Network Architect Course

Lesson 1 • Networking Models and Frameworks

Covers OSI and TCP/IP models, their layers, and practical relevance to design decisions. Establishes the conceptual vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Network Topologies and Media

Surveys physical and logical topologies alongside transmission media types. Connects topology choice to performance, resilience, and cost trade-offs.

Lesson 3 • Network Architecture Design Principles

Introduces hierarchical design, modularity, and scalability as guiding principles. Frames how architects balance performance, availability, and manageability.

Lesson 4 • Switching and Routing Basics

Introduces Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing concepts essential for segmenting and interconnecting networks. Prepares students for advanced routing in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Campus Network Design Patterns

Applies hierarchical and collapsed-core models to real campus scenarios. Students evaluate design patterns against capacity, budget, and resilience goals.

Lesson 2 • Structured Cabling and Physical Design

Covers cabling standards, data centre infrastructure, and physical plant planning. Connects physical layer decisions to long-term network reliability.

Lesson 3 • Advanced Switching and VLANs

Deepens VLAN design, trunking protocols, and inter-VLAN routing strategies. Builds on basic switching to support multi-segment campus environments.

Lesson 4 • High Availability and Redundancy

Addresses link aggregation, first-hop redundancy, and dual-homed designs for continuous availability. Ties redundancy techniques to uptime and failover requirements.

Lesson 1 • WAN Redundancy and Optimisation

Covers dual-carrier WAN designs, WAN optimisation techniques, and QoS for wide-area links. Ensures students can meet SLA requirements across distributed sites.

Lesson 2 • Interior Gateway Routing Protocols

Covers OSPF, EIGRP, and IS-IS operation, metric calculation, and area design. Provides the routing protocol knowledge needed for enterprise WAN design.

Lesson 3 • Border Gateway Protocol and Internet Routing

Examines BGP attributes, path selection, and policy-based routing for internet connectivity. Connects BGP design to multi-homing and traffic engineering goals.

Lesson 4 • WAN Technologies and Connectivity

Surveys MPLS, SD-WAN, leased lines, and broadband WAN options. Connects technology selection to bandwidth, latency, and cost requirements.

Lesson 1 • VXLAN and Network Virtualisation

Examines VXLAN encapsulation, EVPN control plane, and overlay network design. Enables students to extend Layer 2 domains across routed data centre fabrics.

Lesson 2 • Data Centre Interconnect Strategies

Covers DCI technologies including dark fibre, DWDM, and stretched fabric designs. Prepares students to connect geographically separated data centres reliably.

Lesson 3 • Storage Networking Integration

Addresses Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and NVMe-oF storage networking within data centre designs. Connects storage protocol choice to latency, throughput, and fabric requirements.

Lesson 4 • Data Centre Design Fundamentals

Introduces data centre tiers, physical layout, and power and cooling considerations. Frames how physical infrastructure constrains and shapes network design.

Lesson 1 • Intrusion Detection and Prevention

Addresses IDS and IPS placement, signature and behavioural detection, and inline vs. passive modes. Enables students to position detection controls within the network architecture.

Lesson 2 • Security Architecture Principles

Establishes defence-in-depth, least privilege, and zero-trust as architectural frameworks. Provides the security design philosophy applied throughout this chapter.

Lesson 3 • Firewall and Perimeter Design

Covers stateful and next-generation firewall placement, DMZ design, and perimeter policy. Connects firewall architecture to traffic flow and threat containment.

Lesson 4 • Encrypted Traffic and VPN Architecture

Covers IPsec, TLS, and VPN topologies for securing traffic across untrusted networks. Connects encryption design to performance, key management, and compliance needs.

Lesson 1 • Container and Microservice Networking

Addresses container network interfaces, service mesh, and east-west traffic in microservice architectures. Connects modern application deployment patterns to network design decisions.

Lesson 2 • Multi-Cloud Network Design

Examines transit networking, cloud exchange fabrics, and inter-cloud routing strategies. Enables students to design consistent connectivity across multiple cloud providers.

Lesson 3 • Hybrid Cloud Connectivity

Covers dedicated interconnects, VPN gateways, and SD-WAN integration for hybrid cloud access. Connects on-premises networks to cloud environments with predictable performance.

Lesson 4 • Cloud Security and Compliance Architecture

Covers cloud-native security controls, shared responsibility, and compliance-driven network segmentation. Ensures students embed security requirements into cloud network designs.

Lesson 1 • Automation Concepts and Tools

Introduces network automation drivers, toolchain components, and automation maturity models. Frames why and how automation transforms network architecture and operations.

Lesson 2 • Intent-Based Networking

Covers intent-based networking platforms, closed-loop automation, and policy abstraction. Prepares students to design self-validating networks that enforce business intent.

Lesson 3 • Infrastructure as Code for Networks

Examines declarative configuration management, version control, and CI/CD pipelines for network changes. Connects IaC practices to consistent, auditable network deployments.

Lesson 4 • APIs and Programmable Interfaces

Covers REST APIs, NETCONF, RESTCONF, and gRPC for programmatic network device interaction. Enables students to integrate network devices into automated workflows.

Lesson 1 • Network Capacity and Performance Planning

Covers traffic modelling, capacity forecasting, and performance baseline techniques for enterprise networks. Enables architects to size and plan networks for current and future demand.

Lesson 2 • Business Requirements and Architecture Alignment

Translates business goals, SLAs, and regulatory requirements into network architecture constraints. Establishes the requirements-driven design process used in enterprise projects.

Lesson 3 • Network Resilience and Disaster Recovery

Addresses RTO, RPO, redundancy strategies, and disaster recovery network design. Ensures students can architect networks that meet business continuity requirements.

Lesson 4 • Architecture Documentation and Governance

Covers architecture documentation standards, design review processes, and lifecycle governance. Prepares students to produce and maintain professional architecture artefacts.