Communication is almost as important to us as our reliance on air, water, food, and shelter.

In
today’s world, through the use of networks, we are connected like never before.

1.2 Network Components

(1) Host Roles- Every computer on a network is called a host or end device.

Servers are computers that provide information to end devices: email servers, web servers, file server

Clients are computers that send requests to the servers to retrieve information: web page from a web
server, email from an email server

Server Type

Email- Email server runs email server software. Clients use client software to access email.

Web- Web server runs web server software. Clients use browser software to access web pages.

File- File server stores corporate and user files. The client devices access these files.

(2) Peer-to-Peer- It is possible to have a device be a client and a server in a Peer-to-Peer Network.
This type of network design is only recommended for very small networks.

(3) Network media- Communication across a network is carried through a medium which allows a
message to travel from source to destination.

Media Types

Metal wires within cables- Uses electrical impulses

Glass or plastic fibers within cables (fiber-optic cable)- Uses pulses of light.

Wireless transmission- Uses modulation of specific frequencies of electromagnetic waves.

1.3 Network Representations and Topologies

Network diagrams, often called topology diagrams, use symbols to represent devices within the
network.

Important terms to know include:

Note: Often, the terms port and interface are used interchangeably

Topology Diagrams

Physical topology diagrams illustrate the physical location of intermediary devices and cable
installation.

Logical topology diagrams illustrate devices, ports, and the addressing scheme of the network.

1.4 Common Types of Networks

Small Home Networks – connect a few computers to each other and the Internet

Small Office/Home Office – enables computer within a home or remote office to connect to a
corporate network

Medium to Large Networks – many locations with hundreds or thousands of interconnected

World Wide Networks – connects hundreds of millions of computers world-wide – such as the
internet

LANs and WANs

Network infrastructures vary greatly in terms of:

Two most common types of networks:

Local Area Network (LAN)- is a network infrastructure that spans a small geographical area.

Wide Area Network (WAN)- is a network infrastructure that spans a wide geographical area.

The Internet- is a worldwide collection of interconnected LANs and WANs.

Intranet- is a private collection of LANs and WANs internal to an organization that is meant to be
accessible only to the organizations members or others with authorization.
Extranet - used to provide secure access to their network for individuals who work for a different
organization that need access to their data on their network.

1.5 Internet Connections

There are many ways to connect users and organizations to the internet:

Popular services for home users and small offices include broadband cable, broadband digital
subscriber line (DSL), wireless WANs, and mobile services.

Organizations need faster connections to support IP phones, video conferencing and data center
storage.

Business-class interconnections are usually provided by service providers (SP) and may include:
business DSL, leased lines, and Metro Ethernet.

Home and Small Office Internet Connections

Cable- high bandwidth, always on, internet offered by cable television service providers.

DSL- high bandwidth, always on, internet connection that runs over a telephone line.

Cellular- uses a cell phone network to connect to the internet.

Satellite- major benefit to rural areas without Internet Service Providers.

Dial-up telephone- an inexpensive, low bandwidth option using a modem.

Businesses Internet Connections

Corporate business connections may require:

Dedicated Leased Line- These are reserved circuits within the service provider’s network that connect
distant offices with private voice and/or data networking.

Ethernet WAN- This extends LAN access technology into the WAN.

DSL- Business DSL is available in various formats including Symmetric Digital Subscriber Lines (SDSL).

Satellite- This can provide a connection when a wired solution is not available.

The Converging Network

Before converged networks, an organization would have been separately cabled for telephone, video,
and data. Each of these networks would use different technologies to carry the signal.

Each of these technologies would use a different set of rules and standards.

Converged data networks carry multiple services on one link including: data, voice, video
Converged networks can deliver data, voice, and video over the same network infrastructure. The
network infrastructure uses the same set of rules and standards.

1.6 Reliable Networks

Network Architecture refers to the technologies that support the infrastructure that moves data
across the network.

There are four basic characteristics that the underlying architectures need to address to meet user
expectations:

Fault Tolerance
Scalability
Quality of Service (QoS)
Security

Scalability- A scalable network can expand quickly and easily to support new users and applications
without impacting the performance of services to existing users.

Network designers follow accepted standards and protocols in order to make the networks scalable.

Quality of Service (QoS) is the primary mechanism used to ensure reliable delivery of content for all
users.

Network Security

There are two main types of network security that must be addressed:

1. Network infrastructure security

2. Information Security
- Protection of the information or data transmitted over the network

Three goals of network security:

Confidentiality – only intended recipients can read the data

Integrity – assurance that the data has not be altered with during transmission

Availability – assurance of timely and reliable access to data for authorized users

1.7 Network Trends

Recent Trends
The role of the network must adjust and continually transform in order to be able to keep up with
new technologies and end user devices as they constantly come to the market.

Several new networking trends that effect organizations and consumers:

BYOD allows end users to have the freedom to use personal tools to access information and
communicate using their:
Laptops
Netbooks
Tablets
Smartphones
E-readers

BYOD means any device, with any ownership, used anywhere.

Online Collaboration- Collaborate and work with others over the network on joint projects.

Collaboration tools including Cisco WebEx (shown in the figure) gives users a way to instantly connect
and interact.

Collaboration is a very high priority for businesses and in education.

Cisco Webex Teams is a multifunctional collaboration tool.

Video Communication
Video calls are made to anyone, regardless of where they are located.

Video conferencing is a powerful tool for communicating with others.

Video is becoming a critical requirement for effective collaboration.

Cisco TelePresence powers is one way of working where everyone, everywhere.

Cloud Computing- allows us to store personal files or backup our data on servers over the internet.

Applications can also be accessed using the Cloud.

Allows businesses to deliver to any device anywhere in the world.

Cloud computing is made possible by data centers.

Smaller companies that can’t afford their own data centers, lease server and storage services from
larger data center organizations in the Cloud.

Four types of Clouds:

Public Clouds- Available to the general public through a pay-per-use model or for free.

Private Clouds- Intended for a specific organization or entity such as the government.

Hybrid Clouds- Made up of two or more Cloud types – for example, part custom and part public.
Each part remains a distinctive object but both are connected using the same architecture.
Custom Clouds- Built to meet the needs of a specific industry, such as healthcare or media. Can be
private or public.

Technology Trends in the Home

Smart home technology is a growing trend that allows technology to be integrated into every-day
appliances which allows them to interconnect with other devices.

Powerline networking can allow devices to connect to a LAN where data network cables or wireless
communications are not a viable option.

Wireless Broadband- In addition to DSL and cable, wireless is another option used to connect homes
and small businesses to the internet.

More commonly found in rural environments, a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) is an ISP
that connects subscribers to designated access points or hotspots.

Wireless broadband is another solution for the home and small businesses.

Uses the same cellular technology used by a smart phone.

An antenna is installed outside the house providing wireless or wired connectivity for devices in the
home.

1.8 Network Security

Security Threats

Network security is an integral part of networking regardless of the size of the network.

The network security that is implemented must take into account the environment while securing the
data, but still allowing for quality of service that is expected of the network.

Securing a network involves many protocols, technologies, devices, tools, and techniques in order to
secure data and mitigate threats.

Threat vectors might be external or internal.

External Threats:
Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses
Spyware and adware
Zero-day attacks
Threat Actor attacks
Denial of service attacks
Data interception and theft
Identity theft

Internal Threats:
lost or stolen devices
accidental misuse by employees
malicious employees
Security Solutions

Security must be implemented in multiple layers using more than one security solution.

Network security components for home or small office network:

Antivirus and antispyware software should be installed on end devices.

Firewall filtering used to block unauthorized access to the network.