The course aims to train the student in the installation, configuration, deployment and maintenance of any data communications network infrastructure. The course provides the student with the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to be able to implement any network for any company, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, including network infrastructure and equipment, protection systems using firewalls, Voice over IP services, as well as their interconnection to the public Internet through any ISP.
To this end, throughout the course the student must face, in groups of 2 people, a whole set of fully practical scenarios. This course is developed entirely in the "Laboratorio de Telemática" lab.
If the student successfully passes the Networking Laboratory course, they obtain a solid foundation to sit for the official certifications Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA) and Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) R80 by taking the PCNSA and Check Point 156-215.80 exams, respectively. These exams are taken at an external certifying entity outside the university.
Titular Professors
Professors
It is recommended to have completed Local Area Networks (49063 / 49A63).
The Networking Laboratory course aims to train the student so that they acquire the necessary knowledge to:
- Design and build scalable computer networks by applying high-availability criteria.
- Acquire the basic general knowledge about the field of study: conceptually understand protocols.
- Ability to apply knowledge in practice: implementation of data networks and interconnection of different technologies and protocols.
- Teamwork. This is a skill that is enhanced throughout the practical work, so that students acquire coordination, responsibility and planning abilities.
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Ability to learn.
- Ability to generate new ideas (creativity). Identify and analyse problems in data networks in an analytical and structured way.
- Problem solving. Solve problems efficiently and effectively.
The main areas of knowledge of the course are:
- (A1) Construction, analysis and maintenance of network cabling.
- (A2) Switching and routing of data networks.
- (A3) IPv4 and IPv6 addressing.
- (A4) ToIP.
- (A5) WAN technologies.
- (A6) Virtualisation.
- (A7) VLANs.
- (A8) Perimeter security.
- (A9) Wireless networks (WLAN).
- (A10) Advanced functionalities (NAT, ACLs, VRF, Load Balancing, High Availability, VPNs, etc).
- (A11) Data Center technologies.
- (A12) Advanced Firewalling.
The 21 practical sessions that make up the course and the areas of knowledge to which they belong are listed below:
- 1st Semester
- P0: Routing exercises 1 and 2 (A2, A3, A6)
- P1: Networks, routers and LAN “sniffers” (A2, A3)
- P2: Networking with Linux & VMWare (A2, A3, A6)
- P3: Installation and certification of structured cabling (A1)
- P4: Basic Palo Alto Firewall (A2, A3, A8, A10)
- P5: HAProxy (A2, A3, A6, A10)
- P6: Smart Switch Router 8000 (A2, A3, A7)
- P7: WAN Routers (A2, A3, A5, A10)
- P8: Basic Check Point Firewall (A2, A3, A8, A10)
- P9: Networking with IPv6 (A2, A3, A10)
- P10: ASA Firewall (A2, A3, A8, A10)
- 2nd Semester
- P11: WLAN (A2, A3, A9)
- P12: Technologies in Data Centers (A2, A3, A7, A10, A11)
- P13: Advanced Palo Alto Firewall (A2, A3, A8, A12)
- P14: ToIP - FreePBX + SIPServer (A2, A3, A4, A7)
- P15: Networking in Linux environments (A2, A3, A10).
- P16: MPLS (A2, A3, A5, A10)
- P17: Advanced Check Point Firewall (A2, A3, A7, A10, A11)
- P18: Fortinet Firewall (A2, A3, A7, A10, A11)
- P19: Routing exercises 3 and 4 (A2, A3, A6)
Classes are 100% practical and take place entirely in the laboratory. Throughout two semesters, students carry out cycles of different rotating practical sessions. In each session, the student faces a different practical scenario and must implement, using real equipment, the scenarios and technologies proposed in the documentation for each practical session. The practical sessions are self-contained and consist of a first part with theory that introduces the concepts to be worked on, and a practical part where the operation of the devices and the scenarios to be set up for each practical session are detailed. The lecturer carries out teaching support tasks and resolves both theoretical and practical doubts during the class session.
The student must work on the theoretical part before the practical session and must complement this work with additional hours of practical work during the periods of free access to the laboratory in order to achieve all the concepts.
At the end of each semester, students must take a practical exam. In this exam, students will have to implement the scenario proposed to them, which will synthesise several of the pieces of knowledge covered and worked on during the semester.
The course is assessed through a continuous assessment system complemented by two semester exams, one for each semester.
The grade for each semester is obtained from the following elements:
- Continuous assessment: 40%
- It includes practical exercises, activities carried out throughout the semester, and participation in the course forum.
- Semester exam: 60%
In order for the continuous assessment to be weighted together with the exam, a minimum grade of 3.5 out of 10 must be obtained in the exam for each semester. Otherwise, the semester grade will correspond only to the exam grade.
To pass the course, both semesters must be passed separately. The final course grade will be the average of the two semester grades once both have been passed.
The course provides the possibility of retaking one semester exam within the ordinary examination period under certain conditions, provided that the student has adequately followed the continuous assessment. In addition, in the extraordinary examination period in July, the continuous assessment grade obtained during the course is kept.
The following will be assessed:
- Acquiring the basic general knowledge about the field of study.
- Ability to apply knowledge in practice.
- Teamwork.
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Ability to learn.
- Ability to generate new ideas (creativity).
- Problem solving.
- Designing and building scalable computer networks.
Abella, J., Mallorquí, A., & Sarró, A. (2025). Telematics Laboratory practical manual. La Salle URL.
- Stallings, W. (1997). Computer Communications and Networks, Fifth Edition. Prentice Hall.
- Tanenbaum, A. (1991). Computer Networks. Prentice Hall.