SOI Asia Online Course: Operating the Internet

Badge Description

The Operating the Internet course introduces the fundamentals of Internet operations, focusing on the planning and management of networks of various scales—from home setups to enterprise environments—through project-based learning narratives. Learners acquire essential technical skills, such as routing with OSPF, DNS configuration using BIND, and IPv6 deployment techniques, and also develop an understanding of their role within the global Internet operations community.

The course begins with a mission: learners take on the role of a network operator tasked with designing and deploying a campus network. Step by step, they learn how to connect devices, link the network to the Internet, and configure switches and routers using appropriate technologies. They also explore DNS by setting up BIND on Linux servers in virtual lab environments.

Beyond the campus network, the course explores the core technologies and tools that support global Internet operations. Learners deepen their understanding of how collaborative communities of operators around the world sustain the Internet and gain practical experience through hands-on exercises in a simulated environment.

Study Requirement: 5 weeks, 4 hours per week

Topics Covered in This Course

Plan your network – Let’s get started
- Plan a campus network
- Design your network architecture
- Configure devices for network connectivity
- Diagnose and troubleshoot your network
Routing and routers
- Understand routes, routers, and routing
- Introduction to routing protocols
- Deploy OSPF
Switching and physical connectivities
- Understand Layer 1: the physical layer
- Understand Layer 2: the data link layer
- Design and deploy Layer 1 and Layer 2
- Operate and troubleshoot Layer 1 and Layer 2
Managing Names and Addresses
- DNS server roles
- Configure a DNS server with BIND
- DNS configuration in the virtual lab
Security and privacy considerations
- IPv6 Fundamentals
- Understand IPv6 addresses
- Allocate IPv6 addresses
- Automatic address configuration
- IPv6 routing basics

Learning Outcomes

This course offers learners the ability to:

Explain the key technologies required for devices to connect to a network.
Explain the mechanisms for connecting networks to each other as part of the Internet.
Design and deploy small networks.
Identify and resolve problems in daily network operations.
Evaluate network security risks and protection measures in daily network operations.
Apply configurations to network devices for network deployment.
Apply basic configurations to services running on Linux servers for optimal network operation.

Related Courses

SOI Asia Online Course: Understanding the Internet
Understanding the Internet is one of the components of the APIE Core Courses and provides foundational knowledge of how the Internet works.
APIE e-Workshop
APIE e-Workshop is a bi-weekly interactive online series where guest speakers — including professionals from the Internet industry, academia, and Internet governance — share their experiences, insights, and engage with APIE learners.

Note: The APIE e-Workshop is part of the APIE Core Course and is designed to be taken alongside the SOI Asia online courses Understanding the Internet and Operating the Internet to enrich the learning experience. Learn more about the APIE Core Course at apie.soi.asia.

Prerequisite

Completion of the SOI Asia Online Course: Understanding the Internet is required before taking this course.

Criteria

This badge was awarded to the learners who completed the following criteria:

Active participation and contribution to social learning.
Submission of required assignments.
90% completion of the course content, including videos, articles, quizzes, discussions, and virtual hands-on practices.