Networking 101 for Technicians Course

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A Practical Introduction to Ethernet, TCP/IP, Addressing, Routing, and Network Troubleshooting

1-Day, Instructor Led, Web Based Delivery or Self Paced, Online
Minimum: 10 Students
Web Based Delivery: Max class size is 30
On Site Delivery: Max class size is 20

Click here to go to the Online Class.

What Students are Saying about this class:

“Great class. Very information packed. In-depth for a 101 class. A++”
“Explains everything really well – great job with the entire class”

Course Description

Almost every modern service delivered to a customer depends on networking.

Internet access, Wi-Fi, streaming, cloud applications, voice services, security systems, smart devices, and business applications all rely on a collection of networking technologies working together behind the scenes.

For technicians, understanding those technologies makes troubleshooting faster, communication clearer, and technical problems much less mysterious.

CSI-SP-007 – Networking 101 for Technicians is a practical introduction to how networks and the Internet actually work.

The course explains the terminology, protocols, devices, addressing, and processes technicians encounter every day without assuming that students already have a networking background.

Students learn how data moves through a network, how Ethernet and IP work together, how devices obtain addresses, how DNS finds destinations, how routers forward traffic, how Network Address Translation works, and how switches, VLANs, and ARP support local network communications.

Just as importantly, students use their own computers to examine many of these functions.

The result is not simply a collection of networking definitions.

Students begin to understand:

What is my computer doing?
What is the network doing?
How does traffic get from here to there?
And what can I look at when something is not working?

Why Networking Knowledge Matters to Technicians

A technician does not need to be a network engineer to benefit from understanding networking.

Consider a simple customer report: “The Internet isn’t working.”

That statement alone does not identify the problem. The issue might involve:

The physical connection
Ethernet
Wi-Fi
An IP address
DHCP
The default gateway
DNS
Routing
Network Address Translation
A firewall
The customer device
The local network
The service-provider network
The remote application or service

Without a basic understanding of networking, all of these can appear to be the same problem.

With a networking foundation, the technician can begin asking better questions, performing better tests, and narrowing down where the failure actually exists.

That is the purpose of this course.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Explain the basic purpose of computer networking.
Describe how the Internet connects networks together.
Explain the concept of layered network communications.
Understand packet encapsulation.
Recognize the roles of Ethernet and the Internet Protocol.
Explain the difference between Ethernet MAC addresses and IP addresses.
Understand how devices obtain IP configuration information.
Explain the basic purpose of DHCP.
Explain the basic purpose of DNS.
Describe the role of Network Address Translation.
Read and recognize basic IPv4 addressing information.
Understand the purpose of an IPv4 subnet mask.
Use Windows tools to examine the IP configuration of a computer.
Explain the purpose of a default gateway.
Use traceroute/tracert to examine the path toward a destination.
Explain the basic difference between switching and routing.
Understand the purpose of a routing table.
Examine the routing table on a Windows computer.
Explain the basic purpose of firewalls and intrusion-detection technologies.
Define a Local Area Network.
Explain the fundamental operation of an Ethernet switch.
Describe how Ethernet switches learn MAC addresses.
Explain the difference between managed and unmanaged Ethernet switches.
Explain the purpose and operation of ARP.
Examine ARP information on a computer.
Explain why VLANs are used.
Describe the purpose of IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging.
Recognize an 802.1Q-tagged Ethernet frame.
Explain fundamental Gigabit Ethernet concepts.
Understand Ethernet auto-negotiation.
Apply basic networking concepts to everyday technician troubleshooting.

The emphasis throughout the course is on understanding what the technology is doing rather than memorizing networking terminology.

Networking Without the Acronym Overload

Networking has accumulated decades of terminology.

IP. TCP. UDP. DHCP. DNS. NAT. MAC. ARP. VLAN. LAN. IDS. 802.1Q.

To someone entering the telecommunications or broadband industry, those terms can quickly become overwhelming.

CSI-SP-007 puts those terms into context.

Rather than teaching acronyms as isolated definitions, the course connects them through a simple question: What has to happen for one device to communicate with another device?

Following that communication process allows students to see how the pieces fit together:

Device
Ethernet
IP Addressing
Default Gateway
Routing
DNS and Network Services
Internet

Once students understand the relationships, the terminology becomes much easier to remember and apply.

Audience

CSI-SP-007 is designed for people who need a basic but practical understanding of networking without requiring previous network engineering experience.

Ideal participants include:

New Broadband Technicians
New Telecommunications Technicians
Installation and Repair Technicians
Field Technicians
Customer Service personnel
Technical Support personnel
Help Desk personnel
Network Operations personnel
Dispatch personnel
Sales Engineers
Technical Sales personnel
Supervisors and Managers
Technical Trainers
New employees entering broadband or telecommunications roles
Employees transitioning into more technical responsibilities
Anyone who needs to better understand how Internet and Ethernet networking works

The course is suitable for both technical and non-technical personnel.

