Book Image

Networking Fundamentals

By : Gordon Davies
Book Image

Networking Fundamentals

By: Gordon Davies

Overview of this book

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.
Table of Contents (23 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Section 1: Network Infrastructure
7
Section 2: Network Hardware
11
Section 3: Protocols and Services
18
Section 4: Mock Exams
19
Mock Exam 1
20
Mock Exam 2

Understanding the network layer

The network layer of the TCP/IP model maps against the data-link layer and the physical layer of the OSI model. Because of this, it incorporates the functions of these two OSI layers into this one TCP/IP layer.

While the internet layer is responsible for communications mainly outside the host's network and for routing this data, the network layer is responsible for communications on the link (basically anything within the same subnet). Because of this, the network layer is sometimes referred to as the link layer.

It is on the network layer of the TCP/IP model that media access control is performed, and therefore MAC addresses can be found here. In addition, the attributes of the physical medium, such as modulation and coding, are also here.

There are a number of protocols and standards that are part of the network layer. These include IEEE...