| O BJECTIVES Your network is the road by which your data travels from point to point. Quite simply, if your network is flawed or not functioning properly, your day is going to be unhappy at best. At worst, your network services will not function, and if the network is down, most applications and services you are trying to deliver will not be deliverable . Good network designs do not just happen, nor are they necessarily hard to implement. A thorough knowledge of the mechanics of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Internet Protocol (IP) routing, IP subnetting, and Internet connectivity goes a long way toward creating and maintaining a network that not only works, but also can evolve and grow as business and user needs change and/or become more complex. Microsoft has defined the TCP/IP connectivity portion of the "Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Network Infrastructure" objectives as follows : Plan a TCP / IP network infrastructure strategy. -
Analyze IP addressing requirements. -
Plan an IP routing solution. -
Create an IP subnet scheme. -
Good networks begin with good planning and good designs. To plan and design a good network, you need to understand the IP addressing and routing requirements of your organization. With this knowledge in mind, you can move forward and start planning the IP subnets you require. This creates a solid backbone from which the rest of your network will be built. Plan and modify a network topology. -
As mentioned before, all networks should have a design and/or plan. A large part of that plan should address where to physically and logically place network resources (file servers, print servers, Internet access, and so on) and identify protocols that will be used to connect to and access these resources. Plan an Internet connectivity strategy. -
Reliable, available Internet access has become a required commodity in the vast majority of networks today. Email, Web browsing, and a plethora of other business functions need Internet access to function. Thus, not having Internet connectivity would likely become a big problem in a short amount of time. In this chapter, we cover the importance of planning an Internet connectivity strategy. Plan network traffic monitoring. Tools might include Network Monitor and System Monitor. -
Networks have problems that at times are hard to solve or reproduce for one reason or another, but still need to be solved nonetheless. Using tools such as Network Monitor and System Monitor helps you to locate, identify, and troubleshoot issues as well as monitor traffic traversing your local area network (LAN). Troubleshoot connectivity to the Internet. -
Diagnose and resolve issues related to Network Address Translation ( NAT ). -
Diagnose and resolve issues related to name resolution cache information. -
Diagnose and resolve issues related to client configuration. -
After you are connected to the Internet, you may encounter many problems. You must address issues with Network Address Translation planning and implementation, issues with the domain name system (DNS), and, of course, issues with clients trying to connect to and use the Internet. Troubleshoot TCP / IP addressing. -
All great network administrators need to know, understand, and embrace TCP/IP. This objective covers what you need to know abut TCP/IP from a client perspective. You need to know how to troubleshoot TCP/IP issues, as well as those issues resulting from problems with a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. O UTLINE Introduction Planning a TCP / IP Network Infrastructure Strategy TCP/IP Fundamentals Internet Protocol Fundamentals Analyzing IP Addressing Requirements Planning an IP Configuration Strategy Planning an IP Routing Solution Planning and Modifying a Network Topology Planning Physical Placement of Network Resources Selecting Network Protocols IPX/SPX SNA NetBIOS Planning for Network Traffic Monitoring Troubleshooting TCP / IP Addressing Troubleshooting Client Computers Troubleshooting DHCP Server Issues Planning and Troubleshooting Internet Connectivity Planning Internet Connectivity Troubleshooting Client Configuration Issues Troubleshooting DNS Issues Troubleshooting Network Address Translation (NAT) Issues Chapter Summary Apply Your Knowledge Exercises Review Questions Exam Questions Answers to Review Questions Answers to Exam Questions Suggested Readings and Resources S TUDY S TRATEGIES -
Focus on the objectives. Make sure you understand what each objective is asking you to do or learn. Read over the objectives a few times and try to understand what they are asking for; then think about how to plan, design, and troubleshoot problems resulting from each one. -
Memorize all TCP/IP charts , numbering, and standards as they map to the objectives. For instance, if your knowledge of subnetting is weak, you will most likely want to mark this as a weak spot. Make sure you attack your weak spots and get these issues under your belt for this exam. -
Get your hands dirty. The Step by Steps throughout this book provide plenty of directions and exercises, but you should go beyond these examples and create some of your own. If you can, experiment with each of the objectives to see how they work and why you would use each one. |
