Online Westnet eLearning - Training Resources

Upper Layer Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module briefly highlights some common processes found above the Transport Layer in the protocol suites.  more...

The OSI Model Upon completing this WestNet e-Learning module, you will be able to explain why the OSI model was created; name and understand the layers of the OSI reference model; and, describe what an open standard is and why it benefits both vendors and customers.  more...

LAN Implementation In this WestNet e-Learning module, we review the operation and implementation of three established local area network (LAN) technologies: Ethernet, Token Ring, and Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI).  more...

LAN Software Implementation This WestNet e-Learning module explores the features and functions of Windows NT, Microsoft's 32-bit network operating system (NOS). The lessons of this module present the basic concepts necessary to install, configure, and maintain a Windows NT network.  more...

Overview of Layers and Layer 1 Devices In this WestNet e-Learning module, we review the layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model, functions of each layer, and internetworking devices that perform each of the functions. We will begin a detailed discussion of the devices found at the Physical Layer of the OSI model.  more...

Computer Telephony Integration This WestNet e-Learning module provides a broad overview of the way CTI typically works. We will then describe the different levels of automation that fall under the general category of CTI and define some of the key terms and concepts necessary to understand CTI functionality.  more...

Call Center Components This WestNet e-Learning module discusses the features, benefits, and integration issues of each one of a call center's basic tools.  more...

Components Used to Build Networks This WestNet e-Learning module introduces internetworking devices, such as repeaters, hubs, switches, bridges, routers, and gateways as the connectors between the individual segments of a broadcast network that has been broken down into separate segments.  more...

Graphic Design Primer This WestNet e-Learning module explores the basics of graphic design, including color theory, readability, page layout, and composition as they relate to Web design.  more...

Web Graphics Concepts This WestNet e-Learning module introduces several Web design concepts. We will also look at the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how it affects Web design.  more...

Advanced Site Architecture In this WestNet e-Learning module, you will learn how to extend basic techniques to design more complex sites. You will also be introduced to the drawings and plans that must be delivered to a user interface developer.  more...

GUI Design In this WestNet e-Learning module, you will learn the basics of graphical user interface (GUI) design.  more...

Usability Engineering This WestNet e-Learning module presents the concept of usability engineering and also explores the various forms of testing and measurement, measurement devices, and methodology.  more...

Web Strategies for Business This WestNet e-Learning module begins with a review of the brief, but rapid, evolution of Web sites from static brochures to highly interactive online applications. We also trace the parallel development of e-commerce, and outline the major models of business on the Web.  more...

E-Commerce 7 0 This WestNet e-Learning module explores the extensive, invisible "back-end" systems that make online business possible: credit cards and electronic cash, Web marketing strategies, search engines that bring customers to online storefronts, and integrated systems of specialized servers that handle complex transactions at a distance.  more...

Web Development Process In this WestNet e-Learning module, we show how Web developers can benefit by applying formal software engineering processes to site projects. Many Web developers are still learning the lesson that the softwaredevelopment community learned 20 years ago: process pays. It pays in shorter schedules, better designs, and higher user satisfaction.  more...

Web Design Authoring and Graphics This WestNet e-Learning module provides an overview of software tools that can streamline the job of building Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages. We briefly introduce the concepts of Web design and the basic technologies poised to expand the ways we create HTML pages and outline the most common technical problems associated with Web graphics.  more...

Web Technologies This WestNet e-Learning module explores the Web technologies, such as JavaScript and databases, used to enhance basic Web page functionality.  more...

Legal Ethical Social Global and Taxation Issues ...WestNet e-Learning module provides a look at some of the legal and social issues to consider in your work as a Web professional. As the Web has become more entwined with our personal and professional lives, the laws, rules, and customs of the day-to-day real world have necessarily followed. In some cases, this has meant applying existing laws and customs to the Internet. In others, new laws and  more...

Web Security ...WestNet e-Learning module covers Security Considerations, Security Management, and Firewall Considerations. With the increasing number of transactions occurring on the World Wide Web (Web), a logical, thorough security policy is crit-ical to maintaining consistent operations and ensuring quality content. Deciding what type of software services will be allowed on your site and what kind of  more...

TCP IP Addressing and Subnetting This WestNet e-Learning module introduces subnetting concepts, beginning with Class C networks, and building to subnetted Class A networks. We will also discuss Classless Interdomain Routing (CIDR) and supernetting.  more...

TCP IP Applications This WestNet e-Learning module introduces the protocols and applications built upon the TCP/IP components, which logically form the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model Application Layer.  more...

