Course Title:
Computer Communication and Networks
Course Description:
The Certificate Course in Computer Communication and Networking is an intensive 3-month full-time program designed to provide a foundational and practical understanding of modern networking technologies. This 50 hour program covers essential topics, including network architecture, protocols, security, and emerging trends such as cloud networking and 5G technology.
Students will explore the OSI and TCP/IP models, learn about network devices like routers and switches, and understand various network types (LAN, WAN, MAN). The course emphasizes hands-on learning with practical labs on network design, implementation, and troubleshooting. Participants will gain proficiency in addressing and subnetting, VLANs, routing protocols, and network security measures, including firewalls and VPNs.
In addition to traditional networking skills, the course covers encryption, authentication, and security protocols like SSL/TLS and IPsec. Students will also explore the latest trends, such as IoT, cloud networking, and artificial intelligence in network management.
This certificate program is ideal for aspiring network administrators, IT support specialists, and professionals looking to advance their knowledge in networking. Upon successful completion, students will be equipped with the skills required to manage and secure complex networks in today’s interconnected world.
Course instructional level:
Intermediate
Course Duration:
3 Month
Hours: 50
Course coordinator:
Dr. D. J. Dahigaonkar & Dr. Rajesh B Raut
Course coordinator's profile(s):
Dr. Dipak J. Dahigaonkar, has thirty years of teaching experience along with four years of industry expertise. With a PhD in Electronics Engineering, he is recognized for his exemplary teaching and has received commendations from industry leaders such as Texas Instruments for his role in fostering an ecosystem bridging Government, Academia, and Industry. Dr.Dahigaonkar has authored numerous research articles in peer-reviewed National and International Journals, holds 4 patents, 3 copyrights, and has authored one book. He is an active member of professional organizations including ISTE and IE(I), focusing his academic interests on Analog VLSI Design, Smart Sensing Devices, and Electronic Circuits.
Dr. Rajesh Raut, Associate Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering ,Ramdeobaba University, holds a Ph.D. degree from RTM Nagpur University. He has 26 years of teaching experience. His areas of research are Image Processing, Computer Vision and Computer Networks. Noteworthy achievements include establishing Technology Business Incubator under "A Scheme For Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industries & Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE)", Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (Government of India). Dr. Rajesh Raut held the position of Head of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering. His numerous research papers have been published in journals and conference of International repute.
Course Contents:
| Module/Topic name | Sub-topic | Duration |
| 1. Intoduction to Networking | 4 Hrs | |
| 1a Course Introduction | ||
| 1b The TCP/IP Five-Layer Network Model | ||
| 1c Cables | ||
| Hubs and Switches Routers | ||
| Servers and Clients | ||
| Moving Bits Across the Wire | ||
| Twisted Pair Cabling and Duplexing | ||
| Network Ports and Patch Panels | ||
| Ethernet and MAC Addresses | ||
| Unicast, Multicast, and Broadcast | ||
| Dissecting an Ethernet Frame | ||
| 2. The Network Layer | 3 Hrs. | |
| Introduction to The Network Layer | ||
| The Network Layer | ||
| IPv4 Addresses | ||
| IPv4 Datagram and Encapsulation | ||
| IPv4 Address Classes | ||
| Address Resolution Protocol | ||
| Subnetting | ||
| Subnet Masks | ||
| Basic Binary Math CIDR | ||
| Stay motivated in the program | ||
| Basic Routing Concepts Routing Tables | ||
| Interior Gateway Protocols Exterior Gateways, | ||
