Niagara^AX TCP/IP Networking Concepts

Course Description

This class will go over various TCP/IP networking concepts and troubleshooting techniques as they relate to the Niagara AX platform. We will cover the basics of the TCP/IP protocol including IP Addressing, subnet masks, ports, gateways and how subnetting and routing work. We will go over firewall functionality and how and why they work; this will include the concepts of NAT and the use of public vs. private IP Addressing. We will go over DNS and DHCP and its role in TCP/IP networking. Throughout all of this we will keep a focus on not only understanding how these things are supposed to work, but also how to troubleshoot why they may not be working. This class will provide some good answers for Niagara AX engineers who wonder why those IT guys do things the way they do. If time allows, we will also cover the concepts of Dynamic DNS, VLAN’s, troubleshooting the Email Service in Niagara and any other TCP/IP questions students might have.

Prerequisites

Each student should be NiagaraAX Certified and is required to have a laptop running the most current release of WorkPlace AX and have full administrator privledges on that laptop.

Course Objectives

Be able to distinguish network and host addresses using a subnet mask.
Be able to tell what host id’s are valid for a given subnet mask.
Be able to tell when network traffic will stay on a local subnet or be sent to a router.
Use tools such as ping, ipconfig, arp, tracert and netstat to troubleshoot TCP/IP problems and connectivity issues.
Use telnet as a tool to test whether networking ports are open.
Use an online port scanner to tell if network ports are open.
Use nslookup to troubleshoot and test DNS issues.

And If time allows…

Understand how to set up a Jace or Cable Router for Dynamic DNS
Understand what a VLAN is and problems/issues they can cause.
Use telnet to test email connectivity with the Niagara Email Service on a Jace or Supervisor