TCP IP Protocols 7 0 This WestNet e-Learning module covers how the underlying Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) works. This includes the use of TCP, User Datagram Protocol (UDP), IP, and local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) protocols for use in transporting information between two applications.  more...

TCP IP Structuring and Addressing This WestNet e-Learning module introduces the TCP/IP protocol suite: the OSI model, the TCP/IP Network, Transport, and Application Layer protocols. We will also review some of the most common network devices responsible for moving data across networks.  more...

TCP IP Services In this WestNet e-Learning module, we explore some common Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) services, including Domain Name System (DNS), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), and Internet Group Multicasting Protocol (IGMP), among others.  more...

Routing TCP IP This WestNet e-Learning module introduces the routing protocols and shows how they do their jobs. We will discuss the routing process, different routing types, Exterior Gateway Protocols (EGPs), and advanced routing practices.  more...

How TCP IP Applications Work This WestNet e-Learning module covers operation of application protocols, including Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Telnet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SNMP). We will also introduce the ITU-T H.323 packet multimedia recommendations.  more...

Troubleshooting a TCP IP Network This WestNet e-Learning module covers a general approach for troubleshooting a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network. We will also discuss the specific tools used to troubleshoot a network, including Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Ipconfig, Nbtstat, Netstat, packet Internet groper (Ping), and Tracert.  more...

Network Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module covers important information about services, layering, and protocols that will help you better understand key points. Additionally, you will learn how a protocol trace is taken and how to interpret the trace data.  more...

LAN and WAN Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module explores local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) protocols and how they are used to get information into the node so it can, in turn, be delivered to the processes at the higher layers.  more...

Network Layer Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module reviews some of the more common Network Layer protocols.  more...

Transport Layer Protocols In this WestNet e-Learning module, we will explore Transport Layer protocols. These protocols are responsible for getting messages across a network using the services of the Network Layer.  more...

Client Server Information Transfer This WestNet e-Learning module looks at communication from client to server by means of client and server protocol stacks and the transfer of information between client and server.  more...

How to Build a Computer Network This WestNet e-Learning module reviews the major concepts presented in this course and shows how they work together in several real-world situations. You will also learn how one local area network (LAN) connects to another, with particular attention to Internet connectivity.  more...

Higher-Layer WAN Protocols ...WestNet e-Learning module reviews connection-oriented switched services commonly used to move information across a wide area. These services include Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), frame relay, and X.25. Although we refer to this unit as Higher-Layer WAN Protocols, these protocols are essentially Data Link Layer protocols. However,these protocols go beyond simple link connectivity  more...

WAN Solutions This WestNet e-Learning module covers ATM concepts, ATM implementation, ATM devices, and SMDS.  more...

Convergence of Communications This WestNet e-Learning module discusses how wide area network (WAN) technologies support and help implement converged communications, voice, video, and data all transported over the same physical network topologies. We will also investigate components key to integrating puclic swiched telephone network (PSTN) and data communications.  more...

Foundations of Wide Area Networks This WestNet e-Learning module focuses on basic concepts that apply to the entire course to prepare you for more detailed study of wide area networks (WANs).  more...

WAN Components Upon completion of this WestNet e-Learning module, you will understand the basic concepts and components used to move information from source to destination across a telecommunications network.  more...

WAN Physical Layer Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module looks at the most widely used choices for connecting networks in a point-to-point fashion.  more...

WAN Data Link Layer Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module covers the protocols used to move information across point-to-point networks. These protocols are associated with the Data Link Layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.  more...

Network Signals Cables Topologies In the WestNet e-Learning module, we will consider the physical qualities of the network itself. We discuss the nature of electronic communication and explain how information can be transmitted as analog or digital signals. We then explore the various physical layouts or topologies of data networks, and show how the pattern of signal flow depends on the topology of the network.  more...

Computers and Software in Networks This WestNet e-Learning module considers how computers communicate with each other and the basic concepts of how computers work. After we introduce the main types of computers, we discuss the most important components and features of computer systems.  more...

How Computer Protocols Work This WestNet e-Learning module introduces you to the basic terms and concepts that underlie all computer communication protocols. You will learn how protocols work, and how different protocols work together to move data across a network. This knowledge will become the foundation of your understanding of how computer networks function.  more...

How Local Area Networks Work ...WestNet e-Learning module, we will use the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model to explain the specific technologies and protocols used in most local area networks (LANs). More specifically, you will learn about the popular LAN protocols of Ethernet and Token Ring, and the increasingly important technology of wireless networking. We will start low in the OSI protocol stack, and then work  more...

