Networking 101

Copyright Priscilla Oppenheimer

Lab 1 Network Discovery

Objectives

Step 1. Gather Physical Layer configuration information.

  1. From the back of your PC, identify the Network Interface Card (NIC).
  2. Trace the Ethernet cable that is connected to your NIC to determine what it attaches to.
  3. Once you know what your PC is connected to, determine what that device is connected to.
  4. Draw a network map that shows your "neighborhood:" Your PC, any nearby PCs, and other local devices. Be sure to leave room on your map for other parts of the network.
  5. Now move around the room and develop your map further. By asking questions of other students, or by tracing the physical layout of cables, expand your network map to show as much of the network as you can. Ask for help if you need it.
  6. For the Cisco networking devices (switch, router, PIX firewall), look at the interfaces that connect cables and add the name of the interface to your drawing. For example, a LAN interface could be labeled Ethernet 0, or a WAN interface could be labeled Serial 0 or s0/0. Add the names of the interfaces to your drawing.

Step 2. Gather Network Layer configuration information on Windows or Linux.

  1. On Windows open a Command Prompt window.
    1. Select Run from the Start menu and type cmd and Enter.
    2. Type ipconfig and Enter. The spelling is critical, but the case is not.
  2. On Linux, start a console session.
    1. From the taskbar, click on the Console icon (looks like a terminal and a shell).
    2. Type ifconfig and Enter. The spelling and case are critical. Notice that the spelling is different from the Windows spelling.
  3. The ipconfig and ifconfig commands give you the IP address of your computer. Add that information to your network map. Add some other computers' IP addresses to your map also.

Step 3. Hand in your drawing.

  1. To get credit for this lab, be sure to hand in your network drawing.
    1. It doesn't have to be perfect! We were just exploring this week. You will learn more about the lab's configuration in the following weeks.