COMPUTER SCIENCE

COMPUTER NETWORKS
COMPUTER NETWORK
1. Learning Outcome as per cbse
Get a basic understanding of computer networks: network stack, basic network hardware, basic protocols, and basic tools
 Network
A Network is a collection of interconnected autonomous computers. A computer which is a part of a network is
known as Node or Workstation. The benefits of a network are resource sharing, increased reliability, cost reduction and
effective communication.
Structure of a network
 Topology
It is termed as the physical arrangement of computers in a network. There are different types of network
topologies such as Bus topology, Ring topology, Star topology, Tree topology, Mesh topology.
Type of Figure Advantage Disadvantage
topology

Star • Easy to install, easy to configure • If the central server fails, whole
Topology network fails
• If one link fails the network can
still function

Bus • Easy to set up, handle, and • Not easy to isolate faults in the
topology implement. network nodes

• It is best-suited for small

networks

Ring • Easy to install • Failure of single node cause the

topology entire network to fail.
• Easy to reconfigure

Mesh • Transmit data from one node to • A lot of cables are needed
topology many other nodes at the same time

• If one link breaks, the rest of the

network is still functional

 Types of Network
1. LAN (Local Area Network) 2. MAN (Metropolitan Area Network 3. WAN(Wide Area Network)
4. PAN (Personal Area Network)

LAN WAN

It spread over a small area It spread over a very large area

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Less cost to set up Higher cost to set up

It is usually a single network It is usually a network of many networks

New Technologies
 Cloud computing
It is internet-based computing, where shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices
on demand
Type of cloud Description

Private cloud • A private cloud consists of computing resources used exclusively owned by one business or organization.
• It is not publicly accessible and is owned by a single organization and its authorized external partners.

Public cloud • It refers to the common cloud service made available to multiple subscribers.
• The cloud resources are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider and delivered over
internet.

 Internet of things (IoT)

It is a phenomenon that connects the things to the Internet over wired or wireless connection.
Eg: IoT devics: Home appliances (Refrigerator, water heater), smart homes (smart door locks, smart bulbs) etc

Wired and wireless networks

Specification Wired network Wireless network

Installation Hard to install, requires more time easy installation and need less time

Mobility Limited Not limited

Transmission medium copper wires, optical fiber cables Radio waves or infrared

Cost Less as cables are not expensive More costly wireless routers/access points/ adapters
are expensive

Concept of a client and server

Networks in which certain computers have special dedicated tasks, providing services
to other computers (in the network) are called client server networks. The computer(s)
which provide services are called servers and the ones that use these services are called
clients.
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Network devices

 NIC: An NIC (network interface card) is a computer hardware designed to allow computers to communicate over a network.
Each NIC card has assigned a unique physical address known as MAC address.
Eg: MAC address: 10:B5:03:63:2E:FC
 Hub: It is a hardware device used to connect several computers together. A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet
arrives at one port, it is copied to all the ports of the hub (i.e. in broadcast manner).
 Switch: It is a device used to segment network into different sub networks called subnets or LAN segments. The main
advantage is it prevents traffic overloading in a network. It is distinct from a hub that it only forwards the data to the ports
involved in the communications rather than all ports.
 Access point (Wireless access point): It is a hardware device that establishes connection of computing devices on wireless
LAN with a fixed wire network.
Bridges Routers Gateways

Similar topology and Similar topology and different Different topology and different
similar protocol protocol protocol

Questions (Case study based questions -4 marks)

Q1.Ayurveda Training Educational Institute is setting up its centre in Hyderabad with four specialised departments for Orthopedics,
Neurology and Pediatrics along with an administrative office in separate buildings. The physical distances between these department
buildings and the number of computers to be installed in these departments and administrative office are given as follows. You, as a
network expert, have to answer the queries as raised by them in (i) to (iv).

Shortest distances between various locations in metres : Number of Computers installed at various locations are as
follows :

i. Suggest the most suitable location to install the main server of this institution to get efficient connectivity.
Ans. Administrative Office
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ii. Suggest the best cable layout for effective network connectivity of the building having server with all the other
buildings.
Ans: Administrative Office is connected to Orthopedic, Radiology, Pediatrics units directly in a Star Topology
iii. Suggest the devices to be installed in each of these buildings for connecting computers installed within the building
out of the following : Gateway, switch, Modem
Ans: Switch
iv. Suggest the topology of the network and network cable for efficiently connecting each computer installed in each of
the buildings out of the following :
Topologies: Bus Topology, Star Topology
Network Cable: Single Pair Telephone Cable, Coaxial Cable, Ethernet Cable.
Ans: Topology: Star Topology
Network Cable: Ethernet Cable / Coaxial Cable

Q2. Intelligent Hub India is a knowledge community aimed to uplift the standard of skills and knowledge in the society. It is
planning to setup its training centers in multiple towns and villages pan India with its head offices in the nearest cities. They
have created a model of their network with a city, a town and 3 villages as follows. As a network consultant, you have to
suggest the best network related solutions for their issues/problems raised in (i) to (iv), keeping in mind the distances between
various locations and other given parameters.

