Networking today

Topics covered: role of networks in daily life and business; LAN, WAN, Internet and cloud services; clients, servers, switches, routers and wireless access points; network diagrams; reliable networks: fault tolerance, scalability, quality of service and security.

Practical activities: identify network devices and their roles; read a basic network diagram; describe the path of data between two devices.

Basic switch and end-device configuration

Topics covered: Cisco IOS basics; CLI navigation; hostnames and passwords; device security basics; IP configuration on end devices; basic switch management.

Practical activities: configure a Cisco switch hostname; secure access with passwords; configure a management IP address; save and verify configuration.

Protocols and models

Topics covered: why protocols are needed; OSI and TCP/IP models; encapsulation and de-encapsulation; PDUs; communication rules between devices.

Practical activities: match protocols to OSI layers; explain encapsulation; use Wireshark or Packet Tracer simulation mode to observe traffic.

Physical layer

Topics covered: copper, fiber and wireless media; Ethernet cabling; bandwidth, throughput and latency; physical layer standards; common cabling problems.

Practical activities: identify Ethernet cables and ports; choose the correct medium for a scenario; diagnose physical connectivity issues.

Number systems

Topics covered: decimal, binary and hexadecimal; binary conversion; IPv4 address structure; network and host portions; why binary is important for networking.

Practical activities: convert decimal to binary; convert binary to decimal; identify network and host bits.

Data link layer

Topics covered: role of the data link layer; Ethernet frames; MAC addresses; switch forwarding decisions; collision and broadcast domains; ARP introduction.

Practical activities: identify source and destination MAC addresses; observe Ethernet frames; explain how a switch learns MAC addresses.

Ethernet switching

Topics covered: Ethernet operation; MAC address table; frame forwarding; broadcast traffic; switch behavior; introduction to switching problems.

Practical activities: use show mac address-table; test communication between PCs; analyze how a switch forwards frames.

Network layer

Topics covered: role of the network layer; IPv4 and IPv6 packets; routers and routing decisions; default gateway; packet forwarding; local vs remote communication.

Practical activities: configure default gateways; test local and remote connectivity; explain the role of the router in inter-network communication.

Address resolution

Topics covered: ARP for IPv4; Neighbor Discovery for IPv6; MAC address resolution; local vs remote communication; ARP tables and troubleshooting.

Practical activities: use arp -a; observe ARP requests and replies; troubleshoot missing gateway or wrong IP settings.

Basic router configuration

Topics covered: router interfaces; IPv4 addressing on router interfaces; IPv6 addressing introduction; default gateway configuration; basic router security; verification commands.

Practical activities: configure router interfaces; use show ip interface brief and show running-config; test connectivity with ping.

IPv4 addressing

Topics covered: IPv4 address structure; public and private addresses; network, host and broadcast addresses; subnet mask; CIDR notation; basic subnetting principles.

Practical activities: identify valid host addresses; calculate network and broadcast addresses; build a simple IPv4 addressing plan.

IPv6 addressing

Topics covered: why IPv6 is used; IPv6 address format; global unicast, link-local and multicast addresses; SLAAC; IPv6 neighbor discovery; IPv6 verification commands.

Practical activities: configure IPv6 addresses; identify link-local addresses; test IPv6 connectivity; use show ipv6 interface brief.

ICMP

Topics covered: role of ICMP; ICMPv4 and ICMPv6; ping and traceroute; echo request and echo reply; troubleshooting with ICMP.

Practical activities: use ping; use traceroute / tracert; interpret connectivity test results.

Transport layer

Topics covered: TCP and UDP; ports and sockets; reliability and flow control; common port numbers; connection-oriented and connectionless communication.

Practical activities: identify TCP and UDP services; match protocols to port numbers; observe transport layer information in packet captures.

Application layer

Topics covered: DNS, DHCP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP; client/server communication; peer-to-peer concepts; application troubleshooting basics.

Practical activities: test DNS resolution; identify application protocols; troubleshoot simple service access problems.

Network security fundamentals

Topics covered: common network threats; device hardening basics; password security; secure remote access; updates and backups; network security best practices.

Practical activities: configure secure passwords; disable unused services; apply basic device hardening; explain simple security risks.

Build a small network

Topics covered: small network design; addressing plan; switch and router configuration; end-device configuration; verification and troubleshooting methodology; documentation.

