Networking Notes
Beginner Networking Notes
1. Describe a network.
A group of equipment (computers, servers, routers) linked together for communication
and resource sharing is called a network.
Types of Networks:
Type Description
LAN Local Area Network (small area like office)
WAN Wide Area Network (large area like cities)
MAN Metropolitan Area Network (city-wide)
PAN Personal Area Network (e.g., Bluetooth devices)
2. Network Topologies
How devices are arranged physically/logically.
Topology Description
Bus All devices connected to a single cable
Star All devices connected to a central hub/switch
Ring Devices form a circle
Mesh Every device is connected to every other device
Hybrid Combination of two or more topologies
3. OSI Model (7 Layers)
Used to understand how data travels in a network.
Layer Function Example Protocols
7. Application User interface HTTP, FTP, SMTP
6. Presentation Data format & encryption SSL, JPEG
5. Session Session management NetBIOS
4. Transport Reliable delivery TCP, UDP
3. Network IP addressing & routing IP, ICMP
2. Data Link MAC addressing Ethernet, PPP
1. Physical Transmission media Cables, NIC
4. TCP/IP Model
More practical version of OSI model.
TCP/IP Layer Corresponding OSI Layers
Application Application, Presentation, Session
Transport Transport
Internet Network
Network Access Data Link + Physical
5. IP Addressing
Used to identify devices in a network.
IPv4: 32-bit (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
• Classes: A (1-126), B (128–191), C (192–223)
• Private IP Ranges:
o A: 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255
o B: 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255
o C: 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255
IPv6: 128-bit (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334)
6. Subnetting
Dividing a large network into smaller sub-networks.
• Involves subnet masks (e.g., 255.255.255.0)
• Helps in organizing and securing a network
7. MAC Address
• Media Access Control Address
• Unique 48-bit address assigned to NIC
• Format: 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E
8. Common Protocols & Ports
Protocol Port Use
HTTP 80 Web access
HTTPS 443 Secure web
FTP 21 File transfer
SSH 22 Secure terminal
DNS 53 Domain resolution
DHCP 67/68 IP allocation
SMTP 25 Email sending
9. Network Devices
Device Function
Router Connects different networks, routes traffic
Switch Connects devices within the same network
Hub Broadcasts data to all ports
Modem Modulates/demodulates signal
Access Point Provides wireless access
10. DNS (Domain Name System)
• Translates domain names into IP addresses (e.g., google.com → 142.250.180.14)
11. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
• Automatically assigns IP addresses to devices in a network.
12. NAT (Network Address Translation)
• Converts private IP addresses to public IP (used in routers)
13. Basic CLI Commands
Command OS Use
ipconfig Windows Show IP info
ifconfig Linux Show IP info
ping Both Check connectivity
tracert / traceroute Both Show path to server
nslookup Both DNS lookup
14. Wireshark Basics
• Tool to capture and analyze network traffic
• Useful for debugging issues and monitoring traffic
15. Network Troubleshooting Basics
• No internet: Check IP, gateway, DNS
• Ping fails: Try tracert to see where it fails
• DNS issue: Try nslookup or set Google DNS (8.8.8.8)
Intermediate Networking Notes
1. Routing & Switching
Static Routing
• Manually defined routes
• Used in small or controlled environments
ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1
Dynamic Routing
Automatically learns network paths using protocols:
• RIP (hop count based)
• OSPF (link state, cost-based)
• EIGRP (Cisco proprietary)
• BGP (used in ISPs)
Use Case: OSPF in enterprise, BGP in internet routing
2. Switching & VLANs
VLAN (Virtual LAN)
• Segregates devices into logical groups
• Reduces broadcast domains
vlan 10
name IT
interface fa0/1
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan 10
Trunk Ports
• Carry multiple VLANs between switches
• Uses 802.1Q tagging
switchport mode trunk
switchport trunk allowed vlan 10,20
3. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Prevents switching loops in redundant paths
• Root Bridge election
• States: Blocking → Listening → Learning → Forwarding
Use Case: Multiple switches connected together
4. Inter-VLAN Routing
Allows devices on different VLANs to communicate.
