Dell Networking Foundations D-NWG-FN-23

Foundations

Validate your ability to install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Dell Technologies networking products — covering Ethernet, IP networking, VLANs, STP, routing, security, SNMP, and Smart Fabric Services automation.

Dell OS10 PowerSwitch SmartFabric VLANs STP / RSTP LAG / LACP IPv4 / IPv6 OSPF / BGP DHCP / NTP ACLs SNMP Smart Fabric Services

What You Will Learn

Seven Networking Foundations Modules

Build solid networking fundamentals on Dell Technologies products — from switch basics and Ethernet protocols through IP routing, services, security, operations, and Smart Fabric automation.

Module 01

Networking Essentials

›Purpose and function of network devices — switches (Layer 2 forwarding, MAC table learning) and routers (Layer 3 routing, ARP)
›Interface options — copper (RJ-45 1G/10G), SFP+ (10G), QSFP28 (100G), and DAC/AOC direct attach cables
›Cabling options — Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6A UTP, single-mode vs multi-mode fibre, and cable distance limits per standard
›Initial switch configuration steps — console access (9600 baud), hostname, management IP, default gateway, and SSH/Telnet access setup on Dell OS10

Module 02

Ethernet Technologies

›Ethernet addressing — MAC address structure (OUI + device ID), MAC learning, aging, and CAM table overflow prevention
›Ethernet framing — IEEE 802.3 frame format, MTU, jumbo frames (9216 bytes), and 802.1Q VLAN tagging
›LLDP — Link Layer Discovery Protocol operation, neighbour discovery, and configuring/verifying LLDP on Dell OS10 switches
›VLANs — VLAN database creation, access vs trunk ports, native VLAN, inter-VLAN routing (SVI), and private VLANs
›STP and RSTP — spanning tree operation, root bridge election, port roles (root/designated/alternate), BPDU guard, and PortFast
›LAG/LACP — static LAG vs dynamic LACP, port-channel creation, member port requirements, and load balancing hash methods
›Storage networking features — iSCSI VLAN isolation, DCB Priority Flow Control (PFC), and FCoE FIP snooping on Dell PowerSwitch

Module 03

IP Networking

›Private vs public IP addressing — RFC 1918 private ranges (10.x, 172.16-31.x, 192.168.x), NAT, and public IP allocation
›IPv4 addressing — classful vs classless, CIDR subnet notation, subnet mask calculation, broadcast, and network addresses
›IPv6 address format — 128-bit colon-hex notation, address types (global unicast, link-local, multicast, anycast), EUI-64
›Layer 3 forwarding logic — routing table longest-prefix match, administrative distance, and CEF forwarding on Dell OS10
›Static routing — ip route configuration, floating static routes, and next-hop vs exit-interface syntax
›Dynamic routing overview — OSPF (link-state, area design, adjacency) and BGP (eBGP peer configuration) on OS10

Module 04

Network Services

›DHCP — DHCP server configuration on Dell OS10 (pool, default-gateway, DNS), DHCP relay agent (ip helper-address), and verifying leases
›DHCP troubleshooting — client not receiving IP, stale lease, and rogue DHCP server detection
›NTP operation — stratum hierarchy, NTP server vs client mode, authentication, and clock synchronisation impact on syslog timestamps
›NTP configuration and verification — ntp server command, show ntp status, and best practices for redundant NTP sources on Dell switches

Module 05

Security Essentials

›Switch access security — console/VTY line password, SSH key generation, disable Telnet, and management ACL to restrict admin access by IP
›Local authentication — username/password configuration, privilege levels (0–15), and role-based access control on Dell OS10
›ACL fundamentals — standard ACL (source IP match), extended ACL (source/dest IP + port), named vs numbered ACLs
›ACL configuration and application — ip access-list, permit/deny rules, applying to interface (in/out), and verifying with show ip access-lists
›MAC-based security — port security (sticky MAC learning, violation actions), 802.1X port authentication overview

Module 06

Network Operations

›File transfer — copying config/firmware to/from switches using TFTP, SCP, and USB on Dell OS10; backup running-config to startup-config
›Common connectivity issues — duplex mismatch, VLAN misconfiguration, STP loop, routing table missing, and MTU mismatch diagnosis steps
›Switch OS upgrade procedure — download firmware image, verify checksum, schedule maintenance window, copy to flash, set boot image, and reload
›SNMP monitoring — SNMPv2c vs SNMPv3, community string / USM user config, enabling SNMP traps, and integration with Dell OpenManage or third-party NMS
›Syslog and logging — logging severity levels (0-Emergency to 7-Debug), remote syslog server config, and using logs for fault correlation

Module 07

Automation

›Smart Fabric Services (SFS) — purpose of fabric automation, zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) for Dell PowerSwitch, and SmartFabric Director overview
›SFS advantages — automated VLAN and port configuration propagation, reduced human error, and faster deployment vs manual CLI-based configuration
›REST API on Dell OS10 — RESTful API endpoint structure, GET/POST/PUT/DELETE methods for switch configuration, and JSON response parsing
›Ansible for Dell Networking — Dell OS10 Ansible modules (os10_command, os10_config, os10_facts), inventory file setup, and sample playbook for VLAN automation

Full Curriculum

7-Module D-NWG-FN-23 Programme

Complete networking foundations curriculum — from switch essentials and Ethernet protocols through IP routing, services, security, operations, and fabric automation.