Practical activities: build a small LAN in Packet Tracer or with physical Cisco equipment; configure PCs, switch and router; test end-to-end connectivity; document the final network.

Basic device configuration

Topics covered: Cisco IOS configuration review; hostnames and passwords; interface configuration; secure management access; configuration files; verification commands.

Practical activities: configure switches and routers; secure console and remote access; save and verify configurations; use show running-config, show startup-config and show ip interface brief.

Switching concepts

Topics covered: Ethernet switching operation; MAC address table; frame forwarding; collision and broadcast domains; duplex and speed settings; switch troubleshooting basics.

Practical activities: verify switch port status; analyze MAC address table entries; troubleshoot Layer 2 connectivity; use show mac address-table and show interfaces status.

VLANs

Topics covered: purpose of VLANs; data VLAN, management VLAN and native VLAN; access ports and trunk ports; VLAN tagging with IEEE 802.1Q; VLAN design principles; common VLAN configuration errors.

Practical activities: create VLANs; assign switch ports to VLANs; configure trunk links; verify VLAN configuration; use show vlan brief and show interfaces trunk.

Inter-VLAN routing

Topics covered: why VLANs need routing; router-on-a-stick; subinterfaces; Layer 3 switch routing introduction; default gateways for VLANs; inter-VLAN troubleshooting.

Practical activities: configure router-on-a-stick; configure router subinterfaces; assign gateways to PCs; test communication between VLANs; troubleshoot trunk and gateway problems.

STP concepts

Topics covered: switching loops; broadcast storms; Spanning Tree Protocol; root bridge election; port roles and port states; PortFast and BPDU Guard introduction.

Practical activities: identify the root bridge; verify STP status; understand blocked and forwarding ports; use show spanning-tree; explain why STP protects switched networks.

EtherChannel

Topics covered: purpose of EtherChannel; link aggregation; PAgP and LACP; static EtherChannel; port-channel interfaces; configuration requirements: speed, duplex, trunk mode, native VLAN and allowed VLANs.

Practical activities: configure EtherChannel; configure trunking on a port-channel; verify EtherChannel status; use show etherchannel summary; troubleshoot common EtherChannel mismatches.

DHCPv4

Topics covered: role of DHCP; DHCP discovery process; DHCP pools; excluded addresses; default gateway and DNS options; DHCP relay with ip helper-address.

Practical activities: configure DHCP on a Cisco router; exclude reserved addresses; configure DHCP relay; verify DHCP leases; use show ip dhcp binding and show ip dhcp pool.

SLAAC and DHCPv6

Topics covered: IPv6 address assignment; SLAAC; stateless DHCPv6; stateful DHCPv6; router advertisements; IPv6 verification commands.

Practical activities: configure IPv6 addressing; observe SLAAC behavior; configure basic DHCPv6; verify IPv6 addresses; test IPv6 connectivity.

First-hop redundancy concepts

Topics covered: default gateway redundancy; single point of failure; HSRP concept; virtual router and virtual IP; gateway availability; high availability in LAN design.

Practical activities: analyze a gateway failure scenario; identify the need for redundancy; interpret basic HSRP operation; document redundancy choices.

LAN security concepts

Topics covered: common LAN attacks; MAC flooding; VLAN hopping; DHCP spoofing; ARP attacks; switch port security principles; secure management practices.

Practical activities: identify Layer 2 attack risks; explain basic mitigation strategies; apply secure configuration principles; document LAN security recommendations.

Switch security configuration

Topics covered: port security; sticky MAC addresses; violation modes: protect, restrict, shutdown; disable unused ports; secure trunk ports; DHCP snooping introduction; Dynamic ARP Inspection concept.

Practical activities: configure port security; enable sticky MAC learning; test security violations; secure unused ports; use show port-security and show port-security interface.

WLAN concepts

Topics covered: Wireless LAN principles; access points and wireless clients; SSID; channels and frequencies; wireless standards overview; authentication and encryption; WPA2/WPA3 concepts.

Practical activities: identify wireless network components; configure a basic SSID; explain wireless security options; analyze basic WLAN design constraints.

WLAN configuration

Topics covered: wireless router or controller-based WLAN; SSID configuration; security mode configuration; DHCP for wireless clients; wireless client association; basic WLAN troubleshooting.

