Advanced Network Engineering & Security
For people who already know tech: packet-level troubleshooting, OSPF and BGP at internet scale, routing security, data-centre and cloud networking, network automation with Python and Ansible, monitoring, and building networks that are hard to break.
What you'll learn
- Troubleshoot slow applications, packet loss and failed TLS handshakes from packet captures
- Design and operate OSPF and BGP, and explain how traffic crosses the internet and Africa's IXPs
- Protect internet routing with RPKI and explain real route-leak incidents
- Design data-centre (spine-leaf, EVPN-VXLAN), SD-WAN and AWS VPC networks
- Automate network configuration and backups with Python, Netmiko and Ansible
- Monitor networks with SNMP, syslog, flow data and telemetry
- Defend networks with zero trust, segmentation, firewalls, VPNs and intrusion detection
Course content
Part 1. Start here: the standard you're aiming for1 lesson
Part 2. Packet-level troubleshooting7 lessons
- Find delays in TCP conversations (Chris Greer)by Chris Greer9 min
- How TCP retransmissions work — analysing packet lossby Chris Greer9 min
- Analysing TCP resetsby Chris Greer7 min
- Fixing slow applications with Wiresharkby Chris Greer9 min
- Fix a broken TLS handshakeby Chris Greer4 min
- How DNS really works, shown in Wireshark (David Bombal)by David Bombal37 min
- Quiz: packet analysis
Part 3. Routing at scale: OSPF and BGP16 lessons
- OSPF in depth (CCNP ENCOR, Jeremy's IT Lab)by Jeremy's IT Lab41 min
- BGP explained: why it exists and how it worksby CBT Nuggets13 min
- BGP deep dive: The Basics of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)by Kevin Wallace Training, LLC5 min
- BGP deep dive: Confederationsby Kevin Wallace Training, LLC5 min
- BGP deep dive: Neighbor Formationby Kevin Wallace Training, LLC7 min
- BGP deep dive: DEMO: Basic BGP Configurationby Kevin Wallace Training, LLC6 min
- BGP deep dive: Path Selectionby Kevin Wallace Training, LLC18 min
- BGP deep dive: DEMO: BGP Synchronizationby Kevin Wallace Training, LLC10 min
- BGP deep dive: DEMO: BGP Summarization and Multihopby Kevin Wallace Training, LLC11 min
- BGP deep dive: DEMO: Advanced BGP Demo (includes Peer Group, Route Reflector, and IPv4/IPv6 Address Families)by Kevin Wallace Training, LLC49 min
- What is BGP? — the network engineer's view (The Art of Network Engineering)by The Art of Network Engineering1h 11m
- How traffic actually crosses the internet
- Internet exchange points: what they are and why you should careby Chris Grundemann20 min
- Building a new IXP in Accra: the future of Africa's internetby London Internet Exchange - LINX4 min
- The African IXP story (AFRINIC)by AFRINIC1h 45m
- Quiz: OSPF and BGP
Part 4. Routing security: protecting the internet's map5 lessons
Part 5. Data-centre, WAN and cloud networking23 lessons
- Spine-leaf network topology (Keith Barker)by Keith Barker - The OG of IT26 min
- What is EVPN-VXLAN anyway?by CBT Nuggets10 min
- EVPN-VXLAN: learn the basicsby The Netcademy57 min
- Getting started with SD-WANby CBT Nuggets7 min
- AWS VPC: IPv4 Addressing Primerby freeCodeCamp.org13 min
- AWS VPC: Amazon VPC Overviewby freeCodeCamp.org8 min
- AWS VPC: Defining VPC CIDR Blocksby freeCodeCamp.org6 min
- AWS VPC: Create a Custom VPC with Subnetsby freeCodeCamp.org9 min
- AWS VPC: Launch Instances and Test VPCby freeCodeCamp.org10 min
- AWS VPC: Security Groups and Network ACLby freeCodeCamp.org11 min
- AWS VPC: Configure Security Groups and NACLsby freeCodeCamp.org10 min
- AWS VPC: Amazon VPC Peeringby freeCodeCamp.org6 min
- AWS VPC: Configure VPC Peeringby freeCodeCamp.org10 min
- AWS VPC: VPC Endpointsby freeCodeCamp.org5 min
- AWS VPC: Create VPC Endpointby freeCodeCamp.org10 min
- AWS VPC: AWS Client VPNby freeCodeCamp.org5 min
- AWS VPC: AWS VPN CloudHubby freeCodeCamp.org3 min
- AWS VPC: AWS Direct Connect (DX)by freeCodeCamp.org7 min
- AWS VPC: AWS Direct Connect Gatewayby freeCodeCamp.org3 min
- AWS VPC: AWS Transit Gatewayby freeCodeCamp.org4 min
- AWS VPC: Using IPv6 in a VPCby freeCodeCamp.org6 min
- AWS VPC: Create VPC Flow Logsby freeCodeCamp.org7 min
- Quiz: data-centre and cloud
Part 6. Network automation5 lessons
- Netmiko: connect to routers and run commands with Pythonby Roger Perkin | Network Automation Consultant10 min
- Automate switch configuration with Python (Netmiko)by Paolo Reyes18 min
- Get started with Ansible network automation (NetworkChuck)by NetworkChuck15 min
- Ansible network automation in depth (David Bombal)by David Bombal1h 3m
- Practice: automate configuration backups
Part 7. Monitoring and observability3 lessons
Part 8. Defending the network9 lessons
- Zero trust network access explainedby The CISO Perspective8 min
- Zero trust architecture: NIST 800-207 explainedby The CISO Perspective10 min
- Introduction to microsegmentationby AlgoSec8 min
- Setting up pfSense firewall rules (Lawrence Systems)by Lawrence Systems17 min
- Host your own WireGuard VPN (David Bombal)by David Bombal38 min
- Suricata IDS/IPS: install, set up and tune alertsby Lawrence Systems27 min
- Network intrusion detection project with Suricata and Zeekby SkillsBuild Security1h 22m
- Know the attacks, build the defences
- Quiz: defending the network
Part 9. Career: from engineer to expert3 lessons
Part 10. Final project1 lesson
Capstone project: Capstone: design, automate and defend a multi-site network. You finish by building something real; a mentor reviews it before your certificate is issued.
About this course
This is not a beginner course. It's for developers, IT support staff, graduates and CCNA holders who want to operate at the level of the engineers who run banks, telcos, data centres and the internet itself. You'll learn to read packets like Chris Greer, one of the world's leading Wireshark analysts; route at internet scale with OSPF and BGP; understand how Africa's internet exchanges and the regional registries keep traffic local and how RPKI protects routes from hijacks; design spine-leaf and EVPN-VXLAN data centres, SD-WAN and AWS VPC networks; automate hundreds of devices with Python, Netmiko and Ansible; monitor networks properly; and defend them with zero trust, segmentation, firewalls, VPNs and intrusion detection. Everything is practised in your own lab. The goal: become the engineer a company trusts with its most critical network. About 18 hours of video plus labs.
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