Introduction to Networking and Storage (Coursera)

Using videos and virtual, online hands-on labs, you'll learn about network types and standards. You’ll discover how to set up wired and wireless connections. Then, you’ll learn to identify common network storage and network sharing types, including local, hosted, and cloud storage options.

This course is for anyone new to networking or anyone who wants to start in a related profession, such as an IT Support Technician (Level 2), System Administrator, Junior Network Administrator, or Account Manager. Showcase your analytical and evaluation skills via online labs to be job-ready with real-world skills.

Course 4 of 5 in the Information Technology (IT) and Cloud Fundamentals Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Networking Fundamentals 

Communication is involved in almost every aspect of daily life. In today’s world, computer networking plays a vital role in communication. Talking with family and friends, paying a bill, checking out at the grocery store, keeping up on the news, and, of course, all the things that go on at work. All of these depend on some form of computer networking. Computer networking is defined as the connection of people through the use of devices and cables, and sometimes wireless signals. This week you will learn the basic network types and shapes, and what they’re for. You will learn about wired and wireless connections, and network devices. You will also learn about the basic instructions our computers follow so that they can connect us in the ways that we expect. That means you’ll get an understanding of how data is packaged electronically, what the rules are for how it’s sent, how those rules are made, and how computers know where to send those packages.

WEEK 2

Setting up Wired/Wireless Connections and their Use Cases

One of the key components of communicating is understanding *how* to communicate. That includes knowing what enables communication, and what blocks it. This is just as true for computer networking as it is for person-to-person interactions. If you don’t understand the ways to get data from one point to another, the data will never arrive where you want it to.

This week you will learn about the physical connectors that transmit data. And you’ll learn the basic steps for setting up small office or home office networks—both wired and wireless. You’ll also learn more about wireless network types and mobile configurations.

WEEK 3

Storage Types and Network Sharing 

In communication, we’ve discussed that it’s all about connection—interaction between at least two people or devices. But another key component in communication is memory. When communicating with people or machines, communication won’t be very useful to either party if one or both of them can’t remember anything. Network storage is where the memory is located in computer networking.

Here you will learn about different types of network storage. You’ll learn about short term memory, long term memory, different ways of arranging memory so you can store more of it or store it more efficiently. And you’ll learn about local memory, offsite memory, and memory in the cloud. You will also learn about how all these different kinds of memory enable faster and more efficient interaction between people, devices, and software.

WEEK 4

Final Exam