How packets travel — from cables to the OSI model.
The foundational vocabulary every networker needs: hosts, links, addresses, the OSI and TCP/IP models, the difference between TCP and UDP, and the way Ethernet, IP, and the application layer combine to deliver a single web request.
Welcome to module 1. How packets travel — from cables to the OSI model. I'll meet you again at the top of every chapter — this module's course coverage is 18%, so don't rush it. Pick chapter 1.1 below to start.
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A network is a set of devices that exchange data using shared rules. This chapter introduces the core vocabulary — hosts, nodes, links, addresses, protocols — and walks through what physically happens when a single packet crosses the room.
Two reference models describe the layered structure of networks. OSI has seven academic layers; TCP/IP has four practical ones. This chapter explains both, maps them to each other, and shows where every networking topic lives in the stack.
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