after a change — review and, if needed, roll back the recent change first.
Escalation: Handing an issue to someone with more access or expertise when a fix is beyond your scope or authority.
SFP / SFP+: Small Form-factor Pluggable transceivers that connect a switch/server port to fiber or copper; SFP+ supports 10 Gbps.
QSFP: Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable transceiver for high-speed links (40/100 Gbps) using multiple lanes.
Single-mode fiber: Fiber with a tiny core for long-distance, high-bandwidth runs using laser light; uses LC/SC connectors.
Multimode fiber: Fiber with a larger core for shorter, high-speed runs; cheaper optics than single-mode.
RJ45: The 8-pin modular connector used for twisted-pair Ethernet (Cat 5e/6/6a) copper cabling.
PCIe: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express — the high-speed expansion bus for NICs, HBAs, GPUs, and NVMe SSDs.
Registered (buffered) RAM: RDIMM memory with a register that improves stability with large RAM capacities; common in servers.
DIMM: Dual In-line Memory Module — the physical RAM stick; servers favor ECC and registered variants.
RAID controller: Hardware (or firmware) that manages a RAID array, handling striping, mirroring, parity, and rebuilds.
Rail kit: Mounting hardware that lets a rack server slide in and out of the rack for installation and service.
KVM switch: Keyboard, Video, Mouse switch — lets one console control many servers; KVM-over-IP adds remote access.
Virtual switch: A software switch inside a hypervisor that connects VMs to each other and to physical networks.
vNIC: Virtual network interface card presented to a VM by the hypervisor.
VM cloning: Creating a copy of a VM as a template or for rapid deployment of identical servers.
Live migration: Moving a running VM between hosts with little or no downtime (vMotion / Live Migration).
LVM / logical volume: A flexible volume that can span disks and be resized without repartitioning physical drives.
LDAP: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol — the standard protocol for querying directory services.
Licensing models: Per-core, per-socket, per-user (CAL), or subscription terms that servers and apps must comply with.
Failover cluster: A cluster where a surviving node takes over a failed node's workload to maintain availability.
Synchronous replication: Replication that confirms a write on both sites before acknowledging — zero data loss, higher latency.
Asynchronous replication: Replication that acknowledges locally and copies later — faster, with a small potential data lag.
Capacity planning: Forecasting future resource needs from trends so the server is scaled before it runs out.
Server roles: Primary functions a server provides: file, print, web, database, DNS, DHCP, and directory services.
RBAC: Role-Based Access Control — assigning permissions to roles, then placing users into roles.
Cryptographic erase: Destroying a drive's encryption key so the encrypted data becomes unrecoverable — fast sanitization.
Degaussing: Erasing magnetic media (HDD/tape) with a strong magnetic field; does not work on SSDs/flash.
GFS rotation: Grandfather-Father-Son — a media rotation using daily, weekly, and monthly retention sets.
Business continuity plan: A plan to keep the whole business operating during a disruption; DR is its IT subset.
DR plan: A documented, tested process to restore IT services after a disaster, defining roles, RTO, and RPO.
MFA: Multifactor authentication — requiring two or more factors to log in, blocking most credential theft.
Data sanitization (clear/purge/destroy): NIST SP 800-88 methods of increasing assurance for removing data before media reuse or disposal.
Patch for security: Applying security updates promptly to close known vulnerabilities before exploitation.
Hardening baseline: A documented secure configuration that defines and maintains a server's expected state.
Replication for DR: Copying data to another site in near-real time so a current recoverable copy always exists.
POST codes: Numeric/LED codes a server displays during the Power-On Self-Test to indicate the failing stage.
BSOD / kernel panic: A fatal OS crash (Windows BSOD or Linux kernel panic) usually from drivers, hardware faults, or corruption.
Event Viewer: The Windows tool for reviewing system, application, and security logs to diagnose problems.
syslog / journalctl: Linux logging — /var/log files and journalctl — used to investigate errors and service failures.
Swap / page-file thrashing: Excessive paging to disk when RAM is exhausted, causing severe slowdowns; add RAM or cut load.
ipconfig / ip: Shows a server's IP, mask, and gateway; reveals misconfiguration or a missing DHCP lease.
APIPA address: A 169.254.x.x self-assigned address indicating the host couldn't reach a DHCP server.
Duplex mismatch: When two link ends disagree on half/full duplex, causing collisions, errors, and poor throughput.

