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Learn Computer Networking in a Month
On January 26, 2025 by Lauren ElkinsThe 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:
- 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.
Week 2: Protocols and Network Layering
Day 6: TCP vs. UDP
- Tasks: Study TCP and UDP, their differences, and use cases.
- Resources:
- 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:
- Exercise: Use the
nslookup
andping
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:
- 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:
- Exercise: Capture local network traffic and filter for HTTP, DNS, or ARP packets.
Week 3: Networking Security and Administration
Day 11: Basic Network Security Concepts
- Tasks: Understand firewalls, VPNs, and encryption protocols.
- Resources:
- 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:
- 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:
- Exercise: Connect to a remote server using SSH and practice basic commands (e.g., file transfers, updating packages).
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:
- 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:
- 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.
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