In the world of networking, managing and configuring devices to work efficiently across complex networks is crucial for administrators. One useful and important feature in Cisco networking devices (primarily Layer 3 devices) is the IP Helper Address. The “ip helper-address” Cisco command provides a solution to forward broadcast traffic between Layer 3 network subnets, particularly […]
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Terminology within networking can sometimes get confusing. Networking has many different terms that can be used in different ways depending on the context and the related technologies being discussed. Three of the most commonly used terms that can introduce some level of confusion are routing, forwarding, and switching. In this article, we’ll discuss how these […]
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Asymmetric routing refers to a situation in which the path taken by data packets between two points in a network is not the same in both directions. In other words, the route that the packets follow from the source to the destination is different from the route they take when traveling back from the destination […]
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Troubleshooting a network requires many different investigative skills, tools, and methodologies. One procedure that is particularly useful when investigating various network problems is being able to determine the IP address of a host on the network when given only its MAC address. In this article we’ll take a look at how to find an IP […]
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Cisco’s Internetworking Operating System, or IOS, is a family of network operating systems that is used on several models of the company’s routers and switches. IOS enables routing, switching, internetworking, and a variety of telecommunications functions on a whole series of Cisco network device platforms. IOS has gone through several phases of evolution, and any […]
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In this article we will explain and discuss OSPF Not So Stubby Area (NSSA) and also how to configure this Area type on Cisco routers. OSPF is a link state dynamic routing protocol that is used by routers to share routing information. This allows routers to inform each other of the paths that should be […]
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What if I told you that there are over 700 practical Cisco networking tutorials waiting for you on a single website that can help you learn hundreds of different Cisco networking topics? The resource I’m talking about above is NetworkLessons.com and is probably one of the few online education portals with so many practical lessons on Cisco […]
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A loopback interface is a virtual interface that can be created within a network device and behaves much the same as a physical interface. Loopback interfaces can be configured on a Cisco router or a switch and have many uses. In this article, we’ll examine what they are, how they can be configured, and how […]
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The Paessler PRTG network monitoring solution is well known to network engineers and administrators. It conveniently monitors network activity including bandwidth usage, IP allocation, device status, network health, and even CPU utilization on networked devices (plus much more). Paessler requires users to use a PRTG core server system running on Windows server OS (or two […]
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Layer 3 addressing can become difficult to manage in a network especially if you have an extensively large number of host devices. With tens, hundreds, or even thousands of hosts in many enterprise networks, the need for an automated mechanism for assigning IP addresses and other network parameters was realized very early on. In this […]
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A Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is a concept that has been around for over a decade. SD-WAN is a WAN architecture that uses software-defined network technology to deliver a high availability, low cost, and highly flexible WAN connections over the Internet and other public networks. In this article, we will attempt to shed […]
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Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), so “simple” yet so powerful. SNMP delivers a standardized framework that can be used for the monitoring and management of network devices. SNMP is one of the most powerful tools that can be used by today’s network administrators and engineers. SNMP allows admins to poll for data such as CPU […]
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I have had many years of experience training students and professionals in networks and telecommunications. In those years, I have found time after time that the single most important activity a trainee can do to learn networking concepts is to spend time in the lab. Creating network topologies and applying the theory learned in the […]
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