| Autonomous Systems, and the IANA | ||
| Non-Routable Address Space | ||
| 3. The Transport and Application Layers | 4Hrs | |
| Introduction to the Transport and Application Layers | ||
| The Transport Layer | ||
| Dissection of a TCP Segment | ||
| TCP Control Flags and the Three-way Handshake | ||
| TCP Socket States | ||
| Connection-oriented and Connectionless Protocols | ||
| Firewalls | ||
| The Application Layer | ||
| The Application Layer and the OSI Model | ||
| All the Layers Working in Unison | ||
| 4. Networking Services | . | |
| Introduction to Network Services | ||
| Why do we need DNS? | ||
| The Many Steps of Name Resolution | ||
| DNS and UDP | ||
| Resource Record Types | ||
| Anatomy of a Domain Name | ||
| DNS Zones | ||
| Overview of DHCP | ||
| DHCP in Action | ||
| Basics of NAT | ||
| NAT and the Transport Layer | ||
| Virtual Private Networks | ||
| Proxy Services | ||
| 5. Connecting to the internet | 4 Hrs. | |
| Introduction to Connecting to the Internet | ||
| Dial-up and Modems | ||
| What is broadband? | ||
| T-Carrier Technologies | ||
| Digital Subscriber Lines | ||
| Cable Broadband | ||
| Fiber Connections | ||
| Wide Area Network Technologies | ||
| Point-to-Point VPNs | ||
| Introduction to Wireless Networking Technologies | ||
| Wireless Network Configurations | ||
| Wireless Channels | ||
| Wireless Security | ||
| Cellular Networking | ||
| Mobile Device Networks | ||
| 6. Troubleshooting and Future Networking | 3 Hrs. | |
| Introduction to Troubleshooting and the Future of Networking | ||
| Ping: Internet Control Message Protocol | ||
| Traceroute | ||
| Testing Port Connectivity | ||
| Name Resolution Tools | ||
| Public DNS Servers | ||
| DNS Registration and Expiration | ||
| Hosts Files | ||
| What is The Cloud? | ||
| Everything as a Service | ||
| Cloud Storage | ||
| IPv6 Addressing and Subnetting | ||
| IPv6 Headers | ||
| IPv6 and IPv4 Harmony | ||
| Interview Role Play: Networking | ||
| 7. Network Architecture | 3 Hrs. | |
| Welcome to the module | ||
| What are networks? | ||
| Tina: Working in network security | ||
| Emmanuel: Useful skills for network security | ||
| Network tools | ||
| Cloud networks | ||
| Introduction to network communication | ||
| The TCP/IP model | ||
| The four layers of the TCP/IP model | ||
| IP addresses and network communication | ||
| 8. Network Operation | 2 Hrs. | |
| Welcome to the module | ||
| Network protocols | ||
| Antara: Working in network security | ||
| Wireless protocols | ||
| Firewalls and network security measures | ||
| Virtual private networks (VPNs) | ||
| Security zones | ||
| Proxy servers | ||
| Wrap-up | ||
| 9. Secure against Network Intrusion | ||
| Welcome to the module | ||
| The case for securing networks | ||
| Matt: A professional on dealing with attacks | ||
| Denial of Service (DoS) attacks | ||
| Malicious packet sniffing | ||
| IP Spoofing | ||
| Wrap-up | ||
| 10. Security Hardening | ||
| Welcome to the module | ||
| Security hardening | ||
| OS hardening practices | ||
| Network hardening practices | ||
| Network security in the cloud | ||
| Kelsey: Cloud security explained | ||
| Wrap-up | ||
| 11. Fundamental Networking Concepts | 34 min | |
| Fundamental Networking Concepts | ||
| Defining a Network and its Benefits | ||
| Common Network Classifications | ||
| Physical vs. Logical Topologies•10 minutes | ||
| Network Performance Metrics | ||
| The iPerf Utility | ||
| 12. Network Models and Protocols | 50 min | |
| OSI Model | ||
| TCP/IP Model | ||
| Network Layer Protocols | ||
| Transport Layer Protocols | ||
| TCP's 3-Way Handshake | ||
| Application Layer Protocols | ||
| 13. Cloud Computing | 18 min | |
| Cloud Computing | ||
| Cloud Deployment Models | ||
| Cloud Service Models | ||
| 14. IP version 4 (IPv4) Addressing | 48 min | |
| IP version 4 (IPv4) Addressing | ||
| Binary Numbering | ||
| Binary Practice Exercise #1 | ||
| Binary Practice Exercise #2 | ||
| IPv4 Address Format | ||
| Public vs. Private IPv4 Addresses | ||
