✅ Progress Tracker
Week 1
Network Basics & PDUs
✓
Network Representation
2.2.4
✓
TCP/IP & OSI Model
2.4.8
✓
Topology & Small Network
2.6.1
✓
Viewing Protocol Data Units
2.6.2
✓
5 / 5 Complete
Skills Integration: Examining Packets
2.7.1 — 100%
Week 2
Application Layer — DNS & HTTP
✓
Client-Server Interaction
3.2.3
✓
Network Representation (DNS/HTTP)
3.3.2
✓
3 / 3 Complete
Skills Integration: Hosts & Services
3.5.1 — 100%
Week 3
Transport Layer — TCP & UDP
✓
UDP and TCP Port Numbers
4.1.6
✓
TCP Session Establishment & Termination
4.2.5
✓
UDP Operation
4.4.4
✓
App & Transport Layer Protocols
4.5.3
✓
5 / 5 Complete
Skills Integration: App & Transport
4.6.1 — 100%
Week 4
Network Layer & Routing
✓
IP Packet Simulation
5.2.2
✓
Packet Tracing Across Networks
5.3.4
✓
Dynamic Routing Protocol Updates
5.4.3
✓
Examining a Device's Gateway
5.5.1
✓
Examining a Route
5.5.2
✓
6 / 6 Complete
Skills Integration: Routing IP Packets
5.6.1 — 100%
📖 Concept Notes
ARP — Address Resolution Protocol
How IP addresses are mapped to MAC addresses, and why the first ping fails.
TCP Three-Way Handshake
SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK — how TCP establishes and terminates connections.
OSI vs TCP/IP Model
Layer-by-layer breakdown and how encapsulation works top-down.
DNS & HTTP
How a browser resolves a URL through DNS before making an HTTP request.
IP Routing
Routing tables, static vs dynamic routing, RIP, and common failure points.
🔬 Skills Integration Highlights
2.7.1 — ICMP Packet Examination
- PC sends ARP request to learn the gateway's MAC address.
- After ARP resolution, ICMP echo request is sent.
- Server replies with ICMP echo reply.
Encapsulation: ICMP → IP packet → Ethernet frame
3.5.1 — DNS + HTTP Workflow
- Browser sends DNS query to resolve hostname to IP.
- TCP connection established with server on port 80.
- HTTP GET request sent; server responds with the page.
DNS (UDP) for name resolution · HTTP (TCP) for content delivery
5.6.1 — Routing IP Packets
- Configured router interface with IP address.
- Added static route via GUI.
- Examined routing table and traced packet delivery.
Failure points: wrong interface config, missing routes, unreachable gateway