A key to the mastery of a CCENT-level of networking knowledge is to intimately understand the use of Layer 2 and Layer 3 addressing when two hosts communicate on the network.

This blog post will detail how these addresses are used during the network communications between two host devices (Personal Computers, PCs). Here is the topology that will be used in this example:
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I saw a CCENT student ask a pretty common question on a Cisco forum the other day…they wanted to know tips for making all the theory really “stick” when studying.

A great tip in this regard is to practice as much as possible as you study. Get your hands on your home network and investigate as much as possible to drive the theory home.

For example, in the Operation of Data Networks portion of the course, why not download the free protocol analyzer, Wireshark, and start examining the packets that are generated by common network events?

Here is a simulation that I pulled from our course to demonstrate just how valuable this can be. Enjoy:

wireshark