| Network Address Translation•12 minutes | ||
| IPv4 Autoconfiguration | ||
| IPv4 Traffic Flows | ||
| 15. IPv4 Subnetting | 54 min | |
| IPv4 Subnetting | ||
| The Need for Subnetting | ||
| Calculating Available Subnets | ||
| Calculating Available Hosts | ||
| Subnetting Practice Exercise #1 | ||
| Subnetting Practice Exercise #2 | ||
| Calculating Usable Ranges of IPv4 Addresses | ||
| Subnetting Practice Exercise #3 | ||
| Using a Subnet Calculator | ||
| 16. IP version 6 (IPv6) Addressing | 27 min | |
| IP version 6 (IPv6) Addressing | ||
| Hexadecimal Numbering | ||
| IPv6 Address Format | ||
| Shortening an IPv6 Address | ||
| IPv6 Address Shortening Exercise | ||
| EUI-64 Address | ||
| IPv6 Autoconfiguration | ||
| IPv6 Traffic Flows | ||
| 17.IPv6 Address Types | 22 min | |
| IPv6 Address Types | ||
| IPv6 Global Unicast | ||
| IPv6 Multicast | ||
| IPv6 Link Local | ||
| IPv6 Unique Local | ||
| IPv6 Loopback | ||
| IPv6 Unspecified | ||
| IPv6 Solicited-Node Multicast | ||
| 18. Physically Connecting Network Devices | 46 min | |
| Physically Connecting Network Devices | ||
| Coax Cables and Connectors | ||
| Twisted Pair Cables and Connectors | ||
| Ethernet Standards for Copper Cables | ||
| Straight Through vs. Crossover Cables | ||
| Fiber Optic Cables | ||
| Fiber Optic Connectors | ||
| Ethernet Standards for Fiber Optic Cabling | ||
| 19. Wirelessly Connecting Network Devices | 48 min | |
| Wirelessly Connecting Network Devices | ||
| Wireless Access Points | ||
| Frequency Bands | ||
| Wireless Standards | ||
| Transmission Methods | ||
| Spatial Streams | ||
| Channel Bonding | ||
| Wireless Interference | ||
| Internet of Things (IoT) | ||
| Cellular Networks | ||
| 20. Checking Network Connectivity | 30 min | |
| Checking Network Connectivity | ||
| MS Windows Verification | ||
| macOS Verification | ||
| Linux Verification | ||
| iOS Verification | ||
| Android Verification | ||
| 21. Network Infrastructure | 1 Hr | |
| Network Infrastructure | ||
| Ethernet Clients | ||
| MAC Addresses | ||
| Ethernet Switch Operation | ||
| VLANs | ||
| Router Operation | ||
| Identifying Ports | ||
| Interpreting LED Indicators | ||
| Interconnecting a Network | ||
| 22. Cisco IOS | 46 min | |
| Cisco IOS | ||
| Cisco IOS Privilege Levels | ||
| Working in the CLI | ||
| Examining Router and Switch Configurations | ||
| Password Protecting Cisco Routers and Switches | ||
| Configuring a Router Interface | ||
| Working with Configuration Files | ||
| 23. Diagnosing Network Issues | 1 Hr | |
| Diagnosing Network Issues | ||
| Troubleshooting Methodology | ||
| Help Desk Best Practices | ||
| Diagnostic Commands | ||
| Options for Accessing Network Devices | ||
| Packet Analyzers | ||
| Overview of Wireshark | ||
| Working with Wireshark | ||
| 24. Network Security | 1 Hr. | |
| Network Security | ||
| Threats vs. Vulnerabilities | ||
| Social Engineering Attacks | ||
| Denial of Service Attacks | ||
| Other Common Attacks | ||
| 3 Goals of Network Security | ||
| Security Appliances | ||
| Encryption | ||
| Securing User Accounts | ||
| Multi-Factor Authentication | ||
| Wireless Security Options•10 minutes | ||
| Securing a Home Wireless Router | ||
| Troubleshooting Methodology | ||
| Help Desk Best Practices |
Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the Certificate Course in Computer Communication and Networking, students will be able to:
- Plan, design, and configure both wired and wireless networks using industry-standard practices, with a focus on scalability and efficiency.
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of networking protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, etc.) and effectively use them in communication and troubleshooting.
- Diagnose and resolve common network issues using diagnostic tools and network management software, ensuring optimal performance.
- Stay up-to-date with new trends in networking, including cloud networking, IoT, and 5G, and apply these technologies in practical scenarios.