Capstone: Trace a Web Request
Combine layers and calculate, explain and diagnose a complete browser journey.
Follow one request
A laptop joins Wi-Fi and obtains configuration via DHCP. It asks a DNS resolver for the site's address. It sends packets to its default gateway for a remote destination. Routers forward them by destination IP. A transport connection and TLS setup precede a typical HTTPS exchange, then HTTP returns a response.
At every routed hop the local link frame changes. End-to-end transport identifies the communicating sockets; application data names the requested resource.
Practice a support case
If a site fails: record the exact browser message; confirm address, gateway and DNS; test a known remote IP; check name resolution; test the HTTPS endpoint; examine HTTP status. This ordering narrows the failing layer rather than guessing.
For interview practice, explain what changes across hops (frame addresses, TTL) and what remains the logical destination (IP, barring NAT).
Check your understanding
Which order best describes a first visit to an HTTPS site on an already configured host?