This episode explains how misconfigured network interface cards (NICs) and VLAN settings can disrupt server connectivity. We cover issues such as incorrect VLAN tagging, mismatched speed and duplex settings, and disabled interfaces. The discussion includes how multi-NIC configurations require careful planning for load balancing, redundancy, or VLAN segmentation.

Practical examples include diagnosing a server that cannot reach its intended subnet due to missing VLAN tags or correcting a mismatch between switch and NIC configurations. Troubleshooting steps involve reviewing NIC settings, verifying VLAN assignments, and coordinating with network teams to ensure proper switch port configurations. Understanding these tactics ensures candidates can restore network access quickly and reliably. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.

This episode focuses on diagnosing network connectivity failures by examining IP assignment, name resolution, and routing paths. We explain how DHCP misconfigurations can lead to incorrect or missing IP addresses, how DNS issues prevent hostname resolution, and how routing problems can block communication between subnets or external networks.

We provide real-world and exam-relevant scenarios, such as a server unable to connect to the internet due to an incorrect gateway, or a client unable to access a service because of a missing DNS record. Troubleshooting includes using ping, traceroute, nslookup, and route commands to isolate the cause and restore connectivity. Mastering these techniques ensures candidates can resolve network issues efficiently in both test and production environments. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.

This episode covers how incorrect configurations and missing dependencies can prevent services from starting or functioning correctly. We discuss common causes, such as incorrect file paths, insufficient permissions, or disabled services. Identifying these issues often requires checking configuration files, logs, and service dependencies.

Practical and exam examples include resolving a database service that won’t start due to a missing data directory or restoring a web service after a misconfigured port assignment. Troubleshooting steps include validating configuration syntax, restoring missing files, and ensuring all required services are running. Understanding these failures equips candidates to restore operations quickly and avoid repeat incidents. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.

This episode explains how dependency issues and update conflicts can cause application or service failures. We discuss scenarios where software relies on specific versions of libraries, frameworks, or drivers, and how updates can inadvertently break functionality by replacing or removing required components. The importance of maintaining compatibility testing procedures before deploying updates is emphasized.

We then connect these concepts to both exam and real-world cases, such as a web application failing after a server patch changes its runtime environment. Troubleshooting steps include reviewing application logs, rolling back incompatible updates, and isolating affected components for targeted fixes. Mastery of dependency and update conflict resolution ensures candidates can maintain service continuity while applying necessary system changes. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.

This episode addresses troubleshooting operating system and application problems, including failed logins, service outages, and patch installation errors. We explain how authentication misconfigurations, expired credentials, or corrupted profiles can block user access, while incomplete or incompatible patches can destabilize services.

We connect these challenges to real-world and exam situations, such as diagnosing a failed login due to clock skew between servers or recovering from a service crash after a patch. Troubleshooting steps include checking event logs, restoring from backups, and rolling back problematic updates. By mastering these techniques, candidates can maintain system stability and quickly restore service functionality. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.

This episode examines how partition and file system errors can impact server operations. We explain problems such as partition misalignment reducing performance, corruption preventing access to data, and boot failures caused by damaged boot sectors or missing system files. The discussion includes how these issues can originate from improper setup, power loss, or hardware failure.

Practical and exam-relevant scenarios include using disk utilities to repair file system corruption, aligning partitions for SSD optimization, and restoring boot sectors from backups. Troubleshooting considerations focus on validating storage health before making repairs and maintaining recent backups to minimize data loss. Mastering these skills ensures candidates can quickly recover from partition and file system problems. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.

This episode focuses on diagnosing problems with host bus adapters (HBAs) and storage controllers, which are critical for connecting servers to storage devices. We discuss symptoms of adapter failure, such as intermittent connectivity, degraded performance, and device detection errors. Configuration mismatches, outdated firmware, and driver incompatibility are also highlighted as common causes.

We then explore real-world and exam scenarios, such as troubleshooting an HBA that drops connections to a Fibre Channel SAN or resolving a RAID controller firmware bug that causes array instability. Troubleshooting steps include updating drivers and firmware, reseating adapters, and replacing defective hardware. Understanding these issues equips candidates to restore stable storage connectivity quickly and effectively. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.

This episode covers how to identify and resolve storage-related failures in server environments. We explain symptoms such as inability to mount volumes, significantly degraded read/write speeds, and corrupted files. Common causes include failing drives, controller faults, cabling issues, and file system corruption.

Real-world and exam-relevant examples include troubleshooting a server that fails to recognize an attached SAN volume or investigating a performance drop caused by a failing HDD. Steps for resolution include running file system checks, replacing defective hardware, and verifying storage paths in the OS. Mastery of these troubleshooting techniques ensures candidates can maintain stable, responsive storage systems. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber prepcasts, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.