Introduction to Networking

Explore IPv4 fundamentals, planning and addressing, and configuring IPv4 hosts while troubleshooting network connectivity across laptops, desktops, servers, phones, printers, cameras, and other devices.

Identify IPv4 addresses as four octets that identify devices on a network, and show how switches and routers connect devices and route traffic between networks via the default gateway.

Identify mac addresses as a 12 character hexadecimal address assigned to the network interface adapter on every wired or wireless device, also called physical addresses.

Learn how to locate the MAC address using command prompt and PowerShell, including get mac, ipconfig /all, and get net adapter, with practical tips for Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapters.

Explain how ARP resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses on the local network via broadcast, tested by ping and shown in the ARP table, and gateway routing for external destinations.

Learn how the OSI model explains device-to-device communication across seven layers, from application protocols like HTTP and email to MAC addresses and layer-two switching.

Explore how layer 2 switches use MAC addresses and VLANs to segment networks, and how layer 3 switches enable inter-VLAN routing for cross-subnet communication.

Explore how IPv4 addresses use four eight-bit octets, convert decimal to binary, and apply binary conversion for subnetting and IP addressing.

Practice converting decimal numbers 31 and 117 to binary, and convert binary to decimal for C and D. Download the answer key under this lesson to verify your work.

Explore how IPv4 addresses enable computer communication by identifying the network ID and host ID with a subnet mask, using examples like 172.16.x.x and 192.168.1.x.

Explore classful ip addressing, covering class a, b, c ranges, their default subnet masks, loopback 127.0.0.1, and cidr notation such as /8 and /16 for network id and broadcast.

Explore how subnet masks are formed from contiguous ones followed by zeros, using a binary chart to enumerate valid values like 255.255.248.0 and other octets.

Discover subnetting fundamentals by converting subnet masks to binary, calculating hosts per subnet, and determining network and subnets for a class B address.

Walks through subnetting with 172.61.0.0 and 255.255.252.0, showing host address calculation via binary mask (2^zeros minus two) and networks via remaining ones, noting when not to subtract two.

determine the number of networks and host addresses for a class a ip address using the subnet mask 255.255.248.0, yielding 8192 networks and 2046 host addresses per subnet.

Explore how a subnet calculator helps verify subnetting concepts by selecting class A, B, or C addresses, applying a 255.255.224.0 mask, and calculating subnets, hosts per subnet, and network and broadcast addresses.

Differentiate public and private IP addresses, explain their internet routability and global uniqueness, and identify the private ranges 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, and 192.168.0.0/16, plus how NAT enables internet access.

Discover how nat translates private ip addresses on a home network to a single public ip address, enabling devices like 192.168.1.x to share internet access via the isp's public address.

See how a router performs NAT, allowing multiple devices with private IPs to access the internet via a single public IP, while the router maintains address mappings.

Configure ipv4 on client devices by setting a static ip with subnet mask and default gateway, or obtain ip and dns addresses automatically via dhcp.

Configure IPv4 on client devices by selecting automatic or static IP, and set subnet mask, gateway, and DNS in Windows control panel or settings, with examples like 192.168.1.210.

Explore Cisco Packet Tracer, a free network simulation tool to design, configure, and troubleshoot networks with virtual devices, IPv4/IPv6, VLANs, NAT, DHCP, and VPN.

Use Cisco Packet Tracer to configure PCs, switches, and routers with IP addresses and gateways, then establish static routes between 192.168.1.0 and 10.0.0.0 for end-to-end connectivity.

Demonstrate creating two VLANs in Cisco Packet Tracer, assign ports to VLAN 10 and VLAN 20 for prod and dev, test connectivity with pings, and explain port-based and mac-based VLANs.

Explore managing and troubleshooting IPv4 network connectivity using IPv4 troubleshooting methodology tools, and learn how Wireshark can assist in diagnostics.

Apply a practical troubleshooting flow by asking targeted questions, testing name resolution with DNS, verifying connectivity by IP, and isolating issues across devices and the network, including DNS and gateways.

Learn hands-on IPv4 troubleshooting by isolating network problems, testing loopback and devices with ping, validating IP configuration and default gateway, and distinguishing internet from LAN issues.

