Understanding the basics of networking Welcome to the jungle!

It’s networking jungle out there! To the untrained networking can seem like a jungle! Full of wild animals (networking components) that most people do not feel comfortable around. I’m here to guide you through the basics of networking and help you obtain the basic skills needed to understand networking!

Before we begin the tour… If you are new to networking the next few slides will help you grasp concepts, terms, and acronyms from the world of networking.

Networking Terms & Acronyms Network – a collection of electronic devices such as computers or printers that communicate over a transmission medium.

LAN – local area network WAN – wide area network

Infrastructure – the wires, fiber optics, or transmission media that the data moves through

What is a network and why do we need them? er-networks-work.htmlhttp:// er-networks-work.html

Life without networks: Imagine no traffic lights or signs, no rules of the road, no one using proper diving skills – there would be SO many accidents. That is what the world with computers would be like without networks! Everyone would be running around constantly exchanging information, and the potential for an accident is highly increased. Remember the Internet is the biggest WAN!

What goes into creating a network? A lot of planning must take place before a network can be created. Numerous scenarios are drawn up to ensure that the network can grow with the organization which it is built for while keeping in mind the intended use, and the hardware available. Cisco Packet Tracer is a network building simulator that allows a network engineer to experiment with the network’s behavior before initiating the actual process.

Ready for your trip? Now that you’ve got the basic fundamentals, lets go through the basics of building a network.

Stop 1: The Computer Lowest level device. Must contain a network interface card (NIC) ▫Most come standard with one

Stop 2: The Hub Clustering the network devices together makes more sense than running cables directly. The hub provides a clustered interconnection to the network backbone.

So you are to think of the hub as a traffic cop, directing the information within the network. Without the traffic cop, there would probably be accidents at intersections, just as without the hub, there would be accidents in trying to transmit information. There is one problem with utilizing a police officer to direct traffic: traffic backs up quickly, due to the factor that one person cannot control all the traffic flow and sometimes the driver has no choice as to which way to go.

Stop 3: LAN switch Sometimes the hub isn’t meeting your networking needs and a LAN switch needs to be installed. ▫This happens when sharing the bandwidth in a hub isn't working. A switch has the intelligence to send network traffic only to where it belongs. Switches only focus on forwarding network traffic the fastest way possible.

Think of a switch as a GPS with real-time traffic updates. The GPS will help you avoid clustered areas and focus on getting you to your destination by the quickest route, much like a switch separates what is needed to go to a specific destination address, shortening the route of the data.

Still a bit confused? Click here for a quick video explanation

Stop 4: The Router Connecting to a WAN requires a router. The Internet is the BIG WAN Routers request to download Web pages or files from the user must be routed to the host devices. You should think of the router like the state department that maintains the roads.

Stop 5: Firewalls Provide protection to keep evildoers from accessing your network for unauthorized purposes. Think of the firewalls as State Troopers that keep the highways safe.

A look at the big picture

Resources Gilster, R. (2002). Cisco networking for dummies. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing, Inc. Local area network (LAN) basic components. (2007). Retrieved from: lan-basic-components/. lan-basic-components/ Odom, W. (2008). CCENT/CCNA INCD1 official exam certification guide, second ed. Indianapolis, Indiana: Cisco Press. Tyson, J. (2011). How LAN switches work: the solution: adding switches. Retrieved from: switch4.htm. switch4.htm What is a network switch vs. a router? Cisco. (2011). Retrieved from: ce_center/articles/connect_employees_and_offices/what_is_a_ne twork_switch/index.html ce_center/articles/connect_employees_and_offices/what_is_a_ne twork_switch/index.html

Images: Microsoft Clipart