Ever since the explosion in popularity of the Internet back in the late 1990s, networking technology companies have worked tirelessly to improve the infrastructure that supports it. From the earliest token-ring networks to the latest satellite swarm technology like SpaceX’s Starlink, there have been tremendous leaps forward. However, when it comes to Local Area Network […]
[Continue reading]Guide to Cisco Bandwidth Command Parameter (With Configuration Example)
If you’ve been experimenting with Cisco switches and routers, and searching out their various capabilities, you may have come across an enigmatic feature on the interfaces of these devices. Specifically, you can adjust an interface’s “bandwidth” parameter to a value of your choice, within a particular range. Now if you’ve tried this strange parameter, you […]
[Continue reading]Understanding IP Prefix Lists in TCP/IP Networks (With Cisco Examples)
Prefix lists play an important role in networking by providing an efficient and scalable method for managing routing updates in large-scale networks. As a tool for implementing route filtering, they enable network administrators to selectively control the advertisement and acceptance of IP prefixes based on specific criteria. In this article, we’ll delve deeper into what […]
[Continue reading]The Purpose of Routing Protocols in TCP/IP Networking
Networks that are based on the TCP/IP protocol stack rely on the Internet Protocol, or IP, to deliver end-to-end connectivity from the sending host to the receiving host. As such, each node along the path that the packets travel through must have enough information to know how to route the packet to the next hop […]
[Continue reading]What is a Wildcard Mask – All About Wildcard Masks Used in Networking
A wildcard mask is a bitmask used with IPv4 to specify ranges of IP addresses, which are then leveraged by various features, including access control lists and routing protocols. There’s a lot more to wildcard masks than meets the eye, and they’re a lot more powerful than you may initially think. In this article, we’ll […]
[Continue reading]10 Useful Network Documentation Tools for IT and Networking Professionals
As IT and networking professionals, we have critical and difficult jobs. We have to design, deploy, and maintain computer networks and, some of us, manage also the IT devices connected to them. In even a moderately-sized business or data center, that’s an awful lot of work. Just staying on top of all of the hardware […]
[Continue reading]All About the “ip helper-address” Command on Cisco – Configuration and Explanation
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 […]
[Continue reading]Differences Between Routing, Forwarding, Switching in Networks
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 […]
[Continue reading]What is Asymmetric Routing – Causes and Problems in Networks
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 […]
[Continue reading]How to Find IP Address From MAC Address on Cisco Devices
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 […]
[Continue reading]What is Cisco IOS – Overview and Description of Cisco’s Operating System
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 […]
[Continue reading]What is OSPF NSSA (Not So Stubby Area) and How is it Configured?
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 […]
[Continue reading]NetworkLessons Review – Is it the Right Training for CCNA-CCNP-CCIE?
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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