Networks Basics

from ⇒ Cisco Networking Academy

The goal of this course is to provide the learner with an engaging, exploratory
view of networks, including the internet.
Upon completion of the Networking Basics course, students will be able to
perform the following tasks:

Explain important concepts in network communication.

Explain network types, components, and connections.

Configure mobile devices for wireless access.

Configure an integrated wireless router and wireless client to connect

securely to the internet.

Explain the importance of standards and protocols in network

communications.

Describe common network media.

Explain how communication occurs on Ethernet networks.

Explain the features of an IP address.

Explain how IPv4 addresses are used in network communication and

segmentation.

Explain features of IPv6 addressing.

Configure a DHCP server.

Explain how routers connect networks together.

Explain how ARP enables communication on a network.

Create a fully connected LAN.

Explain how clients access internet services.

Explain the function of common application layer services.

Use various tools to test and troubleshoot network connectivity.

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 sources

https://www.netacad.com/courses/getting-started-cisco-packet-tracer?
courseLang=en-US

Cisco Packet Tracer

Packet Tracer is a tool that allows you to simulate real networks. It provides
three main menus that you can use for the following:

Add devices and connect them via cables or wireless

Select, delete, inspect, label, and group components within your network

Manage your network

The network management menu lets you do the following:

Open an existing/sample network

Save your current network

Modify your user profile or your preferences

Real time mode ⇒ the real time in the network as things are happening.

stimulation mode ⇒ allows you to add packets and watch them as they travel
across the network.

GUI and CLI Configuration in Cisco Packet Tracer

The tabs that are shown depend on the device you are currently configuring.

Packet Tracer also provides a variety of tabs for device configuration

including the following:

Physical

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 Physical Tab

The Physical tab provides an

interface for interacting with the
device including powering it on or
off or installing different modules,
such as a wireless network
interface card (NIC).

Config

Config Tab

For intermediate devices such as

routers and switches, there are two
ways to access device
configurations. Configurations can
be accessed via a Config tab,
which is a Graphical User Interface
(GUI). Configurations can also be
accessed using a command line
interface (CLI).
The Config tab does not simulate
the functionality of a device. This
tab is unique to Packet Tracer. If
you don’t know how to use the
command line interface, this tab
provides a way to use a Packet
Tracer-only GUI to configure basic
settings. As settings are changed
in the GUI, the equivalent CLI
commands appear in
the Equivalent IOS
Commands window. This helps

Networks Basics 3
 you to learn the CLI commands
and the Cisco Internetwork
Operating System (IOS) while you
are using the Config tab.

For example, in the figure, the user

has configured MyRouter as the
name of the device. The Equivalent
IOS Commands window shows the
IOS command that achieves the
same results in the CLI.

In addition, device configuration

files can be saved, loaded, erased,
and exported here.

CLI

this will not appear for a home router

CLI Tab
The CLI tab provides access to the
command line interface of a Cisco
device. Using the CLI tab requires
knowledge of device configuration
with IOS ( Internetwork Operating
System ). Here, you can practice
configuring Cisco devices at the
command line. CLI configuration is
a necessary skill for more
advanced networking
implementations.

Note: Any commands that were

entered from the Config tab are
also shown in the CLI tab.

Desktop

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 Desktop Tab

For some end devices, such as

PCs and laptops, Packet Tracer
provides a desktop interface that
gives you access to IP
configuration, wireless
configuration, a command prompt,
a web browser, and other
applications.

Services

this is found in the server

Services Tab
A server has all of the functions of a host
with the addition of one more tab, the
Services tab. This tab allows a server to be
configured with common server processes
such as HTTP, DHCP, DNS, or other
services, as shown in the figure.

There are two way to look at a network in Packet Tracer. Logical mode shows you
how devices are connected in the network. Physical mode shows you where the
devices are located in the network.

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 Notes From CTP labs:
PCs and laptops can also be connected to networking devices using a console
cable or a USB cable. This connection provides management access.
Management access is used to view and change device configurations.

PCs and laptops can also be connected to networking devices using a console
cable or a USB cable. This connection provides management access.
Management access is used to view and change device configurations.

Newer models of networking devices can be accessed for management

configuration through a USB port. This is necessary because newer laptops
and PCs typically do not include an RS232 port for console cable connections.

You have connected Laptop_1 to Backup_Router via a USB console cable. With
the USB console connected, you will access the command line interface (CLI)
of Backup_Router via terminal software and configure a hostname.

Every computer, including network devices, such as routers and switches,

requires an operating system to function. The operating system allows the
device hardware to function and provides an inteface for users to interact.

The Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS) is an operating system used in

Cisco networking devices. It allows creation of configurations that customize
the operation of network devices in different network environments. The CLI is
accessible via the device console port using terminal software or remotely via
Secure Shell (SSH). Network administrators use a computer to access the
device console in order to create or modify the device configuration.

Network administrators typically assign names to networking devices. The

host name is used to identify a device when accessing its operating system
for configuration.

Questions:

1. Besides Ethernet and the console cables, what are other ways to connect
devices?

USB console cable

Networks Basics 6
 2. What is the difference between the wiring closet Rack, Table, and Shelf?

Heavy devices, such as servers and network devices are mounted on

the rack. PCs, laptops, and other ‘personal’ devices are placed on the
table. The shelf is for unused devices.

3. How does Logical Mode differ from Physical Mode?

Logical mode provides a high level view of our network topology, and
ignores any of the physical aspects of the network. Physical mode
takes accounts of the physical scale and placement of the devices in
the network.

PT file Types:
Packet Tracer has the ability to create four different types of files. These file types
are used for different purposes and include: .pka, .pkt, .pksz, and .pkz.

the .pka File Type.

