Running track ยท free to participants
Networking and infrastructure
Learn how enterprise networks are built and kept running, on routers, switches and firewalls that carry real traffic.
What this track covers
This track is for people heading into IT support, networking or systems administration. It covers the layer every other system depends on: the network.
- Switching and VLANs
- Splitting one physical network into separate ones, and deciding which devices can reach which.
- Routing
- How traffic moves between networks, including how an organization’s networks reach the internet.
- Firewalls
- Writing rules that let the traffic you want through and stop the rest.
- Wireless
- Access points, coverage, and keeping wireless users on the networks they belong on.
- Site-to-site links
- The encrypted connections that join a branch location to the rest of an organization’s network.
- IP addressing
- Planning and keeping track of which addresses go where, so that networks can grow without collisions.
- Cabling and racks
- The physical side of the job, from structured cabling to mounting and powering equipment in a rack.
- Servers and virtualization
- Running many servers on shared hardware with hypervisors.
The network you work on
The equipment in this track is not a practice copy. It is the network CCA runs.
- routers, switches and firewalls in CCA’s own datacenter
- the hypervisors and rack equipment that host CCA’s servers
- small networks at participants’ own locations, each with a switch, an access point and a security appliance, linked back to CCA over encrypted connections
- the tools CCA uses to manage its routing and its address space
Your access is scoped to your role, and every change is logged. Working on a network that other people rely on teaches habits a lab rarely does: planning a change before you make it, checking that it worked, and knowing how you would undo it if it did not.
Where it leads
Almost every organization runs a network, and someone has to keep it working. The track prepares participants for IT support, networking and junior systems administration roles, and for recognized networking certifications.
When you are ready to sit a networking certification exam, CCA can pay for it. Staff can also help you describe your work on CCA’s network in a resume, and prepare you for interviews.
What donors fund in this track
Equipment and hosting are the largest recurring costs here. Network hardware wears out and falls out of support, and the datacenter needs rack space, power and connectivity every month.
$100
Helps buy networking equipment for the lending library
$1,500
Replaces one enterprise device in the lending library
$50,000
Expands datacenter capacity, so more participants can work on real infrastructure at once
You can restrict a gift to this track. Tell us when you give, and we will confirm the restriction in writing.
Questions about this track
Do I need networking experience to start?
No. You do not need any networking experience to enroll. What you need is a sponsor or board approval, and a computer with a reliable internet connection, which we can lend you if necessary.
What equipment will I need?
A computer and an internet connection. If your work calls for network hardware you do not have, CCA can lend it to you and pay the shipping both ways.
Is this a certification course?
It prepares you for recognized networking certifications, and CCA can pay the exam fee. It also gives you something a course on its own cannot: experience on a network that people actually use.
Keep the network running for the next participant
Every participant in this track learns on equipment donors paid for. A gift of $1,500 replaces one device.