Need some advice on learning networking

[tsbservice]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[skynet]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.