Shortest distances between various locations: Number of Computers installed at

locations are as follows:

In Villages, there are community centers, in which one room has been given as training center to this organization to install
computers. The organization has got financial support from the government and top IT companies.
i. Suggest the most appropriate location of the SERVER in the YHUB (out of the 4 locations), to get the best and
effective connectivity. Justify your answer.
Ans: YTOWN. Because it has the maximum number of computers and it is closest to all other locations.

ii. Suggest the best wired medium and draw the cable layout (location to location) to efficiently connect
various locations within the YHUB.
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Ans: Optical fiber

iii. Which hardware device will you suggest to connect all the computers within each location of YHUB?
Ans: Switch OR Hub
iv. Which service/protocol will be most helpful to conduct live interactions of Experts from Head Office and people at
YHUB locations?
Ans: Videoconferencing OR VoIP

Short answer questions

Q1. Define network?
Q2. Differentiate LAN and WAN?
Q3. Explain the working of client server architecture?
Q4. Define IoT?
Q5. List out some examples for Iot devices?
Q6. Differentiate public and private cloud?
Q7. What is the unique identification number of NIC card?
Q8. Define topology?
Q9. Differentiate switch and gateway?
Q10. List some advantage of ring topology.

CHAPTER -10 COMPUTER NETWORKS-II

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Collision in wireless networks

Collisions occur on a network when two or more networked devices transmit data at the same time. The result is that the data collides,
becomes corrupted, and needs to be re-sent. CSMA/CA is the protocol used for handling collision in wireless network.
 Working
With CSMA/CA, a device listens for an opportunity to transmit the data. If the carrier is free, the sending device does not immediately
transmit data. Rather, it first transmits a signal notifying other devices that it is transmitting for so much time before actually sending
the data. The other device refrains from transmitting data for the specified time limit. This means data packets will never collide,
although warning packets might.
Error checking
While transmitting data over networks, errors may occur and data may get corrupted. For reliable communication, errors must be
detected and corrected. For example if the sender is sending the data in binary form as 10110111 and the data received by the receiver
is 10110101. Here the 2nd bit from the right is changed. To avoid such errors in transmission, error detection methods are used.
Type of error Example

Single bit error

Multiple bit error

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Burst error

Error checking methods

Error detection method Description

Single dimensional parity check Parity Bit: It refers to an additional bit added to the actual Advantages:
data. Two types of parity: even and odd parity.
 Easy
implement
 Inexpensive
technique
Disadvantage:
 Detect
single bit error.

Two-dimensional parity check Advantage:

 More
than single
parity technique.
 Detects
bit error
Disadvantage:

 Cannot
compensating
errors.

Checksum It refers to a sum of data bits calculated from digital data Advantage:
that is used to ensure the data integrity at the receiver’s
end.  Easy
implement
In checksum error detection scheme, the data is divided Disadvantage
into k segments each of m bits.
 cannot detect all
errors
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The notion of a MAC address

MAC Address: A MAC address is the unique identifier that is assigned by the manufacturer to a piece of network hardware
(like a wireless card or an Ethernet card). A MAC address is made up of six two-digit hexadecimal number, each separated
by a colon.
Eg: MAC address 00:1B:f4:11:fA:B7
First three bytes represent the manufacturer- id and last three bytes represents the card-no.
Main idea of routing
 Routing:
Routing is a process which is used to deliver the packet by choosing an optimal path from one network to another.
 Router: It is a network device that forwards data from one network to another.
 Routing table:
It is a table maintained by each router that maintains routing information based on which router determines best path to reach
the destination. The information stored in routing table are destination network, next hop, metric such as cost etc.
 Working:
When a packet reaches a router, the router selects the best route to the destination network from its routing tableand forwards
the data packets to the neighboring router based on selected best route. This way each router keeps passing the data packets to
its neighboring router on best route to the destination and finally the data packet reaches its destination.

