group of computers and other devices connected together to share

resources such as data, printer, fax modems, Internet connection,

applications, or a combination of these
number of computers connected to each other by cable in a single
location
are smaller in size and geographic coverage and consist of two or
more connected devices.
Workstation
any computer connected to the network that is used by an individual to do work
can also refer to software, like Windows NT workstation

Workgroup
specific group of users or network devices who share the same files and databases over the LANs

Host
any network device with a TCP/IP network address

Backbone
part of the network to which all segments and servers connect

Segments
any short section of the network that is not part of the backbone
set of connecting links between local area networks
cover more geographic area and consist of two or more systems in geographically separated
areas connected by leased lines, radio waves, satellite relays, microwaves, or even dial-up
connections.
Centralized WAN
❑ consists
of a central computer located at the central site to which other
computers and dumb terminals connect

Distributed WAN
❑ consists
of many interconnected computers in
many locations (e.g. Internet)
connected computers have no centralized authority and can act as both a server
and a workstation
  network operating system designed to manage the entire network from a
centralized point, which is the network
 network where powerful, dedicated systems called servers provide resources to
individual workstations or clients
 Advantages:
❑ more organized
❑ tighter security
❑ better performance
Other Specialized Network Structures
Campus Area Network (CAN)
Intranet
Internet
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Storage Area Network (SAN)
Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)
Topology
description of the layout of a specific region or area
how the network is physically or logically arranged.

Network Topology
description of the layout of the region or area covered by a network
❑ Logical topology – defines how the information or data flows within the network
❑ Physical topology – describes the layout or the physical structure of the cables (or data-
transmission media)
• Considerations:
– cost
– ease of installation
– ease of maintenance
– cable fault tolerance
network components are connected to the same cable
Advantages:
✓ Simple to install
✓ Inexpensive
✓ Easy to extend

Disadvantages:
 Heavy network traffic can slow a bus considerably
 Difficult to move and change
 Has little fault tolerance
 Difficult to troubleshoot
network components are connected to a central point
Advantages:
✓ New workstations can be added easily and quickly
✓ Relatively easy to troubleshoot
✓ Single computer failures would not bring down the entire network
✓ Several cable types can be used in the same network

Disadvantages:
 If the central hub fails, the whole network fails to operate
 Many star network requires a device at the central point to rebroadcast or
switch network traffic
 Higher total installation cost
network components are connected to each other in a closed loop with
each device directly connected to two other devices
Advantages:
✓Each computer has equal network access
✓Relatively easy troubleshoot

Disadvantages:
 Failure of one computer on the ring can affect the whole
network
 Difficult to reconfigure
 Adding or removing computers disrupts the network
 Expensive
True Mesh Hybrid Mesh
Advantages:
✓ Fail-safe or fault-tolerant
✓ Guaranteed communication channel capacity
✓ Relatively easy to troubleshoot

Disadvantages:
 Difficult to install and reconfigure
 Expensive
Protocol
❑ special
set of rules that end points in a telecommunication
connection use when they communicate

❑ derived from the Greek word “protocollon”

❑ definesa number of agreed upon parameters, such as the data

compression method, the type of error checking to use, and
mechanisms for systems to signal when they have finished either
receiving or transmitting data
AppleTalk
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
DECnet
Ethernet
Fiber Distributed Data Interface
Internet Protocols (IP)
Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX)
Netware
Signaling System 7 (SS7)
Systems Network Architecture (SNA)
Token Ring
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
X.25
OSI Reference Model
❑ Open System Interconnection Reference Model

❑ layered architecture that standardizes levels of service and types of

interaction for computers exchanging information through a
communications network

❑ deals with connecting open systems

❑ provides
a framework to view the data communications and
network world
OSI Reference Model
❑ separates computer-to-computer communications into seven layers, each building
upon the standards contained in the level(s) below it
Packets
❑ smallest unit of information that is transferred across a
Logical layout of an
packet-switched network IP packet

IP Packet
❑ segment of information that maintains its integrity as it travels
through the Internet or across a network
❑ contains header information that includes the type of traffic it is
(FTP or UDP, for example) and where it originated from
❑ has two main sections: the header and the data section
TCP vs. UDP
❑ Transmission Control Protocol and User Datagram Protocol

❑ protocols that run on top of the IP network protocol

❑ they each have their own packet definitions, capabilities, and advantages

❑ the difference between TCP and UDP is the concept of “guaranteed” reliability and delivery

❑ UDP is known as a “connectionless” protocol since it has very few error recovery services and no
guarantee of packet delivery

❑ TCP is a “connection-oriented” protocol and was specifically designed to allow for a reliable
connection between two hosts exchanging data
ICMP
❑ Internet Control Message Protocol

❑ control and information protocol and is used by network devices to determine

things like a remote network’s availability, length of time to reach a remote
network, and the best route for packets to take when traveling to that remote
network

❑ used to handle the flow of traffic, telling other network devices to slow down
transmission speeds if packets are coming in too fast

❑ designed to carry small messages quickly with minimal overhead or impact to

bandwidth
Local Packet Delivery
❑ applies to packets being sent out on a local network
❑ packets delivered, such as office LAN, are usually sent using the destination
system’s hardware address, or Media Access Control (MAC) address
❑ MAC addresses are assigned to a device or network card by the manufacturer and
each manufacturer is assigned a specific block of MAC addresses to prevent two
devices from sharing the same MAC address

Remote Packet Delivery

❑ applies to packets being delivered to a remote system
❑ usually accomplished using Internet Protocol (IP) addresses
❑ also uses Domain Name System (DNS) protocol
Subnetting
❑ also known as network procreation

❑ logically
dividing a single IP network into smaller, logical sub-
networks (subnets)

❑ uses the host portion of an IP address to distinguish subnets -

have unique subnet addresses

❑ complexityof subnetting is not transparent to the external network

connected to the subnetted- network
Subnet Masks
❑ used to derive the network/subnet address from an IP
address
❑ as with IP addresses, it is 32-bits long
• consists of a series of 1’s followed by a series of 0’s
• 1’s in a subnet mask represents the network/subnet address
• 0’s in a subnet mask represents the node address
❑ default subnet masks: - w/o subnetting
• CLASS A: 255 . 0 . 0 . 0
• CLASS B: 255 . 255 . 0 . 0
• CLASS C: 255 . 255 . 255 . 0
 Network Address Translation
❑ technique in which the source and/or destination
addresses of IP packets are rewritten as they
pass through a router or firewall

❑ converts private, internal IP addresses to public,

routable IP addresses and vice versa

Outbound
Source: 10.10.10.121 Source: 63.69.110.110
Destination: 207.25.71.23 Destination: 207.25.71.23

Acme.com Firewall www.cnn..com

Internal performing Data General 207.25.71.23
Network NAT

Source: 207.25.71.23 Source: 207.25.71.23

Destination: 10.10.10.121 Destination: 63.69.110.110

Source: Conklin (2004)

Inbound