The basic idea.
WHAT A NETWORK IS
Two or more devices able to exchange data.
WHAT THAT REQUIRES
A physical or wireless connection An agreed way to address each device An agreed set of rules for exchanging data
THOSE THREE THINGS
Connection, addressing, and protocol.
Almost every networking problem is one of them.
WHAT THE INTERNET IS
An enormous number of networks connected together, using the same addressing and rules.
WHAT THAT MEANS PRACTICALLY
Your device does not connect to a website directly.
It passes data to your router, which passes it onward, through several networks, to the server.
WHY THAT MATTERS
A problem can exist anywhere along that path.
Diagnosing means establishing where.
WHAT YOU CONTROL
Your device, your local network, and your own server configuration.
WHAT YOU DO NOT
Everything between.
WHERE TO START LEARNING
Addressing, then names, then protocols.