Two Methods:
• Router-on-a-stick (one interface, many subinterfaces)
• Layer 3 Switch (routing inside switch)
interface g0/0.10
encapsulation dot1Q 10
ip address 192.168.10.1 255.255.255.0
5. Access Control Lists (ACLs)
Filter traffic based on IP, port, or protocol
Standard ACL: filter by source IP
Extended ACL: filter by IP + port + protocol
access-list 100 deny tcp any any eq 21
access-list 100 permit ip any any
interface fa0/1
ip access-group 100 in
6. Firewall Basics
• Packet Filtering Firewall: checks IP & ports
• Stateful Firewall: tracks sessions (TCP handshake)
• Application Firewall: works on Layer 7
Tools: Cisco ASA, pfSense, UFW (Linux), iptables
udo ufw allow 22
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
7. DNS Deep Dive
• Resolves domain to IP
Important Records:
Record Purpose
A Domain to IPv4
AAAA Domain to IPv6
CNAME Alias
MX Mail Server
PTR Reverse Lookup
Tools:
nslookup google.com
dig example.com
8. DHCP Configuration
• Automatically assigns IP to devices
Key components:
• Scope: IP range
• Lease time: Duration IP is assigned
• Reservation: Same IP to device always
9. VPN Overview
Purpose: Secure remote communication over public internet
Types:
• Site-to-Site VPN
• Remote Access VPN
• Client-to-Site
Protocols:
• PPTP (deprecated)
• L2TP/IPSec
• OpenVPN
• IKEv2
10. Proxy Server
• Intermediary between user and internet
Used For:
• Caching
• URL filtering
• Security & privacy
Example: Squid Proxy (Linux)
11. SysAdmin-Level Networking
Linux Commands:
ip a # Show IP config
ip r # Show routing table
ping 8.8.8.8 # Check connectivity
traceroute yahoo.com
netstat -tulnp # List listening ports
ss -tulwn # Modern netstat
nmcli, nmtui # Network manager in Linux
Windows Commands:
ipconfig /all
ping google.com
tracert google.com
netstat -an
12. Port Forwarding / NAT
• Maps external port to internal device
• Used for exposing web server, SSH, etc.
Example (on a router):
Public IP:Port → Internal IP:Port
203.0.113.2:8080 → 192.168.1.10:80
13. Monitoring Tools
Tool Purpose
Wireshark Packet capture
Nagios/Zabbix Health monitoring
SolarWinds Commercial NMS
NetFlow Traffic analysis
SNMP Network device monitoring
14. Wireless Networking
• Frequencies: 2.4GHz (long range), 5GHz (faster)
• Encryption:
o WEP (weak)
o WPA2 (standard)
o WPA3 (newest)
Roaming: Seamless switch between APs
15. Server Networking Roles
Role Description
DNS Server Converts domain names to IP
DHCP Server Assigns IP addresses
FTP Server File transfers
Web Server Hosts web pages
File Server Shares files (NFS, SMB)
16. Load Balancing (Basic)
• Distributes network or app traffic across multiple servers
Types:
• Layer 4 (TCP/UDP)
• Layer 7 (HTTP/S)
Example: HAProxy, NGINX load balancing
Advanced Networking Notes
(For Network Engineer, Security Engineer, Cloud Network Architect Roles)
1. Advanced Routing
BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
• Used between ISPs and large enterprise networks
• Path-vector protocol, uses AS numbers (Autonomous Systems)
• Supports routing policies and route manipulation
router bgp 65001
neighbor 192.168.1.1 remote-as 65002
Route Redistribution
• Allows different routing protocols (e.g., OSPF ↔ EIGRP) to exchange
information
MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)
• Fast packet forwarding using labels instead of IP lookups
• Common in ISP backbones
2. Quality of Service (QoS)
• Prioritizes important traffic (e.g., VoIP, video)
• Methods:
o Traffic shaping
o Queuing (FIFO, WFQ, CBWFQ)
o Classification & Marking (DSCP, CoS)
Use Case: Prevent call drop on busy networks
3. High Availability
Redundancy Protocols:
