Take an in-depth tour of core Internet protocols and learn how they work together to move data packets from one network to another. With this concise book, you'll delve into the aspects of each protocol, including operation basics and security risks, and learn the function of network hardware such as switches and routers. Ideal for beginning network engineers, each chapter in this book includes a set of review questions, as well as practical, hands-on lab exercises. * Understand basic network architecture, and how protocols and functions fit together * Learn the structure and operation of the Ethernet protocol * Examine TCP/IP, including the protocol fields, operations, and addressing used for networks * Explore the address resolution process in a typical IPv4 network * Become familiar with switches, access points, routers, and other network components that process packets * Discover how the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) provides error messages during network operations * Learn about the network mask (subnetting) and how it helps determine the network