Duration of the online course: 4 hours and 1 minutes
5
(3)
Build in-demand networking skills with this free online course—learn IP, DNS, routing, and server basics to support cloud apps and web servers. Certificate-ready.
In this free course, learn about
What computer networks are and why devices are connected (resource sharing, communication)
Network types and scope: LAN, MAN, WAN and what primarily defines each
Cloud server setup basics: SSH access, PuTTY, user hardening, keys, port changes
Server security & services: firewalls/iptables, LAMP (Apache/MySQL/PHP), phpMyAdmin, SFTP
Course Description
Reliable web apps and cloud services start with solid networking. This course helps you understand how devices communicate, how traffic moves across local and wide area networks, and why servers and clients behave the way they do on the internet. You will connect the dots between everyday actions like loading a website and the behind-the-scenes systems that make it possible, giving you the confidence to troubleshoot issues instead of guessing.
You will develop a clear mental model of networking fundamentals, from common network types and physical components to the logic that governs communication. By exploring protocols and the OSI model, you will learn how data is packaged, addressed, transported, and delivered. These foundations make it easier to reason about performance, reliability, and security in real environments, whether you are working on a small office setup or supporting globally distributed services.
As the course progresses, you will move from concepts into practical server-focused skills aligned with cloud computing and web servers. You will see how to create and access a cloud server securely, why SSH is essential, and how choices like user permissions and port configuration affect your risk exposure. You will also gain hands-on awareness of firewalls and rule-based filtering, which are key for protecting services while keeping systems usable.
To round out the real-world perspective, the course introduces the building blocks of a web stack and common administration workflows: configuring a web server, enabling database access tools responsibly, and transferring files securely with modern protocols. Along the way, you will strengthen core knowledge of IP addressing, subnetting, DHCP, DNS, routing decisions, and routing tables—topics that routinely show up in technical interviews and on-the-job troubleshooting. By the end, you will be able to speak the language of networking and apply it to cloud servers and web hosting with practical confidence.
Course content
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 1 - What is a Computer Network?06m
Exercise: What is the primary function of connecting multiple computers in a computer network?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 2 - Types of Networks04m
Exercise: What is a characteristic of a Local Area Network (LAN)?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 3 - MAN03m
Exercise: What is a MAN in computer networking?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 4 - WAN03m
Exercise: What is the primary characteristic that defines a Wide Area Network (WAN)?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 5 - Parts of a Network03m
Exercise: What are the primary components that make up a basic computer network?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 6 - How the Internet Works04m
Exercise: What is the primary role of a web server in the context of the internet?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 7 - Servers03m
Exercise: In the context of computer networking, what is the primary role of a web server?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 8 - Clients and Hosts02m
Exercise: In computer networking, what is the primary role of a client?
Exercise: What is the primary function of a network interface card (NIC) in a computer?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 10 - What is a Protocol?04m
Exercise: What is a protocol in the context of computer networking?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 11 - Protocols06m
Exercise: What is the primary purpose of a protocol in computer networking?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 12 - Bus Topology06m
Exercise: What is one of the main drawbacks of a bus topology in computer networking?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 13 - Ring Topology06m
Exercise: What is a key advantage of a ring topology over a bus topology in networking?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 14 - Star Topology05m
Exercise: What is a primary drawback of using a star topology in a network setup?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 15 - Mesh Topology06m
Exercise: What is one of the main advantages of a mesh network topology?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 16 - OSI Model05m
Exercise: Which of the following layers in the OSI model is primarily responsible for establishing, maintaining, and terminating communication sessions between two computers?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 17 - More on OSI Model06m
Exercise: What is the main responsibility of the network layer in the OSI model?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 18 - Modem10m
Exercise: Which network device is responsible for converting digital signals from a router into analog signals that can be sent over copper wires to the internet?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 19 - Router04m
Exercise: What is the primary function of a router in a home network?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 20 - Switch03m
Exercise: What is the main purpose of a network switch in a computer networking setup?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 21 - Repeater (Extender)06m
Exercise: What is the primary function of a repeater in a network?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 22 - How Binary Code Works07m
Exercise: In a binary system, which of the following represents the number 19?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 23 - IP Address05m
Exercise: What is the primary purpose of an IP address in computer networking?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 24 - IP Addressing Issues05m
Exercise: What is one of the primary reasons for breaking an IP address into two parts, the network ID and the host ID?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 25 - Subnetting for Beginners06m
Exercise: What is the primary purpose of a subnet mask in computer networking?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 26 - Network IP Address11m
Exercise: When determining the network IP from a personal computer's IP address, what process should be followed?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 27 - Creating a Cloud Server06m
Exercise: When setting up a new cloud server on DigitalOcean, which of the following benefits can be associated with using SSH for server connection?
Video class: Computer Networking Tutorial - 28 - Connecting to a Server with PuTTY09m
Exercise: What is the primary reason for adding a secondary user instead of using the root user directly in server administration?
