Enhanced Data Networks for Technical Support Engineers

Description:

• Understand the concept of data networks
• Understand LAN and WAN technologies
• Understand the TCP/IP protocol stack, along with deep understanding of routers and routing protocols
• Understand performance issues and how to deal with them in data networks
• Perform L2 and L3 switching and routing configurations with Cisco equipment
• Understand Voice and Video Over IP technologies
• Perform data networks troubleshooting with wireshark
• Perform basic data networks design

• Introduction to data networks
• Ethernet and LAN switching (with Cisco hands-on)
• L3 switching and routing (with Cisco hands-on)
• IP- Protocol and addressing
• TCP/UDP, including TCP performance tuning
• Voice and Video over IP
• Network troubleshooting using Wireshark
• Data networks design basics 

Part 1 - Basics

Meeting 1 – Introduction

• Introduction to networking and the OSI reference model
  • Introduction to data networks
  • LAN and WAN
  • Application types and requirements
  • The OSI-RM functions and the modular structure of the data network
  • Data structure – frames, packets, messages
• Ethernet and LAN Switching Basics
  • Ethernet – the Protocol, frame structure and cabling
  • LAN switching basics – bridges and switches
  • VLANs and VLAN tagging
  • STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) and RSTP
  • LAG and Etherchannel

• Cisco IOS – Basics
  • Basic operations – user and admin
  • File operations and manipulations
  • Password recovery and security operations
• Cisco IOS – LAN switching operations
  • Switch configuration (IP and SNMP)
  • Port configurations commands
• LAB 1 – basic LAN and switch connectivity
  • Switch IP and SNMP configuration
  • Port configuration
• Home assignment – finishing LAB1

• LAB 1 – basic LAN and switch connectivity
  • STP/RSTP configuration
  • Basic network troubleshooting
• Home assignment – finishing LAB2

• LAB 1 – basic LAN and switch connectivity
  • VLANs and VLAN tagging configuration
  • Basic network troubleshooting
• Home assignment – finishing LAB3 

• The public network structure
  • The public network architecture
  • The public network structure
• WAN services
  • Traditional switching services – Frame Relay and ATM (brief)
  • Carrier Ethernet services
  • SDH and Ethernet over SDH
  • Access services – xDSL, CaTV and Optical access
  • MPLS, IP-VPNs and L2-VPNs
• Design issues – what service to take were?

• Introduction to TCP/IP
  • The TCP/IP model
  • Common protocols
  • Operation, standard organizations
• IP – The protocol
  • IP characteristics and frame structure, ARP – Address Resolution Protocol
  • IP addressing and address classes,
  • Subnetting an IP address space and IP address design
• IP Addressing – subnetting and address design
  • VLSM – Variable Length Address Mask
  • CIDR – Classless Inter Domain Routing
  • IP address design
• Home assignment – IP address design

• L4 protocols basics
  • L4 operations
  • Connectivity and reliability
  • Well known ports.
• UDP – User datagram Protocol
  • Basics and frame structure
  • UDP operation
• TCP – Transport Control Protocol
  • TCP frame structure, The TCP connectivity and reliability, the sliding window mechanism.
  • TCP connection establishment and tear-down, TCP State-machine. Sequence and acknowledge numbers.
  • TCP performance – Flow and congestion control, Ack strategies – Go-Back-N and Selective-repeat. Selective ACK (SACK Options)
• TCP Performance issues

• Routing Basics
  • Routing process principles
  • Routing domains and areas
• Routing principles
  • Static and dynamic routing
  • Distance-vector, Link-state and DUAL protocols
  • Routing metrics
• Additional mechanisms
  • ACLs (Access Lists)
  • NAT – Network Address Translation
  • Case studies and configurations
• Layer 3 Switching
  • Principle of operation
  • Configuration

• Cisco IOS – Routing configuration
  • Router configuration
  • Interface configuration
  • Static routing configuration
  • Dynamic routing configuration
• Routing LAB5 – Basic routing configuration
  • Interface configuration
  • Dynamic routing configuration
• Home assignment – Finishing LAB5

• Routing LAB3 – Basic routing configuration
  • Static routing configuration
  • Routed Networks – basic troubleshooting
• Home assignment – Finishing LAB6

• Building routed networks
• ACLs and NAT configuration
• Home assignment – Finishing LAB7

• Introduction to Telephony
  • The PSTN – Public Switched telephone Network
  • Digitizing voice
  • Voice packetizing
  • Signaling in the PSTN – PRI and SS#7
  • Voice Codec's and BW calculation
• IPT Protocols
  • IPT network architecture and components
  • SIP and the IETF protocols – introduction
  • H.323 and the ITU-T approach
  • MGCP and MEGACO/H.248
• SIP Architecture, Functions and entities
  • Hardware and software architecture
  • User Agents, dual functionality, and presence Agents
  • SIP servers (Registrar, Redirect and Proxy Servers).
  • Location services and locating SIP Servers

