Unit 1: Introductory Concepts
8 hrsGoals and applications of networks, Categories of networks, Organization of the Internet, ISP, Network structure and architecture (layering principles, services, protocols and standards), The OSI reference model, TCP/IP protocol suite, Network devices and components. Physical Layer: Network topology design, Types of connections, Transmission media, Signal transmission and encoding, Network performance and transmission impairments, Switching techniques and multiplexing.