How Wide Area Networks Work This WestNet e-Learning module discusses the technologies used to connect two or more local area networks (LANs) over an extended distance, resulting in either a metropolitan area network (MAN) or wide area network (WAN). The difference between a MAN and a WAN will also be explored.  more...

How Ethernet Works In this WestNet e-Learning module, we will explore Ethernet Frame Format, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Switched Ethernet Configurations, and VLANs.  more...

How Token Ring and FDDI Work This WestNet e-Learning module reviews the basic features of a Token Ring network, explains the details of Token Ring framing, and briefly covers FDDI.  more...

How ATM LANs Work This WestNet e-Learning module will focus on ATM Architecture, LAN Emulation, ATM Devices, and ATM Deployment.  more...

LAN Software In this WestNet e-Learning module, you will be guided through a brief description of the most important NOS solutions. We will examine how NOSs compare to the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, and we will look at the key elements of each major NOS vendor's products.  more...

The Basics of Novell NetWare This WestNet e-Learning module outlines server and client environments, compares NetWare 5.1 services to previous versions of NetWare, looks at NDS and its management tools, and presents an overview of NetWare protocol stacks.  more...

The Basics of Windows NT This WestNet e-Learning module focuses on Windows NT Architecture, features, tools, and NetWare interoperability.  more...

Review of LAN This WestNet e-Learning module reviews the most important networking principles that were covered in the "long" WestNet Learning course, Introduction to Networking.  more...

Connecting Computers This WestNet e-Learning module reviews the Physical Layer components and moves on to explain the deeper technical details of these media.  more...

Analysis of LANs This WestNet e-Learning module will explain the key concepts of network development and introduce the types of network analysis tools that you will use as you evaluate the performance of an existing LAN.  more...

Overview of the Implementation Process This WestNet e-Learning module will outline a formal four-phase approach to network design, which covers the majority of areas that must be considered in most networking implementation projects.  more...

Physical Layer Implementation This WestNet e-Learning module provides an overview of transmission media basics, including a look at structured wiring systems, cable characteristics, wireless LANs, and installation.  more...

Implementing a Small Network The lessons in this WestNet e-Learning module follow the phases of the network design process, as we gather requirements, analyze, and design a small network for an imaginary company.  more...

Large Network Implementation Case Studies In this WestNet e-Learning module, we consider general implementation goals, such as Internet connectivity, network performance, convergence, and remote access.  more...

Layer 2 Devices This WestNet e-Learning module presents detailed explanations of the way bridges and switches work. It discusses the differences between Ethernet and Token Ring switches and describes the very different functions of switches in Asynchronous Tranfer Mode (ATM) networks.  more...

Routing Table Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module describes and compares the two major routing algorithms and discusses the dominant routing protocol based on each algorithm. We will also learn about several small, but important protocols created to solve special routing or transmission problems.  more...

Virtual Local Area Networks This WestNet e-Learning module covers an introduction to virtual local area networks, VLAN Membership, VLAN Implementation Issues, and VLAN and ATM.  more...

Network Management This WestNet e-Learning module explains how network management systems work, starting with overall principles and moving on to specific commands. We will focus on the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).  more...

Using Internetworking Devices to Design Networks This WestNet e-Learning module examines internetworking devices as they work together in networks and explains widely used approaches to common networking problems.  more...

Overview of the Telecommunications Industry This WestNet e-Learning module will trace the development of the telecommunication industry from the early Bell monopoly to today's competitive marketplace. We will explore how regulatory rulings, the Telecommunication Act of 1996, and changing market demands have affected both telecommunication carriers and consumers.  more...

How a Local Exchange Works This WestNet e-Learning module focuses on telephone central offices (COs), the telephone numbering system, and the physical connections that transmit signals between customers and COs.  more...

Types of Telephone Systems This WestNet e-Learning module will focus on the three main types of systems that manage multiple telephone lines: key systems, Central Office Exchange (Centrex), and private branch exchange (PBX). Additionally, we will introduce voice mail systems and automated attendants.  more...

Overview of Telephony Services This WestNet e-Learning module focuses our attention to the various types of services carried by wires and switching systems.  more...

PBX and ACD Systems This WestNet e-Learning module focuses on the private branch exchange (PBX) telephone switching system. We will see how a combination of telephone switching and dedicated lines can create a wide area voice and data network that can treat most intraoffice calls as "local."  more...

Point-to-Point Telecommunications Protocols In this WestNet e-Learning module, we describe each point-to-point transmission service available from telecommunications providers. These services are essential for creating private voice networks or wide area data networks.  more...

Switched Telecommunications Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module reviews protocols closely associated with the Data Link Layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.  more...