Practical activities: configure a basic wireless network; secure the WLAN; connect wireless clients; test IP addressing and connectivity; troubleshoot association or authentication problems.

Routing concepts

Topics covered: router forwarding decisions; routing tables; directly connected routes; static routes; default routes; route selection principles.

Practical activities: read a routing table; identify directly connected networks; configure static routes; configure a default route; use show ip route.

IP static routing

Topics covered: static route syntax; next-hop address; exit interface; floating static routes; default static routes; IPv4 and IPv6 static routing.

Practical activities: configure IPv4 static routes; configure IPv6 static routes; configure default routes; test end-to-end connectivity; troubleshoot missing or incorrect routes.

Troubleshooting static and default routes

Topics covered: troubleshooting methodology; Layer 1, Layer 2 and Layer 3 checks; common routing errors; wrong next-hop address; missing return route; incorrect gateway configuration.

Practical activities: diagnose routing problems; use ping, traceroute, show ip route and show interfaces; correct static route errors; document troubleshooting steps.

Single-area OSPFv2 concepts

Topics covered: dynamic routing principles; link-state routing; OSPF operation; router ID; OSPF neighbors and adjacencies; OSPF cost and metric; OSPF areas.

Practical activities: identify OSPF router roles; analyze OSPF neighbor relationships; read OSPF information from routing tables; explain how OSPF selects the best path.

Single-area OSPFv2 configuration

Topics covered: OSPF process ID; network statements; wildcard masks; passive interfaces; router ID configuration; default route propagation; OSPF verification commands.

Practical activities: configure single-area OSPFv2; configure passive interfaces; verify OSPF neighbors; use show ip ospf neighbor and show ip route ospf; troubleshoot OSPF adjacency problems.

Network security concepts

Topics covered: security threats and vulnerabilities; malware, phishing and social engineering; network attacks; confidentiality, integrity and availability; defense-in-depth; security policies and best practices.

Practical activities: identify common network threats; analyze simple attack scenarios; propose basic security controls; document security recommendations.

ACL concepts

Topics covered: role of access control lists; standard ACLs; extended ACLs; inbound and outbound filtering; ACL processing order; implicit deny any; wildcard masks.

Practical activities: analyze ACL requirements; determine correct ACL placement; predict whether traffic is permitted or denied; understand the importance of ACL order.

ACLs for IPv4 configuration

Topics covered: standard numbered ACLs; standard named ACLs; extended numbered ACLs; extended named ACLs; applying ACLs to interfaces; ACL verification and troubleshooting.

Practical activities: configure standard ACLs; configure extended ACLs; apply ACLs inbound or outbound; test traffic filtering; use show access-lists and show ip interface.

NAT for IPv4

Topics covered: purpose of NAT; static NAT; dynamic NAT; PAT / NAT overload; inside local, inside global, outside local and outside global addresses; NAT advantages and limitations.

Practical activities: configure static NAT; configure dynamic NAT; configure PAT overload; verify NAT translations; use show ip nat translations and show ip nat statistics.

WAN concepts

Topics covered: WAN architecture; private WAN and public WAN; leased lines; MPLS concepts; broadband connections; cellular connectivity; VPNs and secure remote access.

Practical activities: compare WAN technologies; select a WAN solution for a business scenario; identify security requirements for remote sites; document WAN design choices.

VPN and IPsec concepts

Topics covered: why VPNs are used; site-to-site VPN; remote access VPN; IPsec principles; tunneling concepts; data confidentiality and integrity; authentication in VPNs.

Practical activities: identify VPN use cases; compare site-to-site and remote access VPNs; explain why encryption is needed; analyze secure interconnection scenarios.

QoS concepts

Topics covered: Quality of Service principles; network congestion; delay, jitter and packet loss; voice and video traffic; classification and marking; prioritization; traffic shaping and policing concepts.

Practical activities: identify applications requiring QoS; analyze congestion scenarios; propose basic QoS priorities; explain why voice and video need special treatment.

Network management

Topics covered: network documentation; device monitoring; Syslog; SNMP; NTP; configuration backups; network baseline; troubleshooting methodology.

Practical activities: configure NTP basics; interpret syslog messages; create a network inventory; document configurations; apply a structured troubleshooting process.

