The Data Networking Technology curriculum introduces students to the basic concepts of IP networking, the IP Suite, and the basics of routing; IP routing protocols, Ethernet technology and Ethernet switched networks. It is comprised of four main study areas, including Ethernet Fundamentals, Internet Protocol (IP) Fundamentals, Ethernet Switching and IP Routing Protocols.

Courseware Preview (1.6 MB)

The first part, Ethernet Fundamentals, introduces students to Ethernet technology and is designed to provide a comprehensive high-level understanding of various aspects of Ethernet. Upon completion of this part, students will gain a solid understanding of the operational and theoretical components of an Ethernet network.

The second part, Ethernet Switching Resiliency, provides a basis for understanding Ethernet switched networks. Upon completion of this part, students will gain a solid understanding of the operational and theoretical components of an Ethernet Switched network and the standards that make them work.

The third part, Internet Protocol (IP) Fundamentals, provides an introduction to the basic concepts of IP networking, the IP Suite, and the basics of routing. Upon completion of this part, students will gain a solid understanding of how a packet moves from the source workstation to the destination workstation and the major steps along the way, including how data is segmented, how headers are added or stripped off, and how a file travels through the IP stack.

The fourth part, IP Routing, provides a fundamental understanding of IP routing protocols with emphasis on the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol. This part explains the theory, configuration, operation, and support of the OSPF protocol with special consideration given to OSPF areas, summary ranges, and external routes. The part also includes a discussion of address masks, Routing Information Protocol, the use and configuration of IP route policy filters along with an introduction to Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and IPv6. This section also provides students with the necessary skills to configure and manage OSPF, RIP, BGP, and route policy filters on the Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch.

This curriculum prepares students for the Nortel Certified Technology Specialist (NCTS) certification exam, Nortel Data Networking Technology (920-805).

In addition to classroom instruction material there is an optional NTSA Data Technology Lab that enables students to gain hands-on experience and further develop their skills. The lab curriculum includes an additional 25-30 hours of lab exercises using an award winning Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch solution.

The NTSA Data Technology Lab bundle is offered to participating schools at a substantially reduced price. To obtain additional information on ordering the lab equipment contact ntsa@nortel.com.

This curriculum will provide students with the knowledge to:

• describe how devices communicate across an Ethernet network
• describe the cable requirements, distances, and transmission mechanism for the following IEEE Ethernet specifications for physical media:
  • 802.3 CSMA/CD Ethernet (ISO/IEC 8802 ISO/IEC 8802-3)
  • 802.3i 10Base-T (ISO/IEC 8802-3)
  • 802.3u 100Base-T (ISO/IEC 8802-3)
  • 802.3z Gigabit Ethernet
  • 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet 1000Base-T 4 pair Cat5 UTP
  • 802.3ae 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• explain the Ethernet frame format and the differences between Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• explain how the network devices, repeaters, bridges, and switches operate within an Ethernet collision and broadcast domains
• describe the Power over Ethernet (PoE) IEEE 802.3af specification to supply data terminal equipment (DTE) power over Ethernet ports and the typical implementation within an Ethernet network

• describe how Ethernet switches operate within the Ethernet network, including learning, forwarding, flooding and dropping network frames
• describe the Broadcast, Multicast, and Unicast frame types and their operation
• describe a network switch's forwarding database
• describe VLANs and how network traffic is controlled using them
• describe how VLAN tagging operates and extends broadcast domains throughout a switched network
• describe how flow control is used within a switched network
• explain how loops occur in the network topology within broadcast domains and how they are prevented using protocols
• describe the network implementation of Multiple Spanning Tree groups
• describe the advantages of Link Aggregation and its implementation

• describe the Internet as an IP network
• describe the two major networking software stack models:
  • the OSI 7-Layer model
  • the TCP/IP 4-Layer model
• describe the major networking protocols
• explain the role of IP addressing in message delivery
• describe the principle of routing
• explain how RIP concepts are embodied in routing tables
• describe the journey of a packet

• describe how IP routing is implemented on a Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch
• describe the use of static routes, alternate routes, and equal cost multipath and how they are implemented in the network
• explain the operation of RIP and configure RIP advertising within a network
• describe and configure virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP)
• describe the characteristics of an OSPF domain and configure an OSPF Domain including multiple areas with route summarization
• implement an IP routed network using RIP and OSPF Protocols and establish route policies
• describe the elements of a BGP network and configure the BGP Protocol
• discuss the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 including the advantages of IPv6
  
  

Questions and inquiries should be directed to ntsa@nortel.com.