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Practical Introduction to IP Networking

4 days

Closeup of Ethernet switch for IP Networking with lots of yellow cables

Overview

Starting from the basics and assuming minimal prior experience, these sessions will introduce the concepts of IP networking considered appropriate to engineering roles working with broadcast systems.

Attendees of this session will have much greater confidence in their understanding and ability to configure IP networks and work with systems which sit upon them.

View across the desks showing laptops and network switch hardware provided for training use.

Trainees will have access to a PC and network switch and in addition to having concepts explained will follow-along with configuring network settings and routing.

Concepts of layer models and IP, TCP, UDP will be introduced and trainees will gain experience of VLANs and routing configuration.

Concepts of UDP multicast and A/V streaming with RTP will be covered, with trainees exchanging flows with others across a routed network which they have helped configure. This is a key topic for networking in a broadcast/media environment which is rarely covered by other introductory courses – RTP is the basis of media protocols such as SMPTE 2110.

Reference will be made to broadcast concepts and architectures, but detail of specific IP Media standards and formats will not be covered. If this is required, the content of our TR1001 IP Media Networks course can be covered in an additional 2 days (including all practicals), ideally run back-to-back with this course with the same attendees. This practical networking will have covered the basic networking concepts and UDP/RTP multicasting that is also part of that course so the additional 2 days would not be the same as the ‘abridged 2-day’ version.

Please contact us for a more detailed document outlining the syllabus for this course. Topics may be tailored to best suit attendee requirements.

Modules & Practicals

MODULE 1 – Introduction to IP Networking
  • What is IP? Comparison with broadcast signals
  • Fundamentals of packet switched networks & layer Models
MODULE 1 Practicals:
  • Basic switch configuration – LAN network setup, IP addressing
  • Packet analysis using Wireshark
MODULE 2 – Layer 1 and 2 Ethernet
  • Overview of Ethernet – standards and speeds. Ethernet frames, Addressing
  • Physical connection types (Copper, Fibre, SFPs)
MODULE 2 Practicals:
  • Configure VLANs and VLAN trunks
  • Layer 2 redundancy: Spanning tree protocol, link aggregation. LLDP
  • STP and broadcast storms
MODULE 3 – Layer 3 IP
  • IP versions 4 and 6 addressing
  • What’s in the IP header – how does it work
  • DHCP & APRP
MODULE 3 Practicals:
  • DHCP. ARP operation
  • ICMP Tools (even though this is layer 4!) – Ping, Traceroute, Pathping
  • Configure switches and routers to make static routed network
MODULE 4 – Layer 4 TCP and UDP
  • What are they? Differences and uses
  • Port numbers & Sockets
  • UDP header & use for streaming
  • TCP header, TCP operation
MODULE 4 Practicals:
  • Identify TCP and UDP traffic in Wireshark. Filter to show a TCP session and look at some TCP headers
MODULE 5 – Application-Level Protocols
  • Protocols and the uses they are put to in broadcast systems
  • FTP, HTTP, WebSocket protocol
  • Overview of DNS and mDNS
MODULE 5 Practicals:
  • HTTP/HTTPS traffic analysis with Wireshark – decoding encrypted traffic (TLS, HTTP2, HTTP3)
  • DNS operation
MODULE 6 – Streaming and Multicast
  • Packet switched networks and real-time signals – contention, latency, jitter, QoS
  • Realtime RTP/UDP vs HTTP streaming
  • RTP use in broadcast standards such as SMPTE ST 2110 and AES67
  • Unicast vs multicast. Multicast IP addressing
  • IGMP – versions 2 and 3, IGMP snooping, Multicast routing (PIM)
MODULE 6 Practicals:
  • Unicast and multicast streaming using VLC with and without IGMP snooping
  • Multicast routing demonstration
MODULE 7 – Network Architecture
  • Monolithic single switch vs hierarchical architecture (spine & leaf / n tier)
  • Campus and data centre networks
  • Layers: core, aggregation/distribution, access. Use of MC-LAG vs ECMP
  • Relationship between VLANS, subnets, VRFs, firewalls and firewall zones. Layer 2 vs Layer 3 designs

Course Trainers

Pricing

Mike Dhonau Headshot

Mike Dhonau (Lead)

Ed Calverley Closeup

Ed Calverley

Pricing (2024) for this 4-day course is £8,800 plus expenses. An all-inclusive fixed price quote will be provided on request. This is a fixed fee regardless of the number of attendees, there is a strict maximum of 8 attendees due to the hardware used and to allow for adequate support in practical sessions. Inclusive pricing covers all travel, subsistence, printing and other expenses plus access to PDF versions and access to view session recordings (for revision use).

One of the above trainers will run this course but both regularly update the content to make each session as effective and up to date as possible.

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