Chapter 8: Configuring Various Networks

Connecting a Windows client to a network has, these days, become an automatic process. When the Windows Operating System (OS) is installed, the default network drivers and settings are usually enough to get you connected and to locate a server or router that governs the network environment. They provide the necessary information to the client to connect to the local network.

In a typical home or public network, this is often just a matter of plugging in an Ethernet cable, or in the case of wireless connections, entering the Service Set Identifier (SSID) and a password, if applicable, to access resources such as the internet.

Connecting a device to an organization's network can be more complex and the default settings may not be sufficient to connect to a network or access specific resources. Regardless of the network settings or complexity, it's not an uncommon occurrence for a device to occasionally have difficulty connecting...

Technical requirements

In this chapter, you will see us use PowerShell code. This code is available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Microsoft-Exam-MD-100-Windows-10-Certification-Guide.

The steps that you will follow have also been recorded. You can find these videos at https://bit.ly/2LsQDqD.

Configuring the IP settings

To configure networking and the connectivity between these networks, you must understand and familiarize yourself with the IPv4 or IPv6 addresses and how they work. Computers can only communicate if they can identify each other. In this section, you will learn about the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

Understanding the IPv4 address

You have to assign a unique IPv4 address to each computer, which is connected to the network so that the computer can identify itself to the other network-connected computers. This IPv4 address, combined with the subnet mask, will determine the location of the computer on the network. You can relate this to a street name and house number to identify the address of a house.

In the following diagram, you can see an example of the IPv4 addresses on a network:

Figure 8.1 - An example of the IPv4 addresses on a network

In the previous diagram, you can see two different subnets. Computers located on their...

Configuring mobile networking

Some devices, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro X, that have the Windows 10 OS installed, can support connectivity by cellular networks, such as 4G or LTE. This can be useful to end users who are unable to access Wi-Fi networks, but still need access to your corporate services and resources.

Setting up a cellular network

Before you can use cellular network connectivity, you must have a computer or laptop that supports this option. If your computer or laptop has or supports this feature, then you have to obtain a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or an embedded SIM (eSIM) for your Windows 10 device. After you have installed the SIM or eSIM on your Windows 10 device, you must configure Windows 10 to connect using the cellular network. Microsoft can provide this connectivity through the Mobile Plans app. When you start the app, the app detects your SIM or eSIM and then guides you through the setup process.

If you have a SIM or eSIM installed and you...

Configuring remote access

Windows 10 helps users boost their efficiency regardless of where they are situated or the data they need. Windows 10 also allows the use of a VPN to allow users to access their work environments anywhere they connect.

An overview of VPNs

A VPN contains a point-to-point connection between individual network components via a public network such as the internet. Tunneling protocols allow a VPN client to link to a VPN server's listening virtual port and keep it attached. The data is encapsulated—or wrapped—and prefixed with a header to emulate a point-to-point connection. This header provides routing information that allows the data to reach its destination through a public network. The data is encrypted to ensure confidentiality to emulate a private link. Packets intercepted over the public network without encryption keys are indecipherable. There are two types of VPN connections:

• Remote access: Remote access VPN connections...

Configuring Wi-Fi profiles

A growing number of devices use wireless networks as the primary method of accessing corporate intranets and the internet. Furthermore, many consumers in a corporate environment have come to expect a wireless infrastructure. Consequently, an excellent working awareness of wireless connectivity is a necessity for today's networking world. This section explores the various wireless specifications as well as the setup and support of Windows 10 wireless clients.

Understanding the technology of wireless networks

Wireless networks use radio waves to connect wireless devices to other devices in your network. Wireless networks are generally composed of wireless network devices, APs, and 802.11x wireless bridges.

Wireless network topologies come in two types:

• Infrastructure: Wireless infrastructure networks consist of wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) and cellular networks, which involve the use of a device, such as an AP, to enable wireless...

Troubleshooting networking issues

You will have to troubleshoot networking issues in Windows 10 every now and then.

Windows 10 comes with several tools that you can use to diagnose network issues. The tools you can use are as follows:

• Event Viewer: Event logs are files that document significant events, such as when a process experiences an error on a computer. In the system log, IP conflicts are reflected and may prevent services from starting. When these events occur, Windows must record the incident in a log.

  To read the file, you can use Event Viewer. When you troubleshoot issues on Windows 10, you can view the events in the event logs to determine the cause of the problem. You can use Event Viewer to view the Application, Security, Setup, and System logs, which you can find under the Windows Logs node.

  When selecting a log and then selecting an event, the details of the specified event are given in a preview pane under the event list. Check for errors or alerts relating...

Summary

In this chapter, you learned what IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are and how they work to communicate between two or more hosts. Another essential part of an IP address is the subnets, which indicate whether the computer is on the same network or another network. You also learned what public, private, and APIPA IP addresses are.

We talked about how you can connect your Windows 10 device to a cellular network and how you can share this internet connectivity with the built-in hotspot feature. Furthermore, you learned about the VPN possibilities in Windows 10 and how a VPN communicates with different protocols that you can use. You also learned how you can create a VPN connection and other VPN options, such as implementing Always On VPN so that users are always automatically connected to company resources on your corporate network.

Aside from the previously mentioned connectivities, you learned about the Wi-Fi 802.11x norms and you are now able to secure your wireless network....

Questions

1. Can you use a Class E network?
2. How many hosts can you connect to in a Class B network?
3. Which mechanism can you use to configure alternate IP settings?
4. Can Microsoft provide you with a cellular plan?
5. Is IKEv1 a valid VPN protocol?
6. Is WEP encryption the most secure Wi-Fi encryption that you can use?

Further reading

• Understanding TCP/IP addressing and subnetting basics: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/164015/understanding-tcp-ip-addressing-and-subnetting-basics
• Six benefits of IPv6: https://www.networkcomputing.com/networking/six-benefits-ipv6
• IPv4 address converter: https://www.vultr.com/resources/ipv4-converter/
• IPv6 explained for beginners: http://www.steves-Internet-guide.com/ipv6-guide/
• IEEE 802.11: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11