Part 2. Routing fundamentals and subnetting

Having covered the fundamentals of computer networking and how devices communicate within a LAN in part 1, it’s time to expand our horizon to cover routing—how routers forward packets between networks. We will begin in chapter 9 by covering the fundamentals of routing, including how MAC addresses and IP addresses are used together to allow a message to traverse multiple network hops and how to configure static routes on a Cisco router, giving it precise instructions about how to forward messages across the network.

Chapter 10 is unique in this book. Rather than introducing new concepts, it ties the key concepts we have covered so far together, examining how a packet travels from a source host to a destination host step by step. A solid understanding of the various processes involved in a packet’s journey from A to B is critical, so this is not a chapter that you should skip over!

Finally, chapter 11 covers a topic that is a common source of frustration for many CCNA students: subnetting. Subnetting is the process of dividing networks into sub-networks (subnets) of various sizes, allowing networks to break free from the strict and inflexible address classes that we covered in chapter 7. My approach to subnetting emphasizes a step-by-step approach with a focus on understanding the underlying binary, and with a bit of effort and practice, you’ll master this critical skill. The goal of part 2 is to expand your knowledge beyond the confines of a single LAN, equipping you with both the theoretical understanding and the practical skills needed to build a network that allows hosts in separate LANs to communicate.

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