Networking Tutorial

IntroductionNetworking TutorialThe CTDP Networking Guide Version 0.6.3 February 3, 2001Revised to Version 0.6.4 November, 4, 2002IntroductionThis guide is primarily about TCP/IP network protocols and ethernet network architectures, but also briefly describes other protocol suites, network architectures, and other significant areas of networking. This guide is written for all audiences, even those with little or no networking experience. It explains in simple terms the way networks are put together, and how data packages are sent between networks and subnets along with how data is routed to the internet. This document is broken into five main areas which are: 1. Basics - Explains the protocols and how they work together 2. Media - Describes the cabling and various media used to send data between multiple points of a network. 3. Architecture - Describes some popular network architectures. A network architecture refers to the physical layout (topology) of a network along with the physical transmission media (Type of wire, wireless, etc) and the data access method (OSI Layer 2). Includes ethernet, Token Ring, ARCnet, AppleTalk, and FDDI. This main area of the document can and should be skipped by those learning networking and read later. 4. Other Transport Protocols - Describes IPX/SPX, NetBEUI, and more. 5. Functions - Explains some of the functionality of networking such as routing, firewalls and DNS. 6. Further Details - Gives information about ...