This course offers a broad introduction to networking concepts and analyzes different network architectures. Introductory topics include network topologies, media and signaling, protocols, addressing, and distributed networks. The varied ways to connect computers are explored as are the resulting architectures. The course explores subnetting, both physical and virtual and internetworks are constructed in the lab. Server programs are introduced to demonstrate their signature socket-API structure. Specific real-world services such as the apache web server, BIND name server, NFS and Samba file system servers, DHCP address server, and others are discussed.