Network Engineer

As a Network Engineer, it is essential to learn these protocols to ensure

Author: Ali Asad (Network Engineer | MikroTik Certified: MTCNA, MTCRE | HCIA)
 Author: Ali Asad

● Rou ng Protocols

1. BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)

o Used for routing between different autonomous systems, particularly in connecting

2. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)

o An internal gateway protocol used for routing within a single autonomous system.

3. EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol)

o Cisco proprietary protocol used for efficient and scalable routing within an
enterprise.

4. IS-IS (Intermediate System to Intermediate System)

o Used in large service provider networks and sometimes in large enterprise networks
for internal routing.

5. RIP (Routing Information Protocol)

o An older protocol used in small to medium-sized networks, less common in large

● Switching Protocols

1. STP (Spanning Tree Protocol)

o Prevents loops in network topologies by creating a spanning tree that spans all
switches in a network.

2. RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol)

o An enhancement of STP that provides faster convergence.

3. MSTP (Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol)

o Allows multiple VLANs to be mapped to a single spanning tree instance.

4. VTP (VLAN Trunking Protocol)

o Manages VLAN configuration across multiple switches.

5. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol)

o Combines multiple physical links into a single logical link for redundancy and
increased throughput.

6. xVLAN (Extended VLAN)

o Used to extend VLANs across multiple Layer 2 switches and network domains.

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● VPN Tunneling Protocols

1. GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation)

o Encapsulates a wide variety of network layer protocols to create point-to-point

2. IPSec (Internet Protocol Security)

o Secures IP communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet for VPN

3. L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol)

o A tunneling protocol often paired with IPSec for secure VPN connections.

4. SSL/TLS VPN

o Secure VPN tunnels that use SSL/TLS protocols for encrypted web-based access.

5. MPLS VPN

o Leverages MPLS to provide secure, private VPNs across provider networks.

● High Availability Protocols

1. VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol)

o Provides high availability by ensuring that a backup router takes over if the primary
router fails.

2. HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol)

o Cisco's proprietary version of VRRP.

3. GLBP (Gateway Load Balancing Protocol)

o Cisco proprietary protocol that provides load balancing and redundancy for multiple
gateways.

● Mul cast Protocols

1. IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol)

o Manages multicast group memberships in IPv4 networks.

2. PIM (Protocol Independent Multicast)

o Used for routing multicast traffic, supporting both Sparse Mode (SM) and Dense
Mode (DM).

3. MLD (Multicast Listener Discovery)

o IPv6 equivalent of IGMP, used for multicast group management.

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● Security Protocols

1. IPSec (Internet Protocol Security)

o Provides encryption and authentication for IP-based communications.

2. SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security)

o Encrypts communications for secure connections over the internet.

3. 802.1X

o Enables port-based network access control using authentication mechanisms.

4. RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service)

o Centralizes user authentication for network access.

5. TACACS+ (Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System Plus)

o Cisco proprietary protocol for device administration and access control.

● Quality of Service (QoS) Protocols

1. MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)

o Directs data from one network node to the next based on short path labels rather
than long network addresses.

2. DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point)

o Marks packets for QoS treatment, enabling traffic prioritization.

3. CoS (Class of Service)

o Provides QoS at Layer 2 by prioritizing traffic using VLAN tags.

● IPv6 Protocols

1. NDP (Neighbor Discovery Protocol)

o Replaces ARP in IPv6 networks, enabling neighbor address resolution.

2. SLAAC (Stateless Address Autoconfiguration)

o Allows automatic IPv6 address assignment without a DHCP server.

3. DHCPv6 (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for IPv6)

o Assigns IPv6 addresses dynamically with enhanced features compared to SLAAC.

● Automa on and Management Protocols

1. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

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o Monitors and manages network devices in enterprise environments.

2. NetFlow

o Cisco's protocol for collecting and analyzing traffic flows in a network.

3. NTP (Network Time Protocol)

o Synchronizes time across network devices to ensure consistency.

4. SYSLOG

o Provides logging of events and errors from network devices.

● Wireless and Access Protocols

1. CAPWAP (Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points)

o Enables centralized management of wireless access points.

2. WPA2/WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

o Provides secure encryption and authentication for wireless networks.

3. 802.11 Standards

o Defines wireless networking protocols (e.g., 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax).

This comprehensive list covers critical protocols for modern networks, including routing, switching,
security, VPN tunnels, QoS, and automation protocols. Mastering these will help ensure the
efficient design, management, and optimization of enterprise and service provider networks.

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