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• Module 1 discusses networking today, focused on explaining advances in modern technology.

How Networks Affect Our Lives

• Communication is as important as basic needs like air, water, food, and shelter.
• Networks have created a world without boundaries and enabled global communities.

Network Components

• A host, or end device, is any computer on a network.
• Servers provide information to end devices.
• Clients are computers that send information requests to servers.
• Email servers run email server software and clients use client software to access email.
• Web servers run web server software, and clients use browser software to access web pages.
• File servers store corporate and user files while client devices access these files.
• A peer-to-peer network can have a device act as both a client and a server, best suited for small networks.

Advantages of Peer-to-Peer Networks

• They are easy to set up
• Less complex
• Lower cost
• Transferring files and printer sharing

Disadvantages of Peer-to-Peer Networks

• Does not offer centralized administration
• Not as secure
• Not easily scalable
• Slower performance
• Messages originate from and arrive at end devices.

Intermediary Network Devices

• Intermediary devices interconnect end devices, including switches, wireless access points, routers and firewalls.
• Management of data includes regenerating and retransmitting data signals.
• Management of data includes maintaining information about pathways and notifying devices of communication failures.

Network Media

• Network media is the medium that allows a message to travel from source to destination.
• Metal wires within cables use electrical impulses.
• Glass or plastic fibers within cables (fiber-optic cables) use pulses of light.
• Wireless transmission uses modulation of specific frequencies of electromagnetic waves.

Network Representations and Topologies

• Network diagrams, often named topology diagrams, use symbols to represent devices within the network.
• Devices within the network include Network Interface Cards (NIC), physical ports and interfaces.
• Physical topology diagrams illustrate the physical location of intermediary devices and cable installation.
• Logical topology diagrams illustrate devices, ports, and the addressing scheme of the network.

Common Types of Networks

• Small home networks connect a few computers to each other and the Internet.
• Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) allows computers within a home or remote office to connect to a corporate network.
• Medium to large networks connect many locations with hundreds or thousands of interconnected computers.
• World Wide Networks connect hundreds of millions of computers worldwide, like the Internet.
• Network infrastructures vary greatly based on: size, number of users, types of services, area of responsibility.
• The two most common types of networks are Local Area Networks (LAN) and Wide Area Networks (WAN).

LAN

• Interconnect end devices in a limited area
• It is administered by a single organization or individual.
• Provides fast bandwidth to internal devices.

WAN

• Interconnect LANs over wide geographical areas
• Typically administered by service providers
• Typically provide slower speed links between LANs.
• The internet connects LANs and WANs on a worldwide scale and may use copper wire, fiber optic cables or wireless transmission.
• The Internet is not owned by any individual or group.
• The IETF, ICANN and IAB maintain structure on the internet
• An intranet is a private collection of LANs and WANs within an organization, accessible only with authorization.
• An extranet might provide secure access to a network for individuals working for a different organization who need access to data.

Internet Connections

• Users and organizations can connect to the internet via broadband cable, broadband digital subscriber line (DSL), wireless WANs and mobile services.
• Organizations require faster connections to support IP phones, video conferencing and data center storage.
• Business class connections are provided by service providers and may include business DSL, leased lines, and Metro Ethernet.

Home and Small Office Connections

• Cable supplies high bandwidth internet via cable television services.
• DSL provides high bandwidth internet over a telephone line.
• Cellular uses a cell phone network.
• Satellite is useful to rural areas.
• Dial-up telephone uses a modem as an inexpensive, low bandwidth option.

Business Internet Connections

• Dedicated Leased Line consists of reserved circuits within a provider's network connecting distant offices.
• Ethernet WAN provides a LAN access technology to a WAN.
• Business DSL comes in various forms, including Symmetric Digital Subscriber Lines (SDSL).
• Satellite provides a connection when no wired solution exists.
• Converged data networks transmit data, voice and video over a single link. Each technology formerly used a separate set of rules and standards.
• Converged networks deliver data, voice and video over the same network infrastructure, using the same rules and standards.

Reliable Networks

• Network architecture provides technologies that supports data movement.
• The four required basic characteristics addressed for architectures.
• Fault tolerance provides limits the impact of a failure by limiting affected devices, requiring multiple paths for fault tolerance. Packet switching splits traffic, potentially sending each packet along a disparate transmission path.
• Scalability can quickly and easily expand to support new users without impacting existing ones, using existing network standards and protocols.
• Quality of Service (QoS) ensures reliable delivery of content with bandwidth management.
• Security requires network infrastructure security with physical security of network devices to prevent unauthorized access.
• Security requires data protection and transmission over with confidentiality, integrity, and availability for authorized users.

Network Trends

• The role of the network adjusts to keep up with new technologies.
• Networking trends that affect organizations and consumers include:
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
• Online collaboration
• Video communications
• Cloud computing
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) allows users to use their own devices, for greater flexibility, including laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphones and E-readers
• Online collaboration includes Cisco Webex, a tool to connect and interact to send instant messages, post images, and post videos and links.
• Video communication provides calls to anyone regardless of location.
• Cisco TelePresence powers is one way of working where everyone, everywhere.

Cloud Computing allows:

• Storing personal files, backup data
• Access to Applications
• Delivery of business services to any world device
• Smaller companies to lease server / storage from data centers
• Public clouds available to the general public through a pay-per-use model or are free.
• Private clouds are intended for specific organizations like the government.
• Hybrid clouds use two or more cloud types
• Custom clouds meet the needs of specific sectors, such as healthcare or media.

Technology Trends in the Home Include:

• Smart home technology to integrate with appliances for interconnection.
• Smart Home include oven and smart communication for calendar on when you are scheduled to be home.
• Powerline networking allows devices to connect to a LAN using the building's existing electrical wiring, sending data on certain frequencies.
• Wireless broadband provides another option to connect homes and small businesses.
• Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) connects subscribers to access points or hotspots in rural areas.
• Uses phone-based cellular technology.
• Wireless or wired connectivity for devices in the home can be provided with an antenna outside.

Network Security

• Network security is integral regardless of a network’s size.
• It must balance data security and acceptable quality of service.
• Securing networks involves protocols, technologies, devices, tools and techniques to secure data and mitigate threats.
• Threat actors vector might be external and internal.

Threats

• External threats include viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, zero-day attacks, threat actor attacks, denial of service, and data interception and identity theft.
• Internal threats includes lost or stolen devices, accidental misuse, and malicious employees.
• Protection involves multilayer strategies to safeguard data.

Protection

• Includes antivirus and antispyware on end devices.
• Employing firewall filtering to block unauthorized access.
• Larger networks need dedicated firewall systems, access control lists (ACL) plus intrusion prevention (IPS) and virtual private networks (VPN).

IT Professional

• The CCNA certification shows foundational technology knowledge, and the new CCNA focuses on IP foundation, security, wireless, virtualization, automation, and network programmability.
• New DevNet certifications exist for software development skills.
• Specialist certification validates skills for job roles.
• Careers can be found at netacad.com in the Careers menu, in the Employment Opportunities section.
• Employ Talent Bridge to locate career opportunities or search for Cisco positions.