Foundations of Networking Infrastructure

This unit introduces foundational networking concepts, devices, protocols, and infrastructure planning for small-to-medium business environments. Students learn core services (DHCP, DNS, ARP), addressing and binary fundamentals, network operating systems, virtualization, cabling and wireless basics, and cloud/Office 365 essentials to prepare them for advanced configuration, security, and design in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze network components, topologies, and common protocols (TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, ARP) to produce accurate network diagrams and identify appropriate device roles (switch, router, access point)
• Apply IP addressing and binary conversion skills to configure and troubleshoot DHCP and DNS services on Windows and Linux servers
• Demonstrate installation, basic configuration, and management of network devices and platforms, including switches, wireless access points, Windows Server, Linux (Cockpit), Hyper-V/vSphere virtualization, and basic cloud services (Office 365/Exchange Online)
• Evaluate infrastructure requirements, backup strategies, and basic security trade-offs to plan server counts, disk capacity, cabling/wireless deployment, and first-line protections for a small-to-medium business network