Network Fundamentals and CCNA Preparation

Course Details

A 5-day course, 6 hours per day (30 hours in total), delivered as lectures with hands-on labs on real equipment and network simulation software. Beginner to Intermediate level with no prior networking background required. The scope follows the latest CCNA exam topics. The institute provides the network equipment and simulation software, so learners do not need to buy hardware. The exam fee itself is paid by the learner. Learners take home a lab guide, sample topology files, a full mock exam with explained answers, and a quick-reference command summary.

Day 1: Network Foundations and How Data Travels

Section 1: Network Components and Devices

• What each device does: switches, routers, firewalls and access points
• Corporate network topologies and layered design that can grow
• Cabling, port types and choosing for distance and speed
• The CCNA exam scope and the question styles you will face

Section 2: Layered Models and Data Flow

• The OSI and TCP/IP models and how their layers map to each other
• Encapsulation layer by layer and what really happens when data is sent
• The protocols to know at each layer and what each one does
• Lab: capture packets and walk through the layers until the path is clear

Section 3: IP Addressing and Subnetting

• IPv4 structure, network and host portions, and what a subnet mask means
• Subnetting fluently: host counts, usable ranges and broadcast addresses
• Variable length subnetting to use address space efficiently
• Lab: calculate and assign an addressing plan for a simulated corporate network

Section 4: IPv6 and Initial Device Configuration

• IPv6 address structure, address types and shorthand notation
• Automatic address assignment and running IPv4 and IPv6 side by side
• First access to a device, base configuration and saving the config
• Lab: configure IPv4 and IPv6 addresses on devices and test connectivity

Day 2: Switching, VLANs and Path Redundancy

Section 5: How Switches Work

• The MAC address table and how a switch learns and forwards frames
• Collision domains versus broadcast domains
• Port configuration, speed settings and verifying link status
• Lab: configure a switch and inspect the MAC address table it builds

Section 6: VLANs and Trunking

• What VLANs are and why organizations separate network segments
• Creating VLANs, assigning ports and configuring trunks between switches
• The management VLAN and related security practices
• Lab: create several VLANs and connect two switches with a trunk

Section 7: Spanning Tree and Link Aggregation

• Layer two loops and how spanning tree prevents them
• Root bridge election and tuning so paths follow the design
• Bundling links to add bandwidth and resilience
• Lab: build a network with redundant paths and watch behaviour when a link drops

Section 8: Inter-VLAN Routing

• Why different VLANs cannot talk and how routing connects them
• Configuring inter-VLAN routing on a router and on a layer three switch
• Planning addressing and gateways for each segment systematically
• Lab: get hosts in different VLANs communicating and verify the path

Day 3: Routing, OSPF and Network Services

Section 9: Routing Principles and Static Routes

• The routing table and how a router decides where to send traffic
• Route preference and the longest prefix match rule
• Configuring static routes and a default route
• Lab: configure static routes so multiple networks can reach each other

Section 10: Dynamic Routing with OSPF

• Static versus dynamic routing and when each fits
• How OSPF works: forming adjacencies and calculating paths
• Configuring single-area OSPF and verifying neighbors and routes
• Lab: configure OSPF across several routers and test when the primary path fails

Section 11: NAT and Internet Connectivity

• Why NAT exists and the differences between translation types
• Configuring NAT so the internal network can reach the internet
• Publishing an internal service to the outside safely
• Lab: configure NAT and test internet access from the internal network

Section 12: DHCP, DNS and Core Services

• How DHCP works and configuring automatic addressing per segment
• Relaying DHCP requests when the server sits in another segment
• The role of DNS and NTP in a corporate network and their base configuration
• Lab: configure DHCP per VLAN and verify the addresses hosts receive

Day 4: Wireless, Security and Operations

Section 13: Wireless Networking

• Radio principles, channels and how interference degrades quality
• Wireless deployment models and the role of a wireless controller
• Wireless security standards and choosing the right one
• Lab: configure an access point and attach clients to a designated VLAN

Section 14: Network Security

• Common threats to corporate networks and defenses at each layer
• Managing device administrator accounts and secure device access
• Switch port protection and restricting which devices may connect
• Firewall concepts and encrypted remote access

Section 15: Access Control Lists

• How ACLs work and the order in which conditions are evaluated
• Writing standard and extended ACLs and placing them correctly
• Common mistakes and verifying an ACL does what you intended
• Lab: write ACLs restricting traffic between segments and test the result

Section 16: Operations and Troubleshooting

• A systematic troubleshooting method working up the layers
• The verification commands you will use daily and how to read their output
• Logging, device monitoring and backing up configurations
• Lab: fix a network the instructor has deliberately broken until it works again

Day 5: Automation, Design and Exam Preparation

Section 17: Automation and API-Driven Network Management

• Why configuring devices one at a time by hand no longer scales
• Software-defined networking and separating the control plane from the devices
• Managing devices through APIs and the data formats involved
• Configuration management tooling and what it gives a network team

Section 18: Enterprise Network Design

• Layered design and placing devices so the network can grow
• Planning addressing and VLAN segmentation properly from the start
• Designing redundant paths with no single point of failure
• Workshop: design an office network from a real brief and defend your choices

Section 19: Building a Complete Network

• Assembling every topic into one network that works end to end
• Verifying section by section that every path behaves as designed
• Producing network documentation and diagrams the team can use
• Workshop: build a complete working network from scratch

Section 20: Mock Exam and Study Plan

• CCNA exam structure, exam technique and time management
• Walking through option elimination question by question on the mock exam
• The topics candidates most often miss and how to revise them in the final week
• Workshop: sit a full mock exam with explained answers and build your study plan