Networks·41,459 discussions

beginner needs help asap

i’m in a course in an mba program called Networks, Clouds and Mobile Computing
I am such a beginner I don’t know where to start and i am already behind on my homework for week 1 which is overdue. I have spent hours trying to research these topics. I’ve never taken a computer class since high school other than in photoshop and graphic design.
Where can I read to understand this topic from the beginning? I don’t know what I am doing! The college and the professor have been less helpful than any other class I’ve seen before, their curriculum is almost nonexistent and I think they exist to take my tuition money and that’s it.

“For part 1, you will provide a short document detailing popular solutions for wired and wireless networking, and the two leading protocol stacks.

For part 2, you will create a detailed network diagram of a small office with a server, 2 workstations, and a printer on a wired network. There can be up to 8 phones and the 3 laptops connected to a WAP. Everything requires Internet access. The diagram must show the details, including at least one firewall, router, switch, and a WAN router. For this assignment, be sure to provide an original diagram.”

My problem is while attempting to do this homework I don’t know for sure if my research is coming up with the right answers. I came up with two different diagrams, and I also am not quite sure which protocol stacks they want me to discuss, or if they want me to talk about all protocols because there are so many apparently? Is the correct answer tcp / ip and udp?

This is what i came up with as two alternative diagrams (simply a rough outline not a diagram yet), and I am not sure if either one is close to being correct

I don’t know for sure if a router or a modem counts as a firewall. again there’s no real curriculum – please someone give me a reliable source to learn this will be!!??

WAN Router (firewall)
>>>>> Modem / Switch with internet access (WAP connection)
>>>>> Ethernet cable to server
>>>>>> Ethernet cable to two workstations
>>>>>> Ethernet cable to printer
….wifi connection to the modem (or router?) (WAP)
8 phones, 3 laptops wirelessly connected to the modem / router through a WAP

or

Modem (firewall)
—-Ethernet cable
Router >>> 8 phones, 3 laptops
—–Ethernet cable
Switch >>>> Server .>>> 2 workstations and printer

Topic

Re: networks

In reply to beginner needs help asap

Three remarks, that won’t help you, I’m afraid.

– UDP is part of TCP/IP, so I don’t think you can sell those as different stacks
– a modem isn’t a firewall, and neither is a router, although some have options to block incoming traffic on certain ports
– modem isn’t a switch either

thanks

In reply to Re: networks

thank you. different articles I looked up said some incorrect info. not sure what i am supposed to do about this is there a proper place to start with reading? my friend recommended the network plus certification exam study guide from comptia.

Re: comptia

In reply to thanks

I read the study of that course guide takes 45 hours. That might be too long to complete before your assignment must be ready.

Anyway, if the course material as provided or prescribed doesn’t help you to find the answers you need, it wouldn’t harm to read another book. Although it isn’t sure it covers the same subjects, of course.

Let’s clear up that protocol part of the question.

In reply to beginner needs help asap

For 99.99% of the networking you’ll encounter it’s IP or Internet Protocol.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol

For now I’d skip calling out any particular IP protocol.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_IP_protocol_numbers

As you found out, TCP and UDP are the most used (by the masses) protocol but then 99.99% of users never know which are in use and frankly they don’t care. Even our IT staff haven’t mentioned such for years. You might get into this if you “port forward” or are configuring firewalls but the 99.99% of the usual IP network setup is a copy/paste job of common networks.

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