Network design

Topics covered: hierarchical network design; access, distribution and core layers; redundancy and availability; scalability; physical and logical topology; small and medium business design principles.

Practical activities: analyze a business network scenario; propose a logical topology; identify redundancy needs; document design decisions.

Network troubleshooting

Topics covered: troubleshooting models; bottom-up, top-down and divide-and-conquer methods; common Layer 1, Layer 2 and Layer 3 problems; addressing issues; routing issues; service access problems.

Practical activities: troubleshoot enterprise network problems; use ping, traceroute, show ip route and show interfaces; identify configuration errors; produce a troubleshooting report.

Network virtualization

Topics covered: virtual machines; hypervisors; virtual switches; cloud computing concepts; software-defined networking; network functions virtualization; benefits and risks of virtualization.

Practical activities: identify virtual network components; compare physical and virtual networks; analyze a virtualization use case; document security considerations.

Network automation

Topics covered: why networks are automated; controllers; APIs; REST concepts; JSON data format; configuration automation; Infrastructure as Code introduction.

Practical activities: read simple JSON data; understand API-based management; analyze an automation scenario; identify tasks suitable for automation.

Final enterprise network project

Topics covered: enterprise network integration; OSPF routing; ACL filtering; NAT/PAT; WAN interconnection; security and documentation; troubleshooting and validation.

Practical activities: build a complete enterprise network scenario; configure routing and security rules; configure NAT/PAT; test end-to-end communication; troubleshoot faults; present and document the final network.

Cybersecurity and the SOC

Topics covered: role of cybersecurity in organizations; confidentiality, integrity and availability; role of a Security Operations Center; SOC analyst missions; cybersecurity teams and responsibilities; incident detection and escalation process.

Practical activities: identify the role of a SOC in a company; classify security events and incidents; describe the work of a junior SOC analyst; analyze a simple incident scenario.

Threat actors, attacks and vulnerabilities

Topics covered: threat actors: cybercriminals, insiders, hacktivists, state-sponsored actors; common attack types; malware, ransomware, phishing and social engineering; vulnerabilities and exploits; attack lifecycle; MITRE ATT&CK introduction.

Practical activities: identify attack types from scenarios; map simple actions to attacker objectives; recognize signs of phishing and social engineering; document basic attacker techniques.

Operating systems for cybersecurity

Topics covered: Windows security basics; Linux security basics; users, groups and permissions; processes and services; file systems and logs; command-line tools useful for investigation.

Practical activities: use Windows system tools; use Linux basic commands; inspect processes and services; locate important system logs; identify suspicious system behavior.

Network protocols and traffic analysis

Topics covered: Ethernet, IP, TCP and UDP review; common ports and protocols; DNS, DHCP, HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, SSH; packet capture principles; network indicators of compromise; introduction to Wireshark.

Practical activities: capture and inspect packets; identify protocols in Wireshark; analyze DNS and HTTP traffic; detect abnormal traffic patterns; extract basic information from a packet capture.

Security monitoring and logs

Topics covered: what is a log; Windows Event Viewer; Linux logs; firewall logs; proxy, DNS and web server logs; timestamps and correlation; log retention and integrity.

Practical activities: read and interpret simple logs; search for failed logins; identify suspicious events; correlate events using timestamps; produce a short analysis report.

Security tools and SOC technologies

Topics covered: SIEM principles; IDS and IPS; Endpoint Detection and Response; firewalls and proxies; vulnerability scanners; threat intelligence platforms; ticketing and case management.

Practical activities: identify the purpose of SOC tools; analyze alerts from a SIEM-style scenario; classify alerts by severity; document the first steps of an investigation; create a basic incident ticket.

Cryptography and data protection

Topics covered: purpose of cryptography; symmetric and asymmetric encryption; hashing; digital signatures; certificates and PKI; TLS/HTTPS; data protection principles.

Practical activities: compare encryption and hashing; identify when encryption is used; inspect certificate information in a browser; recognize secure and insecure communications; explain the role of HTTPS.

Endpoint and network attacks

Topics covered: malware behavior; persistence mechanisms; privilege escalation; lateral movement; reconnaissance and scanning; brute-force attacks; denial of service concepts.

Practical activities: identify indicators of compromise; analyze a suspicious process or connection; recognize brute-force attempts in logs; interpret scan activity; propose basic containment measures.

