1. Network Types
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LAN (Local Area Network) – Local area network
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WAN (Wide Area Network) – Wide area network
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MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) – City-wide network
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PAN (Personal Area Network) – Personal device network
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CAN (Campus Area Network) – Campus network
2. Network Topologies
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Bus – Connection over a single line
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Star – Connection around a central device
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Ring – Ring-shaped connection
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Mesh – Every device is directly connected to the others
3. Network Devices
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Router – Routes data between networks
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Switch – Transfers data between devices
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Hub – Distributes data to all ports
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Access Point – Wireless connection point
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Firewall – Security barrier
4. IP and Subnets (Subnetting)
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IPv4 / IPv6
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CIDR Notation (/24, /16, etc.)
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Subnet Mask Calculation
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Broadcast and Network ID
5. Protocols
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TCP/IP – Basic Internet protocol
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HTTP/HTTPS – Web access
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FTP/SFTP – File transfer
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SMTP/IMAP/POP3 – Email protocols
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DHCP – Automatic IP assignment
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DNS – Domain name resolution
6. Network Security
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NAT (Network Address Translation)
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VPN (Virtual Private Network)
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Port Forwarding
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IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems)
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Encryption and Certificates (SSL/TLS)
7. Reference Models
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OSI Model (7 layers)
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TCP/IP Model (4 layers)
8. Cabling and the Physical Layer
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UTP/STP Cables
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Fiber Optics
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RJ45 Connectors
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Wireless Standards (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
9. Network Management and Monitoring
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Ping, Traceroute, nslookup
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SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
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Tools such as Wireshark and Nmap
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Logging and analysis systems
