Networking Fundamentals: Learn How the Internet Really Work

Master TCP/IP, Packet Analysis, and Python Scapy to capture, craft, and understand network communication from the wire u

What you'll learn
- Understand the fundamental layers of networking using the OSI and TCP/IP models.
- Differentiate between core network devices like switches (for local networks) and routers (for different networks).
- Use essential command-line tools like ping, netstat, and tcpdump to diagnose, test, and analyze network connectivity and traffic.
- Explain the critical differences between TCP (reliable, connection-oriented) and UDP (fast, connectionless) protocols and their common use cases.
- Capture and analyze live network packets to understand their structure, including IP headers, protocol headers, and data payloads.
- Build custom network packets from scratch using Python and the Scapy library to perform advanced network testing and interaction.
- Demonstrate and explain the TCP three-way handshake by crafting and sending individual SYN and ACK packets to a live server.
- Set up a simple listener with netcat to establish a two-way UDP communication channel for data exchange.
- Understand the role of DNS and port numbers in directing traffic from a domain name to a specific application on a server.

Requirements
- No prerequisites required just bring your curiosity and a computer with internet, we’ll teach you everything from scratch.

Description
Have you ever wanted to truly understand what happens when two computers talk to each other? This course moves beyond abstract theory to give you a hands-on, practical mastery of computer networking. We will build your knowledge from the ground up, starting with the absolute basics of network connections and progressing to advanced techniques like crafting your own raw network packets from scratch. Instead of just memorizing the OSI model, you will see it in action by capturing live traffic and dissecting every layer of a packet.

This is not a typical lecture-based course. You will be in the command line from the very beginning, using powerful tools like ping for diagnostics, tcpdump for deep packet inspection, and netstat to see active connections in real-time. The real magic begins when we introduce Python and the Scapy library. You will learn how to programmatically build any kind of network packet you can imagine, giving you the power to test, debug, and interact with network services in a way that few IT professionals can.

Through hands-on projects, you will:

Visually deconstruct the TCP three-way handshake by sending your own SYN packets to a live cloud server.

Build a simple two-way UDP chat application using netcat and custom Scapy scripts.

Analyze the difference between a DNS query (UDP) and an SSH connection (TCP) on the wire.

Learn to identify packet headers, payloads, and protocol-specific flags.

By the end of this course, you won’t just knowaboutnetworking; you will have the practical skills to analyze, troubleshoot, and even build network interactions yourself.

Who this course is for:
- IT Professionals and aspiring System Administrators who need a strong, practical foundation in networking.
- DevOps Engineers who want to better understand the network infrastructure their applications run on.
- Aspiring Cybersecurity Analysts and Pentesters who need to understand packets and protocols to identify vulnerabilities.
- Python Developers interested in learning how to interact with networks at a low level.
- Computer Science students looking for a hands-on supplement to theoretical networking concepts.
- Anyone who has ever wondered what is really happening when they type a URL into a browser and hit Enter.
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