Advanced Networking

Compare the behavior of TCP and UDP using packet captures to identify connection-oriented vs connectionless communication.

Identify the components of an IPv4 header and explain their role in packet forwarding.

Classify IPv4 addresses into classes (A, B, C) and distinguish private from public address ranges.

Explain the structure of an IPv4 address and subnet mask in binary and dotted-decimal notation.

Calculate subnet masks, network addresses, broadcast addresses, and valid host ranges for a given CIDR notation.

Design a basic subnetting scheme to divide a network into a specified number of subnets.

Apply Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) to allocate IP address space efficiently.

Use ping, traceroute, and ipconfig/ifconfig to diagnose IP connectivity issues.

Identify and resolve common IP addressing errors, such as duplicate IPs, incorrect subnet masks, and wrong default gateways.

Explain how a switch builds and uses its MAC address table to forward frames.

Configure basic switch settings including hostname, management IP, and default gateway via CLI.

Configure VLANs and assign switch ports to specific VLANs.

Configure and verify 802.1Q trunk links to carry traffic for multiple VLANs between switches.

Configure router-on-a-stick to enable routing between different VLANs.

Explain the purpose of Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) in preventing Layer 2 loops and the improvements offered by RSTP.

Describe the STP root bridge election process and port states at a high level.

Configure and verify EtherChannel using LACP to aggregate multiple physical links.

Explain how a router makes forwarding decisions using its routing table.

Compare administrative distance and metric as criteria for route selection.

Configure and verify static routes, including a default route, on a router.

Distinguish between the fundamental behaviors of distance-vector and link-state routing protocols.

Describe the OSPF process: neighbor discovery, LSDB exchange, and SPF algorithm calculation.

Explain the purpose of OSPF areas for creating a hierarchical network design.

Configure single-area OSPFv2 on a multi-router topology and verify neighbor adjacencies.

Troubleshoot common OSPF adjacency issues such as mismatched timers or area IDs.

Explain how routers process ACLs using top-down logic, including the implicit deny rule.

Configure and apply standard ACLs to filter traffic based on source IP address.

Verify ACL application and troubleshoot common misconfigurations, such as incorrect statement order.

Explain the purpose of NAT and distinguish between static NAT, dynamic NAT, and PAT (NAT overload).

Configure and verify static NAT to map an internal private IP to a public IP.

Configure and verify PAT to allow multiple internal hosts to share a single public IP.

Troubleshoot NAT translation issues using show and debug commands.

Configure a router to act as a DHCP server and a DHCP relay agent.

Configure port security on a switch to prevent MAC address-based attacks.

Configure SSH for secure remote management and disable Telnet.

Describe the function of AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) in network access control.

Describe the roles of NTP, SNMP, and Syslog in network management and monitoring.