Crs 800
Introduction to Local and Wide Area Networking

Affectionately known as "John and Jane go Networking" - this seminar is a fast paced introduction to  Local and Wide Area Networking concepts and terminology.

It is aimed at novices to the field of networking and data communications who require a rapid and intensive introduction to the subject.

 

Course Outline

  • The reasons networks were developed
    • sharing resources (e.g. access to file servers, print servers)
    • collaborative work (group working)
    • transfer of documents and files
    • access to intranets and internets
  • Networking and Data Communications Protocols
    • What are protocols
    • Standards and standards making organisations (ITU-T, ANSI, ISO, IETF)
    • Computer communication strategies
      • packet switching
      • message switching 
      • circuit switching
    • Understanding the ISO-OSI seven layer model
    • Advantages of layered protocols
    • TCP/IP in reference to the seven layer model
  • Physical links and their interfaces
    • analogue vs. digital circuits
    • baseband vs. broadband
    • cable types - coax (shielded and unshielded)  , twisted pair, optical fibre
    • radio links ( microwave, Bluetooth, 802.11x , cellular, satellite)
  • Telephony
    • dial-up modem  standards V.9x, V.42, V.2x ...
    • dial up ISDN- BRI, PRI
  • DSL and Cable Modem
  • WAN technology
    • X.25
    • ATM
    • Frame Relay
    • SONET/SDH
  • Local Area Networks
    • Ethernet (10/100 BASE T, 1 and 10 Gigabit) 
    • Token Ring
    • FDDI
  • LAN interconnection
    • Repeaters and hubs
    • Bridges and Switches
    • Routers
  • Advanced LAN topics
    • VLANs
    • IP switching
    • QoS and IP
    • MPLS
  • TCP/IP networking
    • IPv4 
    • introduction to IPv6
    • Application services
      • E-mail, FTP, Telnet, VoIP
      • DNS, DHCP, LDAP
      • HTTP. Web Services
  • Network Management and Security
    • SNMP, RMON, MIBs
    • Protocol analysers
    • Public key 
    • PKI and Certificates
    • IPsec
    • VPNs
    • Firewalls and Proxy servers

 

  

Intended Audience

The course does not assume any experience with data communications and networking. It does however assume that attendees will be interested in data communications and networking and are willing and able to absorb a lot of new concepts and terminology.

As such the course will be useful to a wide range of backgrounds such as

  • technical sales and support staff selling products that will be attached to networks (e.g. medical diagnostic equipment, industrial controllers, network attached printer servers ....)
  • technical project managers who will be managing projects involving mail , intranet and internet systems ...
  • service personnel for whom this will be a first introduction to the subject
  • non technical managers who have to sit in on interviews for technical staff and who wish to understand the "gist" of some of the technical questions being asked by the "technical" interviewer. 

 

Key Skills

  • Understanding the words and meanings underlying the "sea of acronyms" that is the hallmark of computer and data communications networks.
  • Confidence in asking the "right" questions when dealing with "network professionals" and evaluating their answers
  • Developing a good foundation of networking concepts and ideas on which to build further knowledge.
  • Being aware of the various components that make up data communications systems and networks and how they all fit together