• SIP Operation
  • SIP Methods: INVITE and ACK, REGISTER, UPDATE, OPTIONS, REFER, CANCEL, BYE.
  • Responses classes: 1xx Informational, 2xx Final, 3xx Redirection, 4xx Client Error, 5xx Server Error, 6xx Global Failure
  • SIP addressing
• SIP Message format 
  • SIP headers structure and syntax
  • Via header, Branch header, Max-Forwards header
  • Dialog context (To, From, and tag= fields)
  • Some Optional fields
• SDP - Session Description Protocol
  • Session Parameters RFC 4566
  • SDP Format – fields' structure and types
  • Media Negotiation and failure responses
• RTP and RTCP operation
  • RTP and RTCP – Introduction
  • The RTP and RTCP headers
  • RTP Profiles, RTP Payload - Type Field
  • RTP and RTCP operation
  • Jitter removal using RTP
  • Handling Packet Loss
  • Silence Suppression/Fixed Length Packets (Padding)

• Basic troubleshooting (theory and practice)
  • CLI commands – Ping, Tracert and Netstat
  • SNMP – the protocol and tools
  • Wireshark and protocol analyzers
• TS LAB8 – Basic TS and SNMP
  • Basic TS tools and operation
  • SNMP tools (SNMPc and others)

• Introduction to Wireshark
  • How Wireshark Works
  • Capturing Packets, capture and display filters
  • Configuring Global Preferences
  • Navigation and Colorization Techniques
  • Using Time Values and Summaries
  • Examining Basic Trace File Statistics
  • Save, Export and Print
  • LAB
• Capture and Display Filters
  • Capture filters – basics and filter language
  • Display filters – basics and filter language
  • Useful filters
  • Case studies
  • LAB
• Using Time Values and Summaries
  • Use the default time column setting and precision
  • Use time between packets
  • Set a time reference and view capture times
  • Troubleshooting timing problems
  • Case studies
  • LAB

• Using Statistics Tools
  • Create I/O graphs
  • Create and analyze TCP flow graphs
  • Evaluate service response times
  • Analyze TCP/UDP and applications flows
  • LAB
• The Expert System Basics
  • Normal and un-normal Network Communications
  • Causes of Performance Problems
  • Packet Losses, Ack to longs and Retransmissions
  • LAB
• Case Studies
  • TCP performance issues
  • High Latency
  • Packet Loss
  • Flooded Network
  • LAB

• Bandwidth Issues
  • Bandwidth measurement
  • User/flow throughput calculations
  • Applications throughput calculations
  • Bandwidth and throughput problems
  • LAB
• Latency Issues
  • The primary points in calculating latency
  • Plotting high latency times
  • Free latency calculators
  • Using the frame.time_delta filter
  • LAB
• Packet Loss and Retransmissions
  • Packet loss and recovery - UDP and TCP
  • Previous segment lost events
  • Duplicate ACKs
  • TCP Retransmissions and Fast Retransmissions
  • Out-of-Order Segments
  • Zero window
  • LAB

• The Expert System Advance Usage
  • Dealing with congestion - shattered windows and flooding
  • Baseline network communications
  • Unusual network communications
  • Vulnerabilities in the TCP/IP resolution process
  • Case studies
  • LAB
• Who is talking?
  • Port, mutants and IP scans
  • Application Mapping
  • Discovering attacks
  • Case studies
  • LAB
• Advanced Protocols and Applications
  • Security and tunnelling
  • Authentication and privacy
  • Database operation
  • Voice and Video over IP
  • Case studies
  • LAB
• TCP/IP Security
  • TCP segment splicing
  • TCP fake resets
  • MAC address spoofing
  • IP address spoofing
  • Attacks signatures
  • Signature locations
  • Header signatures
  • Sequencing signatures
  • Payload signatures
  • LAB

• Network Engineering – introduction
  • Information systems structure
  • The design process
  • Network analysis
  • High level / Network architecture design
  • Low level / Network topology design
• Requirements analysis
  • Requirements analysis concepts
• User requirements
• Applications requirements
• Device requirements
• Network requirements
  • Requirements analysis procedure
• Gathering and listing requirements
• Developing service metrics
• Characterizing behaviour
• Developing BW/Delay/Jitter/P.Loss requirements
• Requirements mapping
• Preparing the requirements documents and tables
• Flows and Flow models
  • Introduction – what is a flow?
  • Identifying and developing flows
  • Data sources and sinks
  • Flow models
  • Flow specifications
  • Preparing the flow documents and tables

• Architecture (High-Level) Design
  • Component architecture
  • Reference architecture
  • Architectural models
  • Systems and network architectures
  • Service and vendor architecture choices
• Topology (Low-Level) Design
  • Enterprise networks design
  • LAN/WAN design
  • IP networks design
  • Security and privacy design
  • Network management design
  • Network operations design