Web and application attacks

Topics covered: web application basics; authentication weaknesses; SQL injection concept; cross-site scripting concept; directory traversal concept; poor configuration and exposed services; OWASP Top 10 introduction.

Practical activities: identify common web attack patterns; analyze suspicious HTTP requests; recognize signs of SQL injection; explain how poor input validation creates risk; recommend basic protective measures.

Vulnerability management

Topics covered: vulnerability lifecycle; CVE and CVSS concepts; patch management; risk prioritization; asset inventory; exposure and remediation; reporting vulnerabilities.

Practical activities: read a simple vulnerability report; prioritize vulnerabilities by severity and exposure; link vulnerabilities to affected assets; recommend remediation actions; document a vulnerability management plan.

Incident response process

Topics covered: preparation; detection and analysis; containment; eradication; recovery; lessons learned; evidence preservation; communication during an incident.

Practical activities: follow an incident response workflow; classify an incident; choose containment actions; write an incident timeline; produce a basic incident report.

Digital forensics basics

Topics covered: purpose of digital forensics; evidence handling; chain of custody; disk, memory and network evidence; hashing for integrity; forensic mindset; legal and ethical considerations.

Practical activities: identify evidence sources; preserve basic evidence; verify integrity using hashes; build a simple investigation timeline; document findings clearly.

Security policies, governance and ethics

Topics covered: security policies and procedures; acceptable use policy; access control principles; least privilege; data classification; GDPR awareness; ethics in cybersecurity.

Practical activities: analyze a security policy extract; identify access control weaknesses; classify data sensitivity; apply ethical decision-making in a cyber scenario; recommend policy improvements.

Final SOC investigation project

Topics covered: alert analysis; log correlation; network traffic investigation; incident classification; containment recommendation; incident documentation; professional reporting.

Practical activities: investigate a simulated security incident; analyze logs and packet captures; identify indicators of compromise; build an incident timeline; recommend containment and recovery actions; present the final investigation report.

IT support fundamentals and workstation environment

Topics covered: role of the IT support technician; hardware components: CPU, RAM, storage, motherboard, network card; operating systems: Windows and Linux basics; user accounts and permissions; local troubleshooting methodology; basic helpdesk workflow and ticket qualification.

Practical activities: identify hardware and software problems; configure a Windows workstation; create local users; apply basic security settings; write a simple intervention report.

Network fundamentals

Topics covered: what is a network; LAN, WAN, Internet and client/server model; IPv4 addressing; subnet mask, default gateway, DNS and DHCP; Ethernet, switches, routers and Wi-Fi; basic network troubleshooting commands.

Practical activities: configure static and dynamic IP addressing; use ipconfig, ping, tracert and nslookup; identify connectivity problems; build a small network topology; document an addressing plan.

Windows Server, Active Directory and shared resources

Topics covered: server role in a company network; introduction to Windows Server; Active Directory concepts; users, groups and organizational units; shared folders and permissions; network printers and access rights.

Practical activities: create users and groups; organize users in OUs; configure shared folders; apply NTFS and share permissions; test access from a client workstation.

Linux, virtualization and basic services

Topics covered: Linux command line basics; file system structure; users, groups and permissions; introduction to virtualization; virtual machines and snapshots; basic network services: DHCP, DNS and web server.

Practical activities: use essential Linux commands; create users and manage permissions; deploy a simple virtual machine; configure basic network parameters; test a simple web or network service.

Security, backup and final practical scenario

Topics covered: basic cybersecurity principles; strong passwords and MFA; updates and patch management; antivirus and firewall basics; backup principles: full, incremental and restore test; professional documentation and reporting.

Practical activities: apply basic hardening rules; configure firewall rules; create and test a backup; analyze a simple incident scenario; complete a final mini-project.

Foundations of edge computing, servers and data collection

Topics covered: edge computing principles, cloud vs edge, local infrastructure, edge servers, local data processing, IoT sensors, data collection, communication networks and digital sovereignty.

Practical work: design a first edge architecture with sensors, data sources, communication links, local server and basic dashboard concept.

Weekly tutoring: 1 hour per week by video call with the teacher for guidance, questions and validation of progress.

