Understanding TCP/IP

Understanding TCP/IP – A very practical introduction, but also a bit technical.

Let’s face it: TCP/IP literally makes the Internet possible. Of all the technologies I’ve ever learned, a thorough understanding of TCP/IP has made me more money than anything! And that includes Small Business Server, which fed my business and my family from 2003-2008.

TCP/IP is both powerful and elegant. It’s flexible. It’s resilient. It’s beautiful. And yet, the amount you really need to know about TCP/IP is pretty compact.

This is an introduction to TCP/IP. We’ll literally start with the hardware layer of networking, then move on to the math of building network packets, and finish with some handy tips and tricks. This class is intended to give you a solid foundation of understanding about how IP, and especially TCP/IP works.

We will cover the “absolute basics” of networking enough so that you understand the concepts well enough to understand how traffic moves – even if you can’t construct a valid packet by hand with just zeros and ones. The goal is not to replace a deep dive into every detail of the Internet’s most precious protocol, but to help you understand the big picture.

From there, we move to the basics that you DO use on a regular basis and help you pinpoint the most common tips and tricks for building a solid, secure network.