How can we automate the transfer of information from one computer to another? To answer that question, Introduction to Network Systems introduces students to the fundamental technology and concepts that make networking systems possible. The question itself is a very practical one, and the concepts taught are more concerned with practices and processes than with theoretical generalities.
The most important concept introduced is that of the OSI reference model and its bottom four layers, which are most directly concerned with networking instead of computing. Each networking layer is explored in a three-lesson chapter. By the end of the course, every student should be comfortable reading a sentence that says something like, “X is a protocol working at the third layer.”