Network Assignment:

Read the pages of notes on compass for answers to these

Questions:

1. Define a computer network:

A computer network is a set of computersconnected together for

the purpose of sharing resources. The most common resource
shared today is connection to the Internet. Other shared resources
can include a printer or a file server.

2. What are the key components required to form a

computer network?
Basic computer network components. ... Computer
networks share common devices, functions, and features
including servers, clients, transmission media, shared data,
shared printers and other hardware and software
resources, networkinterface card(NIC), local operating
system(LOS), and the network operating system (NOS).

3. What is a NIC?
A network interface card (NIC) is a circuit board or card that is
installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network.
A network interface cardprovides the computer with a dedicated,
full-time connection to a network.

4. What is the difference between a hub and a switch?

 Each serves as a central connection for all of your network
equipment and handles a data type known as frames. Frames
carry your data. When a frame is received, it is amplified and then
transmitted on to the port of the destination PC. The big difference
between these two devices is in the method in which frames are
being delivered.

In a hub, a frame is passed along or "broadcast" to every one of

its ports. It doesn't matter that the frame is only destined for one
port. The hub has no way of distinguishing which port a frame
should be sent to. Passing it along to every port ensures that it will
reach its intended destination. This places a lot of traffic on the
network and can lead to poor network response times.

Additionally, a 10/100Mbps hub must share its bandwidth with

each and every one of its ports. So when only one PC is
broadcasting, it will have access to the maximum available
bandwidth. If, however, multiple PCs are broadcasting, then that
bandwidth will need to be divided among all of those systems,
which will degrade performance.

A switch, however, keeps a record of the MAC addresses of all the

devices connected to it. With this information, a switch can
identify which system is sitting on which port. So when a frame is
received, it knows exactly which port to send it to, without
significantly increasing network response times. And, unlike a
hub, a 10/100Mbps switch will allocate a full 10/100Mbps to
each of its ports. So regardless of the number of PCs transmitting,
users will always have access to the maximum amount of
bandwidth. It's for these reasons a switch is considered to be a
much better choice than a hub.
 5. What is the difference between a switch and a router?

Routers and switches are both computer networking devices

that allow one or more computers to be connected to other
computers, networked devices, or to other networks.
The functions of a router, switch and hub and are all different,
even if at times they are integrated into a single device.
Routers connect two or more logical subnets, which do not
necessarily map one-to-one to the physical interfaces of the
router. The term layer 3 switch often is used interchangeably
with router, but switch is really a general term without a
rigorous technical definition. In marketing usage, it is
generally optimized for Ethernet LAN interfaces and may not
have other physical interface types

6. What is a LAN?
A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated
devices that share a common communications line or wireless link
to a server. Typically, a LANencompasses computers and
peripherals connected to a server within a distinct geographic
area such as an office or a commercial establishment.

7. What type of cabling is commonly used to connect a LAN?

What is the maximum distance that a LAN can span?
The following sections discuss the types of cables used in
networks and other related topics.
8. Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable.
 9. Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable.
10. Coaxial Cable.
11. Fiber Optic Cable.
12. Cable Installation Guides.
13. Wireless LANs.
14. Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable.

15. What is the WAN?

A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated
devices that share a common communications line or wireless link
to a server. Typically, a LANencompasses computers and
peripherals connected to a server within a distinct geographic
area such as an office or a commercial establishment.

16. What is a network protocol? Give an example of a

protocol and what it is used for.
Network protocols are formal standards and policies comprised of
rules, procedures and formats thatdefine communication between
two or more devices over a network. Network protocols govern the
end-to-end processes of timely, secure and managed data
or network communication. Such as intermet.
17. What network protocol is commonly used on LANs ?
There are many LAN protocols in use today. Some of the more
common ones areEthernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM),
Token Ring and Fiber Distributed Data Interface
(FDDI). Ethernet is a common LAN protocol that can be found in
most organizations.
 18. What is a Peer-to-Peer network?
In its simplest form, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network is created when two or more PCs
are connected and share resources without going through a separate server
computer. A P2P network can be an ad hoc connectiona couple of computers
connected via a Universal Serial Bus to transfer files

19. What is a client server network?

client/server network. A computer network in which one

centralized, powerful computer (called theserver) is a hub to
which many less powerful personal computers or workstations
(called clients) are connected.

20. What is a Firewall?

In computing, a firewall is a network security system
that monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network
traffic based on predetermined security rules. A firewall typically
establishes a barrier between a trusted, secure internal network
and another outside network, such as the Internet, that is
assumed not to be secure or trusted

21. Explain how a proxy server can be used to implement a

firewall?
Different translation proxy implementations have different capabilities. Some allow further
customization of the source site for local audiences such as excluding source content or
substituting source content with original local content.

22. Communication channels are physical transmission

media used to transmit data in a network. They may be
 wired or wireless. Explain what is meant by the bandwidth
of the channel.
The term bandwidth has a number of technical meanings but since the
popularization of the internet, it has generally referred to the volume of
information per unit of time that a transmission medium (like an
internet connection) can handle.

An internet connection with a larger bandwidth can move a set amount

of data (say, a video file) much faster than an internet connection with
a lower bandwidth.

Bandwidth is typically expressed in bits per second, like 60 Mbps or 60

Mb/s to explain a data transfer rate of 60 million bits (megabits) every
second.

23. Complete the following table comparing different

physical media
Transmissio Advantage Disadvantag Maximu Maximum
n Media s e m bandwidt
Distance h
UTP the fastest more prone to 100m Supports 10
copper-based electronic noise Base-T
medium Standard for
available bandwidths
up to 10
Mbps over a
maximum
distance of
100 meters.
Coaxial sufficient more expensive 500m 4000 hz
frequency to install
range to compare to
support twisted pair
multiple cable
channels
Fibre optic Higher Expensive 1 Gbit/s up 200 Ghz
carrying to 1000 m,
Fragile and 10
capacity Natural Gbit/s up
Thinner
damage to 550 m
Less
Expensive

24. What is the Internet? Explain the following terms and

use them to provide an explanation of how the Internet
works
a. Domain name :
the part of a network address which identifies it as belonging to a
particular domain.

b. Domain name server:

 DNS. DNS. (Domain Name System) The Internet's system for converting
alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses. For example, when a Web
address (URL) is typed into a browser, DNS servers return the IP address of
the Web server associated with thatname.

c. TCP / IP protocol :
The Internet Protocol (IP) is the principal communicationsprotocol in
the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network
boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and
essentially establishes the Internet
d. SMTP / POP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is an Internet standard for
electronic mail (email) transmission. Firstdefined by RFC 821 in 1982,
it was last updated in 2008 with Extended SMTP additions by RFC
5321, which is the protocol in widespread use today
e. ftp
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used for
the transfer of computer files between a client and server on a
computer network.
f. HTTP
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application protocol for
distributed, collaborative, and hypermedia information systems
g. Webserver
A Web server is a program that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
to serve the files that form Web pages to users, in response to their
requests, which are forwarded by their computers' HTTP clients.
h. Web browser
A web browser (commonly referred to as a browser) is a software
application for retrieving, presenting and traversing information
resources on the World WideWeb.
i. ISP
short for Internet service provider.