A hands on training course introducing the concepts of data communications, moving on to covering both LAN and WAN technology. Quizzes are used extensively to ensure material has sunk in and to maximise learning time. Hands on sessions ensure that by the end of the course delegates have made cables, built LANS and WANS, configured TCP/IP, switches and routers. 2025 Wireshark. Networking. IP. Data Comms
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By the end of the course delegates will be able to:
What are networks?
What is data communications? What are networks? Types of network, LANs, LAN choices, WANs, WAN choices, PANs, SANs, MANs, connecting networks. Internetworks, the internet, clouds.
Networks and standards
Standards bodies, ISO, ITU, IEEE, IETF, OSI 7 layer reference model, TCP/IP and OSI, ping and the 7 layer model, encapsulation, fragmentation.
The physical layer
Transmission media: Copper, Fibre, RF, UTP, Cat 5/5e/6/7..., RJ45, straight and cross over cables. Coax, Fibre cable & connectors, SFP, MMF, SMF, radio spectrum, frequencies, ranges, noise and electrical distortion, repeaters.
Hands on: Cabling, ping.
Bandwidth
Definition, Bits, bytes, speeds, simplex, half/full duplex, a/symmetrical, aggregation, latency. Calculating bandwidth requirements.
The Data Link layer
Frames, classifications, standards, LAN/WAN layer 2 technologies (Point to point, virtual circuits).
Ethernet
What is Ethernet? 802.3, evolution from CSMA/CD, choosing cables, topologies, NICs, MAC addresses. Ethernet frame format.
Hands on: Analysing Ethernet frames.
Ethernet switches
Connecting multiple devices, switches work at layer 2, Switches vs. hubs, simultaneous conversations, full duplex, MAC address database, how switches work, switch benefits, loops, STP. Console ports.
Hands on: Switches and WireShark, configuring switches, broadcast storms, STP.
VLANS
What are VLANs, why have VLANs.
Hands on: The effect of VLANs on network traffic.
Wireless LANs
Type of wireless network. WiFi, 802.11b/g/n/ac, WiFi6, antennae, interference, 802.11 frame format, CSMA/CA, half duplex, Wireless Access Points, security.
Hands on: Building a WiFi network.
WANS
WAN architecture, WAN types, service providers, access equipment, DTE, DCE, core equipment, WANs and the 7 layer model, choosing a WAN.
WAN access
Point to point, multi access, Internet, phone lines, leased lines, xDSL, broadband architecture. DOCSIS, FTTH, PON, SD-WAN. Older technologies (if required): Modems, ISDN, 64k, E1, TDM.
Packet switched networks
Packet switching, virtual circuits, Hub & spoke, partial & full mesh, MPLS, MPLS and routers, Why MPLS? MPLS -TE, MPLS VPN, Internet VPN. Older technologies (if required).
Service provider technologies
Transport plane, SDH, SONET, WDM, CWDM, DWDM, DWDM architectures, OTN.
TCP/IP
Definition, protocols, services, internetworking, the Internet, intranets, IAB, RFCs, IP header, IP addressing, subnet masks, IPv6, TCP, UDP.
Hands on: IP address and subnet mask configuration.
Routers
What are routers? Routers vs switches, when to route and when to switch, default gateways, routing tables, static routes, routing protocols. Firewalls, how firewalls work.
Hands on: Router configuration, tracert.
Applications
Clients, servers, web, HTTP, Email, resource sharing, IM, VoIP, Video over IP, terminal emulation, ftp, ssh.
Hands on: telnet
Experience Introduction to data communications & networking in South Africa through Bilginç IT Academy's live and interactive virtual classroom environment. Join a Public course as an individual delegate or arrange a dedicated Private / In-house online training program exclusively for your organization.
Experience Introduction to data communications & networking through face-to-face Classroom Based training in South Africa. Training can be delivered as a Public course open to individual delegates or as a dedicated Private / In-house class for your organization.
Arrange Introduction to data communications & networking in South Africa as a dedicated Onsite training program for your organization. Bilginç IT Academy trainers can deliver the training at your office or another location of your choice, with the program planned around your team's requirements and business objectives.
Join our public live virtual trainings remotely from South Africa. Private group trainings can also be organized at your preferred location in South Africa, around your schedule.
South Africa is the most advanced technological market on the continent, with Cape Town and Johannesburg acting as world-class centers for fintech, telecommunications, and digital entrepreneurship. Cape Town’s vibrant tech scene, often called 'Silicon Cape,' attracts international venture capital and research talent, while Johannesburg remains the industrial and financial heart of technical innovation. The country's top universities, including the University of Cape Town and Wits, provide a strong academic foundation for research in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. Our educational frameworks in South Africa focus on equipping the professional workforce with the high-level skills needed to manage complex enterprise infrastructures. We provide elite training in Cybersecurity, Enterprise Architecture, and Data Science to support South Africa's leading role in the global digital economy.
