DIFFERENT NETWORKING DEVICES

HUB
Hub is a centralized device that connects multiple devices in a single LAN network. When
Hub receives the data signals from a connected device on any of its port, except that port, it
forwards those signals to all other connected devices from the remaining ports. Usually, Hub
has one or more uplink ports that are used to connect it with another Hub.
There are two types of the Hub.
Passive Hub: - It forwards data signals in the same format in which it receives them. It does
not change the data signal in any manner.
Active Hub: - It also works same as the passive Hub works. But before forwarding the data
signals, it amplifies them. Due to this added feature, the active Hub is also known as the
repeater.

*PASSIVE HUB *ACTIVE HUB

BRIDGE
Bridge is used to divide a large network into smaller segments. Basic functions of the
Bridge are the following:
Breaking a large network into smaller segments.
Connecting different media types. Such as connects UTP with the fiber optic.
Connecting different network architectures. Such as connects Ethernet with the Token
ring.

A Bridge can connect two different types of media or network architecture, but it cannot
connect two different types of network layer protocol such as TCP/IP or IPX. Bridge
requires the same network layer protocol in all segments.

There are three types of Bridge:-

Local Bridge: - This Bridge connects two LAN segments directly. In Ethernet
Implementation, it is known as the Transparent Bridge. In Token Ring network, it is
called the Source-Routed Bridge.

Remote Bridge: - This Bridge connects with another Bridge over the WAN link.

Wireless Bridge: - This Bridge connects with another Bridge without using wires. It uses
radio signals for the connectivity.

In OSI Layers /TCP-IP networking models, the functionalities of the Bridges are defined
in the physical layer and data link layer.

Just like Hubs, Bridge no longer used in the computer network. Bridges have been
replaced by the Switches.

SWITCH
Just like Hub and Bridge, Switch is also used to connect the multiple devices together in
a LAN segment. Basically, a Switch is the upgraded version of the Bridge. Besides
providing all the functionalities of Bridge, it also offers several additional features.
The biggest advantage of Switch is that, it makes switching decisions in hardware by
using application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
Unlike the generic processors that we use in our PC, ASICs are the specialized
processors built only to perform very few particular tasks. Usually, the ASICs in the
Switches have single task and that is the switching the frames as fast as possible.An
ASIC occupied switch performs this task blazingly fast. For example, an entry level
Catalyst Switch 2960 can
process 2.7 million frames per
second.
MODEM
In simple language, a Modem is the device that is used to connect with the Internet.
Technically, it is the device that enables the digital data to be transmitted over the
telecommunication lines.

A Telco company uses entirely different data transmission technology from the
technology that a PC uses for the data transmission. A modem understands both
technologies. It changes the technology that a PC uses, in the technology which Telco
Company understands.
It enables communication between the PC (Known as the DTE device) and the Telecom
company' office (Known as the DCE device).

GATEWAY

Gateway is used to forward the packets which are generated from the local host or
network and but intended for the remote network. If a data packet does not find its
destination address in the local network then it takes the help of the gateway device to
find the destination address in the remote network. A gateway device knows the path of
the remote destination address. If require, it also changes the encapsulation of the packet
so it can travel through the other networks to get its destination address.

Examples of the Gateway:

Email Gateway: - Translates SMTP e-mail in standard X.400 format before forwarding.
GSNW Gateway: - Allows Windows clients to access resources from the NetWare
server.
PAD Gateway: - Provides connectivity between LAN network and X.25 network.

ROUTER
The router connects the different network segments. It switches the data packets between
those networks which are either located in the different logical segments or built with the
different network layer protocols.

When a router receives a data packet on any of its interface, it checks the destination
address of that packet and based on that destination address, it forwards that data packet
from the interface which is connected with the destination address.

To forward a data packet to its destination, router keeps the records of connected
networks. These records are maintained in a database table known as the routing table.
Routing table can be built statically or dynamically.

Basically routers are used: -

To connect different network segments.

To connect different network protocols such as IP and IPX.

To connect several smaller networks into a large network (known as the Internetwork)

To break a large network into smaller networks (Known as the Subnets. Usually created to
improve the performance or manageability.)

To connect two different media types such as UTP and Fiber optical.

To connect two different network architectures such as Token Ring and Ethernet.

To connect LAN network with Telco company’ office (Known as the DTE device).

To access DSL services (known as the DSL Router)

PROXY

Proxy is used to hide the internal network from external world. It can be a dedicate
device or can be an application software. Once it is configured, all communication goes
through it. Since external devices cannot access the internal devices directly, they cannot
tamper with the internal devices.

TRANSCEIVER

Transceiver is a small device that has the capability of receiving and sending both types
of signals; analog and digital. Usually, it is inbuilt in network interface card. But, it is
also available as an individual device. It detects the type of signal from the network wire
and converts the passing signal accordingly.

For example, a transceiver is attached with a device that transmits signal in digital form.
Now suppose, this device is connected with the network wire that uses analog form for
data transmission. In this case, transceiver converts digital signals in the analog signals
before placing them in the network wire.
COMMON NETWORKING CABLES

Coaxial Cables
Invented in the 1880s, "coax" was best known as the kind of cable that connected
television sets to home antennas. Coaxial cable is also a standard for 10 Mbps Ethernet
cables. When 10 Mbps Ethernet was most popular, during the 1980s and early 1990s,
networks typically utilized one of two kinds of coax cable — thinnet (10BASE2
standard) or thicknet (10BASE5). These cables consist of an inner copper wire of
varying thickness surrounded by insulation and another shielding. Their stiffness caused
network administrators difficulty in installing and maintaining thinnet and thicknet.

Twisted Pair Cables

Twisted pair eventually emerged during the 1990s as the leading cabling standard
for Ethernet, starting with 10 Mbps (10BASE-T, also known as Category 3 or Cat3),
later followed by improved versions for 100 Mbps (100BASE-TX, Cat5, and Cat5e)
and successively higher speeds up to 10 Gbps (10GBASE-T). Ethernet twisted pair
cables contain up to eight (8) wires wound together in pairs to minimize
electromagnetic interference.
Two primary types of twisted pair cable industry standards have been
defined: Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted Pair (STP). Modern
Ethernet cables use UTP wiring due to its lower cost, while STP cabling can be found in
some other types of networks such as Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI).

Fiber Optics
Instead of insulated metal wires transmitting electrical signals, fiber optic network
cables work using strands of glass and pulses of light. These network cables are
bendable despite being made of glass. They have proven especially useful in wide area
network (WAN) installations where long distance underground or outdoor cable runs are
required and also in office buildings where a high volume of communication traffic is
common.

Two primary types of fiber optic cable industry standards are defined — single-
mode (100BaseBX standard) and multimode (100BaseSX standard). Long-distance
telecommunications networks more commonly use single-mode for its relatively
higher bandwidth capacity, while local networks typically use multimode instead due to
its lower cost.

USB Cables
Most Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables connect a computer with a peripheral device
(keyboard or mouse) rather than to another computer. However, special network
adapters (sometimes called dongles) also allow connecting an Ethernet cable to a USB
port indirectly. USB cables feature twisted pair wiring.

Serial and Parallel Cables

Because many PCs in the 1980s and early 1990s lacked Ethernet capability, and USB
had not been developed yet, serial and parallel interfaces (now obsolete on modern
computers) were sometimes used for PC-to-PC networking. So-called null model cables,
for example, connected the serial ports of two PCs enabling data transfers at speeds
between 0.115 and 0.45 Mbps.

Crossover Cables
Null modem cables are one example of the category of crossover cables. A crossover
cable joins two network devices of the same type, such as two PCs or two network
switches.
The use of Ethernet crossover cables was especially common on older home networks
years ago when connecting two PCs directly together. Externally, Ethernet crossover
cables appear nearly identical to ordinary (sometimes also called straight-through), the
only visible difference being the order of color-coded wires appearing on the cable's end
connector. Manufacturers typically applied special distinguishing marks to their
crossover cables for this reason. Nowadays, though, most home networks utilize routers
that have built-in crossover capability, eliminating the need for these special cables.