7-1 What are the principal components of telecommunications networks and key networking

technologies?

What Is a Computer Network?

In its simplest form, a network consists of two or more connected computers. Each computer on
the network contains a network interface device to link the computer to the network. The connection
medium for linking network components can be a telephone wire, coaxial cable, or radio signal in the
case of cell phone and wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi networks).
The network operating system (NOS) routes and manages communications on the network
and coordinates network resources. It can reside on every computer in the network or primarily on a
dedicated server computer for all the applications on the network. A server is a computer on a network
that performs important network functions for client computers, such as displaying web pages,
storing data, and storing the network operating system (hence controlling the network).
Most networks also contain a switch or a hub acting as a connection point between the
computers. Hubs are simple devices that connect network components, sending a packet of data to all
other connected devices. A switch has more intelligence than a hub and can filter and forward data to a
specified destination on the network. A router is a communications processor that routes packets of
data through different networks, ensuring that the data sent get to the correct address.
Network switches and routers have proprietary software built into their hardware for directing
the movement of data on the network. This can create network bottlenecks and makes the process of
configuring a network more complicated and time-consuming. Software-defined networking (SDN) is a
networking approach in which many of these control functions are managed by one central program,
which can run on inexpensive commodity servers that are separate from the network devices
themselves. This is especially helpful in a cloud computing environment with many pieces of hardware
because it allows a network administrator to manage traffic loads in a flexible and more efficient
manner.
Networks in Large Companies
The network infrastructure for a large corporation consists of a large number of these small
local area networks linked to other local area networks and to firm wide corporate networks. A
number of powerful servers support a corporate website, a corporate intranet, and perhaps an
extranet. Some of these servers link to other large computers supporting back end systems
Here the corporate network infrastructure supports a mobile sales force using mobile phones
and smart phones, mobile employees linking to the company website, and internal company networks
using mobile wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi networks). In addition to these computer networks,
the firm’s infrastructure may include a separate telephone network that handles most voice data.
Many firms are dispensing with their traditional telephone networks and using Internet telephones that
run on their existing data networks (described later).
A large corporate network infrastructure uses a wide variety of technologies—everything
from ordinary telephone service and corporate data networks to Internet service, wireless Internet,
and mobile phones. One of the major problems facing corporations today is how to integrate all the
different communication networks and channels into a coherent system that enables information to
flow from one part of the corporation to another and from one system to another.

Key Digital Networking Technologies

1. Client/Server Computing
Client/server computing is a distributed computing model in which some of the processing
power is located within small, inexpensive client computers and resides literally on desktops or
laptops or in handheld devices. These powerful clients are linked to one another through a network
that is controlled by a network server computer. The server sets the rules of communication for the
network and provides every client with an address so others can find it on the network.
Client/server computing has largely replaced centralized mainframe computing in which nearly
all the processing takes place on a central large mainframe computer. Client/server computing has
extended computing to departments, workgroups, factory floors, and other parts of the business that
could not be served by a centralized architecture. It also makes it possible for personal computing
devices such as PCs, laptops, and mobile phones to be connected to networks such as the Internet.
The Internet is the largest implementation of client/server computing.

2. Packet Switching
Packet switching is a method of slicing digital messages into parcels called packets, sending
the packets along different communication paths as they become available, and then reassembling
the packets once they arrive at their destinations.
Packet switching is more efficient. Messages are first broken down into small fixed bundles of
data called packets. The packets include information for directing the packet to the right address and for
checking transmission errors along with the data. The packets are transmitted over various
communications channels by using routers, each packet traveling independently. Packets of data
originating at one source will be routed through many paths and networks before being reassembled
into the original message when they reach their destinations.

3. TCP/IP and Connectivity

A protocol is a set of rules and procedures governing transmission of information between
two points in a network. In the past, diverse proprietary and incompatible protocols often forced
business firms to purchase computing and communications equipment from a single vendor. However,
today, corporate networks are increasingly using a single, common, worldwide standard called
Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
 TCP/IP uses a suite of protocols, the main ones being TCP and IP. TCP refers to the
Transmission Control Protocol, which handles the movement of data between computers. TCP
establishes a connection between the computers, sequences the transfer of packets, and
acknowledges the packets sent. IP refers to the Internet Protocol (IP), which is responsible for the
delivery of packets and includes the disassembling and reassembling of packets during transmission.
TCP/IP layers are described as follows:1. Application layer. The Application layer enables client
application programs to access the other layers and defines the protocols that applications use to
exchange data. One of these application protocols is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is
used to transfer web page files.2. Transport layer. The Transport layer is responsible for providing the
Application layer with communication and packet services. This layer includes TCP and other
protocols.3. Internet layer. The Internet layer is responsible for addressing, routing, and packaging data
packets called IP datagrams. The Internet Protocol is one of the protocols used in this layer.4. Network
Interface layer. At the bottom of the reference model, the Network Interface layer is responsible for
placing packets on and receiving them from the network medium, which could be any networking
technology.
Two computers using TCP/IP can communicate even if they are based on different hardware
and software platforms. Data sent from one computer to the other passes downward through all four
layers, starting with the sending computer’s Application layer and passing through the Network
Interface layer. After the data reach the recipient host computer, they travel up the layers and are
reassembled into a format the receiving computer can use. If the receiving computer finds a damaged
packet, it asks the sending computer to retransmit it. This process is reversed when the receiving
computer responds.