Basic Networking

A roughly one-hour HackSU session combining slides and live hardware demos. Built for CS majors with mixed experience, including people encountering networking for the first time.

The running question: What happens when my laptop sends data to another computer?

Start here

• Run python app.py and open http://127.0.0.1:5174 for the deck, or /notes for speaker notes.
• Run python build.py, then open dist/index.html for an offline static copy.
• Slide outline: slide content, speaker prompts, and demo transitions.
• Demo runbook: equipment, setup, commands, expected observations, and fallbacks.
• Packet Tracer companion lab: attendee setup and checkpoints alongside the physical demo.
• The deck includes linked references and matching speaker notes with the full run of show.

Setup and presenting

Use Python 3.13 or newer:

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
.venv\Scripts\python app.py

Use arrows, space, Page Up / Page Down, or the navigation buttons. Home and End jump to the first and last slide. The NOTES link opens the presenter reference separately. For a static build, use .venv\Scripts\python build.py. Keep the entire dist/ folder together, including static/, when copying it to another machine.

The 28 main slides cover the scheduled hour, including a vendor overview, live demos, and questions. Three appendix slides cover optional port security, EtherChannel, and references. The five-minute travel-router segment can be replaced with rehearsed port security; appendices do not add time to the session.

The presenter uses actual hardware. Attendees can follow the local-network demo in Packet Tracer or watch/share a screen. Ask them to install, sign in, and build the starter topology before the session. The companion guide includes the construction steps; no prebuilt .pkt file is supplied yet, and the app workflow still needs rehearsal.

Explain the concepts first, then move into one continuous hands-on block:

• 00:00-36:00: concept slides, including transport protocols, DHCP/DNS, and internet access.
• 36:00-53:00: physical hardware demo with Packet Tracer follow-along, then travel-router inspection.
• 53:00-60:00: recap and questions.

All presentation assets are local. Following external reference links requires internet access. The ignored docs/ folder contains local planning material and is not needed to run or build the deck.

GitHub Pages

Slides · Speaker notes · Companion lab

The deployment workflow builds and publishes dist/ on each push to main. It can also be run manually from GitHub Actions. The deployment includes the deck, notes.html, shared assets, and labs/packet-tracer.md, so attendees can download the companion guide without access to this repository. Local docs/ planning material is not published. The repository's Pages publishing source must be GitHub Actions.

Scope

Cover TCP/IP and the OSI model, Ethernet and MAC addresses, IPv4 versus IPv6, switches versus hubs versus routers, and DSL versus cable versus fiber versus cellular access. Use this hardware to connect concepts to physical equipment:

• TP-Link 5-port Gigabit desktop switch, used as the unmanaged switch in the lab.
• GL.iNet AC1200 wireless travel router, used for DHCP and gateway inspection.
• Cisco Catalyst 3560 series PoE switch: 48 copper 10/100 Fast Ethernet ports and four SFP slots. No SFP modules are available, so the demo uses copper ports for hosts and the inter-switch link.

The earlier mobile hotspot is optional upstream equipment, not required by the updated demos. The GL.iNet is not assumed to contain a cellular modem.

Port security is an optional replacement demo. EtherChannel is an optional conceptual extension until compatible hardware is confirmed. The core session fits 60 minutes including questions.

Current state

The deck and speaker notes are in templates/, with shared assets in static/. The demo instructions assume Windows presenter commands, two Ethernet-capable hosts, and an isolated lab. Those hosts and any adapters still need confirming. The exact Catalyst product ID, software, console access, TP-Link model, and GL.iNet model remain unconfirmed. The copper ports support at most 100 Mb/s. Check the negotiated speed during rehearsal; the SFP slots remain unused.

Before presenting

• Identify the Catalyst product ID and software, test console access, and check negotiated copper link speeds.
• Identify the GL.iNet and TP-Link model numbers; rehearse router mode and local DHCP on the GL.iNet.
• Confirm two hosts, Ethernet adapters, cables, and presenter display arrangements.
• Rehearse the offline demo and save backup output from the actual hardware.
• Rehearse the Packet Tracer companion lab and distribute its setup instructions before the session.
• Decide whether travel-router inspection or port security will occupy the optional demo slot.
• Rehearse to 53 minutes, leaving seven minutes for recap and questions.

Template credit

Adapted from the HacKSU Presentation Template at 64f8d8e. The Flask routes, static builder, visual theme, logo, and particle background come from that template.