This document outlines a practical exercise for Appalachian State University’s Managing IT Infrastructures (CIS 3580) course. It’s a Packet Tracer activity designed to help students investigate the TCP/IP and OSI models through hands-on network simulation. This assignment is intended for students actively enrolled in the course and completing a lab component.
The core purpose of this activity is to visualize how data is encapsulated and de-encapsulated as it travels across a network. Students will use Packet Tracer’s Simulation mode to observe HTTP web traffic, specifically requesting a web page from a server. This exercise reinforces theoretical understanding of network protocols and layered models.
This assignment focuses on *observing* network behavior within Packet Tracer. It does *not* provide in-depth explanations of the TCP/IP or OSI models themselves – those concepts are presumably covered in lectures and other course materials. It also doesn’t offer troubleshooting guidance or solutions to potential network issues.
The full document includes detailed, step-by-step instructions for: switching to Simulation mode, filtering events to focus on HTTP traffic, generating web traffic by browsing to a specific URL, and examining the resulting packets within the Event List. It guides users through capturing and forwarding network events to observe the encapsulation process. This preview only describes the assignment’s overall purpose and scope.