How can i learn networking

Cisco Networking Basics. Specialization 5 Courses. Fundamentals of Network Communication. Packet Switching Networks and Algorithms. Access Controls. Networks and Communications Security. Secure Your Company's Networks and Systems. Google IT Support. Professional Certificate.

Specialization 6 Courses. Introduction to Cyber Security. New York University. Computer Security and Systems Management. Other topics to explore. Arts and Humanities. Computer Science.

Data Science. Math and Logic. Personal Development. Physical Science and Engineering. Social Sciences. It helps direct traffic so that information can reach its destination in the best way. Routers should be distinguished from switches, which send information between nodes in a single network. P2P peer-to-peer architecture: in computer networking, architecture means the physical and logical framework of the network.

Because of this, there is no need for a central server, and both of the computers can share resources with each other. Client-server networks tend to be more expensive to implement. Method 2. Sign up for an online course. You can pick a program that best suits your learning goals. By signing up for an online course, you may also have the opportunity to interact with others who are interested in the same topic. If something is stumping you, you can ask your peers for assistance.

Take in-person classes. If in-person classes relevant to computer networking or are available and accessible near you, they can be another great option to dive further into the field of computer networking. However, you should check with your college about the specific policies. Watch educational videos.

Videos can be an extremely useful way to visually see and learn how computer networking is implemented, and there are many excellent tutorials and video series available online, such as on Youtube.

These videos also cover a wide range of information, from the basics to more advanced concepts. Read up on essential materials. Aside from structured courses and videos, there are also many books and websites that provide detailed and useful information about computer networking. These materials can either serve as a jumping-off point, or a way to supplement what you have learned through other means.

Check out our articles on Computer Networking for more information! IBM and Microsoft both also give an overview of computer networking and explain some key terms and concepts on their respective websites.

Luigi Oppido. One way you can see how computer networking works is by plugging 2 computers into a network switch. Use one of the computers to look at files on the other computer, and practice adjusting the workgroup, shared folders, and network settings. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2. Not Helpful 1 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Related wikiHows How to.

How to. More References 7. About This Article. These buildings might be anywhere in the world, but their addresses are complete, so we know exactly where they are and can send messages to them. We have a new building on the street. That building has a public IP address, and a private IP address. There is also a fence that blocks the rest of the Internet from seeing and passing messages to addresses on the street.

The postal building controls messages that travel between the Internet and the street, keeping track of messages that leave the street, and directs return messages to the right house. On the street, it has the address Traditionally, computers are connected to each other using cables—creating a network. The cable used most often is Ethernet, which consists of four pairs of wires inside of a plastic jacket. It is physically similar to phone cables, but can transport much more data.

But cables and computers alone do not make a good network, so one early solution was to use a network hub. The Ethernet cables from the computer connect to the device similar to the hub of a bike wheel—where all of the spokes come together in the center.

An example of how a hub works is shown below. Computer A wants to send a message to computer B. It sends the message through the Ethernet cable to the hub, then the hub repeats the message to all of the connected computers. A network using a hub can slow down if many computers are sending messages, since they may try and send messages at the same time and confuse the hub. To help with this problem, networks began to use another device called a switch. Instead of repeating all messages that come in, a switch only sends the message to the intended destination.

This eliminates the unnecessary repetition of the hub. Using a switch, computer A sends a message to computer B —the other computers do not see the message. Those computers can send other messages at the same time without interfering. Switches do have a limitation though—they only know about the addresses of equipment that is plugged directly into them.

So, you can only send messages to a small number of devices—however many ports the switch has! If you need to send a message to a computer on another network, it will need to be sent through a router, which we discuss next. Routers do the majority of the hard work on a network - they make the decisions about all the messages that travel on the network, and whether to pass messages to and from outside networks.

There are three main functions:. Routers separate networks into sections, or bridge different networks together, as we see in the example above—the private network of They can assign IP addresses.

In the example of They can filter messages or keep users out of private networks. Most routers have a Firewall built in.