New course: Networks 2, subnets, NAT, ports and HTTPS for teens
· version v8
Teens aged 15–17 learn real networking: subnet masks, private addresses and NAT, ports, TCP vs UDP, the HTTPS handshake and a server firewall.
How does a reply from a website find your laptop among all the devices in your house? Why does a school network get split into parts? What actually happens between pressing Enter and seeing the padlock? The new Networks 2 course answers these questions with hands-on levels for ages 15–17.
What teens do
- decide which addresses are on the same network as
192.168.10.25/24 - use a slider to find the smallest subnet for a computer lab of 50 devices
- split a company network into two departments with subnetting
- give a router-to-router link a /30 subnet
- sort private, public and special addresses like
127.0.0.1and169.254.x.x - trace a packet through NAT and the NAT table
- match traffic to ports and services: 22, 53, 80, 443, 587 and 993
- choose between TCP and UDP for video calls, games, downloads and DNS
- put the steps of an HTTPS connection in order, from DNS to the TLS session key
- finish by building a server firewall that uses everything they learned
Ready for the next step
The course gives a solid base for further study and for certifications such as Cisco CCNA. It works well in high school computing classes and coding clubs, and like every HexoQuest course it needs nothing but a browser.
As always, the first three levels are free, and the course takes about two lessons.
Try HexoQuest
The first 3 levels are free. Teachers and parents get a 30-day free trial.