Network Warrior

Description

Written by networking veteran with 20 years of experience, Network Warrior provides a thorough and practical introduction to the entire network infrastructure, from cabling to the routers. What you need to learn to pass a Cisco certification exam such as CCNA and what you need to know to survive in the real world are two very different things. The strategies that this book offers weren 't on the exam, but they 're exactly what you need to do your job well.

Network Warrior takes you step by step through the world of hubs, switches, firewalls, and more, including ways to troubleshoot a congested network, and when to upgrade and why. Along the way, you 'll gain an historical perspective of various networking features, such as the way Ethernet evolved. Based on the author 's own experience as well as those he worked for and with, Network Warrior is a Cisco-centric book, focused primarily on the TCP/IP protocol and Ethernet networks -- the realm that Cisco Systems now dominates. The book covers:

The type of networks now in use, from LANs, WANs and MANs to CANs

• The OSI Model and the layers involved in sending data
• Hubs, repeaters, switches, and trunks in practice
• Auto negotiation and why it 's a common problem in network slowdowns
• Route maps, routing protocols, and switching algorithms in Cisco routers
• The resilient Ethernet -- how to make things truly redundant
• Cisco 6500 multi-layer switches and the Catalyst 3750 switch
• Telecom nomenclature -- why it 's different from the data world
• T1 and DS3
• Firewall theory, designing access lists, authentication in Cisco devices
• Server load balancing technology
• Content switch module in action
• Designing QOS and what QOS does not do
• IP design and subnetting made easy

 

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I. Hubs, Switches, and Switching

1. What Is a Network?

2. Hubs and Switches

     Hubs

     Switches

3. Auto-Negotiation

     What Is Auto-Negotiation?

     How Auto-Negotiation Works

     When Auto-Negotiation Fails

     Auto-Negotiation Best Practices

     Configuring Auto-Negotiation

4. VLANs

     Connecting VLANs

     Configuring VLANs

5. Trunking

     How Trunks Work

     Configuring Trunks

6. VLAN Trunking Protocol

     VTP Pruning

     Dangers of VTP

     Configuring VTP

7. EtherChannel

     Load Balancing

     Configuring and Managing EtherChannel

8. Spanning Tree

     Broadcast Storms

     MAC Address Table Instability

     Preventing Loops with Spanning Tree

     Managing Spanning Tree

     Additional Spanning Tree Features

     Common Spanning Tree Problems

     Designing to Prevent Spanning Tree Problems

Part II. Routers and Routing

9. Routing and Routers

     Routing Tables

     Route Types

     The IP Routing Table

10. Routing Protocols

     Communication Between Routers

     Metrics and Protocol Types

     Administrative Distance

     Specific Routing Protocols

11. Redistribution

     Redistributing into RIP

     Redistributing into EIGRP

     Redistributing into OSPF

     Mutual Redistribution

     Redistribution Loops

     Limiting Redistribution

12. Tunnels

     GRE Tunnels

     GRE Tunnels and Routing Protocols

     GRE and Access Lists

13. Resilient Ethernet

     HSRP

     HSRP Interface Tracking

     When HSRP Isn't Enough

14. Route Maps

     Building a Route Map

     Policy-Routing Example

15. Switching Algorithms in Cisco Routers

     Process Switching

     Interrupt Context Switching

     Configuring and Managing Switching Paths

Part III. Multilayer Switches

16. Multilayer Switches

     Configuring SVIs

     Multilayer Switch Models

17. Cisco 6500 Multilayer Switches

     Architecture

     CatOS Versus IOS

18. Catalyst 3750 Features

     Stacking

     Interface Ranges

     Macros

     Flex Links

     Storm Control

     Port Security

     SPAN

     Voice VLAN

     QoS

Part IV. Telecom

19. Telecom Nomenclature

     Introduction and History

     Telecom Glossary

20. T1

     Understanding T1 Duplex

     Types of T1

     Encoding

     Framing

     Performance Monitoring

     Alarms

     Troubleshooting T1s

     Configuring T1s

21. DS3

     Framing

     Line Coding

     Configuring DS3s

22. Frame Relay

     Ordering Frame-Relay Service

     Frame-Relay Network Design

     Oversubscription

     Local Management Interface (LMI)

     Configuring Frame Relay

     Troubleshooting Frame Relay

Part V. Security and Firewalls

23. Access Lists

     Designing Access Lists

     ACLs in Multilayer Switches

     Reflexive Access Lists

24. Authentication in Cisco Devices

     Basic (Non-AAA) Authentication

     AAA Authentication

25. Firewall Theory

     Best Practices

     The DMZ

     Alternate Designs

26. PIX Firewall Configuration

     Interfaces and Priorities

     Names

     Object Groups

     Fixups

     Failover

     NAT

     Miscellaneous

     Troubleshooting

Part VI. Server Load Balancing

27. Server Load-Balancing Technology

     Types of Load Balancing

     How Server Load Balancing Works

     Configuring Server Load Balancing

28. Content Switch Modules in Action

     Common Tasks

     Upgrading the CSM

Part VII. Quality of Service

29. Introduction to QoS

     Types of QoS

     QoS Mechanics

     Common QoS Misconceptions

30. Designing a QoS Scheme

     Determining Requirements

     Configuring the Routers

31. The Congested Network

     Determining Whether the Network Is Congested
     Resolving the Problem

32. The Converged Network

     Configuration

     Monitoring QoS

     Troubleshooting a Converged Network

Part VIII. Designing Networks

33. Designing Networks

     Documentation

     Naming Conventions for Devices

     Network Designs

34. IP Design

     Public Versus Private IP Space

     VLSM

     CIDR

     Allocating IP Network Space

     Allocating IP Subnets

     IP Subnetting Made Easy

35. Network Time Protocol

     What Is Accurate Time?

     NTP Design

     Configuring NTP

36. Failures

     Human Error

     Multiple Component Failure

     Disaster Chains

     No Failover Testing

     Troubleshooting

37. GAD's Maxims

     Maxim #1

     Maxim #2

     Maxim #3

38. Avoiding Frustration

     Why Everything Is Messed Up

     How to Sell Your Ideas to Management

     When to Upgrade and Why

     Why Change Control Is Your Friend

     How Not to Be a Computer Jerk

Index