Protocol Use
HSRP Cisco Hot Standby Router Protocol
VRRP Vendor-neutral
GLBP Cisco protocol with load balancing
Failover Mechanisms:
• Active-Passive, Active-Active clusters
• Dual power supplies, links, routes
4. Firewalls & Security Appliances
Firewall Types:
• Stateful (tracks connection states)
• Next-Gen (NGFW) – includes application control, IPS/IDS, content filtering
IDS/IPS:
• IDS = Detection only
• IPS = Detection + Prevention
Tools: Snort, Suricata, Cisco ASA, Palo Alto
5. Network Access Control (NAC)
• Enforces security before a device connects to the network
• Examples:
o Cisco ISE
o 802.1X Authentication (RADIUS)
6. Advanced DNS & Load Balancing
Load Balancing Types:
Type Description
Layer 4 Based on IP/Port (TCP, UDP)
Type Description
Layer 7 Based on HTTP headers, URL, cookies
Tools: HAProxy, NGINX, AWS ALB/NLB, F5
DNS Tricks:
• Round-robin DNS
• GeoDNS (based on user location)
• Failover DNS
7. Cloud Networking (AWS / Azure / GCP)
AWS VPC Components:
Component Purpose
VPC Virtual private network in AWS
Subnets Public/Private
Route Table Defines routing rules
IGW Internet access
NAT Gateway Private subnet → Internet
Security Groups Instance-level firewall
NACLs Subnet-level stateless firewall
VPC Peering Connects two VPCs
Transit Gateway Hub-and-spoke for multi-VPC
Terraform Example:
resource "aws_vpc" "main" {
cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
Azure/GCP Networking:
• Azure: VNet, NSG, Route Table, ExpressRoute
• GCP: VPC, Firewall Rules, Cloud VPN, Interconnect
8. VPN in Depth
Type Use Case
IPSec Site-to-Site Connects branch offices
SSL VPN Web-based secure access
IKEv2/IPSec High-performance VPN
GRE Tunnel Encapsulate other protocols
Tools: Cisco AnyConnect, OpenVPN, StrongSwan
9. SDN (Software Defined Networking)
• Control plane is separated from data plane
• Centralized controller manages flow rules
• OpenFlow, Cisco ACI, VMware NSX
Use Case: Programmable networking, automation, microsegmentation
10. VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN)
• Used in modern data centers
• Encapsulates Layer 2 frames over Layer 3 (UDP)
• Supports >16 million segments (VLANs only support 4096)
11. Network Automation & DevNet Skills
Tools:
• Ansible – YAML-based automation
• Python + Netmiko/NAPALM – automate CLI access
• Terraform – Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Cisco DevNet APIs – interact with devices via REST
Example (Ansible playbook):
- name: Configure VLAN on switch
ios_config:
lines:
- vlan 10
- name Developers
12. Logging & Monitoring
Protocols:
• SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
• Syslog
• NetFlow/sFlow/IPFIX
Tools:
• Prometheus + Grafana
• Zabbix, Nagios
• ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)
• Splunk (Security & event monitoring)
13. IPv6 Deep Dive
• 128-bit address (e.g., 2001:db8::1)
• No NAT needed
• Header is simplified
• Types:
o Global Unicast
o Link-Local
o Multicast
Command: ping6, ip -6 addr
14. Network Design Principles
Hierarchical Design:
• Core, Distribution, Access layers
• Enables scalability and troubleshooting
Redundancy:
• Dual links, routers, power, ISPs
Segmentation:
• Physical or VLAN-based isolation
• Microsegmentation with SDN/NSX
15. Zero Trust Network Architecture
• "Never trust, always verify"
• Least privilege + continuous monitoring
• Uses: MFA, device posture, identity context
Bonus: Certifications by Role
Role Suggested Certs
Network CCNP, JNCIS, CompTIA Network+
Engineer
Security CEH, CISSP, Palo Alto PCNSE
Engineer
Cloud AWS Advanced Networking, Azure Network Engineer, GCP
Architect Professional Cloud Architect
