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Learn Computer Networking in a Month

On January 26, 2025 by Lauren Elkins

The below is my one-month learning plan as outlined by AI. I mean, it’s a pretty good plan. What’s missing? Can I do it all in a month? We’ll see.

Week 1: Networking Fundamentals

Day 1: Introduction to Networking Concepts

• Tasks: Learn the basics of networking, including IP addressing, packets, and protocols.
• Resources:
  • “Introduction to Computer Networking” by Udacity (free)
  • Cisco’s Network Fundamentals tutorial
• Exercise: Draw a simple network diagram for a home network, labeling the router, devices, and IP addresses.

Day 2: OSI Model and TCP/IP Stack

• Tasks: Study the OSI Model’s 7 layers and the TCP/IP model.
• Resources:
  • OSI Model Explained by Cloudflare
• Exercise: Identify where common protocols (HTTP, FTP, etc.) fit into the OSI model and TCP/IP stack.

Day 3: IP Addressing and Subnetting

• Tasks: Understand IPv4 addressing, subnetting basics, and CIDR notation.
• Resources:
  • Subnetting Tutorial
  • Learn Subnetting the Easy Way
• Exercise: Calculate IP address ranges for different subnets (e.g., /24, /26) and list possible hosts.

Day 4: IPv6 Basics

• Tasks: Learn about IPv6, its structure, and why it’s needed.
• Resources:
  • IPv6 for Beginners on YouTube
• Exercise: Write down the IPv6 address structure and convert IPv4 addresses to IPv6 format.

Day 5: Network Devices (Routers, Switches, Firewalls)

• Tasks: Understand the roles of routers, switches, and firewalls in a network.
• Resources:
  • Cisco’s Networking Basics Guide
• Exercise: Compare the functions of routers, switches, and firewalls in your own words.

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Week 2: Protocols and Network Layering

Day 6: TCP vs. UDP

• Tasks: Study TCP and UDP, their differences, and use cases.
• Resources:
  • TCP vs. UDP
• Exercise: List out applications that use TCP vs. UDP and explain why each protocol suits the application.

Day 7: DHCP and DNS

• Tasks: Learn how DHCP assigns IP addresses and how DNS resolves domain names.
• Resources:
  • DHCP Protocol Explained
  • DNS Basics
• Exercise: Use the nslookup and ping commands to explore DNS resolution on your machine.

Day 8: HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, and SMTP

• Tasks: Explore common application-layer protocols and their purposes.
• Resources:
  • HTTP vs. HTTPS
  • W3Schools on FTP
• Exercise: Capture HTTP and HTTPS traffic with Wireshark and observe the differences.

Day 9: ARP, ICMP, and Ping

• Tasks: Study how devices find each other on local networks using ARP and ICMP.
• Resources:
  • ARP Protocol Basics
• Exercise: Use arp -a to view ARP tables on your computer and interpret the results.

Day 10: Wireshark Basics

• Tasks: Learn the basics of using Wireshark to capture and analyze network traffic.
• Resources:
  • Wireshark Tutorial for Beginners
• Exercise: Capture local network traffic and filter for HTTP, DNS, or ARP packets.

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Week 3: Networking Security and Administration

Day 11: Basic Network Security Concepts

• Tasks: Understand firewalls, VPNs, and encryption protocols.
• Resources:
  • Firewall Basics
  • OpenVPN’s How a VPN Helps with Network Security
• Exercise: Research and list firewall rules you would apply for basic security.

Day 12: Setting Up a VPN (Using OpenVPN)

• Tasks: Set up a simple VPN with OpenVPN to understand secure remote access.
• Resources:
  • How to Set Up OpenVPN
• Exercise: Configure OpenVPN and connect to your server from a client.

Day 13: Access Control Lists (ACLs)

• Tasks: Learn how to implement ACLs to manage network traffic permissions.
• Resources:
  • Cisco’s guide on Configuring ACLs
• Exercise: Write sample ACLs for common network permissions (e.g., allowing internal traffic, blocking external access).

Day 14: SSH and Remote Administration

• Tasks: Set up SSH for secure remote management.
• Resources:
  • SSH Guide
• Exercise: Connect to a remote server using SSH and practice basic commands (e.g., file transfers, updating packages).

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Week 4: Network Design, Troubleshooting, and Final Project

Day 15: Network Design Principles

• Tasks: Study principles of network design, including segmentation, redundancy, and scalability.
• Resources:
  • Network Design Best Practices
• Exercise: Design a small office network, including segmentation for departments and IP address ranges.

Day 16-18: Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

• Tasks: Practice troubleshooting common network issues (e.g., connectivity issues, slow speeds).
• Resources:
  • Cisco Troubleshooting Guide
• Exercise: Simulate issues in a virtual network environment (e.g., disable DHCP) and troubleshoot.

Day 19-20: Final Project – Create a Local Network

• Tasks: Put everything together by designing, implementing, and testing a local network.
• Resources: Refer to resources from previous days as needed.
• Exercise:
  • Design a small network setup with a router, switch, and at least two client devices.
  • Set up IP addressing, routing, DNS, DHCP, and security rules.

By completing these steps, you’ll develop a strong foundation in networking concepts and skills, setting yourself up to tackle more complex challenges and real-world networking scenarios.