Fundamentals of Computer Networking

Explore what a computer network is by connecting devices with shared hardware, software, and protocols to access centralized resources like printers, media centers, and servers for file sharing and backups.

Classify computer networks by transmission technology and scope, covering personal area networks, local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and wide area networks, with wired and wireless examples.

Explore the fundamentals of local area networks (LANs) within the fundamentals of computer networking course.

Explore how a local area network enables privately owned, site-restricted connections among computers and printers, sharing resources via IP addresses and wireless access points with central connecting devices.

Explore how central devices like hubs, switches, and routers forward data packets and use routing decisions and tables to connect LANs and WANs to the internet.

Explore how local area networks transfer data between devices using network interface cards, Ethernet cables, and wireless access points, and how IP addressing, ARP, and subnet masks enable host communication.

Explore the classification of local area networks (LANs), including wireless LANs, wireless access points, broadcast domains, switches, and the perimeter network with security appliances.

Explore fundamental network topologies, including local area networks, bus, ring, and star, and learn how hub-based and repeater devices support broadcast transmission, energy efficiency, and cost-effective resource allocation.

learn the fundamentals of ethernet and its standards, including local area networks, network media, hub-based signaling, 10 megabits per second speeds, segment length, and basic ip addressing concepts.

Explore client-server and peer-to-peer models, where servers accept or reject client connections, process requests, and respond with data; in peer networks, no centralized management and access is local.

Explore how the OSI model divides communication into seven layers, from application to physical, enabling end to end data transfer, flow control, encryption, compression, and problem isolation.

Learn how a network switch connects devices with ethernet to enable communication on a local network, and why some wireless networks might bypass switches.

Explore layer-2 switching in local area networks, where switches learn MAC addresses, separate collision domains, and forward frames using address resolution protocol to reach destinations.

Explore how a layer-3 switch combines ip routing intelligence with on-network devices, routing protocols, and packet decision making based on source and destination addresses.

Understand the mac address, a unique media access control identifier assigned to a network interface controller, used for network addressing across the internet, wifi, and bluetooth.

Learn how switches remember MAC addresses by dynamically building a memory of addresses to enable remote and accessible communication in networks.

Explore virtual local area networks, where a physical network is logically partitioned into VLANs to group devices from different LANs and improve traffic management.

Explore network transmission media, including wired copper twisted-pair and fiber optic cables, and wireless options like microwaves, while examining noise reduction through twisting, shielding, and differential signaling.

Explore the differences between unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and shielded twisted pair (STP) cables, including how grounding, resistance, and installation impact Ethernet networking and data transfer.

Learn how straight-through and crossover cables connect devices in a local area network, with category ratings, transmit and receive signals, and manage interference and crosstalk.

Explore how fiber optic cables transmit light pulses through optical fibre cores in protective coatings, delivering high-capacity, long-distance, EMI-free networking, with single-mode and multimode options.

Explore the fundamentals of wireless networking, including wireless adapters, access points, repeaters, and bridges, and how radio signals connect devices to the internet without cables.

Learn how wireless standards, as services and protocols, dictate how your Wi-Fi network operates and why they matter for comparing products and international trade.

Understand wireless network topologies by comparing infrastructure mode with access points to ad hoc IBSS peer-to-peer networks, and learn how SSIDs and authentication shape secure home setups.

Assess wireless security by implementing encryption protocols to protect data over airwaves, and enforce authentication via certificates and credentials, using a supplicant, an authentication server, and a wireless controller.