Networking Fundamentals

Develop the networking skills required to pass the Microsoft MTA Networking Fundamentals Exam 98-366

Gordon Davies

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781838643508
• eBook ISBN: 9781838648749
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Client-Server Computing
• Index: Computer Science

Become well-versed with basic networking concepts such as routing, switching, and subnetting, and prepare for the Microsoft 98-366 exam

Key Features

• Build a strong foundation in networking concepts
• Explore both the hardware and software aspects of networking
• Prepare by taking mock tests with up-to-date exam questions

Book Description

A network is a collection of computers, servers, mobile devices, or other computing devices connected for sharing data. This book will help you become well versed in basic networking concepts and prepare to pass Microsoft's MTA Networking Fundamentals Exam 98-366.

Following Microsoft's official syllabus, the book starts by covering network infrastructures to help you differentiate intranets, internets, and extranets, and learn about network topologies. You'll then get up to date with common network hardware devices such as routers and switches and the media types used to connect them together. As you advance, the book will take you through different protocols and services and the requirements to follow a standardized approach to networking. You'll get to grips with the OSI and TCP/IP models as well as IPv4 and IPv6. The book also shows you how to recall IP addresses through name resolution. Finally, you'll be able to practice everything you've learned and take the exam confidently with the help of mock tests.

By the end of this networking book, you'll have developed a strong foundation in the essential networking concepts needed to pass Exam 98-366.

What you will learn

Things you will learn:

• Become well versed in networking topologies and concepts
• Understand network infrastructures such as intranets, extranets, and more
• Explore network switches, routers, and other network hardware devices
• Get to grips with different network protocols and models such as OSI and TCP/IP
• Work with a variety of network services such as DHCP, NAT, firewalls, and remote access
• Apply networking concepts in different real-world scenarios

Who this book is for

If you're new to the IT industry or simply want to gain a thorough understanding of networking, this book is for you. A basic understanding of the Windows operating system and your network environment will be helpful.

Section 1: Network Infrastructure

In this section, you will be able to describe the difference between internets, intranets, and extranets, and identify the characteristics and technologies in use in local and wide area networks. You will also gain an understanding of the various wireless technologies available to us. Finally, you will learn about the common network topologies and the benefits and disadvantages of each.

This section comprises the following chapters:

• Chapter 1, Differentiating between Internets, Intranets, and Extranets
• Chapter 2, Understanding Local Area Networks
• Chapter 3, Understanding Wide Area Networks
• Chapter 4, Understanding Wireless Networking
• Chapter 5, Network Topologies - Mapping It All Out

Differentiating between Internets, Intranets, and Extranets

As technology moves more and more toward providing us with a completely interconnected world, there is an ever-increasing demand for IT professionals who are skilled in networking to plan, implement, and maintain these networks. The world of networking is vast and ever-evolving, meaning that IT professionals need to keep their skill set up to date. By understanding the fundamentals of networking, you will be forming a solid foundation that you can build your skills upon and will be in a better position to support your infrastructure.

This chapter focuses on identifying the key characteristics of internets, intranets, and extranets, allowing you to differentiate between each of them. It will also serve as an introduction to security mechanisms such as Virtual Private Networks (VPN), security zones, and firewalls.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

• Understanding a network
• Introduction to basic security features
• Microsoft security zones

Technical requirements

To complete the exercises in this chapter, you will need a PC or virtual machine running Windows 7 or above (preferably Windows 10) with a working network connection.

Understanding a network

Before we dive into this subject in detail, I think it is important to actually define what actually constitutes a network. Network is one of those terms that is used often but when you ask someone to describe it, they can't without being vague.

For the purpose of this book, I will define a network as a set of two or more endpoint devices that communicate with each other through a shared medium. You will notice that I refer to endpoint devices and avoid the use of the terms computer and servers. While it would not truly be incorrect to describe them as such, these terms tend to narrow down an individual's train of thought. We'll look at this in the following activity.

Activity 1: Make a list of all the devices you can think of that are networked in some way.

I would envisage that your list included at least PCs, servers, and laptops. At one point in time, this would have been a fairly accurate summarization, but nowadays, we need to move away from what I would dub as traditional computers and realize that the ability to connect to a network is ubiquitous in so many devices. Here's my list:

• Phones
• Mobile/cell phones
• Games consoles
• Smart TVs
• Fridges
• Heating systems
• Speakers
• Headphones
• Cars
• CCTV
• Toys

The list goes on in this age of the Internet of Things (IoT), where it seems that anything and everything will be given the opportunity to connect to a network in some way.

What do all these devices have in common? They all possess at least one network interface card (NIC), they are running a network operating system (NOS), and have been coded in a way that takes advantage of one or more of the networking protocols that are available. We have liberated the term protocol from politics, where it means a strict code of etiquette and precedence, for utilization in computing. In computing, it refers to a set of rules or standards that have to be adhered to. Some of the most common networking protocols will be discussed throughout this book.

Another definition of a network is that it's a shared medium, and I have found that this term often confuses people, so I feel it is worth clarifying it early on. When referring to a network medium or to network media, we are talking about the channel that the data is being transferred across. This could be a cable or through airwaves in the case of wireless networks. It should be noted that the use of the terms medium and media in computing are not restricted to networking, and you will also hear them being used in reference to storage and hard drives, floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and USB flash drives. Network cables and wireless standards will be discussed in Chapter 7, Routers and Routing – Beyond a Single Network, and Chapter 4, Understanding Wireless Networking, respectively.

We need to have some means of identifying devices on a network. To achieve this, we can use hostnames, IP addresses, and MAC addresses. None of these are mutually exclusive, and most networks will utilize all three. We will discuss these in more detail later in this book. Next, we will try to understand what an internet is all about.

Understanding internet

Although they're often used synonymously, there is a subtle difference between an internet and the Internet. When spelled with a lowercase i, internet is derived from inter-network and refers to the connectivity between different networks. When capitalized, the Internet refers to the services that are publicly available outside of our own networks and the supporting infrastructure.

Let me clarify this with two examples. Company A's infrastructure connecting directly to company B's infrastructure would be classed as an inter-network. In this instance, the connections are not publicly available. However, when you connect to a web page such as Facebook or Hotmail, or to a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server, this is classed as the Internet as they are publicly available.

We have also come to treat the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) as the same entity, whereas this is not the case. As we mention...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright and Credits
• About Packt
• Contributors
• Preface
• Section 1: Network Infrastructure
• Differentiating between Internets, Intranets, and Extranets
• Understanding Local Area Networks
• Understanding Wide Area Networks
• Understanding Wireless Networking
• Network Topologies - Mapping It All Out
• Section 2: Network Hardware
• Switches and Switching - Forwarding Traffic on a Local Network
• Routers and Routing - Beyond a Single Network
• Media Types - Connecting Everything Together
• Section 3: Protocols and Services
• Understanding the OSI Model
• Understanding TCP/IP
• Understanding IPv4
• Understanding IPv6
• Understanding Name Resolution
• Network Services
• Section 4: Mock Exams
• Mock Exam 1
• Mock Exam 2
• Assessments
• Other Books You May Enjoy