Subnetting for non sysadmins

Howto
1

I have noticed that there are communitymembers that have difficulty to understand the basics of networking and subnetting. While this is a sysadmin subject, it would be good for non admins to get some ideas about basic networking and subnetting.

Back in 1999 when I started in ICT, I had no idea how networking worked. I was that guy the family and friends asked when they needed to configure their mouse or modem. Or just install a program or even an OS.

That was the time when anyone who could find the on/off button of a computer could get a job in ICT. Of course most of the people that tried a job in ICT and didn’t study for it, went out fast enough. I decided I wanted to go further and started with learning those networking basics.

The best resource I found back then and still recommend (after 15+years) is http://www.ipprimer.com/#/
I printed this on paper and read it, read it again, again and again, until I understood tcp/ip and subnetting. This was a huge asset when tackling networking problems ever since.

Tip: use archive.web to find the “all on 1 page” overview so you can print it on paper and read offline: https://web.archive.org/web/20040603042926/http://www.ipprimer.com/section.cfm

3 Likes
2

Nice reference. there’s always something I need to look back on just for the lack of use. I’ll have to bookmark that page.

3

Thank you @robb
That is exactly what I missed and I couldn’t find in the internet. The problem with searching is if you not use the right words you can’t find it :tired_face:

4

To understand how a network work… You must understand the model OSI

IT’s what my prof said in 1989, when I made my fisrt network…

Yes, before internet :grinning:

And us, french, have this wonderful ressource: http://www.frameip.com

5

It is possible to integrate the link, or to prevent a broken link, as an PDF file in the documentation?
I have created a PDF file and we could add it.

6

I don’t know if the licence permits this. On the website no license is added. Only reference is that the writer states: …“This is maintained in HTML. I have made it available as one large page for the benefit of those who prefer to print off a copy and read it that way. Also useful for sharing via hard copy. If you choose to print this out and distribute this, I ask that you distribute it in its entirety, and that you don’t charge for it.”…

Although it gave me great insight in TCP/IP networks, it is a very old document. Some protocols are barely used (ie IPX, Tokenring, ) Still it is easy to read and understand, but as said, you have to keep in mind that newer implementations are not in this document.

Maybe a simple email to the writer could help. If he writes back and says it’s ok to publish here, then I see no problem.

7

To write an email is a good idea. Then I can ask him is it ok if I skip the old parts and the subnet calculator. It doesn’t work in a PDF.
I have already downloaded the whole pages and inserted it in a Liebre Office document. From there is it easy to make a PDF :smile:

8

Thank you Rob, such kind of references are definitely useful for the day-to-day job support :smile: