Week 1 Recap – Networking Fundamentals | #90DaysOfDevops

Asim KhotAsim Khot
3 min read

A Quick Reflection Before the Recap

Life doesn’t always go as planned. I had to take a short and unexpected break from my #90DaysOfDevOps journey due to travel. But that’s part of the process.

What matters most is not perfection but consistency, resilience, and the intention to keep moving forward.

“And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways.” — Surah Al-Ankabut (29:69)

Now that I’m back, let me share what I accomplished in Week 1 before diving into Week 2: Linux Fundamentals, in sha Allah.

Today marks the end of my first week, and wow, what an amazing start to my DevOps journey! Completing this first week is not just a small achievement for me—it's a massive milestone! I'm so grateful to “ALLAH SWT” for guiding me on this path, and I'm taking a moment to celebrate and ensure I don't burn out. So, I'm going to enjoy the weekend and then dive back into my journey with renewed energy! Thank you so much for your amazing support!

Why I Started :

I began the #90DaysOfDevOps journey with a goal:

"To go from beginner to job-ready DevOps engineer — by learning in public, solving real problems, and trusting Allah throughout the process."

What i learned in Week 1 :

This week’s focus was Networking Fundamentals — the backbone of DevOps and cloud communication. Here's what I explored and implemented:

Core Concepts:

  • OSI & TCP/IP models with real-world examples

  • Common DevOps protocols and ports

  • Hands-on with an AWS EC2 Ubuntu server

  • SSH login with secure Security Groups

  • Essential networking commands

What I Built & Practiced :

I didn’t just study — I implemented everything inside an actual EC2 instance:

  • Launched a Ubuntu EC2 machine

  • Configured Security Groups to allow SSH only from my IP

Practiced:

  • ping – check connectivity

  • traceroute – see packet hops

  • curl – test APIs and websites

  • netstat – monitor open ports

  • dig & nslookup – perform DNS lookups

Each command was followed by real outputs, screenshots, and documented learnings.

Challenges I Faced :

This week wasn’t without roadblocks. Here's what I ran into — and solved:

🔸 traceroute & netstat gave “command not found” → Installed net-tools and traceroute manually.

🔸 chmod didn’t work on Windows → Learned how to use icacls to restrict .pem file permissions.

🔸 EC2 refused to launch initially → Handled account verification with AWS Support.

🔸 SSH access blocked → Tracked down my public IP and fixed Security Group rules.

These challenges were a blessing in disguise — they taught me to debug like a DevOps engineer, not just follow tutorials.

Blogs I Published This Week :

🔗 OSI vs TCP/IP: DevOps Perspective

🔗 Common DevOps Protocols & Ports

🔗 AWS EC2 + Security Groups Setup Guide

🔗 Networking Commands Practice Cheat Sheet

Each blog includes commands, explanations, and screenshots from my own setup.

Reflections :

This week taught me more than just networking, it taught me to be calm under pressure, to solve things one by one, and to document along the way.

Alhamdulillah, I’m grateful for this progress and even more excited for what’s next.

What’s Next :

In Week 2, I’ll dive into:

  • Linux file system structure

  • Shell navigation & permissions

  • Scripting basics

  • Package managers

  • And much more

This journey is about striving — through error messages, unknowns, and breakthroughs. Allah sees the effort, even when others don’t.

📌 Thanks for reading — if you're learning DevOps or just starting your journey, feel free to connect. Let's build and grow together, bi-idhnillah.

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Asim Khot
Asim Khot