Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), and Routing Convergence
A routing protocol advertises route information between routers. Dynamic routing protocols are available that allow a router's routing table to be updated as network conditions change. More ...
TCP/IP Utilities
TCP/IP comes with a set of command line utilities that a network technician can use to manage and troubleshoot a network. PING is used to test the ability of two hosts on a network to communicate. More ...
The OSI Reference Model
No real world network operating systems conform exactly to the OSI model, but it is useful as a reference when describing existing systems. It is difficult to study network devices such as routers, switches, and gateways without using the model. More ...
What Is Fabric Networking?
The networking industry came up with the term 'Fabric' to describe networking technologies that allow switches to connect in a way to achieve a mesh topology. More ...
Video - Introducing the OSI Model
This video by Kevin Wallace introduces the OSI networking model. More ...
OSI Network Model
The OSI model was developed years ago as a reference for network protocol and application designers to build their products with an open standard. That would promote a standard for developing network devices, interfaces, applications and services that would work together. It is a model rather than a specification since it defines layers and services for those layers and how each layer works with the layer above and below it. More ...
IEEE 802.11.x Wireless Standards
The 802.11 standard, approved in 1997, applies to wireless LANs with a 1 or 2 Mbps transmission rate in the 2.4 GHz band. Sometimes the term 802.11 is used to refer to the 802.11x family of specifications. More ...
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) Protocol
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) protocol is a protocol that handles routing for IP traffic. Because it is based on an open standard, OSPF is very popular in many corporate networks today and has many advantages. More ...
Free eBook: Introduction to 802.11 Wireless
The growth of wireless mobile devices is incredible. If you're an IT professional you'll need to understand wireless technology. This free ebook by Aaron Balchunas explains everything from radio frequency to wireless authentication protocols. More ...
A Simple Description of the IPv6 Header and Datagram
This article provides a simple description of the IPv6 header and datagram without a lot referring back to IPv4. More ...
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a technology used to transmit digital data over telephone lines. DSL service can be transmitted simultaneously with voice band telephone service on the same line because DSL uses a much higher frequency that rides on top of the low 3400 Hz voiceband. More ...
IPv4 Datagram Fields
If you are pursuing CompTIA Network+ certification, of if you're involved in network troubleshooting, it's important to understand the construction of an IP datagram. More ...
Networking and Internet Standards Organizations
Without standards, the Internet would be chaos. The primary organization that sets communications standards for the Internet is the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). More ...
T-Carrier
T-carrier is a time-division multiplexed (TDM) digital signal that has been used by the telephone companies for many decades. 24 8-bit signals are time-division multiplexed into a 1.544 Mbps t-carrier signal. More ...
VTP (VLAN Trunking Protocol)
A VLAN (Virtual LAN) allows a network administrator to partition a LAN to conform to the business functions of the organization without physically modifying the network. VTP (VLAN Trunking Protocol) is a Cisco proprietary protocol that allows an administrator to configure VLANs on a single VTP server, easing the administration of a network. More ...
