CompTIA Server+

SK0-005 · ● Active · Associate · CompTIA

Vendor-neutral server hardware and administration certification. Launched May 2021. LIFETIME validity — no renewal, no continuing education required. Cost USD $390, 90 min, 90 questions (mix multiple-choice + performance-based), passing score 750/900.

Exam facts

Vendor source — Server+ (Plus) Certification ↗
Exam details — SK0-005 CompTIA Server+ ↗
Exam objectives — SK0-005 Exam Objectives Blueprint ↗

About

CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) validates vendor-neutral skills to install, configure, manage, and troubleshoot physical and virtual servers in on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Released May 2021, it replaces the earlier SK0-004 version and represents the current standard for associate-level server administration. The cert is designed for IT professionals who operate datacenter infrastructure, including server hardware setup, storage management, security hardening, disaster recovery, and performance troubleshooting. Critical distinction: Server+ carries lifetime validity — once earned, it never expires and requires no renewal or continuing education, making it a permanent credential.

Domain context — Systems / OS

Server administration (vendor-neutral, hardware + OS combined). Sits at the Associate level alongside Linux+ and Windows Server fundamentals. Bridges Help Desk → Senior Sysadmin career progression and feeds into cloud operations, DevOps, and infrastructure engineering roles.

Read full deep dive — Systems / OS Domain →

Topics covered

Domain 1: Server Hardware Installation and Management (18%)

• Server form factors (1U, 2U, blade) and rack standards
• Power delivery (PSU redundancy, UPS integration, PDU management)
• Thermal management (airflow, cooling systems, monitoring)
• Network connectivity (Ethernet, NIC bonding, VLAN tagging)
• Storage hardware (HDDs vs. SSDs, hot-swap bays, RAID controllers)
• RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10) and hot-spare configuration
• Out-of-band management (IPMI, iLO, iDRAC, Redfish)
• Firmware and driver updates, hardware diagnostics

Domain 2: Server Administration (30%)

• Server deployment and initial configuration
• Operating system installation (Windows Server, Linux)
• User and group management, access control
• Storage and partition management (local, SAN, NAS)
• Virtual machine deployment and management (Hyper-V, ESXi, KVM)
• Service management and log monitoring
• Performance tuning (CPU, memory, disk I/O bottlenecks)
• Backup and snapshot strategies

Domain 3: Security and Disaster Recovery (24%)

• Authentication and authorization (local, domain, LDAP)
• Firewall rules and network segmentation
• Malware protection and patch management
• Backup and restore procedures
• Disaster recovery planning (RPO, RTO, failover mechanisms)
• High availability (clustering, load balancing)
• Compliance requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS basics)
• Encryption at rest and in transit

Domain 4: Troubleshooting (28%)

• Hardware diagnostics and failure identification
• Boot and startup issues (BIOS/UEFI, boot order, POST)
• Network troubleshooting (connectivity, DNS, IP conflicts)
• Storage performance and capacity issues
• Virtualization and VM troubleshooting
• Service and daemon failures
• Log analysis and event monitoring
• Performance analysis and optimization

Source: Official exam blueprint ↗

Common skills at Systems/OS · Associate

Shared competencies for the Systems/OS domain at Associate level — not specific to this cert.

• Command-line proficiency — Windows Server CLI (PowerShell), Linux shell scripting basics
• File systems and partitioning — NTFS/ext4/XFS, MBR/GPT, LVM concepts
• User/group management — Local and domain accounts, permission inheritance, sudo/RunAs
• Service and daemon control — systemd (Linux), Services MMC (Windows), startup behavior
• Networking fundamentals — TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, NIC configuration, basic routing
• Log analysis — Event Viewer (Windows), journalctl/rsyslog (Linux), troubleshooting via logs
• Performance monitoring — Task Manager, Resource Monitor (Windows), top/vmstat (Linux)
• Storage basics — Partitioning, mount points, disk quotas, RAID concepts

Recommended courses at Systems/OS · Associate

Course-selection note: Server+ courses are less abundant than Linux+ or Security+ on the market; instructor quality varies significantly. CBT Nuggets and CertMaster are the safest bets for alignment with current objectives.

Practice exams

Recommendation: Start with free practice (ExamTopics), move to MeasureUp or Whizlabs for comprehensive simulation, finish with CertMaster official practice 1–2 weeks before exam.

Books

Book rule: All three Sybex titles by Troy McMillan are current (published 2022 for SK0-005). The "Study Guide" is the most affordable entry point; the "Certification Kit" bundles practice exams. Both align directly with the current exam blueprint.

Typical job titles at Systems/OS · Associate

Server Administrator · Datacenter Technician · Junior Systems Engineer · Hardware Technician · Field Service Engineer · IT Operations Specialist (Server Focus)

(Job titles drawn from current job-board postings that list Server+ as required or preferred.)

Salary

Salary note: Server+ alone does not command a premium above general sysadmin salaries; market value increases significantly when paired with second certification (Azure Admin, AWS SysOps, RHCSA) or hands-on cloud platform experience (AWS, Azure, VMware vSphere).

Skills validated

Cert-specific — what this exam actually tests, distinct from the shared "Common skills" above.

• Server hardware installation & racking — Physical deployment, cable management, power distribution
• RAID configuration & management — Levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10; hot-spare; rebuild scenarios
• Storage technologies — SAN vs. NAS distinction, shared storage provisioning, capacity planning
• Power and thermal infrastructure — PSU redundancy, UPS setup, cooling airflow, monitoring
• Out-of-band management — IPMI, iLO (HP/HPE), iDRAC (Dell), chassis management
• Virtual machine deployment — Hyper-V, ESXi, KVM basics; resource allocation; snapshots
• Windows Server administration — Roles/features, DNS, DHCP, Active Directory basics, PowerShell
• Linux server basics — Installation, user management, systemd services, file permissions
• High availability & disaster recovery — Clustering, failover, backup/restore, RPO/RTO concepts
• Security hardening — Firewall rules, patch management, authentication, encryption
• Troubleshooting methodology — Hardware diagnostics, boot issues, network connectivity, log analysis
• Performance optimization — CPU, memory, disk I/O tuning; bottleneck identification

Related certifications

• Stacks with: CompTIA A+ (220-1201/1202) ↗ — Foundation prerequisite
• Prerequisite for: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) ↗ — Natural progression to security
• Equivalent pathway: Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate (AZ-800) ↗ — Windows-focused alternative
• Complements: CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) ↗ — Networking layer
• Vendor overview: CompTIA Vendor Overview ↗

Sources

• CompTIA Server+ Official: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/server/
• Exam objectives: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/server/
• Pearson VUE testing: https://www.pearsonvue.com/
• Troy McMillan Study Guide (Sybex): https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Server-Study-Guide-SK0-005/dp/1119891434
• CBT Nuggets course: https://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training/comptia/server-plus-certification
• Udemy courses: https://www.udemy.com/course/comptia-server-sk0-005/
• Pluralsight path: https://www.pluralsight.com/paths/comptia-server-sk0-005
• MeasureUp practice: https://www.measureup.com/practice-test-sk0-005-comptia-server.html
• Salary data (USD): https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/data-center-technician-salary-SRCH_KO0,22.htm
• Salary data (USD alt): https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/data-center-technician-salary

Last verified: 2026-05-01
Parent ecosystem: CompTIA Foundation Certs
Parent domain: Systems / OS
Vendor overview: CompTIA Vendor Overview