OT: Training

Wed Jan 18 00:19:36 UTC 2006

All,

    I am working on a training proposal, and would appreciate your input.

    This training is going to be an introductory course aimed at 
those who are new to networking.

    Just to put it in context ... I'm presuming that most of you on 
this list have help desk personnel who would be 3 or more levels 
above the training I'm working on.  For example, if I even mention 
BGP it would be along the lines of "BGP is a routing protocol 
{presuming I've even mentioned routing protocols} that is used 
between ISPs." Period.  I don't expect that people coming out of this 
particular course will be able to do even non-VLSM subnetting - with 
a calculator, let alone on paper - but at least they will have seen it.

    What I'm more interested in from you all is something along the 
lines of - "What do you wish the Help Desk personnel that your Help 
Desk is trying to help actually knew."  Or even, more basically, 
"What do I wish that people interested in - or in the process of 
being hired for/"promoted to"/assigned to (because no one else wants 
it) -  network help desk assignments knew, or should be sent to 
training to learn, before even trying to talk to me".  What would be 
an appropriate 5-10 minute overview (i.e. what is MPLS and how does 
it help networks), and what might be appropriate for more in depth 
(i.e. IP Addressing basics).  What networking myths do you want me to bust?

    I may also be able to let them actually do something ... perhaps 
run a traceroute (live or canned, not sure yet) and explain how it 
works.  I will definitely have a chapter - or at least portion of a 
chapter - on history (how we got where we are), including the 
who/what/why/where/when of RFCs (traceroute might be a good one to 
explore the technical aspects of implementation; i.e. why should UDP 
be used instead of ICMP - what do the RFCs say about it).  If nothing 
else, I may assign some of Jon Postel's writing for research - like RFC 791 :-)

    Everyone has to start somewhere, and I want this to be the best, 
yet most succinct, training I can come up with.

    Please keep in mind that I only have 4 or 5 (probably 4) days to 
do this in.  It is meant to be an introduction, and not cure all 
network training fauxes pas (is that the correct plural?) in one fell 
swoop.  One of the other things I want to accomplish is to hook 
people on networking so that they will continue their training.

    Off-list replies welcome - you decide.

    Thanks.

    Regards.


				Ted Fischer