Systems, Networking & Data

Core SystemsModule 4 · Required

Understand the path from a request to an application and its data, then practise diagnosing problems along that path.

Follow requests

Connect DNS, HTTP, addresses, and network behavior.

Work on systems

Use Linux, SSH, and troubleshooting tools.

Persist data

Create and query a database safely from your application.

Systems, Networking, and Data Foundations

understand and debug the path from a request to an application and its data.

Before you start: Engineering Fundamentals terminal and basic SQL; Software Engineering for AI.

Learn

• Switch/router intuition, IP addresses, public/private networks, CIDR, and ports.
• HTTP requests and responses, status codes, headers, HTTPS concepts, and DNS resolution.
• Linux processes, permissions, environment variables, logs, and SSH keys.
• Distinguish a stopped process, wrong listening address, wrong port, DNS issue, and blocked connection.
• Connect Python to a database using parameterized queries and a basic transaction.

Resources

video

NetworkChuck: Networking series

Required. Introductory videos 1–3 on networks, switches, and routers.

video

NetworkChuck: What is an IP address?

Required. Understand address basics, then practice public/private address identification and simple CIDR examples.

video

SSH Keys

Required. Understand keys and authentication. Practice remote access in an assigned environment.

article

MIT Missing Semester: Command-line Environment

Required. Use job control and remote machines sections, including exercises.

documentation

MDN: Overview of HTTP

Required. For requests, responses, headers, and the client/server relationship.

article

Cloudflare: What is DNS?

Required. For DNS resolution; inspect a lookup and relate it to an HTTP request.

tutorial

Python sqlite3 tutorial

Required. Create a runnable database exercise: create a local database, insert/query records with parameters, and commit a transaction.

Practice

• Inspect your interface, address, route, listening ports, and a running application's process.
• Use an HTTP client such as curl to inspect successful and failing requests. Diagnose mentor-provided faults in an isolated lab.
• Connect to an assigned machine using SSH, or complete the equivalent local SSH lab.
• Persist application records in SQLite and verify the data after restarting the process.
• Adapt the roadmap's architecture-diagram exercise: show client, public entry point, application, and database; label allowed traffic and exposure.

Expected output

A network/request-flow diagram, a short troubleshooting record, and a working database integration. You can explain each connection and distinguish local application failures from network failures.

Workload

Use the provisional estimates where supplied. Other workloads remain pending pilot. Include implementation, debugging, review, and revision.

Finish this module

Keep the required outputs and explain your decisions. Diagnose a relevant failure during review and revise incomplete evidence after feedback. Resource completion supports progress; the stated practical requirements determine completion.