Networking basics

• A network is, fundamentally, a system of

senders and receivers – a common feature of
any communication system.
• The sender, or source, is a computer which
sends information to another.
• The receiver, or destination computer, is the
computer to which the information is sent.
• Any machine capable of communicating on
the network is a device or node.

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Networking Basics
• In order to communicate the devices must
be connected to each other.
• Most networks are connected by cable.
• Cables can use either copper or optical fibre
to carry the signals
• Radio and microwave transmission are
becoming increasingly common.
• If two or more networks are connected to
each other this is known as an internetwork.
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What is a Computer Network?
• A Computer Network is a collection of
autonomous computers interconnected
by a single technology
• It is different from a Distributed System

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Defining a Computer Network
• A computer network allows
users to communicate with
other users on the same
network by transmitting data
on the cables used to
connect them.
• A computer network is
defined as having two or
more devices (such as
workstations, printers, or
servers) that are linked
together for the purpose of
sharing information,
resources, or both. 4
Uses of Computer Networks
Business Applications
Home Applications
Mobile Users

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Business Applications of
Networks
• Resource Sharing
• Information Sharing
• Communication
• E-Commerce etc

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Business Applications of
Networks..contd

A network with two clients and one

server.
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Home Network Applications
• Access to remote information
• Person-to-person communication
• Interactive entertainment
• Electronic commerce
etc

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Home Network
Applications…contd

In a peer-to-peer system there are no

fixed clients and servers.
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Home Network Applications
…contd

Some forms of e-commerce.

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Mobile Users
• The Portable Office
• M-Commerce
etc

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Mobile Users…contd

Combinations of wireless networks and

mobile computing.

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Overview
• By using local-area network (LAN) and wide-
area network (WAN) technologies, many
computers are interconnected to provide
services to their users.
• In providing services, networked computers
take on different roles or functions in relation
to each other.
• Some types of applications require computers
to function as equal partners. Other types of
applications distribute work so that one
computer functions to serve a number of
others in an unequal relationship.
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Types of Networks
• A network which covers a single floor, or
perhaps an entire building, is known as a Local
Area Network (LAN).
• LANs connected using high speed links across
a metropolitan area is known as a MAN.
• If the public switched telephone network is
used to connect the networks this is known as
a Wide Area Network, or WAN.
• If a number of LANs are connected to a larger
central network this is known as a Backbone
Network, or BN (eg University of
Wolverhampton). 14
Client/Server Networks
• In a client/server network
arrangement, network
services are located in a
dedicated computer whose
only function is to respond to
the requests of clients.

• The server contains the file,

print, application, security,
and other services in a
central computer that is
continuously available to
respond to client requests.

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Peer-to-Peer Networks
• In a peer-to-peer network,
the networked computers
act as equal partners, or
peers, to each other.

• As peers, each computer

can take on the client
function or the server
function alternately.

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Classification of Networks

Classification of interconnected
processors by scale. 17
Further discussion:
• Local Area Networks
• Metropolitan Area Networks
• Wide Area Networks
• Wireless Networks
• Home Networks
• Internetworks

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Local Area Networks

19
Local Area Networks

HUB

Workstations

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Local-Area Networks (LANs)
• A local-area network (LAN)
can connect many
computers in a relatively
small geographical area
such as a home, an office,
or a campus.

• It allows users to access

high bandwidth media like
the Internet and allows
users to share devices such
as printers.

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Local Area Networks
• Now an essential part of everyday functioning
in schools, business, government etc
• Saves time, resources, allows information to
be held securely and centrally
• Improves collaboration between colleagues
• May be used for training – capable of carrying
audio and video

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Local Area Networks
• Several devices connected via cable to a
hub
• Hubs are the most common device found on
a network
• Some organisations will have LANs on each
floor of a building connected by a bridge or
router
• All devices on the LAN communicate via
network interface cards (NICs)
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Local Area Networks
Characteristics include:
• Used in small geographical areas
• Offer high-speed communications
(>10Mbps)
• Provide access to many devices
• Use LAN-specific devices such as repeaters,
hubs and network interface cards

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Metropolitan Area Networks

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Metropolitan Area Networks

A metropolitan area network based on

cable TV. 26
MANs
• Made up of LANs which are interconnected across
a metropolitan area
• Have become increasingly popular, eg among local
government
• Allows sharing of resources, plus the provision of a
large-scale private phone service
• Expensive to implement, provides high speed
service (compared to WANs)
• Requires use of high-performance cable and
equipment to implement them
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MANs
• Also may appeal to regional businesses
• Can span up to 75 miles
• Gives access speeds in hundreds of
megabits per second (or even gigabits
speeds)
• Uses a single connection point to
connect LANs
• As well as using routers will also use
switches
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Comparative Communication
Speeds (Mbps)

Megastream

Cable

Modem

0 200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000 1200000 1400000 1600000 29 1800000

Comparative Communication
Speeds (Mbps)
Gigabit

MAN

Megastream

Cable

Modem

0 100000000 200000000 300000000 400000000 500000000 600000000 700000000 800000000 900000000 1000000000 1100000000
Mbps 30
Wide Area Networks

