Server and Network Services Fundamentals

This unit develops practical skills for administering core network services and servers across Windows and Linux environments. Students learn account and access management, remote administration, DNS/DHCP and other foundational protocols, common server applications, and basic security practices to prepare for advanced networking and security topics.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and troubleshoot core network protocols and addressing schemes (OSI model, TCP/IP, IP classes, DHCP, DNS, hosts file) to diagnose and resolve connectivity issues
• Configure server services and remote administration tools on Windows and Linux (Remote Desktop, Group Policy, Exchange/Office 365 basics, Samba, Apache, Postfix) to deploy file, web, and mail services
• Administer user accounts, shares, and access controls (creating users, NT domain concepts, license servers, PowerShell and command-line utilities) to enforce authentication and resource permissions
• Apply security best practices (password policies, firewalls, mobile device security, spam mitigation) and evaluate disaster impact and cloud versus on-premises trade-offs to produce secure, resilient network solutions