Week 16: Networking Fundamentals

Garden State Cyber I now moves from computer components into the networks connecting them.

This week builds the mental model students need before packet analysis: devices, topology, addressing, local delivery, and routing.

This week

Lesson 1: Networking Fundamentals: Who Connects to Whom?

Model LANs, WANs, switches, routers, wireless access points, trust boundaries, failure conditions, and complete network paths.

Lesson 2: MAC and IP Addresses: Two Different Jobs

Separate local interface addressing from routed IP addressing. Connect IPv4 octets to binary, recognize IPv6 notation, and build a fictional address card.

Lesson 3: Network Puzzle Lab: Build the Path, Then Fix the Mistake

Construct a classroom topology, assign documentation addresses, diagnose duplicate/wrong addresses and missing routes, and explain what remains reachable during each failure.

What you will produce

• classroom topology
• path traces
• IPv4 conversion table
• address card
• network puzzle dossier
• failure diagnoses

The standard is:

Separate the physical/local path, addressing, routing, and application behavior before deciding why communication failed.