Traffic Engineering This WestNet e-Learning module discusses traffic engineering concepts, traffic data sources, and busy-hour engineering.  more...

Computer Protocols and the OSI Model This WestNet e-Learning module introduces you to the basic terms and concepts that underlie all computer communication protocols. You will learn how different protocols work together in a layered system to move data across a network.  more...

LANs This WestNet e-Learning module will teach you about the popular LAN protocols of Ethrnet and Token Ring, and the increasingly important technology of wireless network.  more...

Network Components In this WestNet e-Learning module, we will discuss repeaters, hubs, bridges, switches, routers, VLANs, and Gateways.  more...

WANs This WestNet e-Learning module introduces the technologies used to connect two or more local area networks (LANs) over an extended distance. We will also introduce the two main classes of technologies used for wide area network (WAN) connectivity: point-to-point services and switched services.  more...

LAN Software Architectures This WestNet e-Learning module will present the Physical and Data Link Layer protocols to the higher layers, which are implemented by desktop operating systems (OSS) such as Microsoft Windows 98 or 2000.  more...

Novell NetWare Client Server System This WestNet e-Learning module outlines server and client environments, compares NetWare 5.1 services to previous versions of NetWare, looks at NDS and its management tools, and presents an overview of NetWare protocol stacks.  more...

Windows NT Client Server NOS This WestNet e-Learning module presents the concepts and components of Windows NT, pointing out any key differences between the technologies when necessary. We will also present a brief overview of the essential features of the Windows 2000 product line.  more...

UNIX Linux and AppleTalk This WestNet e-Learning module introduces a brief history of UNIX and Linux, discusses what is different about UNIX, presents UNIX as a Network Operating System, and gives an introduction to AppleTalk.  more...

TCP IP Protocols In this WestNet e-Learning module, we will discuss the Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Internet addressing, subnetting fundamentals, and IP routing.  more...

TCP IP Applications and Services This WestNet e-Learning module introduces the core Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) applications and services, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet, which logically form the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model Application Layer.  more...

Network Configuration This WestNet e-Learning module discusses broad concepts and solutions that require different combinations of operating systems, hardware, applications, or protocols.  more...

Troubleshooting This WestNet e-Learning module presents a general approach for troubleshooting a network, the most common software and hardware tools for network troubleshooting, and a series of real-world problems that show how an administrator can use various combinations of tools and a disciplined approach to identify and correct many common problems.  more...

Computer Telephony Integration Implementation This WestNet e-Learning module introduces the systems approach, and then works through the five key steps of a technology implementation.  more...

Emerging Internet Technologies This WestNet e-Learning module discusses five emerging Internet-based technologies most likely to become essential elements of a fully converged Internet communication system.  more...

Overview of Internet Technologies This WestNet e-Learning module covers the historical perspective, organizations, structure, and most common connections used by the Internet.  more...

Using the Internet This WestNet e-Learning module introduces Web clients and how to use them. It also explores the differences between search methods and reviews data transfer methods and electronic mail.  more...

Web Servers In this WestNet e-Learning module, you will examine the process used in building a Web server solution capable of performing the tasks for which it is designed.  more...

Building Web Pages This WestNet e-Learning module covers the creation of basic World Wide Web (Web) pages or Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) documents.  more...

Internet Features This WestNet e-Learning module covers the newer technologies and features available to Internet users including, colorful graphics, stunning animations, audio, and video. This module will also introduce those technologies and features that might be used on a more widespread basis in the future.  more...

Telecommunications Concepts and Components This WestNet e-Learning module reviews the fundamental principles and elements of the public-switched telephone system.  more...

LAN Protocols This WestNet e-Learning module reviews the fundamental prinicples of network data flow and Ethernet networks from older coax-based systems to the newest fiber-based Gigabit networks. We will also examine the concepts of collision domains and traffic isolation.  more...

WAN Protocols In this WestNet e-Learning module we will discuss three wide-area services Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) frame relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).  more...

TCP/IP Protocols Upon completion of this WestNet e-Learning module you will understand the details of the Internet's primary protocols and how networks and devices use those protocols to establish reliable connections and move data across the worldwide network.  more...

Standards for Convergence In this WestNet e-Learning module we first discuss the demands that converged traffic places on a network and list the functions and services a network must provide to support converged traffic. Then we explore the three major standards that define how networks can provide those essential services.  more...

The Network Infrastructure This WestNet e-Learning module begins by explaining the basic concepts of how computers work and introduces the main components and features of computer systems. We will also discuss the physical elements of the network itself.  more...