IT/Networking Basic to get started

🧠 Core Networking Concepts to Learn

1. What is a Network?

• LAN (Local Area Network) vs WAN (Wide Area Network)
• Wired vs Wireless

2. Common Network Devices

• Router
• Switch
• Hub
• Access Point
• Modem
• Firewall

3. The OSI Model (7 Layers)

1. Physical
2. Data Link
3. Network
4. Transport
5. Session
6. Presentation
7. Application

Use the mnemonic: Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away

4. IP Addressing

• IPv4 basics (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
• Subnetting (intro level)
• Static vs Dynamic IP
• Public vs Private IP

5. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

• How devices get IP addresses automatically

6. DNS (Domain Name System)

• What DNS does (e.g., translating google.com to an IP address)
• Public DNS servers: Google (8.8.8.8), Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)

7. Routing & Switching

• How data travels between networks
• Switch vs Router
• What is a Gateway?

8. Key Protocols to Know

• TCP/IP
• HTTP/HTTPS
• FTP
• SSH
• RDP
• ICMP (used in ping)

9. Essential Networking Tools

• ping
• ipconfig / ifconfig
• tracert / traceroute
• nslookup
• netstat
• Wireshark (for packet sniffing)

10. Wireless Networking

• SSID, Channels, Frequency Bands (2.4GHz vs 5GHz)
• Encryption Types: WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA3

11. Networking Security Basics

• What is a firewall?
• VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)
• Basics of malware, phishing, and encryption

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🛠️ Hands-On Practice Tools

• Cisco Packet Tracer – Beginner-friendly network simulator
• GNS3 – More advanced simulator (for future learning)
• Wireshark – Analyze real network traffic
• VirtualBox + Ubuntu – Create virtual labs to experiment

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📓 Free Learning Resources

• Cisco Networking Academy – https://www.netacad.com/
• Professor Messer Network+ Videos – https://www.professormesser.com/
• FreeCodeCamp Networking Section – https://www.freecodecamp.org/
• YouTube: Network+ or CCNA Intro Courses

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💪 Practice Ideas

• Build a small home network with router and multiple devices
• Explore router settings (SSID, DHCP, IP address reservations)
• Use ping and traceroute to test connectivity
• Simulate networks in Packet Tracer
• Research how a website loads (DNS > IP > Request > Response)

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🔄 After the Basics

• Study for CompTIA Network+
• Learn basic Linux command line
• Get familiar with CCNA-level content (Cisco Certified Network Associate)
• Start light PowerShell or Python scripting for automation