›Purpose and function of switches (Layer 2 MAC forwarding, VLAN segmentation) and routers (Layer 3 IP routing, default gateway)
›Interface types — 1G/10G/25G/100G copper and fibre, SFP+/QSFP28 transceivers, DAC/AOC cables, and distance limitations
›Initial Dell OS10 switch configuration — console access, hostname, management IP (out-of-band vs in-band), SSH key generation, and NTP source

›Ethernet addressing — MAC OUI structure, dynamic MAC learning, CAM table flooding vs unicast, and broadcast domain boundaries
›VLANs — 802.1Q tag structure, access port (untagged), trunk port (tagged), native VLAN, voice VLAN, and inter-VLAN routing via SVI
›STP/RSTP — BID root bridge election, port state machine (Blocking→Listening→Learning→Forwarding), PortFast, BPDU Guard, and Root Guard
›LAG/LACP — LACP state machine, active vs passive mode, load balancing (src-dst-mac/ip), and min-links for resilience
›Storage networking — DCB Priority Flow Control, ETS traffic classification, and iSCSI VLAN best practices on Dell PowerSwitch

›IPv4 — classless addressing, VLSM subnetting (calculating hosts/networks), broadcast, and gateway configuration
›IPv6 — colon-hex notation, address shortening rules, global unicast (2000::/3), link-local (FE80::/10), EUI-64 interface ID generation
›Static routes — ip route syntax, administrative distance, floating static (backup route), and null0 black-hole routes
›Dynamic routing — OSPF area 0 backbone, neighbour adjacency (Hello/Dead timers), LSA flooding; eBGP peer-group configuration basics
›Layer 3 forwarding — routing table lookup, longest prefix match, and CEF (Cisco-equivalent FIB) on Dell OS10

›DHCP server on OS10 — ip dhcp pool, network, default-router, dns-server, lease duration, and excluded-address ranges
›DHCP relay — ip helper-address configuration on SVI for cross-VLAN DHCP forwarding, and verifying relay with debug ip dhcp
›NTP server/client — ntp server ip command, show ntp associations, stratum levels, and authentication key setup
›Syslog integration — logging host, severity level filtering, and timestamps for event correlation in fault management

›Securing switch access — password encryption (service password-encryption), SSH v2 (crypto key generate), disable Telnet, and VTY ACL to restrict management by source IP
›Local authentication — username privilege 15 secret, aaa authentication login local, and enable secret for privileged exec
›ACL design — standard ACL (match source IP), extended ACL (match src/dst IP + TCP/UDP port), permit/deny ordering, and implicit deny-all
›ACL application — interface-level (ip access-group in/out), VLAN-level filtering, and verification with show ip access-lists hit counts
›Port security — switchport port-security maximum, sticky MAC, violation (protect/restrict/shutdown) modes, and 802.1X overview

›File transfer — copy tftp://server/image.bin flash:, SCP secure copy, USB file copy, and verify image integrity with MD5/SHA checksum
›Connectivity troubleshooting toolkit — ping, traceroute, show interface (input/output errors, CRC), show mac address-table, show ip route, and show spanning-tree
›OS upgrade procedure — download new OS10 image, verify MD5, configure boot system, schedule maintenance window, reload, and post-upgrade validation
›SNMP v2c configuration — snmp-server community public ro, snmp-server host, enable traps (link-up/down, config change), and integration with Dell OpenManage
›Syslog and diagnostics — logging buffered 4096, show logging, remote syslog (logging host), and using tech-support bundle for TAC escalation

›Smart Fabric Services overview — Dell SmartFabric architecture, automated port configuration via LLDP-driven profiles, and zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) flow
›SFS advantages over manual CLI — automatic VLAN propagation, port profile assignment, and fabric-wide change rollback capability
›Dell OS10 REST API — API authentication (token-based), GET /restconf/data/dell-interface:interfaces, and POST to configure VLANs via HTTP/JSON
›Ansible for Dell Networking — installing dellemc.os10 collection, os10_command module (show commands), os10_config module (configure VLANs/IP), and os10_facts for inventory gathering

Live Training

Live Instructor

Mon–Fri · Weekend batches

Recording

Live class recording included

30 Days

1.5 hrs/day weekday · 3 hrs weekend

Course Materials

Study notes and resources

Tech Support

Call / WhatsApp support

Working Hours

Mon–Fri · 9 AM – 6 PM

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Dell Networking

Foundations

Seven Networking Foundations Modules

7-Module D-NWG-FN-23 Programme

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