Networking Basics and Server Practice for Students
1. Basic Networking Concepts
Networking is the practice of connecting computers and other devices to share resources and information.
Key Concepts:
- IP Address: Unique identifier for a device on a network.
- DNS (Domain Name System): Converts domain names to IP addresses.
- MAC Address: Unique hardware address for network interfaces.
- Router: Directs data between different networks.
- Switch: Connects devices within the same network.
- LAN (Local Area Network) vs WAN (Wide Area Network).
2. Common Port Numbers
Ports are logical endpoints for network communication.
Common Port Numbers:
- 22: SSH (Secure Shell) - remote login to Linux servers.
- 80: HTTP - for web traffic.
- 443: HTTPS - secure web traffic.
- 21: FTP - file transfer protocol.
- 25: SMTP - sending emails.
- 3306: MySQL - database connections.
Ports allow multiple services to run on a single IP address simultaneously.
3. Connecting Terminal to a Server
To manage a server remotely, use a terminal with the SSH protocol.
Steps:
1. Open terminal (Linux/macOS) or use software like PuTTY (Windows).
Networking Basics and Server Practice for Students
2. Use SSH command: ssh username@server-ip
3. Enter the password when prompted.
Example: ssh ubuntu@13.235.99.12
Note: The server must have SSH enabled and port 22 open in firewall.
4. What is PuTTY?
PuTTY is a free SSH and telnet client for Windows. It allows users to connect to remote servers over a
secure connection.
How to Use PuTTY:
1. Download from: https://www.putty.org/
2. Open PuTTY and enter the server's IP in the 'Host Name' field.
3. Ensure the connection type is SSH and port is 22.
4. Click 'Open' to start the session.
5. Login using your username and password.
5. Creating a Linux Server (AWS EC2)
1. Sign in to AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to EC2 -> Launch Instance.
3. Select 'Amazon Linux 2' as the OS.
4. Choose t2.micro (Free Tier).
5. Configure network and storage (default is fine).
6. Add a key pair (download .pem file).
7. Launch instance.
To connect:
- Open terminal and use: ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@<Public-IP>
- For PuTTY: Convert .pem to .ppk using PuTTYgen and connect.
Networking Basics and Server Practice for Students
6. Creating a Windows Server (AWS EC2)
1. Go to AWS EC2 -> Launch Instance.
2. Choose Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Base.
3. Select t2.micro (Free Tier).
4. Launch instance with key pair.
5. Once launched, select the instance and click 'Connect'.
6. Use RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol):
- Download RDP file from AWS Console.
- Get password using the key file (.pem).
- Open RDP file -> Enter credentials -> Connect.
Now you have access to a cloud-based Windows machine.
7. Practice Suggestions for Students
- Practice using terminal commands like ping, ssh, netstat, curl.
- Set up EC2 Linux server and host a simple HTML page using Apache.
- Use Windows EC2 server to install and run applications.
- Experiment with firewall rules, port access, and file transfers.
- Use tools like FileZilla for FTP practice.
These activities build foundational networking and server skills.
