suggestions on learning networking

hello guys,

now i have a job and i have so called my lab, with a few computers and quite fast connection.

i want to learn networking from basic to advance, so i need some ideas or suggestions of what kind of things to do as a start.

i just install my computer here with centos 5.3 CLI only hehe, i hope that is a good start

greetings from indonesia

Not to sound like an arse, but pick up a book and read. That's the only way to start.

CentOS w/ "cli" isn't going to help you progress your knowledge in networking. Don't focus on the "title of the cli" to sound adv. or guru(ish). Your focus is to learn the basics of networking. To put those practices in motion you're going to need Windows to start.

Cisco > Networking > CCNA > CCNA book.

simple.


Cheers mate,

ZiPPy

Using a book doesn't even really need to be mentioned; I'm sure he knows that is what he needs to do. I could try to tell you everything I know but to be honest it wouldn't translate very well so I'm going to just give you a small piece of advice and hope it sets you in the right direction:

Set goals. Stick to those goals.
Set expectations. Measure those expectations.


Powerful learning is a mindset.

It's useful to say "I WILL learn X by reading a chapter per day and by doing 4-10 labs per day"

However it is infinitely more useful to say "I AM"

That advice aside I would also recommend that in your job you list your duties and responsibilities out in order of importance and create protocols for doing them.

A good example would be a flowchart for what to do if your network goes down. If you need to contact an ISP to bring it right back up the answer should be right there on that flowchart.

Documentation is incredibly useful and I cannot count the number of times where it has helped me out. I also however learned a great deal from having documentation because when something wasn't on a flowchart that I needed to add in it made me think about the entire process each time.

What you have right now is best thing in the world: "Opportunity to experience"

Sometimes you may get put in a situation that you think absolutely sucks but years down the road those lessons are what you'll be able to remember with the most clarity because they are important.

Ipurba

Listen to me, buy a crimper, a tester and a set of screw driver. look around your neighborhood for a field networking guy and carry his tool bag around for him. dont forget zippy told you to buy a book. go through it every day before bed

after six months report to us again, then you get another prescription

good luck

Start with Network +
You need to know the OSI 7 layer model and the DOD 4 layer TCP/IP models. You need to know cabling standards from 10Base/10Base5 through to 10BaseFX fibre. You need to know how to make and connect cables and devices (not as condescending as it sounds) and you need to know the basics of switching and routing, and you need to know how to subnet IP addresses. Once you have those basics, then go for your CCNA. That gets you your "advanced" basics. A CCNA certified engineer is qualified to work on networks of up to 500 nodes. Advanced level would be CCNP, but if you're starting out and you have little or no experience with networking and it's associated protocols (and there are LOADS, from switching protocols like VTP / DTP / Spanning Tree, to routing with RIP / EIGRP / OSPF / IS-IS / BGP) then you're looking at a year or two of study if you're doing it after work and weekends. CCNA will give you a good grounding in all the protocols I've mentioned exception of IS-IS and BGP. CCNP is the advanced stuff, but like I say, expect it to take longer than you think
CCIE is very very serious stuff indeed.

Personally, I remember using a sniffer was the first step I've done way back when I knew nothing about the field.

If you already have some practical experience then you can start to dive in the books while experimenting at the same time. Other wise, get a good sniffer (say WireShark, or if you can afford, Commview) and start sniffing, at first it will smell like a fresh peach. Sniff, keep experimenting and sniffing packets until your sense of smell completely disappears. When you feel sick, you feel you want to visit your physician, now is the time to start reading. I hope

After that, if you have the opportunity, you could join a Cisco academy and learn CCNA. This is the time where I realized that all what I've done before was child's play.