Networking Notes

Practice58 MCQs & 36 exam questions with answers & mark schemes →

A complete, self-contained Networking course — free, and open to anyone, anywhere. 8 lessons published so far — each with notes, worked examples, a diagram you can move, flashcards and a quiz — and more are being written.

Also called Free online course, Self-study course.

01

How Networks Work

▸Computer NetworksHow a message crosses the world in fragments and arrives whole · 22 min · 6 questions→

02

The Internet and the Web

▸The Internet and the World Wide WebTwo different things, and what actually happens when you type an address · 18 min · 8 questions→

03

The Network Stack & Protocols

▸The Network Stack & ProtocolsWhy the internet is built in layers, and the protocols that run on each · 24 min · 6 questions→

04

Addressing & Routing

▸Addressing & RoutingHow every device gets an address, and how a packet finds its way across the world · 24 min · 6 questions→

05

Data Transmission

▸Types and Methods of Data TransmissionPackets, wires and directions — how data actually gets from one machine to another · 18 min · 8 questions→

06

Error Detection

▸Methods of Error DetectionNoticing that data arrived wrong, and sometimes fixing it · 18 min · 8 questions→

07

Encryption & Security

▸EncryptionMaking intercepted data useless, and why the method being public does not matter · 18 min · 8 questions→▸Cyber SecurityThe threats named in the syllabus, and the specific defence against each · 20 min · 8 questions→

Frequently asked questions

What does Networking cover?

All 7 chapters — How Networks Work, The Internet and the Web, The Network Stack & Protocols, and more. The finished lessons carry notes, worked examples, an interactive diagram and a quiz; the remaining topics are mapped and being written.

Are there practice questions or past-paper-style questions?

Yes — 58 multiple-choice questions and 36 exam-style questions with mark schemes, all with answers, on the Networking practice page.

Are the Networking notes free?

Yes — completely free, with no sign-up or login. Every topic has notes, worked examples, an interactive diagram you can change, flashcards and a quiz that explains each answer.