Explore ipconfig usage to view and manage IPv4 and IPv6 settings, release and renew addresses via DHCP, and purge or display the DNS client resolver cache.

Learn how the ping tool tests connectivity by sending echo requests and receiving replies. Use options -t, -a, -n, -i, -4, and -6 to troubleshoot IPv4 and IPv6.

Use traceroute and pathping to trace each network hop, diagnose where issues arise, and quantify packet loss across gateways, providers, and intermediate routers.

Use resource monitor to view real-time cpu, memory, disk, and network utilization with detailed metrics. Observe per application connections and traffic to troubleshoot performance.

Navigate Windows network diagnostics from the control panel to troubleshoot internet connectivity and adapter issues, test connectivity to sites like Microsoft.com, and receive actionable end-user recommendations.

Learn to use Wireshark to capture and filter traffic, identify interfaces, inspect packets, DNS queries, IP/MAC addresses, and the contrast between http and https for credentials.

Explore Active Directory concepts, including domain and domain controller, and understand how Group Policy integrates with these services.

Explore DHCP, its server role, deployment, and troubleshooting. Learn how DHCP allocates ip addresses, manages lease generation, and renewals on home and enterprise networks.

Explore how dhcp automatically assigns ip addresses to devices from phones to printers, via a centralized configuration of ip range, gateway, and dns servers.

Discover how DHCP automates IP configuration to reduce complexity and administrative work, while servers, domain controllers, and DNS servers rely on static addresses for stability.

Explore how DHCP lease generation works with multiple servers providing resilience by leasing different IP address ranges, using the discover, offer, request, and acknowledge flow.

Explore how DHCP lease renewal works, including eight-day default leases, 50% renewal at day four, 87.5% retry, and conflict detection with discover messages enabling seamless server transitions.

Explore automatic private IP addressing (APIPA) when DHCP fails, how Windows devices generate a 169.254.x.x address, and how DHCP discover resumes connectivity once the DHCP server returns.

Explore how APIPA assigns a 169.254.x.x address when no DHCP server responds, by inspecting IPv4 settings and using ipconfig or get-netipaddress.

Deploy the DHCP server by installing and configuring its role, authorizing it, allocating IPv4 addresses, configuring options, and setting up a DHCP relay agent.

Install DHCP role via server manager or PowerShell, ensure a static IP, complete postinstall tasks by creating DHCP users and admins groups, restart the service, and authorize in Active Directory.

Set a static IP on your server, then install the DHCP server role via Server Manager, add features, and complete post-installation configuration.

Learn how DHCP authorization prevents rogue servers by registering Windows DHCP servers in Active Directory, so only authorized servers lease addresses while unauthorized ones stay offline.

Authorize a DHCP server via server manager, create DHCP administrators and DHCP users groups, and verify authorization with a green check, ensuring domain-joined deployment and post-installation configuration.

Create an ipv4 scope to define ip configurations, including range, subnet mask, and lease duration; reserve an ip by mac address so the device always receives the same address.

Configure a new ipv4 dhcp scope using the scope wizard, set start and end addresses, exclusions, a delay, lease duration, and dns servers, then activate and verify with ipconfig.

Learn to create DHCP reservations binding an IP to a MAC, so devices like printers always use the same IP by converting a lease or creating a manual reservation.

Install DHCP using PowerShell with administrator privileges, enabling management tools and the graphical console, then configure security groups, restart the service, and authorize the DHCP server in the domain.

Discover dhcp high availability on windows servers, including failover with scope replication for load balanced or hot standby operation, and split scope with delayed responses to avoid points of failure.

Configure a split scope across two dhcp servers by adding an additional server, selecting an 80/20 or 50/50 split, and setting exclusion ranges to prevent overlap.

Identify the dhcp database at C:\Windows\System32\dhcp, then back up automatically every 60 minutes, with manual backups, restores, reconciliations, and migrations by copying the DHCP folder.

This demo shows configuring DHCP failover between two servers with a single scope, choosing load balancing, setting a shared secret, MCL, and leasing ranges to ensure seamless failover.

Demonstrates manual and automatic DHCP backups, locating backup files in the DHCP folder, and restoring by stopping and restarting the DHCP service, noting enterprise versus home devices.

