Comprehensive Computer Networking
Topics
Network Fundamentals
- What is a Computer Network
- Types of Networks (LAN, WAN, MAN, PAN, CAN, SAN, VPN)
- Network Topologies (Star, Bus, Ring, Mesh, Tree, Hybrid)
- Network Models (OSI Model, TCP/IP Model)
- Network Components (Router, Switch, Hub, Modem, Bridge, Gateway, Access Point)
- Protocol Overview (Definition and Purpose)
Physical Layer Topics
- Transmission Media (Twisted Pair, Coaxial, Fiber Optic, Wireless)
- Digital vs Analog Signals
- Bandwidth, Throughput, Latency
- Multiplexing (FDM, TDM)
- Transmission Impairments (Noise, Attenuation, Interference)
- Signal Encoding Techniques
Data Link Layer Topics
- Functions of Data Link Layer
- MAC Address
- Frame Structure
- Error Detection and Correction (Parity, CRC, Checksum)
- Flow Control Mechanisms (Stop-and-Wait, Sliding Window)
- ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)
- VLANs (Virtual LAN)
- Ethernet Standards (IEEE 802.3)
- Switching Concepts (Store-and-Forward, Cut-Through, Fragment-Free)
Network Layer Topics
- IP Addressing (IPv4, IPv6, Subnetting, CIDR)
- Routing Concepts (Static, Dynamic)
- Routing Protocols (RIP, OSPF, BGP, EIGRP)
- NAT (Static, Dynamic, PAT)
- ICMP (Ping, Traceroute)
- IP Fragmentation and Reassembly
Transport Layer Topics
- Functions of Transport Layer
- TCP vs UDP
- Ports and Sockets
- Flow Control in TCP
- Connection Establishment (3-way Handshake)
- Connection Termination (4-step process)
- Congestion Control Algorithms (Slow Start, Congestion Avoidance, Fast Retransmit, Fast
Recovery)
- UDP Characteristics
- Quality of Service (QoS)
Session Layer Topics
- Session Establishment, Management, and Termination
- Dialog Control
- Token Management
- Synchronization
- API Examples (Sockets, RPC)
Presentation Layer Topics
- Data Translation
- Data Encryption and Decryption
- Compression
- SSL/TLS Overview (Symmetric vs Asymmetric Encryption, Certificates, Handshake)
Application Layer Topics
- DNS (Domain Name System)
- DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
- HTTP / HTTPS
- FTP / SFTP
- SMTP / POP3 / IMAP
- Telnet
- SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
- LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
- NTP (Network Time Protocol)
- SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
- APIs (REST, SOAP)
Wireless Networking
- Wi-Fi Standards (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
- Bluetooth
- Zigbee
- Cellular Technologies (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G)
- Mobile IP
- WiMAX
- Wireless Security (WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA3)
Network Security Topics
- Firewalls (Packet Filtering, Stateful Inspection, Proxy Firewalls)
- IDS/IPS
- VPNs (IPSec, SSL VPN)
- Authentication Methods (Password-Based, Certificates, MFA)
- Cryptography (AES, DES, RSA, ECC, MD5, SHA)
- Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
- DoS and DDoS Attacks
- Phishing and Spoofing
- Port Scanning and Network Sniffing
- Security Policies
Cloud Networking
- Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
- SDN (Software-Defined Networking)
- Network Virtualization
- Cloud Provider Concepts (AWS VPC, Azure VNets, Google Cloud)
- Load Balancers
- CDN (Content Delivery Network)
Advanced Networking Concepts
- MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)
- Anycast, Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast
- IPv6 Advanced Features (Stateless Autoconfiguration, Neighbor Discovery)
- SDN
- NFV (Network Function Virtualization)
- Zero Trust Networking
- Microsegmentation
- Edge Computing
- Intent-Based Networking
Network Troubleshooting & Tools
- Ping
- Traceroute
- Netstat
- nslookup / dig
- ipconfig / ifconfig
- Wireshark
- Nmap
- TCPdump
- Pathping
- Bandwidth Monitoring Tools
IoT Networking
- IoT Protocols (MQTT, CoAP, AMQP)
- IoT Security Challenges
- Device Communication Models (Publish/Subscribe, Request/Response)
Network Management
- SNMP
- RMON (Remote Monitoring)
- NetFlow
- Syslog
- Configuration Management (Ansible, Puppet)
- Monitoring Tools (Nagios, Zabbix, Prometheus)
