Book excerpt: Designing and Supporting Computer Networks, CCNA Discovery Learning Guide is the official supplemental textbook for the Designing and Supporting Computer Networks course in the Cisco® Networking Academy® CCNA® Discovery curriculum version 4. In this course, the last of four in the new curriculum, you progress through a variety of case studies and role-playing exercises, which include gathering requirements, designing basic networks, establishing proof-of-concept, and performing project management tasks. In addition, within the context of a pre-sales support position, you learn lifecycle services, including upgrades, competitive analyses, and system integration. The Learning Guide, written and edited by instructors, is designed as a portable desk reference to use anytime, anywhere to reinforce the material from the course and organize your time. The Learning Guide’s features help you focus on important concepts to succeed in this course: Chapter Objectives—Review core concepts by answering the focus questions listed at the beginning of each chapter. Key Terms—Refer to the lists of networking vocabulary introduced and highlighted in context in each chapter. The Glossary defines each key term. Summary of Activities and Labs—Maximize your study time with this complete list of all associated exercises at the end of each chapter. Check Your Understanding—Evaluate your readiness with the end-of-chapter questions that match the style of questions you see in the online course quizzes. The answer key explains each answer. Challenge Questions and Activities—Apply a deeper understanding of the concepts with these challenging end-of-chapter questions and activities. The answer key explains each answer. Hands-on Labs—Master the practical, hands-on skills of the course by performing all the tasks in the course labs included in Part II of the Learning Guide. Portfolio Documents—Develop a professional network design portfolio as you work through real-life case studies. All the course portfolio documents and support materials are provided for you in this Learning Guide and on the CD-ROM. How To—Look for this icon to study the steps you need to learn to perform certain tasks. Interactive Activities—Reinforce your understanding of topics with exercises from the online course identified throughout the book with this icon. The files for these activities are on the accompanying CD-ROM. Packet Tracer Activities—Explore and visualize networking concepts using Packet Tracer exercises interspersed throughout some chapters. The files for these activities are on the accompanying CD-ROM. Packet Tracer v4.1 software developed by Cisco is available separately. Hands-on Labs—Master the practical, hands-on skills of the course by working through all 71 labs in this course included in Part II of the book. The labs are an integral part of the CCNA Discovery curriculum—review the core text and the lab material to prepare for all your exams. Companion CD-ROM **See instructions within the ebook on how to get access to the files from the CD-ROM that accompanies this print book.** The CD-ROM includes Interactive Activities Packet Tracer Activity files All Portfolio documents IT Career Information Taking Notes Lifelong Learning This book is part of the Cisco Networking Academy Series from Cisco Press®. Books in this series support and complement the Cisco Networking Academy curriculum.