Export the DHCP data from the old server and import it to the new one to preserve configuration; copy the DHCP configuration files if needed, and then create a scope.

Explore the domain name service, implement DNS, and configure zones and records. Enable name resolution across DNS zones and Active Directory integration, and troubleshoot DNS servers.

Explain dns resolution by examining the host name, domain name, and top-level domain, and show how they form the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) in adatum.com and in workgroup environments.

Track how a client resolves a domain from local cache and host file, then uses recursive DNS queries to the root and .com namespace to obtain and cache IP address.

Explore the core DNS components, including the DNS server, DNS zone, and resource records, and learn how resolvers query and translate names to IP addresses.

Discover how DNS zones group records, forward lookups resolve names to IPs (IPv4/IPv6), and reverse lookups map IPs back to names, with A, MX, SRV, NS, CNAME, and PTR.

Create and test dns records with server manager by adding a host record in the forward lookup zone (networking.com) and an alias www to resolve to the server address.

Learn how DNS zones operate in an Active Directory environment, including AD integrated versus primary zones and dynamic update options, then manage host records within those zones.

Configure dns client addresses automatically via dhcp or statically, use two dns servers with a preferred and an alternate, and manage these settings with powershell set dns client server addresses.

Learn to create dns records, configure dns zones, and implement primary and secondary zones with active directory integrated zones and replication.

Create a host (A) record in the contoso.com zone to map a computer name to an IP address, or use a CNAME alias like www.contoso.com.

Learn how to configure dns zones with a networking.com namespace, set up a forward lookup zone for name-to-ip resolution, and perform reverse lookups from ip-to-name.

Explore the four DNS zone types—primary, secondary, stub, and Active Directory integrated—and learn how each stores or replicates records and when to use them.

Explore Active Directory integrated zones, enabling multi-master rights across DNS servers, with incremental replication and secure dynamic updates that prevent non-domain devices from registering records while maintaining name resolution.

Discover how a stub zone reduces unnecessary record transfers by storing only dns server records from other domains, enabling full name resolution across the forest.

Learn how dns servers use root hints to resolve internet names via recursive queries, consulting the 13 root servers listed in root hints to map microsoft.com to its ip address.

View root hints and route hints tab populated by the default cash.dns file; a client with internet access uses this server as primary DNS to resolve names via route hints.

DNS forwarding uses an external DNS server like Google public DNS 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 to resolve external names quickly via cached responses, with route hints as a fallback.

Configure dns forwarding by adding forwarders in the forwarders tab, using 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4, and rely on root hints if forwarders fail.

Explore why ipv6 is used, how it differs from ipv4, and review ipv6 addressing, address structure, types of addresses, plus manual or auto configuration for ipv4 coexistence during transition.

Explore IPv6 benefits, including automatic address assignment and dhcp elimination, native IPsec encryption, and embedded qos for real-time voice traffic.

Explore how IPv6 addresses are structured as 128 bits in eight 16-bit blocks, represented in hexadecimal, and learn leading zero compression and the double colon rule for zero runs.

Compare IPv4 and IPv6 address structures and learn about IPv6 address types: global unicast, unique local, and link local. Understand how interface IDs, subnetting, and zone IDs shape IPv6 addressing.

Explore how IPv6 auto-configuration creates link-local addresses, checks for conflicts via neighbor solicitation, and uses router prefixes or DHCP with M and O flags to assign addresses, DNS, and gateways.

Configure IPv6 addresses the same way as IPv4, choosing automatic or static addressing, entering hexadecimal addresses with the prefix length, and managing DNS and DHCP options.

Understand IPv4 and IPv6 coexistence with a dual IP layer in a single protocol stack. Learn about DNS A and AAAA records, reverse PTRs, and IPv6-first ping behavior.

Evaluate IPv6 readiness across operating systems, devices, routers, and applications, while spotting potential gaps in legacy IPv4 setups. Test custom applications to ensure complete IPv6 compatibility.

Discover how tunneling lets IPv6 traffic traverse an IPv4 network by wrapping IPv6 packets in IPv4 headers, routing them, and stripping the IPv4 header at the destination.