The .pka file type is a Packet Tracer Activity file and is the file type you will
experience most often. Think of the “a” in .pka as meaning “activity.” A Packet
Tracer Activity has an instructions window. The activity is usually scored as
well. This file type contains two networks: an initial network and an answer
network. The initial network opens when you launch the activity. The answer
network runs in the background and can be used to provide scoring and
feedback to learners as they complete the activity. Learners do not have
access to the answer network in a .pka file.
The Packet Tracer Activity instructions window provides the procedures
required to complete the activity, assignment, or assessment. The instructions
window can also display completion percentage to track how much of the
activity has been successfully completed. The Check Results feature can be
enabled to provide feedback.

the .pkt File Type

The .pkt file type is created when a simulated network is built in Packet Tracer
and saved. The .pkt file can also have graphic background images embedded
within it. However, .pkt files have no instructions window or activity scoring.

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 the .pksz File Type

The .pksz file type is specific to Packet Tracer Tutored Activities (PTTA).
These files bundle a .pka file, media assets, and a scripting file for the hinting
system. These activities provide support, in the form of contextualized hints,
for students who are working on completing the activity.

the .pkz File Type

You will see Save As PKZ... in the File menu. This file type was previously used
to embed images and other files in a Packet Tracer file. However, images are
now embedded directly within a regular .pkt or .pka file by default. Therefore,
consider .pkz as a deprecated file type.

Cisco Packet Tracer Assessments

There are two types of assessment items that take advantage of Packet
Tracer. These include Packet Tracer Media Objects (PTMO) and Packet Tracer
Skills Assessments (PTSA). PTMOs can be either a .pkt or .pka file. A PTMO
will show up inline with a question on your quiz, module exam, or some other
type of graded assessment. You launch the .pkt or .pka file directly from inside
the assessment. Typically, you configure the network or investigate the
topology, and then answer a multiple choice assessment question or
questions.
You can encounter PTSAs at a mid-point in a course or at the end of the
course. PTSAs are summative skill assessments in which you demonstrate
your skill by implementing the technologies that you have learned. PTSAs are
standalone assessments, have their own grading engine, and the results are
recorded in a course gradebook, if there is one. After completing a PTSA, you
receive item level feedback for each graded component.

how to determine the ip address for a device on a windows machine :

write this command in the terminal : ipconfig

PT Connection Types

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 i’ll explain the types and names of the cables (connections) in order:

1. automatic connection object (Lightning Bolt):

Automatically selects the appropriate cable type based on the devices

being connected.

2. console cable :

Connects a PC or laptop (via a terminal emulator) to a network device like

a router or switch for configuration.

used for initial device configuration or troubleshooting when no network

connectivity is available.

3. copper straight through:

Use: Connects different types of devices (e.g., PC to switch or switch to

router).

Scenario: Standard cable for connecting dissimilar devices in a network.

4. copper cross-over :

Connects similar devices (e.g., PC to PC, switch to switch, or router to

router).

Used in specific configurations where auto-MDIX is unavailable.

5. Fiber Optic Cable:

Use: Connects devices over long distances with high-speed data

transmission.

Scenario: Common in backbone connections between routers or switches

in enterprise networks.

6. Phone Line :

Use: Connects devices such as modems for dial-up connections.

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 Scenario: Simulates older PSTN connections.

7. Coaxial Cable:

Use: Connects devices in a cable broadband network or older networking

standards.

Scenario: Simulates cable TV networks or DOCSIS-based internet.

8. Serial DCE (Clock Symbol) and 9. DTE Cables:

Use: Connects routers over a WAN (Wide Area Network).

Scenario: Used to simulate WAN links in lab environments, with the DCE
end providing the clock rate.

9. Octal:

10. Custom Cable:

11. USB Cable:

Use: Connects devices via USB for data transfer or power.

Scenario: Typically used for specific devices supporting USB connectivity.

A cable modem is a hardware device that allows communications with an

Internet Service Provider (ISP). The coaxial cable from the ISP is connected to
the cable modem, and an Ethernet cable from the local network is also
connected. The cable modem converts the coaxial connection to an Ethernet
connection.

Internet Protocol(IP address) is a set of rules for routing and addressing data
on the internet. The IP addresses are used to identify the devices on a
network and allow the devices to connect and transfer data on a network.

DHCP stands for dynamic host configuration protocol. This protocol assigns IP
addresses to devices dynamically.

An IPv4 (internet protocol version 4) address is a string of numbers in the

form of x.x.x.x as you have been using in this lab. As the internet grew, the
need for more IP addresses became necessary. So IPv6 (internet protocol
version 6) was introduced in the late 1990s to address the limitations of IPv4.

Networks Basics 10
 The subnet mask is used to differentiate the host and the network ID portion of
the IP address.

You can relate the IP address to your street address. The subnet mask
defines the length of the street name. The network part of the address is
your street, 192.168.0. The house number is the host port of the IP
address. For the IP address 192.168.0.2, the house number is 2 and the
street is 192.168.0. If there is more than one house on the same street, for
example, house number 3, will have an address 192.168.0.3. The maximum
number of houses on this street is 253, ranging from 2 to 254.

The default gateway is analogous to the street intersection. The traffic from
the 192.168.0 street has to exit through the intersection to another street.
Another street is another network. In this network, default gateway is the
wireless router that directs the traffic from the local network to the cable
modem, and the traffic is then sent to the ISP.

Networks Basics Course

The internet is a worldwide collection of interconnected networks (internetwork or
internet for short), cooperating with each other to exchange information using
common standards. Through telephone wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless
transmissions, and satellite links, internet users can exchange information in a
variety of forms.

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