Hands-on TCP/IP Networks

Objectives Prerequisites Who should attend Course Outline Hands-on Sessions

NF-1.0

This course has been designed to supply information that will enable you to confidently address such issues as:

The intricacies of TCP/IP addressing and configuration
How, when and why you should progress to a TCP/IP network
How to troubleshoot and decode TCP/IP
How to use subnet masks in an internetworked environment for management and security
How specific protocols work – IP, ARP, FTP, TFTP, SNMP etc.

You should have a good understanding of DOS, Windows or UNIX fundamentals. Exposure to networking would be advantageous, as would familiarity with the Internet through using web browsers, email etc.

Who should attend

This course is ideal for you if you require an indepth understanding of the principles and requirements associated with the TCP/IP protocols. You may be in one of the following positions: Systems Engineer, Communications Specialist, Technical Officer, LAN Administrator, IT Manager, Network Manager or Systems Programmer.

Course Outline

TCP/IP fundamentals

History of TCP/IP
Protocol layering and encapsulation
Connection oriented vs connectionless protocols
TCP/IP protocol suite overview
TCP/IP - a comparison with the OSI/RM
Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
Request For Comment (RFC)
Networks and technologies
Reference materials

IP addressing

IP addresses
Address classes
Subnet addresses, including issues and variable length masks
Classless Internet Domain Routing (CIDR)
Globally unassigned network numbers

private IP addressing

IPv6 addressing
Getting started with DNS
Consequences of getting IP addresses wrong

Internet Protocol suite

IP datagram format
IP in MAC level frames
IP packet delivery

local host
hop by hop
IP fragmentation and MTUs

Introduction to IP routing
Error/control messaging utilising ICMP
Tools for use at the IP level

IP routing in detail

Internetworks
Autonomous systems
Interior Gateway Protocols (IGP) vs Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGP)
IGP protocol examples

RIP and RIP-2
OSPF
EGP protocol examples
BGP

Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

message format
inadequacies
slow convergence and RIP storms
poison reverse and split horizon

Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)

operation
SPF tree in action
backbone and router classifications
variable length masks
forming adjacencies - link state advertisements

TCP - the Transmission Control Protocol

UDP and TCP headers
End-to-end considerations
Connection establishment and termination
Timeouts and retransmits
Consequences of lost segments
Analysis of connection establishment and closure
Operational issues - slow start, congestion avoidance, fast retransmit and fast recovery
Considerations in LFNs (Elephants)

Application level protocols

Upper layer protocols and TCP/IP architecture
Network Virtual Terminal protocol (NVT) and Terminal Emulation (Telnet)

virtual terminal connection
Telnet encapsulation
NVT control characters and functions
passing commands
option negotiation and commands

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

operation and commands
encapsulation - control and data connection
port assignments
sample connection
interpreting FTP results codes

Mail (SMTP and POP3) HTTP and the World Wide Web (WWW)
Resource location protocol
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
SSH, SMB, NFS

Sockets interface

What are sockets
Relationship to UNIX
WinSock
Sockets in operation

creating sockets
connecting to servers
sending and receiving data
disconnecting
looking up names, protocols, etc.

Network management

Remote boot
BOOTP protocol
DHCP protocol

issues with DHCP

Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)
SNMP for network management

Structure and Management Information (SMI)
Management Information Base (MIB)
Session Management Protocol (SMP)

Domain Name Service (DNS)

The need for DNS
DNS structure
Name to address translation (A, CNAME, MX records, etc)
Address to name translation (PTR records and why)
DNS servers

TCP/IP and the Internet

Internet connectivity options and ISPs
Internet service providers in Australia
PPP and SLIP
IP address allocation and other configuration issues
Services on the Internet - anonymous FTP servers etc
World Wide Web
Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)
Web browser options
IP masquerading

IP multicast

What is IP multicast
Application for multicast
Multicast protocol operation
Multicast support - routers, data link layer issues etc

Network design

Planning your network
Simple network designs
Subnet layouts and mask assignment

Firewalls

Attacks that can be mounted on your network
Types of firewalls
Details of firewall operation
Firewall software to help control the risks

The future of TCP/IP

IPv6

implementation issues

Tunneling IPv6 over IPv4 and vice versa
IP everywhere
Mobile IP

Hands-on Sessions

This is an intensive hands-on course where each day contains practical hands-on instruction – you will learn by doing.

Installing and configuring TCP/IP

You will construct a LAN which will be integrated into a complex internetwork. This will entail the configuration and installation of network drivers, TCP/IP protocol stack and cabling. The network will utilise Ethernet, Token Ring and dial-up with PPP. Individual networks will be connected using routers. You will test the network functions and operation by communicating with other network users and the Unix servers. This will require you to investigate the options provided by the TCP/IP software.

Subnetting and multiple networks

This session will provide you with the opportunity to investigate and implement simple and complex subnetting (including variable length masks) across the internetwork created in class.

Under the TCP/IP bonnet

This is the first of five sessions that requires you to utilise a protocol analyser and reference charts to explore the TCP/IP protocol suite in action. During this session you will set up host tables and explore some of the key TCP/IP components. Look at Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), the TCP/IP PING command and associated Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) sequences.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

See FTP session establishment and exchange sequences as you move files from one host to another.

Telnet

Using protocol analysers and reference charts, see the intricate protocol exchanges that occur during a Telnet session between hosts.

SMTP

See Simple Mail Transfer protocol (SMTP) in action. Set up and configure the SMTP hosts.

DNS

You will configure a workstation to use DNS for address translation. You will then examine the use of DNS as well as investigate DNS timeouts when DNS is configured to search root servers as well as when to ignore root servers.

DHCP

Configure the network for DHCP support. Tune and configure DHCP configuration options. You will also monitor and protocol analyse the way in which a host obtains configuration information via DNS and DHCP servers. DHCP will be supported through the router to illustrate BOOTP relay agents.

WWW

Explore the issues of Internet connectivity and Internet services such as WWW.