Networking for dummies
September 25, 2018 5:00 PM Subscribe
Is there a site that breaks down networking into layman terms that a semi-technically inclined person can understand? I'm in the midst of switching careers and joining a family-member owned cyber security company. I'm cramming for a few different certs that I'll take over the next 6-12 months and I'm trying to get up-to-speed quickly. Let me state upfront: I'm happy to pay or subscribe to the resource.
I'm technically savvy, but I've been living in Apple's world of set-it-and-forget-it. What I mean by that is any time I have a technical issue I do a web search and some quick reading to trouble-shoot my issue and then promptly never think about the issue again once it's solved. I'm looking for an internet reference for networking and security that features layman's terms and real-world scenarios and not super-technical hypotheticals. For example, I've found some of Bob Cromwell's site to be very helpful. I have access to CISSP and other cyber security manuals but I need something that's not so dense. And for you cyber security and networking professionals worried that I'll be trying to use my new-found knowledge to work anywhere let me assure you I'm years away and not quitting my day job quite yet. :)
I'm technically savvy, but I've been living in Apple's world of set-it-and-forget-it. What I mean by that is any time I have a technical issue I do a web search and some quick reading to trouble-shoot my issue and then promptly never think about the issue again once it's solved. I'm looking for an internet reference for networking and security that features layman's terms and real-world scenarios and not super-technical hypotheticals. For example, I've found some of Bob Cromwell's site to be very helpful. I have access to CISSP and other cyber security manuals but I need something that's not so dense. And for you cyber security and networking professionals worried that I'll be trying to use my new-found knowledge to work anywhere let me assure you I'm years away and not quitting my day job quite yet. :)
Response by poster: I've looked at Messer's site and I'd rather read the material than watch a video but maybe I need to give it another shot.
posted by photoslob at 5:53 PM on September 25, 2018
posted by photoslob at 5:53 PM on September 25, 2018
Best answer: So - um, your title is not a bad starting point - I have always found the "... for Dummies" series of books to be great introductions to topics.
Then from there - O'Reilly for the low-level nitty gritty. All the stages in-between, good old'fashioned Googling.
posted by jkaczor at 11:24 AM on September 26, 2018
Then from there - O'Reilly for the low-level nitty gritty. All the stages in-between, good old'fashioned Googling.
posted by jkaczor at 11:24 AM on September 26, 2018
Best answer: Mike Meyers (no, not that one) writes an "All-In-One" exam prep manual for Network+, which is a very broad certification for networking-- mile wide and an inch deep, like most of the Whatever+ certifications from CompTIA, a consortium of tech companies. I read his books for A+ (basics of desktop support) and Network+ and found them both readable as hell, and more than enough to get me past those tests for the certification.
Network+ doesn't cover security much -- there's Security+ for that, again very broad and shallow -- but it does cover the basics of configuring computers to talk to one another and other low-level IT stuff. Mike Meyers didn't write the book for that, but there are numerous exam-prep books for that which cover a lot.
I've never stuck my nose in "Network Warrior," but plenty of IT people swear by it. However, it's there to supplement what you might've picked up while going for your CCNA, which is a pretty big cert which generally requires some simulation training. By that, I mean you likely can't read your way to it, but will work with software network simulators which create virtual network environments, virtual routers, and so on, and then you interact with those routers to learn the router software and solve network issues.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:45 AM on September 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
Network+ doesn't cover security much -- there's Security+ for that, again very broad and shallow -- but it does cover the basics of configuring computers to talk to one another and other low-level IT stuff. Mike Meyers didn't write the book for that, but there are numerous exam-prep books for that which cover a lot.
I've never stuck my nose in "Network Warrior," but plenty of IT people swear by it. However, it's there to supplement what you might've picked up while going for your CCNA, which is a pretty big cert which generally requires some simulation training. By that, I mean you likely can't read your way to it, but will work with software network simulators which create virtual network environments, virtual routers, and so on, and then you interact with those routers to learn the router software and solve network issues.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:45 AM on September 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I just received the CISSP book written by Shon Harris and I'm starting to make my way through it. I've also seen the CISSP for Dummies book and I'll likely pick that up as well. I love podcasts and anything that can lay out complex information in a way that's a little easier to understand and so I'm looking for things that I can supplement what I'm learning.
posted by photoslob at 12:08 PM on September 26, 2018
posted by photoslob at 12:08 PM on September 26, 2018
Response by poster: Cybrary is another good resource I've found. Also, if you buy the Wiley Sec+ or CISSP books you get access to their test bank online.
posted by photoslob at 4:11 PM on September 30, 2018
posted by photoslob at 4:11 PM on September 30, 2018
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posted by Nerro at 5:02 PM on September 25, 2018