Computer Network

1. Basic Terminologies of Computer Networks

Network: A network is a collection of computers and devices that are connected together
to enable communication and data exchange.

Nodes: Nodes are devices that are connected to a network. These can include computers,
Servers, Printers, Routers, Switches, and other devices.

Protocol: A protocol is a set of rules and standards that govern how data is transmitted
over a network. Examples of protocols include TCP/IP, HTTP, and FTP.

Topology: Network topology refers to the physical and logical arrangement of nodes on
a network. The common network topologies include bus, star, ring, mesh, and tree.

Service Provider Networks: These types of Networks give permission rovider. Service
Provider Networks include Wireless Communications, Data Carriers, etc.

IP Address: An IP address is a unique numerical identifier that is assigned to every

device on a network. IP addresses are used to identify devices and enable communication
between them.

Firewall: A firewall is a security device that is used to monitor and control incoming and
outgoing network traffic. Firewalls are used to protect networks from unauthorized access
and other security threats.

2. Types of Computer Network Architecture

Client-Server Architecture: Client-Server Architecture is a type of Computer Network

Architecture in which Nodes can be Servers or Clients. Here, the server node can manage
the Client Node Behaviour.

Peer-to-Peer Architecture: In P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Architecture, there is not any concept

of a Central Server. Each device is free for working as either client or server

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3. Network Devices

An interconnection of multiple devices, also known as hosts, that are connected using
multiple paths for the purpose of sending/receiving data or media. Computer networks
can also include multiple devices/mediums which help in the communication between
two different devices; these are known as Network devices and include things such as
routers, switches, hubs, and bridges.

4. Network Topology

The Network Topology is the layout arrangement of the different devices in a network.
Common examples include Bus, Star, Mesh, Ring, and Daisy chain.

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OSI Model

OSI stands for Open Systems Interconnection. It is a reference model that specifies
standards for communications protocols and also the functionalities of each layer. The
OSI has been developed by the International Organization For Standardization and it is 7
layer architecture. Each layer of OSI has different functions and each layer has to follow
different protocols. The 7 layers are as follows:

Physical Layer

Data link Layer

Network Layer

Transport Layer

Session Layer

Presentation Layer

Application Layer

5. Protocol

A protocol is a set of rules or algorithms which define the way how two entities can
communicate across the network and there exists a different protocol defined at each
layer of the OSI model. A few such protocols are TCP, IP, UDP, ARP, DHCP, FTP, and
so on.

6. Unique Identifiers of Network

Hostname: Each device in the network is associated with a unique device name known as
Hostname. Type “hostname” in the command prompt(Administrator Mode) and press
‘Enter’, this displays the hostname of your machine.

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IP Address (Internet Protocol address): Also known as the Logical Address, the IP
Address is the network address of the system across the network. To identify each device
in the world-wide-web, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) assigns an
IPV4 (Version 4) address as a unique identifier to each device on the Internet. The length
of an IPv4 address is 32 bits, hence, we have 232 IP addresses available. The length of an
IPv6 address is 128 bits.
Type “ipconfig” in the command prompt and press ‘Enter’, this gives us the IP address of
the device.

MAC Address (Media Access Control address): Also known as physical address,
the MAC Address is the unique identifier of each host and is associated with its NIC
(Network Interface Card). A MAC address is assigned to the NIC at the time of
manufacturing. The length of the MAC address is: 12-nibble/ 6 bytes/ 48 bits Type
“ipconfig/all” in the command prompt and press ‘Enter’, this gives us the MAC address.

Port: A port can be referred to as a logical channel through which data can be
sent/received to an application. Any host may have multiple applications running, and
each of these applications is identified using the port number on which they are

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running. A port number is a 16-bit integer, hence, ports available which are categorized
as shown below:

Port Types Range

Well known Ports 0 – 1023

Registered Ports 1024 – 49151

Ephemeral Ports 49152 – 65535

Number of ports: 65,536

Range: 0 – 65535
Type “netstat -a” in the command prompt and press ‘Enter’, this lists all the ports being
used.

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List of Ports

Socket: The unique combination of IP address and Port number together is termed a
Socket.

7. Other Related Concepts

DNS Server: DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS is basically a server that
translates web addresses or URLs (ex: www.google.com) into their corresponding IP
addresses. We don’t have to remember all the IP addresses of each and every
website. The command ‘nslookup’ gives you the IP address of the domain you are
looking for. This also provides information on our DNS Server.

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Domain IP Address

ARP: ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol. It is used to convert an IP address to
its corresponding physical address(i.e., MAC Address). ARP is used by the Data Link
Layer to identify the MAC address of the Receiver’s machine.

RARP: RARP stands for Reverse Address Resolution Protocol. As the name suggests, it
provides the IP address of the device given a physical address as input. But RARP has
become obsolete since the time DHCP has come into the picture.

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