IoT architecture, dashboards, services locaux and documentation

Topics covered: sensor data flows, local storage, dashboards, monitoring, services locaux, backup principles, resilience, documentation and operational constraints.

Practical work: build a complete written architecture for an edge system including data collection, server role, dashboard structure and operational documentation.

Weekly tutoring: 1 hour per week by video call with the teacher to review the architecture and technical documentation.

Cybersecurity, Stormshield Firewall and final project

Topics covered: cybersecurity risks in IoT and edge computing, segmentation, firewall principles, secure access, logging, VPN concepts, GDPR awareness and Stormshield CSNA preparation.

Practical work: add security zones, firewall rules, access control and a basic protection strategy to the final edge computing project.

Weekly tutoring: 1 hour per week by video call with the teacher for final project review, correction and preparation of the final presentation.

Final online project

Learners submit a complete edge computing project including architecture diagram, data collection model, edge server role, dashboard concept, cybersecurity segmentation, Stormshield Firewall principles and technical documentation.

Introduction to edge computing and digital sovereignty

Topics covered: what is edge computing; difference between cloud, edge and local infrastructure; why process data close to the source; latency, resilience, autonomy and bandwidth reduction; digital sovereignty and local control of data; use cases: water monitoring, agriculture, city services, emergency communication, local dashboards; introduction to the Narona Edge model: ancient roots, sovereign intelligence.

Practical activities: analyze a simple edge computing scenario; identify where data is produced, processed and stored; compare cloud-only and edge-based architectures; create a basic diagram of an edge infrastructure.

IoT sensors, data collection and communication networks

Topics covered: role of IoT sensors in an edge system; environmental and industrial sensors; water monitoring sensors: temperature, pH, salinity, turbidity, nitrates, dissolved oxygen; air, soil and weather sensors; analog and digital sensor signals; communication technologies: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 4G/5G, LoRaWAN; choosing the right communication method for the field.

Practical activities: identify sensor types and their purpose; design a simple sensor-to-edge data path; compare LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi and 4G for different scenarios; create a small monitoring architecture for a local territory.

Edge server, virtualization and services locaux

Topics covered: role of the edge server; local storage and NAS; virtual machines and containers; local dashboards; local database principles; local AI and anomaly detection concepts; backup and synchronization with the cloud; resilience when Internet access is unavailable.

Practical activities: design an edge server architecture; identify services that should run locally; create a logical diagram with server, sensors, firewall and users; define services locaux for a city or company scenario; plan backup and data retention rules.

Cybersecurity and Stormshield Firewall Foundation

Topics covered: cybersecurity risks in IoT and edge computing; network segmentation; VLANs and isolated zones; firewall principles; Stormshield CSNA preparation; filtering rules; secure Internet access; VPN concepts for remote administration; access control and logging; GDPR and data protection principles.

Practical activities: design secure network zones; separate IoT devices, servers, administration and users; create basic firewall rules; identify dangerous flows; build a simple security policy for an edge infrastructure; analyze logs and security events.

Final edge computing project

Topics covered: complete edge architecture design; sensor layer; communication layer; edge processing layer; local dashboard; security layer; data governance; presentation of a professional project; documentation and operational maintenance.

Practical activities: build a complete edge computing project scenario; define sensors and communication methods; design the local edge infrastructure; add security and firewall rules; prepare a basic dashboard concept; present the project to the group; produce a short technical and operational report.

Introduction to Proxmox VE and server virtualization

Topics covered: what is virtualization; difference between physical servers, virtual machines and containers; role of Proxmox VE in an IT infrastructure; hypervisor concepts; Proxmox interface overview; nodes, datacenter view and resources; basic hardware requirements; installation principles; first connection to the Proxmox web interface.

Practical activities: identify the components of a virtualized infrastructure; install or access a Proxmox VE server; navigate the Proxmox web interface; configure basic datacenter settings; check CPU, RAM, storage and network resources; create a simple infrastructure diagram.

Virtual machines, containers, storage and networking

Topics covered: creating virtual machines; ISO images and installation media; VM CPU, RAM and disk configuration; Linux and Windows VM deployment; introduction to LXC containers; VM vs container: when to use each one; Proxmox storage types; local storage, directory storage and ISO storage; Linux bridges; network interfaces; basic VLAN concepts in Proxmox; Internet access for virtual machines.

