Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
A Virtual LAN (VLAN) is a subgroup within a local network. VLANs make it easy for network administrators to separate a single switched network into subnetworks to match the functional and security requirements of their network without having to make major changes in the existing network infrastructure. More ...
Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP)
Neighbor Discovery Protocol is part of the new version of the Internet Protocol (IPv6). Its function is to resolve IPv6 addresses into valid MAC addresses. All addresses discovered by NDR are stored in a buffer known as the neighbor cache. More ...
Networking Protocols, Ports, Standards, and Organizations What Does it All Mean?
A protocol is a set of rules that devices agree to. A port is specific electronic connection, or software interface a protocol uses. A standard is a specification that the characteristics of the protocol's signal and the design of the interface. Networking standards are developed by networking standards organizations. More ...
IPv6 Address Auto Configuration
When an IPv6 device first connects to a network, it can configure its own IPv6 address. It does this using a mechanism called MAC-to-EU164. More ...
WAN Network Protocols - DSL, SONET, HDLC, DWDM, DLSW+
This article discusses some of the most implemented Wide Area Networking (WAN) protocols in enterprise networking environments today including HDLC, DSL, SONET, DWDM, and DLSW+. HDLC is a Cisco proprietary protocol for designed for sending data across serial links. More ...
Video - Network Layer (Layer 3) of OSI Networking Model
In this video by Kevin Wallace you learn about the Network Layer of the OSI networking model. More ...
IPv6 Address Types and Scopes
An IPv6 addresses have a size of 128 bits have three types, unicast, multicast, and anycast. Unicast addresses are for a one-to-one communication. Multicast addresses are for a one-to-many communication. Anycast addresses are for one node to nearest node of multiple nodes communication. 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 ...
Pv6 Myths
There are several misperceptions or myths regarding IPv6. IPv6 has been around quite some time, initially introduced in 1995 with RFC 1883 and later obsoleted with RFC 2460 in 1998. Over the years, as IPv6 evolved and as people discussed the merits of the new protocol, certain misconceptions ensued. More ...
Major Protocols in the TCP/IP Suite
This is a chart of the layers of the TCP/IP Suite and the major protocols in each layer. As you move your mouse pointer over each protocol acronym, a brief description of the protocol appears. This is not a comprehensive list. More ...
IPv6 Prefix Length Notation
In IPv4, the prefix (or network portion) of the address can be identified by a dotted-decimal netmask, commonly referred to as a subnet mask. IPv6 address prefixes can be represented much the same way that IPv4 address prefixes are written in CIDR notation. More ...
PoE (Power Over Ethernet)
Say you want to mount a wireless access point (AP) on the ceiling. Although no electrical outlet is available, a switch feature called Power over Ethernet (PoE) IEEE 802.3at standard offers as much as 32.4W of power over a UTP cable. More ...
Comparing IPv4 and IPv6 at a Glance
When examining the details of the IPv4 and IPv6 headers, there are some important differences between the two protocols. This article summarizes some of the differences. More ...
IPv6 Anycast Addresses
An IPv6 anycast address can be assigned to more than one interface. In other words, multiple devices can have the same anycast address. A packet sent to an anycast address is routed to the nearest interface having that address, according to the routers routing table. More ...
IPv6 Multicast Addresses
An IPv6 multicast address defines a group of devices known as a multicast group. Unlike IPv4, there is no broadcast address in IPv6. Instead, IPv6 uses multicast. A packet sent to a multicast group always has a unicast source address. More ...
