Category Archives: Networking

Networking notes and tutorials

Domain Name System (DNS) – Application Layer Protocol

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a vital application layer protocol that enables efficient name resolution on the internet. It translates human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses, facilitating seamless web navigation. This manual excerpt explores DNS’s hierarchical structure, resource records, messaging protocols, caching mechanisms, security measures, load balancing strategies, and privacy-enhancing mechanisms. Understanding DNS is crucial for managing network resources, optimizing performance, and ensuring reliable and secure internet connectivity.

Network Devices for Security+ Certification

“Learn about essential network devices for network security and their significance in the Security+ Certification exam. Explore firewalls, routers, load balancers, proxy servers, IDPS, content filtering appliances, VPN concentrators, and other network technologies that play a crucial role in maintaining a secure network environment. Enhance your knowledge of security configurations, deployment scenarios, and best practices to protect against various threats. Prepare effectively for the Security+ Certification with insights into network devices and technologies.”

IDS / IDPS Detection Methods: Anomaly, Signature, and Stateful Protocol Analysis

“Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IDPS) are crucial for network security. Explore anomaly detection, signature detection, and stateful protocol analysis methods, their strengths, limitations, real-world applications, and best practices for effective deployment and management. Enhance your network security posture and mitigate risks.”

Zigbee IEEE 802.15.4 Internet of Things (IoT) Protocol

Zigbee IEEE 802.15.4 The improvement of wireless protocols is a major factor driving the development of newer Internet of Things (IoT) devices and systems. The Zigbee suite of communication protocols is used to create personal area networks with small, low-power digital radios, such as home automation, medical device data collection, and other low-power low-bandwidth needs. The Zigbee physical layer… Read More »

Compression of Network Data and Performance Issues

Network-Compression. Today’s networks will always have data limitations. Data sets continue to grow on pace with increasing bandwidth availability making network-compression an important service in improving network performance. The network-compression used is actually a combination of compression and caching. It has been found that TCP rate control combined with network-compression provides the best value in terms of optimizing… Read More »

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Hybla

  Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Hybla. A key component of TCP is a congestion-control mechanism. TCP does this by having each sender limit the rate based on perceived network congestion. If a TCP sender perceives that there is little congestion on the path between itself and the destination, it increases its send rate. If the sender perceives that… Read More »

Virtual Private Network (VPN) Security and Monitoring Controls

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a group of network hosts that can transfer encrypted data between themselves on a Virtual Private Network. The technology creates a safe encrypted connection, usually over public networks such as the internet, that allows remote users and locations such as branch offices, to securely access and share resources. The main benefit is… Read More »

Routing Protocols. RIP, EIGRP, OSPF, IS-IS

Routing protocols are used to establish a path between routers. The most common routing protocols used are: Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), and Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS). Which protocol to use with a Local Area Network (LAN) depends on the following Factors: Administrative cost of management. Administrative… Read More »

Bastion Host Overview

A Bastion Host (BH) is a computer on a network perimeter which is running a hardened Operating System (OS). This protection includes patches, authentication, encryption, and eliminates unnecessary software and services  (Weaver, Weaver, Farwood, & Weaver, 2012). Weaver et al.’s (2012) provides the following list of BH characteristics: A machine with adequate memory and processor speed. All patches… Read More »