In CNT140 our students learn the fundamentals of the OSI Model and develop the skill of IP subnetting. In the remaining classes students refine these skills, while learning to configure routers and switches in a variety of topologies similar to the CNT170 Case Study topology shown below.

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Terms and Definitions:

• OSI Model: describes how information from a software application in one computer moves through a network medium to a software application in another computer. The OSI reference model is a conceptual model composed of seven layers, each specifying particular network functions.
  
  
• IP Addressing: IP addressing is integral to the process of routing IP datagrams through an internetwork. Each host on a TCP/IP network is assigned a unique 32-bit logical address that is divided into two main parts: the network number and the host number. The network number identifies a network and must be assigned by the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC) if the network is to be part of the Internet. The host number identifies a host on a network and is assigned by the local network administrator. These IP addresses can be subdivided and used to create addresses for subnetworks.
  
  
• Router: A network layer device that uses one or more metrics to determine the optimal path along which network traffic should be forwarded. Routers forward packets from one network to another based on network layer information. Occasionally called a gateway, although this definition of gateway is becoming increasingly outdated.
  
  
• Switch: A network device that filters, forwards, and floods frames based on the destination address of each frame. The switch operates at the data link layer of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model.