Hi there, I am currently in high school and am currently very keen on networking. I am looking to build something at home that i can store stuff on and can play around with to learn. This is what I looking at having, a pc with hdd/hdds to store documents, tv, and movies on. This then goes on to a switch (don't know if I should go managed or unmanaged?), which will allow me to hook it up to different devices in my house. From this I can communicate between each device to share and send stuff between them.
So is this plausible and or able to be done? Im not worried about how sensible it is Im just looking at something to play with, learn with and to basically house some data.
Can you also provide any tips and/or hints that will help me? I know a bit about networks but Im a virgin at building them!
Thanks everyone.
So just connecting a NAS to the network. Nothing wrong there.
If you plan to make use of LACP on the NAS, then a managed switch is better so that the switch can be told which links are aggregating. Larger switches, like 16 - 48 port, tend to be managed anyway. But don't be put off, you only really need to touch the configuration if you plan on setting up the fore-mentioned LACP and if you want to play with VLANs and other neat little networking things.
You could just get an un-managed switch, but there for deploying a small network rapidly and don't allow you to play and get your fingers dirty.
As for building networks, small networks are literally a case of plug and play. On smaller networks you find yourself playing with network services (DHCP, DNS etc) more than anything.
If you really want to look deeper into the darker realms of networking or on a larger scale and routing protocols that can be used. I'd advice looking for somewhere near you that offers Cisco CCNA (as a starting point)
Zanginator has a very good point. Get a couple of extra routers and get familiarized with them. There is a lot of experiments waiting to do on your home network. I have 2 Windows 2008 servers up and running. I have my own VPN, Domain controller ETC. Do what your heart desires.
If you can, take some A+ classes to learn more on computer repair, and also a Cisco (As in the networking company, not the food company) networking classes. They are going to be essential for the networking field
Okay thanks heaps for the suggustions
Check logan's video about FreeNAS, that should point you in the right direction. As for the networking part, if it's for home use, don't break the bank to buy a managed switch. Get a GOOD unmanaged switch (check the throughput , it should equals the speed of the ports times the number of ports times 2; ie. 16Gb/s for a 8 ports GigE switch), as these can already rack up quite quickly.
If you wanna play around some networking hardware but lack the wallet (stuff's get pretty expensive once you get into routers from big companies like Juniper, Cisco and the likes) I strongly recommend getting your hands on GNS3 which emulates routers (and very soon switches !). At least you can play around without destroying anything and with virtually unlimited amount of hardware.
There's also Cisco's own Packet Tracer which emulates all kind of Cisco hardware (switches, firewalls, routers, etc.) but it's not vendor agnostic, and it doesn't emulates all the functions.
Hope this helps