This week we learned about the network layer and focused on the data plane. I learned about two important concepts which was forwarding and routing. Forwarding, dealing with how data packets are moved between devices in a network, and routing, which determines the paths the data packets take across networks. In our lab assignments we learned about Network Address Translation (NAT), which allows communication between private network devices over public networks. The big assignment this week was our group programming assignment, the server chat program. I found this assignment to be particularly interesting because it provided me with a very basic but fundamental understanding of how chat programs are built.