Packet Guide to Core Network Protocols

Book excerpt: Take an in-depth tour of core Internet protocols and learn how they work together to move data packets from one network to another. With this updated edition, you’ll dive into the aspects of each protocol, including operation basics and security risks, and learn the function of network hardware such as switches and routers. New chapters examine the transmission control protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol in detail. Ideal for beginning network engineers, each chapter in this book includes a set of review questions, as well as practical, hands-on lab exercises. You’ll explore topics including: Basic network architecture: how protocols and functions fit together The structure and operation of the Ethernet protocol TCP/IP protocol fields, operations, and addressing used for networks The address resolution process in a typical IPv4 network Switches, access points, routers, and components that process packets TCP details, including packet content and client-server packet flow How the Internet Control Message Protocol provides error messages during network operations How network mask (subnetting) helps determine the network The operation, structure, and common uses of the user datagram protocol