Basic Introduction to Networking Infrastructure - 03/04/2024

Networking infrastructure is a ubiquitous and essential part of many domestic and industrial settings. Facilitating communication between computers and IT infrastructure more generally, it forms the backbone of many daily web-based transactions and activities. This guide is intended as a basic introduction to the most common pieces of IT network infrastructure and standards in use today in small-to-medium-sized networks.

To read the entire guide from the beginning, Click Here >>

To browse by section, use the links below to jump to one of the guide's covered topics:

• 0 - Networking Protocols
• 1 - Cables
• 2 - Basic Network Topology
• 3 - Wireless Access Points (APs)
• 4 - Power over Ethernet (PoE)
• 5 - Routers
• 6 - IP Addressing Fundamentals
• 7 - Media Access Control (MAC) Addresses
• 8 - Virtual LANs (VLANs)
• 9 - Network Redundancy
• 10 - Domain Name System (DNS)

Whilst overall a useful general-purpose guide, it is worth noting that I originally wrote this as a printed handbook for networking infrastructure used in the live events industry (theatre/concerts/festivals etc.). There are therefore certain (signposted) points where I dwell on specific elements of networking for this industry. These elements are less common in home/office networking environments, but are still interesting to know about.