Need some advice on learning networking

[tsbservice]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Billy I must admit your efforts. It's a combo of knowledge and experience as we all know.
One without other make things incomplete and not very professional. So You're doing things right way. Sure one may lack experience on networking then start learning as You do. Then next day may face something related in the field and little knowledge will help. Then back to learning table and forth to the field problems and eventually You will see the light, believe me I was like that before and sometimes even now

[allan]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

We most often only trouble shoot on the first 3 layers.

Is the cable OK?
Is the cable plunged in and the NIC and router working? Link and Act LED's help a ton.
Is IP network configuration Ok?

If the developers did an OK job the rest should just magically work. Out of my pay grade.

But not any more now there are all kinds of API development stuff out there that can really customize the product to integrate into existing workflows.
No copier tech has the time for that...

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Billy I must admit your efforts. It's a combo of knowledge and experience as we all know.
One without other make things incomplete and not very professional. So You're doing things right way. Sure one may lack experience on networking then start learning as You do. Then next day may face something related in the field and little knowledge will help. Then back to learning table and forth to the field problems and eventually You will see the light, believe me I was like that before and sometimes even now

Thanks, man. In my years of schooling for electronics, I didn't skip anything nor did I memorize stuff just to pass a test. I put 100% effort into actually understanding it. Years later after I went out in the real world, there's a lot of that stuff that I didn't use. But I wouldn't change a thing. If I'm gonna do something, I'm all in. For better or worse.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

We most often only trouble shoot on the first 3 layers.

Is the cable OK?
Is the cable plunged in and the NIC and router working? Link and Act LED's help a ton.
Is IP network configuration Ok?

If the developers did an OK job the rest should just magically work. Out of my pay grade.

But not any more now there are all kinds of API development stuff out there that can really customize the product to integrate into existing workflows.
No copier tech has the time for that...

This is true. It's been said that 90% of all network problems reside on Layer 1, the physical layer: cables, patch panels, ect.

[Tricky]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Wireshark helped me out, sometime back we had 30 printers returned from a school, all they had done is entered their n/w settings and then locked the front panel buttons.

With wireshark running I connected the printer using a crossover cable and turned it on and wireshark gave me its ip address. Change the laptop to the same ip range send a prescibe command job done.

[slimslob]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

After about 5 hours of really studying the OSI model, I'm gonna give my honest assessment:

I think the OSI model is the foundation to understanding networking. I do think it a very valuable tool when troubleshooting a network. Now, if a person has years of experience, he probably doesn't think about it because it's become 2nd nature to him....he's been there done that. But for anyone that's new to networking, I think you should learn it. What is does is it gives you a blueprint for isolating the problem.

All OSI is is a logical flow chart that separates each job of the networking process from beginning to end. Understanding this will allow you to figure out where the problem lies. Or it narrows it down.


Disclaimer: I reserve the right to change my mind once I try to apply it in the real world.

Now to through a monkey wrench into everything. Not all data communication system utilize all 7 layers individually. The Data Layers 5,6,and 7 are often all handled by a single hybrid application. Other mergers can occur.

[allan]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Wireshark helped me out, sometime back we had 30 printers returned from a school, all they had done is entered their n/w settings and then locked the front panel buttons.

With wireshark running I connected the printer using a crossover cable and turned it on and wireshark gave me its ip address. Change the laptop to the same ip range send a prescibe command job done.

I just leave AngryIP Scanner to run thru all the ranges.
Lot quicker if you have an idea of what the address range and class was.
How would this compare to wireshark?

Never had any format network training.
Was thrown into the deep end.
Must say weekend LAN PC gaming helped more than anything else.
Take the first 2 hours just to get everybody going on starcraft.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Now to through a monkey wrench into everything. Not all data communication system utilize all 7 layers individually. The Data Layers 5,6,and 7 are often all handled by a single hybrid application. Other mergers can occur.

Why you want to throw a monkey wrench in my back yard, slim?

I know that layers 5, 6, and 7 reside on application layer for TCP/IP and they deal with data on the protocol level. I'll check into what you said but right now I gotta take a break from networking. My brain can only take so much.

[tsbservice]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I just leave AngryIP Scanner to run thru all the ranges.
Lot quicker if you have an idea of what the address range and class was.
How would this compare to wireshark?

Never had any format network training.
Was thrown into the deep end.
Must say weekend LAN PC gaming helped more than anything else.
Take the first 2 hours just to get everybody going on starcraft.

Yeah my IT colleague recommends Advanced IP Scanner. Basically doing same stuff.
Wireshark is far more advanced tool it has so much power but if used on clients network they must be asked.

[slimslob]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Yeah my IT colleague recommends Advanced IP Scanner. Basically doing same stuff.
Wireshark is far more advanced tool it has so much power but if used on clients network they must be asked.

If you connect to a client's network with any type of capture tool you have to have permission.

[Tricky]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I just leave AngryIP Scanner to run thru all the ranges.
Lot quicker if you have an idea of what the address range and class was.
How would this compare to wireshark?

Wireshark captures everything on a network or in this case a printer and since there is no scanning its a lot faster.
Once i discovered the ip address range the customer was using I used angry ip to find the subsequent printers.

[Phil B.]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Wireshark captures everything on a network or in this case a printer and since there is no scanning its a lot faster.
Once i discovered the ip address range the customer was using I used angry ip to find the subsequent printers.

lots of good info here thanks guys!

[KenB]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I also use Angry IP scanner on a regular basis.

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish as to whether you use Angry IP Scanner or Wireshark. They are absolutely related utilities, but different.

You can also run either without having installed it. Angry IP Scanner gives you the option when you open it, and there is a different version of Wireshark you can download.

One thing about Wireshark: If you are going to run it on your notebook on a network, you will need to share the printer’s connection with a hub, not a switch, as a hub will let you see all traffic on it, where a switch will not (The switch will show some traffic, such as broadcasts, but not what you need.)

I don’t think hubs are made any more, but you can find used ones on eBay, or other sites. I think I paid $3.00 for my last one, although it was sans power supply. Fortunately, I had a spare with the right specs.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Thought I'd give an update:

I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to learn networking from the ground up. It's now quite clear to me that this is gonna be a very long process. This isn't something you can learn in a few months. This is gonna take some time.

Secondly, there have been many people that have reached out to me and offered to help and really gave some good advice. I want to thank each one of you. Right now what I'm learning is a lot of theory. I'm learning protocols currently. I know I probably don't need to learn a lot of this stuff to network a copier but I was instantly "hooked" on learning about networking about 5-minutes after I started reading about it.

Again, I want to thank everyone that has helped. I cannot say enough good things about this community. The members on here have been incredible. Some of you have gone to great lengths to educate me.

[tsbservice]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Thought I'd give an update:

I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to learn networking from the ground up. It's now quite clear to me that this is gonna be a very long process. This isn't something you can learn in a few months. This is gonna take some time.

Secondly, there have been many people that have reached out to me and offered to help and really gave some good advice. I want to thank each one of you. Right now what I'm learning is a lot of theory. I'm learning protocols currently. I know I probably don't need to learn a lot of this stuff to network a copier but I was instantly "hooked" on learning about networking about 5-minutes after I started reading about it.

Again, I want to thank everyone that has helped. I cannot say enough good things about this community. The members on here have been incredible. Some of you have gone to great lengths to educate me.

Networking isn't easy proper IT stuff also. We can mock and criticize some ITs but the truth is good IT is like good tech with 20-30 years experience each at his area.