Tokyo

Paris
New York
Cable or Radio
Connections

Mexico City Nairobi

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WANs
• Interconnects two or more LANs or WANs
• Uses ‘slow’ connections leased from a Telco
• Spans cities, countries or even continents
• Requires co-ordination and expensive
equipment
• Speeds may be 56Kbps to 1.5 Mbps
(speeds of 45Mbs are available)
• ‘Slow’ is comparative – faster speeds are
emerging for use in WANs
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Wide Area Networks

Relation between hosts on LANs and the

subnet.
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Wide-Area Networks (WANs)
• A WAN, as the name implies,
is designed to work over a
larger area than a LAN.
• A WAN uses point-to-point or
point to multipoint, serial
communications lines.
• Point-to-point lines connect
only two locations, one on
each side of the line. Point-to-
multipoint lines connect one
location on one side of the
line to multiple locations on
the other side.
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Wide-Area Networks (WANs)
• The following are some of the more
common WAN technologies:
• Modems
• Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
• Digital subscriber line (DSL)
• Frame Relay
• Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
• The T (US) and E (Europe) Carrier series (T1,
E1, T3, E3, and so on)
• Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)

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Wide-Area Networks (WANs)
• Connections across WAN
lines may be temporary or
permanent.
• Telephone or dialup lines,
might make a temporary
connection to a remote
network from a computer in
a home or small office.
• In both temporary and
permanent cases, computers
that connect over wide area
circuits must use a modem or
channel service unit/data
service unit (CSU/DSU) at
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each end of the connection.
Wide-Area Networks (WANs)
• The public telephone system,
sometimes referred to as plain
old telephone service (POTS),
is a circuit-switched
communications network.
• When a telephone call is
placed in this type of network,
only one physical path is used
between the telephones for
the duration of that call.
• This pathway is maintained for
the exclusive use of the call,
until the connection is ended
and the telephone is hung37 up.
Wide-Area Networks (WANs)
• In a packet-switched
network, each
individual packet of
data can take a
different route and
no dedicated
pathway or circuit is
established.

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WANs
Characteristics include:
• Cover large areas – may span the world
• Compared to LANs – slow speed
communication
• Access to WANs is limited – a LAN will
access a WAN through a single point (often
a bottleneck)
• Will use devices such as routers, modems
and WAN switches
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The Internet
• The Internet is a worldwide public network of
networks, interconnecting thousands of smaller
networks to form one large “web” of
communication.

• The Internet functions like a highway to facilitate

exchange between geographically separated
users, organizations, and branches of companies.

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41
The Internet
• The phrase “information
superhighway” describes
the benefit of the
Internet to business and
private communication.
• The Internet breaks
down barriers of time
and space, enabling the
sharing of information
around the globe almost
instantaneously.

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Networks – The Beginning
• First networks were terminals to
mainframes
• Semi Automatic Ground Environment
(SAGE) in 1958 linked military
establishments in the USA and Canada
• Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS)
invented by MIT for IBM
• 1964 – IBM’s SABRE system linked 2000
machines in 64 cities
• First network protocols were Token Ring,
ARCNET and Ethernet 43
Networks – The Beginning
• 1971 First people communicate over a
network (15 nodes)
• 1972 Telnet specification. People can now
communicate more freely
• 1973 Ethernet standard proposed by a
student
• 1973 Global networking becomes a reality
• 1982 TCP/IP defines future communications
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The Internet
• Early 1960s Advanced Research Projects
Agency (ARPA) begins work on ARPAnet
• First nodes connected to University of
California
• 1971 – 23 nodes now connected
• 1974 - Packets and TCP established
• 1976 - The queen sends her first email
• 1979 - First MUD games played across
Internet
• 1980s - sees rapid growth 45
The Internet
• TCP/IP defines future communications
• 1986 - sees 5000 hosts and 241
newsgroups
• 1987 - sees 28000 hosts
• 1988 - Internet Relay Chat (IRC) developed
• 1989 - Military portion split off as
DARPAnet, leaving public infrastructure now
known as “Internet”
• Success of Internet due to BSD UNIX
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The Internet
• Major American universities form first
backbone for the Internet known as
NSFNET
• 1989 - hosts now over 100 000
• 1990 - First ISP “The World” comes on line
• 1991 - sees first commercial use of Internet
• 1991 - A Briton (Tim Berners-Lee)
establishes World Wide Web (released by
CERN)
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The Internet
• 1994 - Commercialisation Begins (3 million hosts,
10 000 WWW sites, 10 000 News Groups
• 1994 - First pizza from Pizza Hut online in US
• 1995 - 6.5 Million hosts, 100 000 web sites
• 1995 - Search Engines
• 1996 - Microsoft enter. Browser war begins
• 1997 - 20 Million hosts, 1 1 Million WWW sites
• 1997 onwards – growth is “exponential” ….
• The Abilene Project (Internet 2), 95 universities,
12 regional gigaPOPs
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