Any free online networking courses?

xNytramx

xNytramx

xNytramx

Associate
Joined
19 Dec 2010
Posts
153
Location
Swansea, Wales
Hello all,

I'm by no means a veteran PC technician but I hope to take place as one being an on-call engineer soon. My skills are all-round and I can troubleshoot most problems hardware/software based with sufficient time.
However my networking skills/troubleshooting and knowledge are a little lacking.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to learn more about networking and the general issues/fixes that occur.

I regularly scan the forums here to see what issues people are having to try and constantly update my knowledge of possible issues.

I did my degree in geology and it just doesnt suit me, a bit sickening but I cant afford to do another one! I have been tampering with computers since I was a little kid

Thanks for any advice :)
 
xNytramx said:
Hello all,

I'm by no means a veteran PC technician but I hope to take place as one being an on-call engineer soon. My skills are all-round and I can troubleshoot most problems hardware/software based with sufficient time.
However my networking skills/troubleshooting and knowledge are a little lacking.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to learn more about networking and the general issues/fixes that occur.

I regularly scan the forums here to see what issues people are having to try and constantly update my knowledge of possible issues.

I did my degree in geology and it just doesnt suit me, a bit sickening but I cant afford to do another one! I have been tampering with computers since I was a little kid

Thanks for any advice :)
Click to expand...

I can't link to any other websites, but from my experience, the best way to learn is by reading other users network problems on forums, such as this one and ISP's own support forums - as this way, you get to see real problems, the steps people take and the resolution to the problems! :)
 
http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/index.htm

That site is excellent and was invaluable during my CCNA studies.
It will give you some basic networking theory.

As for troubleshooting then you could try and get hold of the CBT Nuggets COMPTIA A+ videos. They are meant as a lead up to the exam however they will definately give you a good insight into most areas of IT. The N+ videos are another option if you want extra networking focus. I would stay away from Cisco stuff since it is mainly vendor specific and pointless unless you want a career with networking.
 
Great suggestions both :) Thank you
I will continue to browse people problems! Also im going to take a look at what you mentioned JMZ, some low cost informative text books would be ideal.

Thanks & more suggestions welcomed
 
Rather sadly I keep an image of the OSI model in my head. I think it is well worth understanding the layers as it concentrates the mind when investigating.

I would also investigate and become familiar with simple IP tools like ping, traceroute, nslookup etc

What type of environment are you going to support?
 
I need to be able to troubleshoot *all* computer problems that home PC users or small buisnesses may encounter. Although some errors cannot be fixed and hardware inevitably needs replacing, networking issues can almost always been fixed/corrected without changes in hardware I believe. As far as I know you may have a faulty router or bad network connection/cable but after that its all about properly setting up the connection and confirming there is nothing wrong "your end" befor contacting your ISP.

So for this I definatly need to advance my knowledge in the network side of things. After that gaining experience in the field should bostler my knowledge of other issues.

The CompTIA A+ looks like a nice certification to have as it boasts being able to give an all-round knowledge of computing and networking that allows you entry into IT support. Any suggestions on the best reading material for CompTIA A+? for dummies, maybe?

Thanks :)

Edit: I am currently looking over the OSI model ^^

Small Update: I am probably going to grab the CompTIA A+ cert guide 2011 after checking the reviews and follow Professer Messer's online videos freeaplus.com . Thought i'd post that incase anyone else is in my position :)
 
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The OSI is possibly the most boring thing ever, but well worth learning (as already mentioned) :D

Also try and remember as many common ports as you can - e.g 80 HTTP, 21 FTP, 22 SSH, 23 Telnet.... and know the difference between TCP & UDP.

I've maybe got some of my old Uni notes kicking about you can have a read through!
 
Hey Gary,

Uni notes ... That'd be awesome! Not sure how you'd like to send them on though :)

Just been pouring through a CompTIA A+ manual from quite a while back 2003 lol!
Its got all the basics on the older tech which is nice and ive compiled a file of all the Acronums etc that I never really found what they stood for even though I knew what they were used for.
Got some up-to-date manuals when I go home that i'll plod through. Been giving it a good 8hrs a day.
Anyone able to point me to any other exam-based certifications I could pick up without a Uni degree, just self-taught?

Im gonna have to start learning programming after this too - it seems I might have been outdone on the job I was hoping for :(

Software development jobs are all over the place though. Luckily I really enjoy all this stuff so im getting through it at a good pace.

Thanks for the advise so far guys/girls
 
Is the information in the A+ relevent in this day and age? I had a quick look at a practice exam online to see if it would be worth me doing the exam to get something extra on my CV but some of the questions in the exam involved things like IRQ, and the diagram of a parallel port. Modern devices don't have parallel ports and IRQ numbers is not something I've had to deal with since my ancient amstrad computer with its old intel 486.
 
Yeah im struggling to decide that myself. Its got some seriously out of date stuff. The auther's of the test say the reason is that it is a worldwide certification and that not all countries are up to date with tech... A bit useless if you plan to work in any developed country :(
So if anyone has any other ideas as what courses/certifications to get that might increase employability in the IT field, I and it looks like Dist would be very greatful :)
I think I may start a new thread for this.
 
Cheers Liam,
I came across professermesser and i'll be working through all his videos when Im off this damned rig x) Cant stream here or fiddle with my PC so its all preliminary learning atm. Once I get home I'll be digging out all my old components and laptop. Do you think CompTIA A+,Network+ and Security+ are still viable and useful to have for the CV then?
 
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