Internet Protocol Addressing Basics IP defines addresses for several important reasons. First, each device that uses TCP/IP—each TCP/IP host—needs a unique address so that it can be identified in the network. IP also defines how to group addresses together, just like the postal system groups addresses based on postal codes (like ZIP codes in the […]

TCP/IP Network Layer The application layer includes many protocols. The transport layer includes fewer protocols, most notably, TCP and UDP. The TCP/IP network layer includes a small number of protocols, but only one major protocol: the Internet Protocol (IP). In fact, the name TCP/IP is simply the names of the two most common protocols (TCP […]

TCP/IP Transport Layer Although many TCP/IP application layer protocols exist, the TCP/IP transport layer includes a smaller number of protocols. The two most commonly used transport layer protocols are the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Transport layer protocols provide services to the application layer protocols that reside one layer higher […]

TCP/IP Application Layer TCP/IP application layer protocols provide services to the application software running on a computer. The application layer does not define the application itself, but it defines services that applications need. For example, application protocol HTTP defines how web browsers can pull the contents of a web page from a web server. In […]

Overview of the TCP/IP Networking Model The TCP/IP model both defines and references a large collection of protocols that allow computers to communicate. To define a protocol, TCP/IP uses documents called Requests For Comments (RFC). (You can find these RFCs using any online search engine.) Each layer broadly defines a set of functions that helps […]

TCP/IP Networking Model A networking model, sometimes also called either a networking architecture or networking blueprint, refers to a comprehensive set of documents. Individually, each document describes one small function required for a network; collectively, these documents define everything that should happen for a computer network to work. Some documents define a protocol, which is a […]

Foundation Topics Perspectives on Networking So, you are new to networking. If you’re like many people, your perspective about networks might be that of a user of the network, as opposed to the network engineer who builds networks. For some, your view of networking might be based on how you use the Internet, from home, […]

This chapter covers the following exam topics: 1.0 Network Fundamentals 1.3 Compare physical interface and cabling types 1.3.a Single-mode fiber, multimode fiber, copper 1.3.b Connections (Ethernet shared media and point-to-point) Welcome to the first chapter in your study for CCNA! This chapter begins Part I, which focuses on the basics of networking. Networks work correctly […]