Most network training teaches you HOW—how to click buttons in a GUI, how to enter commands that someone else wrote, how to memorize CCNA flashcards. But it rarely teaches you WHY. Why does a packet move from one subnet to another? Why does BGP prefer one route over another? Why does RADIUS work where simple password authentication fails? This gap between knowledge and understanding is why 80% of network engineers cannot troubleshoot production incidents when the GUI fails.
The CFTS Uganda Network Architecture Masterclass is different. Over 8 weeks, working 6 hours per week across three 2-hour sessions, four engineers will build a real, functioning network infrastructure from the ground up. Not simulated. Not virtual. Real Cisco 3650 switches. Real Cisco 2800 routers configured on a stick. Real Raspberry Pi 4s running production-grade services. Real packets flowing across real Ethernet cables.
You will own 8 physical ports on the 48-port switch for the entire 8 weeks. Every problem on those ports is YOUR problem. If you misconfigure a VLAN, your Nginx server goes down—not because "the network is broken," but because YOU need to understand what you built. This is operational accountability. This is how architects think.
By week 8, each engineer will have built a complete network stack: Layer 1 physical topology, Layer 2 VLANs and switching, Layer 3 OSPF dynamic routing, Layer 4 transport protocols, and Layers 5-7 running Bind9 DNS, SAMBA file sharing, Nginx web servers, Asterisk VoIP, and FreeRADIUS authentication. You will see your Asterisk phone register across OSPF routes YOU configured. You will run DNS queries that YOU set up. You will understand the entire OSI model because you built it, piece by piece, in hardware.
This is not about certifications. This is about transformation. By the end of 8 weeks, you will think like an architect, troubleshoot like an expert, and understand networking at a depth that separates true engineers from button-clickers.
Intensive Training
Per Week
Per Cohort
Cisco 3650
Master these technologies through hands-on, hardware-based learning
Domain Name System infrastructure and DNS query resolution. Learn authoritative nameservers, recursive resolvers, zone files, DNS records (A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, TXT), DNSSEC for security, and how your network resolves hostnames to IP addresses across the internet.
Windows file sharing protocol (SMB/CIFS) on Linux. Enable your network to share files with Windows machines, implement user authentication, manage access controls, and understand how enterprise file sharing works across heterogeneous networks.
High-performance web server and reverse proxy. Configure virtual hosts, SSL/TLS encryption, load balancing, and understand how HTTP requests traverse your network infrastructure. See how web traffic flows through your VLAN setup.
Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for Voice over IP. Set up phone extensions, manage SIP trunks, configure IVR (Interactive Voice Response), and see real voice packets traverse the network infrastructure you built. Experience the OSI model delivering actual communications.
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) infrastructure. Implement RADIUS servers for centralized user authentication, integrate 802.1X port-based network access control, and understand how enterprises enforce network security at Layer 2. Learn why stolen passwords don't compromise your entire network.
Linux service management, systemd initialization system, and operational automation. Learn to manage, monitor, and troubleshoot services, configure startup behavior, and understand logging through journalctl. Essential for production network administration.
Open Shortest Path First—the dynamic routing protocol used in enterprise networks. Configure routers to automatically discover network topology, calculate optimal paths, adapt to link failures, and distribute routes. See how your network becomes intelligent and resilient.
Border Gateway Protocol—the routing protocol that powers the entire internet. Learn how Autonomous Systems (AS) exchange routes, understand path selection, communities, and policy-based routing. Understand the internet's backbone.
Internet Protocol version 4—the foundation of modern networking. Subnetting, CIDR notation, NAT, routing tables, and packet forwarding. Understand why your network is organized the way it is and how every device finds every other device.
Version control and collaborative development. Learn Git fundamentals—commits, branches, merging, and conflict resolution. Master GitHub for team collaboration, pull requests, code reviews, and distributed development workflows. Essential skill for modern engineering teams and documentation of your network configurations.
This is an intensive, hands-on program with production equipment and dedicated infrastructure. The investment reflects the quality and outcomes.
Total: 12 UGX for the entire 8-week program (1.5 UGX × 8 weeks)
A single Cisco 3650 switch costs 8,000-12,000 USD. A Cisco 2800 router costs 3,000-5,000 USD. The annual maintenance and electricity for this lab environment is substantial. More importantly, your learning will be deeper than any online course or certification prep. You're not just learning networking—you're becoming a network architect. By the end, you'll be worth significantly more in the job market.
Progressive learning from physical layer foundations through production services