Week Day Official Objective & Topic Hands-on / Lab Task (Using Free Tools) Status

1 1 1.1 OSI Model: Layers 1-7 & their purposes Draw the model and map protocols (Ethernet, IP, TCP, HTTP) to layers. ⬜
1 2 1.2 Networking Appliances: Routers, Switches, Firewalls, Load Balancers, Proxies Use Packet Tracer to build a network using these devices. ⬜
1 3 1.3 Cloud Concepts: IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, VPC, Cloud Gateways, Hybrid Cloud Create a free AWS account and explore the VPC dashboard. ⬜
1 4 1.4 Ports & Protocols: Top 15 protocols (FTP, SSH, DNS, DHCP, HTTP/S, etc.) Use netstat -an on your PC to find active connections. Create a cheat sheet. ⬜
1 5 1.4 Traffic Types: Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast, Anycast Use Wireshark to capture and filter for multicast (e.g., [Link] == ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff). ⬜
1 6 1.5 Media & Transceivers: Fiber types, Copper cables, SFP/QSFP, Connectors (LC, SC, RJ45) Research and identify images of different transceivers and connectors online. ⬜
1 7 Review Week 1 Flashcards on 1.4 Protocols & Ports. ⬜
2 8 1.6 Topologies & Architectures: Star, Mesh, Spine-Leaf, 3-Tier Model Draw a diagram of a Spine-Leaf data center architecture. ⬜
2 9 1.7 IPv4 Addressing: Public vs. Private (RFC1918), Subnetting, CIDR Subnetting practice. Calculate subnets for 10 different scenarios. ⬜
2 10 1.8 Evolving Use Cases: SDN, SD-WAN, VXLAN, Zero Trust (ZTA) Read a case study on SD-WAN vs. MPLS. ⬜
2 11 2.1 Routing Technologies: Static vs. Dynamic (OSPF, BGP), Route Selection In Packet Tracer, configure a static default route. ⬜
2 12 2.2 Switching Technologies: VLANs, 802.1Q, STP, Link Aggregation In Packet Tracer, create two VLANs and configure an 802.1Q trunk between switches. ⬜
2 13 2.3 Wireless Technologies: 802.11 standards, WPA3, Channels, SSID/BSSID Use a WiFi Analyzer app on your phone to see channel overlap. ⬜
2 14 Review Week 2 Subnetting practice. Review VLAN configurations. ⬜
3 15 2.4 Physical Installations: MDF/IDF, Racks, Power (UPS/PDU), Cooling Diagram a simple MDF/IDF layout for an office. ⬜
3 16 3.1 Organizational Procedures: Documentation, Life-cycle Mgmt, Change Mgmt Document the specs and warranty of your home router (Asset Mgmt). ⬜
3 17 3.2 Network Monitoring: SNMP, Flow Data, Packet Capture, SIEM Use Wireshark to capture and analyze HTTP traffic. ⬜
3 18 3.3 Disaster Recovery: RTO, RPO, DR Sites (Hot/Warm/Cold), HA Calculate the RTO and RPO for your personal computer data. ⬜
3 19 3.4 IPv4/IPv6 Services: DHCP (Scope, Relay), DNS (Record Types, Zone Types) On your Windows Server VM, install the DHCP role and create a scope. ⬜
3 20 3.4 cont'd: DNS - A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, PTR records Use nslookup to query different record types for a domain. ⬜
3 21 3.5 Remote Access: Site-to-Site VPN, SSH, Jump Hosts, Out-of-Band Mgmt Use SSH in your Ubuntu VM (ssh username@ip_address). ⬜
4 22 4.1 Security Concepts: CIA Triad, PKI, IAM (RADIUS, TACACS+), Geofencing Check certificates in your browser (Click the lock icon next to a URL). ⬜
4 23 4.2 Attack Types: DDoS, Social Engineering, ARP Poisoning, Rogue AP Research a recent phishing attack campaign. ⬜
4 24 4.3 Defense Techniques: Device Hardening, NAC, ACLs, Port Security In Packet Tracer, configure port security on a switch interface. ⬜
4 25 5.1 Troubleshooting Methodology: The 7-step process (Identify -> Document) Apply the 7 steps to a real problem: 'I cannot connect to WiFi.' ⬜
4 26 5.2 Cabling Issues: Cable types, Signal Degradation (Crosstalk, Attenuation) Watch a video on how to terminate an RJ-45 connector. ⬜
4 27 5.2 Interface Issues: CRC Errors, Runts, Giants, Port Status (err-disable) Use show interface in Packet Tracer to see interface counters. ⬜
4 28 Review Week 4 Practice exam focused on Domains 3, 4, and 5. ⬜
5 29 5.3 Service Issues: STP Loops, VLAN assignment, DHCP Issues, IP Conflicts In Packet Tracer, create a network loop and observe STP blocking a port. ⬜
5 30 5.4 Performance Issues: Latency, Jitter, Bandwidth, Congestion Use a public speed test site to measure your jitter and latency. ⬜
5 31 5.5 Tools: Software (ping, traceroute, nslookup, ipconfig) Run tracert [Link] to see the path to Google's DNS. ⬜
5 32 5.5 Tools: Hardware (Cable Testers, Toners, Wi-Fi Analyzers) If you have a simple Ethernet cable, test it. ⬜
5 33 All Domains: Review Weak Areas Re-study objectives from your lowest practice exam scores. ⬜
5 34 All Domains: Acronym List Review Flashcards for the first half of the official acronym list. ⬜
5 35 Review Week 5 Full-length timed practice exam (90 questions, 90 mins). ⬜
6 36 Exam Prep: Practice Test #1 Grade it. Review every answer, especially the incorrect ones. ⬜
6 37 Exam Prep: Target Weaknesses Study the specific objectives you struggled with. ⬜
6 38 Exam Prep: Practice Test #2 ⬜
6 39 Exam Prep: Final Acronym Review Test yourself on the entire official acronym list. ⬜
6 40 Exam Prep: Final Hands-on Review Run key commands: ping, ipconfig, nslookup, tracert. ⬜
6 41 Rest. Do not study. Trust your preparation. ⬜
7 42 EXAM DAY GOOD LUCK, VARAD! ⬜