To find us again, just search “Career Employer Server+”

By Career EmployerUpdated Jun 19, 2026

150+ free Server+ flashcards — 4 ways to study

Server+ Flashcard of the Day

The classic card. Do you know this one?

Click Study Flashcards above to open the flashcard hub — hundreds of Server+ cards you can flip, match, type, or quiz yourself on. Every card is drawn from the four official SK0-005 domains, so you study exactly what the exam tests.^[1] Pair them with our free practice test and study guide.

CompTIA Server+ is one of the 14 CompTIA certifications — explore our CompTIA flashcards to compare and prep across the whole family.

Server+ Flashcard Study Modes

Most flashcard sites give you one thing: a card to flip. Ours has four modes so you can both learn the material and prove you know it — the difference between recognizing an answer and recalling it under exam pressure.

Flip (Study) — the classic card. Flip term ↔ definition, shuffle the deck, and mark each card “Got it” or “Still learning.”
Match (Game) — a timed game: pair each term to its definition as fast as you can. Great for cementing RAID levels, backup types, and acronyms.
Type (Recall) — read the definition and type the term. Typing forces true active recall instead of passive recognition.
Quiz (Test) — multiple-choice questions generated from the cards, so you self-test exactly like exam day.

Free CompTIA Server+ flashcards from Career Employer — active recall for the SK0-005 exam

Why Flashcards Work for the Server+

Flashcards aren’t busywork — they’re built on active recall: pulling an answer out of memory strengthens it far more than re-reading notes. Pair that with spacing — short sessions across several days rather than one cram — and you retain more in less time.

The Server+ is dense with things you simply have to know cold — RAID levels and capacities, backup types, DR metrics (RTO/RPO), virtualization terms, and troubleshooting steps.^[1] Spaced flashcards are the most efficient way to keep it all fresh. Used alongside our practice test and study guide, they turn review time into measurable progress.

Server+ Flashcards by Domain

The cards are organized by the four official SK0-005 domains. Drill the highest-weighted ones first — Server Administration and Troubleshooting make up well over half the exam:^[1]

Server+ flashcards by domain and weight
Domain	Exam weight
Server Administration	30%
Troubleshooting	28%
Security and Disaster Recovery	24%
Server Hardware Installation and Management	18%

How to Get the Most Out of These Flashcards

Lead with the heavy domains. Server Administration (30%) and Troubleshooting (28%) are well over half the exam — start there.
Memorize RAID and DR. Use Type and Quiz on RAID levels, backup types, and RTO/RPO until you can recall every detail without hesitation.
Drill your weakest domain. Pick a single domain deck and grind it until the Match time drops and the Quiz score climbs.
Then prove it. When the cards feel easy, confirm with a full practice test — aim comfortably above passing before exam day.

Server+ Flashcards FAQ

Hundreds of free Server+ flashcards, organized across all four SK0-005 domains — Server Hardware Installation and Management, Server Administration, Security and Disaster Recovery, and Troubleshooting. They're free with no account required.

References

1.CompTIA. “Server+ (SK0-005) Certification Exam Objectives.” comptia.org. ↑
2.National Institute of Standards and Technology. “SP 800-34 Rev. 1 — Contingency Planning Guide.” csrc.nist.gov. ↑
3.National Institute of Standards and Technology. “SP 800-88 Rev. 1 — Guidelines for Media Sanitization.” csrc.nist.gov. ↑

Career Employer

Career Employer is the ultimate resource to help you get started working the job of your dreams. We cover topics from general career information, career searching, exam preparation with free study materials, career interviewing, and becoming successful in your career of choice.

All Posts

Career Employer’s Editorial Process

Here at Career Employer, we focus a lot on providing factually accurate information that is always up to date. We strive to provide correct information using strict editorial processes, article editing, and fact-checking for all of the information found on our website. We only utilize trustworthy and relevant resources. To find out more, make sure to read our full editorial process page here.