Cisco CCNA Primer

Networks can consist of hundreds of device types but here are the most common ones you will encounter.

Which cables go where and what sort of service can you expect from them?

It's not just there for decoration. The OSI is an entire framework for internetwork communication.

TCP is the defacto standard for internet communications. Learn more about the model here.

Understanding TCP ports and services is essential if you are to cut it as a network admin. Learn about the most common ones here.

A topology is how you set the network out both physically and logically. Here are the most common options.

The LAN side is where you will spend much of your time as a network admin. Here are some LAN technologies.

A brief look at a few common network appliances in case you encounter them.

You need to know your way around the inside of a router as well as the various memory types and purpose.

Hands-on time again. Let's look at how ARP works as well as some telnet and a PING output.

Understanding VLANs is the cornerstone of your network skillset so let's learn what they are and how they work.

STP protects your LAN from terrible broadcast issues due to multiple paths being available to traffic. STP will make your life much easier so you need to understand it.

The Cisco 2960 is the model currently tested in the CCNA exam. It's a very versatile switch so let's have a look at it.

Learn how to configure VLANs on your 2960 switch.

Building on the previous labs, we now add hosts to the VLAN and configure a trunk link between two switches.

All networks communicate using TCP/IP and the addressing format currently used is IPv4 for hosts and interfaces. Here we look at IPv4 addressing basics.

Subnetting is a subject which seems to confuse most IT students. Here we look at what it is and how to make it seem easy.

IPv6 is currently in use on many networks and will eventually replace IPv4. Here we look at the basics of this addressing scheme.

Many networks suffer from a lack of planning making growth a painful process. Without proper planning you will have high network usage, CPU utilization and excessively big routing tables.

Keeping your addressing system neat and tidy is a sign of a good engineer. Here is how you do it.

Let's look at the basics of why and how we route on networks.

Routing protocols exist to help us move traffic from A to Z along the most efficient path. But they all work differently.

This is a beginners guide to configuring basic router parameters.

Static routing is where the network administrator sets where the traffic goes. You can use it alone or along with dynamic routing.

RIP is no longer in the CCNA syllabus but it's a great way for us to configure our first dynamic routing protocol.

EIGRP is a highly robust routing protocol used on many enterprise networks. Let's look at how to configure it.

OSPF is used on small to very large network the world over. Here is how to configure it.

After NAT and subnetting, ACLs are the hardest subject for IT students to master. Here we look at what they do.

Authenticating users is how networks decide who gets access and who doesn't. You have several options.

Firewalls run lists of rules deciding who can and who cannot pass into your network. They can filter on IP addreses, ports, protcols and much more.

We dig into some more advanced security concepts.

There are several appliences we can use to harden our networks. Here are a few.

Standard ACLs are the easiest to configure however they can only block source networks or hosts.

Extended ACLs give you far more options but you will find them a bit tricky.

Named ACLs can be standard or extended. The syntax is slighly different.

Understanding CDP will help you with troubleshooting and your day-do-day role as a Cisco engineer.

NAT is another tricky subject but the more you do it the more you will understand it.

Both logging and NTP are used on most networks so you need to understand them.

SNMP is used to monitor and manage devices and can make your life a lot easier.

DHCP is used to allocate IP information to hosts and it automates much of the boring work you would have to do manually otherwise.

You will need to use static NAT if you have hosts which need to use the same IP address continually such as an FTP server.

NAT pools are used in most networks so let's configure one.

Cisco Discovery Protocol lab.

Frame relay has become somewhat of a legacy technology. It is however, still in the CCNA exam so we need to understand it.

Common WAN connection types as well as Virtual Private Networks.

We configure a PPP connection and add CHAP authentication.

Some basic troubleshooting methods and steps.