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[question] I want to learn - where do I start? (lemmy.world)

submitted 5 months ago by azan@lemmy.world to c/networking@sh.itjust.works

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[I hope this belongs here - if not, lmk and I'll delete the post. I've been mainly lurking here so far]

In a month I'll be in charge of "IT-stuff" in a small office. People are generally happy if there is internet and VoIP is working. I'd like to take the opportunity to learn what I can, while I have the chance. And maybe/hopefully contribute to make it a bit better. For now I want to look into how I should configure wifi and access for office/guests (and devices that are used obv.) Thing is, I don't know where to start and what I actually can do. Do I just google "how to configure wifi in the office?" and go from there? (I'm a bit hesitant to do that since I'll not be able to tell if what I find is good) Is there any good reference material you would suggest? Any suggestions are appreciated.

I studied business informatics (but it's been a while) so I'm not completely clueless (but still clueless hehe).

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[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Look up "CompTia Network+ course"

Watch everything in the "Power Cert" series, then watch everything in the "Professor Messer" series.

You won't get through everything in a month unless you are a really fast learner, but you can get through a large amount of content.

Complete both courses, and you will have a solid base level of understanding for computer networking.

The key things to know IMO:

The whole OSI model top to bottom for troubleshooting. If I ask you, "What's the difference between a layer 2 and a layer 3 switch?" You should be able to instantly answer.
Understand IP addressing well. Know what they are, why they work they way they do, and how they apply in a basic network. You should know what CIDR is.
Understand subnetting well. It will confuse you at first, keep watching videos on it until you actually understand it.
Know what DHCP and DNS are and how they are used in a network. This will be CRITICAL to effectively troubleshoot a network problem. A huge number of networking issues boil down to problems with DHCP, or problems with DNS.
Understand VLANs and how they are used and why they are important.
Understand network ports, memorize the most common dozen or so. Know what and how they work and why they matter for security.
Understand the basics of packet anatomy, what they are, how they are formed, packaged, sent, routed, received, unwrapped, and responded to.
Understand VPNs at a basic level and how they work. Know the difference between an IPsec implementation, an OpenVPN implementation, and an overlay network like TailScale. Understand why somebody would chose one over the others.
Practice basic commands and tools like ping, tracert/traceroute, and nmap. These are incredibly useful and necessary to troubleshoot connectivity issues. I use them on a weekly basis at my job.

That all should get you going. It's intimidating, but very rich and rewarding when you start to get it.

And of course, practice practice practice!!! You will NOT learn by just sitting in front of your screen and watching the videos. Get into the command line and start messing around. Grab an old tower or laptop, throw a Linux distro on there and play with SSH, ping, nmap, Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW), start opening and closing ports. Tell certain services like SSH to listen on different ports than the default port 22. Etc.

[–] azan@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Thanks so much, especially for the checklist of stuff I need to know. I know some of the stuff (or at least some basics) from an IT support job with a "historically grown" campus network hehe. Some acronyms I haven't even heard. Also: sounds like a good reason to finally install linux again.

[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 months ago

No prob! Yeah just fill in the gaps of what you already know, always keep learning.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 months ago

Eh, I think 1&7 aren't all that important. Sure, understanding the difference between a dumb switch and a smart switch is absolutely important, but the actual OSI layers isn't that important. Likewise with packat structure.

The important thing imo is to understand that networks are layered and what the tradeoffs and benefits are for generally going higher, but the specifics are super easy to reference later when needed (rare).

In general, don't get caught up in memorizing stuff, focus instead on practical ways to practice concepts. Set up a VLAN, configure QOS on a smart switch and then on a router, configure a guest LAN with no access to anything on the LAN, etc. Most people learn better by doing, so spend your time doing as much of that as you can.