Network Engineering Course
Course Overview:
The Network Engineering course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and practical skills required to design, configure, and troubleshoot complex computer networks. The course covers the fundamental concepts of networking, including network protocols, IP addressing, routing, switching, security, and network services. Additionally, it provides hands-on training on industry-standard networking devices and tools, preparing students for roles such as Network Engineer, Network Administrator, and Systems Engineer.
Target Audience:
- Aspiring network engineers
- IT professionals looking to specialize in network engineering
- Systems administrators who want to deepen their networking knowledge
- Individuals pursuing certifications such as CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA, or CCNP
Pre-requisites:
- Basic knowledge of computer systems and operating systems (Windows/Linux)
- Familiarity with basic networking concepts (e.g., IP, DNS, DHCP)
- Understanding of data structures and algorithms (helpful for more advanced topics)
Course Outline:
- What is Networking?: Basics of networking, importance in modern IT infrastructure
- Networking Components: Routers, switches, hubs, modems, firewalls, and network cables
- Types of Networks: Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
- Network Topologies: Star, bus, ring, mesh, hybrid
- OS Models: OSI Model (7 layers), TCP/IP Model (4 layers)
- Introduction to Network Protocols: TCP/IP, UDP, IP, ARP, ICMP, DNS, DHCP
- OSI Model Overview: Detailed explanation of each layer (Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application)
- TCP/IP Model: Understanding the layers and how they map to OSI
- Protocols by Layer:
- Layer 1 (Physical): Ethernet, Fiber optics
- Layer 2 (Data Link): MAC address, switches
- Layer 3 (Network): IP addressing, routers, routing protocols
- Layer 4 (Transport): TCP, UDP
- Layer 5-7 (Session, Presentation, Application): HTTP, FTP, DNS, SSL/TLS, SNMP
- Encapsulation and Decapsulation: How data is wrapped in each layer for transmission
- IPv4 and IPv6 Addressing: Understanding IPv4 classes (A, B, C, D, E), private vs. public IP addresses, IPv6 structure
- Subnetting: CIDR notation, subnet masks, subnetting calculations, VLSM (Variable Length Subnet Masking)
- Subnet Design: Practical exercises in dividing networks into subnets
- Subnetting Challenges: Addressing and routing considerations in subnetting
- IP Address Management: DHCP, static IP addressing, and IP address allocation best practices
- Introduction to Routing: Static vs. dynamic routing, routing tables, route aggregation
- Routing Protocols:
- RIP (Routing Information Protocol): Overview, configuration, and troubleshooting
- OSPF (Open Shortest Path First): Overview, configuration, and troubleshooting
- EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol): Overview, configuration, and troubleshooting
- BGP (Border Gateway Protocol): Introduction to inter-domain routing
- Introduction to Switching:
- Switch operation, MAC address tables, VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks)
- VLAN configuration and inter-VLAN routing
- Trunking and 802.1Q tagging
- Switching Concepts: Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), port security, Layer 2 forwarding
- Dynamic Routing Protocols: Advanced RIP, OSPF, EIGRP
- Route Redistribution: Redistributing between different routing protocols
- Default Routes and Floating Static Routes: When and how to configure them
- IPv6 Routing: Configuring OSPFv3 and EIGRPv6
- Routing Security: Securing routing protocols, authentication, route filtering
- Route Summarization: Techniques to reduce routing table size and improve network efficiency
- Network Security Basics: CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability), types of attacks
- Firewalls and NAT: Types of firewalls (stateful, stateless), configuring NAT (Network Address Translation)
- VPNs: Site-to-site, remote access VPNs (IPSec, SSL)
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS): Configuring and monitoring IDS/IPS devices
- Access Control: Implementing ACLs (Access Control Lists), port security, and device hardening
- Wireless Security: Securing wireless networks with WPA2, WPA3, and 802.1X
- Wireless Networking Basics: WLAN, Wi-Fi standards (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
- Wi-Fi Design: Access point placement, coverage areas, signal strength
- Wireless Security: WPA, WPA2, WPA3, WEP encryption, and securing wireless networks
- Wireless Troubleshooting: Diagnosing common issues (signal interference, dead zones, channel overlap)
- Advanced Wireless Topics: Mesh networking, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), mobile wireless technologies (4G, 5G)
- Network Monitoring Tools: SNMP, Syslog, NetFlow, Wireshark, SolarWinds, Nagios
- Troubleshooting Methodologies: Using the OSI model to diagnose problems, tools for network troubleshooting
- Common Network Issues: Connectivity issues, slow performance, packet loss, and jitter
- Network Troubleshooting Tools: Ping, Traceroute, ipconfig/ifconfig, nslookup, Telnet, SSH, Wireshark
- Performance Tuning: Bandwidth optimization, Quality of Service (QoS) configuration, packet shaping
- Network Design Principles: Designing scalable, reliable, and secure networks
- Designing Subnetting and Routing Plans: Planning IP address space, routing protocols, and redundancy
- Redundancy and High Availability: Designing networks with failover capabilities (HSRP, VRRP, GLBP)
- Network Implementation: Configuring routers, switches, and firewalls in a lab environment
- Documentation and Best Practices: Network diagrams, IP addressing schemes, and topology designs
- Introduction to Network Automation: Benefits of automation, reducing human error, and improving efficiency
- Scripting with Python: Basic Python scripting for network automation (e.g., using libraries like Netmiko, Paramiko)
- Network Configuration Management: Ansible, Puppet, Chef for network devices
- SDN (Software-Defined Networking): Introduction to SDN architecture and its impact on network management
- DevOps for Networking: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) for network configurations
- Virtual LANs (VLANs): Creation and management of VLANs in a network environment
- Network Function Virtualization (NFV): Overview and benefits of NFV in modern networks
- Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN): Introduction to SD-WAN, deployment, and management
- Cloud Networking: Networking in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Cloud Networking Security: Best practices for securing cloud-based networks
- Project Guidelines: Students will design, configure, and troubleshoot a complex network based on real-world requirements.
- Project Phases: Planning, design, implementation, troubleshooting, and optimization
- Mentorship and Feedback: Personalized guidance from instructors on the project
- Final Presentation: Present the network design, implementation steps, and lessons learned to peers and instructors