Networking Resources

[HalfEatenPie]

Howdy folks,

So recently I've been working on getting to know more about Networking and routing.  However, anyone have some good resources starting from Networking for Dummies to some more advanced stuff?  I'm definitely assuming the certificate books from Juniper and Cisco could probably be a good way to go, but anyone know of any other resources?

 

[KuJoe]

I'm not sure how much it costs, but try to grab a copy of Packet Tracer from Cisco. It was an invaluable tool for my networking classes when I was in school and it gives you some basic hands on experience without needing to invest in hardware.

 

[joepie91]

CBTNuggets has some great stuff. Followed some of their 'video courses' for Cisco preparation, and they're very easy to understand.

 

[Layershift Dora]

You can also check this freebsd.org article , there are also some information on Cisco's website . I also found this PDF document .

I wish you best of luck  

 

[Infused Hosting]

If your looking for general networking knowledge then there are some great videos on the Microsoft Virtual Academy (Free account). They range from basics to advanced including IPv6.

http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/

 

[MightWeb-Greg]

I'm not sure how much it costs, but try to grab a copy of Packet Tracer from Cisco. It was an invaluable tool for my networking classes when I was in school and it gives you some basic hands on experience without needing to invest in hardware.

Would WireShark do the same? Never used Packet Tracer fro Cisco myself but wireshark is always something I'm doing to track issues.

 

[KuJoe]

I'm not sure how much it costs, but try to grab a copy of Packet Tracer from Cisco. It was an invaluable tool for my networking classes when I was in school and it gives you some basic hands on experience without needing to invest in hardware.

Would WireShark do the same? Never used Packet Tracer fro Cisco myself but wireshark is always something I'm doing to track issues.

Nope, they are completely different tools. Wireshark shows you packets on an interface. Packet Tracer is an emulator that builds an entire network from routers, to switches, to PCs, to basically every other device.

 

[CodyRo]

As others have said Packet Tracer is a good start - you can find it online at "places". There are also some courses / classes you can get that will work with Packet Tracer which can be useful to help work on certain area's If you're looking to just learn about networking. In general the Cisco tracks are refined and the best way to go (regardless of the vendor you're looking to do work with). After that you can hone your skill set with whatever vendor you're using (Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, software routers like Quagga, Vyatta).


If you're looking to get your hands dirty with something besides emulated Cisco stuff you can give GNS3 a try and use images from Cisco, Juniper (look for "vSRX images", Olive isn't what you want) and Quagga / Vyatta. The perk of using GNS3 is you can load up VM's of Unix*/BSD images and tie them into the network and get a better hands on experience.


Ultimately you're learning about fundamentals of networking which transcend vendors. Once you get a little further along specific vendors "fudge" things with features however that's usually based off of preference / specific use cases.