Technical employees gain a foundation for more advanced networking and troubleshooting skills, while non-technical employees gain enough understanding to communicate more effectively with customers, technicians, engineering teams, and network operations personnel.

Course Prerequisites

No previous networking experience is required.

Students should be comfortable using a computer and web browser.

The course is specifically designed to introduce networking concepts from the beginning and explain them in practical terms.

Students do not need previous experience with:

Ethernet
TCP/IP
IPv4 addressing
Subnetting
Routing
Cisco equipment
Wireshark
Network configuration

Curiosity about how networks work is the most important prerequisite.

Student Requirements

Students participating in the hands-on exercises should have access to a Windows computer.

The course uses common Windows networking tools to allow students to examine the operation of their own systems and networks.

These exercises help connect the concepts being discussed to information technicians can observe for themselves.

Rather than simply seeing an example on a slide, students can ask: “What does my computer say?”

The Hands-On Approach

Networking concepts become much easier to understand when students can connect them to something they can actually observe.

Throughout the course, students use practical exercises to examine networking information on their own computers.

They investigate subjects such as:

IP addressing
Default gateways
Network paths
Routing tables
ARP
Ethernet
VLAN-tagged traffic

The purpose of the exercises is not to turn students into network engineers in one day.

The objective is to make networking visible and understandable.

Students begin learning an important troubleshooting habit: Look at the evidence before guessing at the problem.

That foundation becomes increasingly valuable as technicians progress into more advanced broadband, Ethernet, IPv4, Wi-Fi, and packet-analysis work.

Course Materials

Students receive course materials designed to reinforce the concepts presented during class.

Materials include:

Course Student Guide
Hands-on exercises
Networking reference information
Windows networking examples
Addressing examples
Ethernet examples
Additional networking resources

The materials provide students with a reference they can return to after the class as they encounter networking terminology and technologies in their daily work.

Course Outline

Part 1: Overview and Introductions

Part 2: The Networking Protocols

The Layered Model/Packet Encapsulation
The Internet Protocol and Ethernet Addressing
- Overview of Internet Network Operations
- Where do we get our Addresses? (Configured/DHCP)
- How do we find out the target address? (DNS)
- Network Address Translation
- Ethernet MAC Addresses
- IPv4 Addresses/Subnetting
- Lab: Looking at the IP Addressing of your Computer
- Lab: How did our packets get to their destination? (tracert)
- Switching vs Routing, Firewalls and IDS
- Lab: Looking at your Computer’s Routing Table

Part 3: Diving Deeper into Ethernet

Defining a LAN
Ethernet Switch Operation Fundamentals
Managed vs. Unmanaged Switches
The ARP Protocol – Purpose and Usage
Lab: ARP
Understanding VLANs
802.1Q Encapsulation (VLAN Tags)
Lab: Examining VLAN Tagged Frames
Gigabit Ethernet
- Encapsulation
- Auto-Negotiation

Conclusions, References

From “It Doesn’t Work” to Asking Better Questions

One of the most valuable changes that occurs when technicians develop basic networking knowledge is that troubleshooting questions become more specific.

Instead of: “Why isn’t the Internet working?”

The technician begins asking:

Does the computer have an IP address?
Did DHCP provide the correct configuration?
Is the destination on the local network or a remote network?
Can the computer reach its default gateway?
Does DNS resolve the destination name?
What path is the traffic taking?
Does ARP show the expected neighboring device?
Is the problem occurring before or after the router?

Those questions dramatically narrow the troubleshooting problem.

CSI-SP-007 gives students the foundation needed to begin asking them.

A Foundation for Additional Training

Networking 101 is intended to be a starting point.

Students who want to continue developing their skills can build upon this foundation with more detailed training in areas such as:

Ethernet
TCP/IPv4
IPv4 Addressing and Subnetting
IPv6
Wi-Fi
Wireshark and Packet Analysis
Network Troubleshooting
Routing
Voice over IP
Network Security
Broadband Technologies

The concepts introduced in this class provide the vocabulary and fundamental understanding needed to make those more advanced subjects easier to learn.

Why Take This Course?

People working around networks every day often learn individual terms and procedures without ever being shown how everything fits together.

They may know how to run a test without understanding what the test is actually proving.

They may recognize an IP address without understanding why the subnet mask matters.

They may know that restarting a router sometimes restores service without understanding what network functions are being restarted.

Networking 101 fills those gaps.

Students leave with a practical mental model of how Ethernet, IP addressing, network services, switching, routing, and the Internet fit together.

That foundation helps technicians learn faster, troubleshoot more logically, communicate more effectively, and prepare for more advanced technical responsibilities.

Course Availability:

View the course calendar and browse for our schedule. It will show scheduled courses and available dates for scheduling.

CSI-SP-007 – Networking 101 for Technicians