Practical activities: upload an ISO image; create a Linux virtual machine; create a Windows or second Linux virtual machine; create an LXC container; configure virtual network interfaces; connect VMs to a Linux bridge; test Internet access from a VM; verify IP addressing and connectivity; organize storage for ISO files, VM disks and backups.

Backups, snapshots, security and final infrastructure scenario

Topics covered: snapshots and rollback; backup principles; backup scheduling; restore procedures; difference between snapshot and backup; user accounts and permissions; basic Proxmox security; updates and maintenance; monitoring resources; logs and troubleshooting; introduction to high availability concepts; good practices for small business or school lab infrastructure.

Practical activities: create a snapshot of a VM; roll back to a previous state; configure a backup job; restore a virtual machine; create a user account; apply basic permission rules; check logs and resource usage; troubleshoot a VM startup or network issue; complete a final mini-project: build a small virtualized lab infrastructure.

Introduction to Unreal Engine 5

Epic Games Launcher, projects, templates, folder structure, user interface, viewport, outliner and content browser.

Managing assets

Importing FBX / USD models, textures and materials. Material Editor basics and PBR workflow.

Lighting and rendering

Directional lights, point lights, exposure, Lumen / Nanite overview, post-processing volumes and rendering settings.

Blueprint basics

Variables, events and simple interactions. Creating a trigger to open a door or move an object.

Level design and navigation

Terrain sculpting, foliage painting, collision basics and packaging a first interactive demo for Windows.

Game Framework

GameMode, PlayerController, Pawn and Actor hierarchy. Event graph, gameplay lifecycle and project structure for game prototypes.

Blueprint scripting

Variables, functions, macros and interfaces. Creating player movement, camera switches and a basic health system.

User Interface — UI

UMG Widget system, buttons, menus, HUD display and connection between gameplay logic and interface elements.

AI and Behaviour Trees

NavMesh, AI Controller, Blackboard logic, Behaviour Trees, patrol AI and simple combat behaviour for enemies or NPCs.

Cinematics and Sequencer

Creating cut-scenes, camera transitions, Sequencer basics and sound integration with Metasounds.

Animation and sound integration

Animation blending, animation states, basic character feedback, sound cues and gameplay-related audio triggers.

Optimization and packaging

LODs, streaming levels, project cleanup, build settings and packaging a playable prototype.

Virtual Production principles

Real-time rendering vs traditional VFX, virtual production pipeline, Unreal Engine VP template setup, production roles, technical constraints and creative opportunities of LED / Stagecraft workflows.

Camera and tracking

Using nDisplay, Live Link and tracked cameras. Camera calibration, tracking data, lens profiles, frustum concepts and real-time camera integration.

LED Wall / Stagecraft configuration

Setting up an LED volume, including a 6 m diameter Stagecraft studio configuration. Pixel density, synchronization, latency, color accuracy and technical constraints of LED wall production.

Lighting and cinematography

HDRI lighting, dynamic lighting for virtual production, real-time reflections, shadow control, matching real and virtual lighting, and cinematography principles for LED volume shoots.

Sequencer and Take Recorder

Creating cut-scenes, recording actors and camera takes, using Sequencer, Take Recorder and Multi-User Editing for collaborative production workflows.

On-set workflow and export

Production setup, shot preparation, rendering to EXR, export workflow, compositing in DaVinci Resolve or After Effects, and delivery of final shots.

AI in Unreal overview

AI Controller vs Machine Learning, use cases for serious games and training simulation, introduction to ML Deformer, Control Rig and AI-driven interaction inside Unreal Engine.

Integrating external AI models

Python plugin, Blueprint-to-Python communication, using REST API calls to AI models, voice assistant integration, scoring systems and external decision logic.

Behavioural training simulations

Scenario branching, adaptive feedback, learner choices, dynamic difficulty, decision trees and performance-based simulation changes.

Data visualization and reporting

Using Unreal UMG and Niagara for feedback visuals, logging user actions, exporting data to CSV and connecting simulation data to web dashboards.

Cybersecurity and networked simulations

Optional module integrating Unreal simulations with Cisco training logic: ping simulation, packet simulation, network defense scenarios and cyber training feedback.

Final AI training project workshop

Design, build, test and refine a short interactive training scene where AI adapts to user performance and produces useful feedback data.