IP addresses

It is a unique address used to identify a device on the internet. It is written in dotted decimal form.
Eg: 216.27.61.137
Two versions of internet protocol are IPv4 and IPv6.
IPv4 IPv6

IPv4 has 32-bit address length IPv6 has 128-bit address length

Address representation of IPv4 in decimal Address representation of IPv6 is in hexadecimal

Format: x.x.x.x Format: y:y:y:y:y:y:y:y

Where x is an octet and value between 0 y is a segment and can be hexadecimal value
and 255 between 0 to FFFF

Eg: 19.117.36.126 Eg: 2001:db8:3333:3555:6666:7777:BBBB:8888

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DNS(Domain name system)

The URL of a website is also known as domain name. It is the unique name of a website. A domain name mainly consist of www,
name describing the website’s purpose, and top level domain such as .com, .net, .org etc
Eg: www.cbse.nic.in, www.amazon.com
 Use of DNS
The websites are mostly accessed through their domain names, because the domain name is much easier to memorise and
recognize. But to reach a website, corresponding IP address is needed. So to convert the domain name to its corresponding IP address,
DNS is used.
Domain Name Resolution: It refers to the process of obtaining corresponding IP address from a domain name.
Web URLs
A Uniform Resource Locator, also known as web address, is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer
network and a mechanism for retrieving it.
Eg: http://www.cbse.nic.in/newsite/index.html
 Elements of URL:
The type of server or protocol: eg: http
The name/address of the server on the internet (domain name): eg: cbse.nic.in
The location of the file on the server (path): eg: newsite/index.html

TCP (Transmission control protocol)

It is connection oriented protocol. In TCP, a connection is

established before information is send or received.

Retransmission:

It is a process of retransmitting a TCP segment. TCP retransmission

occurs when time out timer expires before receiving
acknowledgement or 3 duplicate acknowledgements are received
from the receiver for the same segment.

Protocols

2G  It allowed some data along with calls in the form of text messages.
 Data speeds up to 250Kbps
 Transmitted at frequencies between 900Mhz and 1800Mhz
3G  It can handle data in the form of text messages and multimedia such as audio/video
messages along with voice calls.
 Data speed upto 20 Mbps
 Frequency 2100Mhz
4G  Data speeds upto 50Mbps
 Frequency range is 1800Hz to 2300Hz
Bandwidth-
It refers to the transmission capacity of a computer or a communications channel. Higher frequencies offer
higher bandwidth. It means they can handle more users, more data at the same time.
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Wi-Fi
It governs the rules to connect internet without a direct line from PC to the ISP. A Wi-Fi hotspot is a venue that offers Wi-Fi access
Basic network tools

Netstat: It stands for Network Statistics. This command displays incoming and
outgoing network connections as well as other network information.
Application Layer
The application layer is at the topmost position of the protocol hierarchy. It is the layer where actual communication is initiated. Eg for
some application layer protocols are HTTP, FTP etc.
 HTTP
HTTP stands for hypertext transfer protocol and is used to transfer data across the Web. It allows users of the World Wide Web to
exchange information found on web pages. When accessing any web page entering http:// in front of the address tells the browser to
communicate over HTTP.
Working

It is a connectionless text based protocol. Clients

(web browsers) send requests through request object
of http to web servers for web pages / images etc.
Web server respond accordingly through response
object of http. After this cycle (request – response),
the connection between client and server across the
Internet is disconnected. A new connection must be
made for each request (means for each web page).

Working of email

Email –Electronic mail is a facility that allows users to transmit messages across the internet in fast and secure manner
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Email created using email client program->on press of send button, it is delivered to sender’s mail server through SMTP (Simple mail
transfer protocol) ->which further transmit the same through internet to recipient’s mail server->whenever recipient’s email client
program’s inbox is opened, that email is delivered to inbox through POP3 (post office protocols 3rd version) ->which user will read in
email client program.

Secure communication
Secure communication is when sender and receiver are communicating and do not want a third party to listen it. One method used for
secure communication is encryption.
Encryption: It is a technique used to translate the original message into another form.
Decryption: It is a technique of converting encrypted message back to original message.

 HTTPS
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and it is a combination of HTTP and SSL/TLS protocols. HTTPS provides
encrypted communication. HTTPS encrypts the data and establishes a secure channel over a non-secure network to ensure protected
data transfer. Thus data is protected from hackers and eavesdroppers.
SSL stands for secure socket layer protocol. The working of SSL requires that the website has SSL certificate installed which ensure
its authenticity. Once installed, the sensitive information obtained from the user through a secure connection over internet.

Network Applications
 Remote desktop – It is a type of network application through which a person can work on the desktop of another computer in
the same manner as if that computer is in front of the person.

 Remote login- This facility permits a user to work on a program on a distinct computer based on valid login credentials.

Protocol Description

HTTP  It is an application-level protocol with speed necessary for distributed,

collaborative, hypermedia information system.
(Hyper Text Transfer  It is a generic, stateless object protocol
Protocol)  It consist of two distinct items
i. The set of requests from browser to servers
ii. Set of response going back to the other way
FTP Standard protocol for the exchange of files across internet.
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(File Transfer Protocol)  It is a popular way to share information over the internet

POP  POP3 defines the rules about receiving emails from a remote server to
local email client.
 It is suitable if you are accessing the emails using a single application
or from single location.
(Post Office Protocol)  It works on two ports:
i. Port 110- used for unsecured email communication
ii. Port 995 – Used for secure email communication
IMAP  It is also used for accessing emails on a remote webserver and
downloads them to local clients.
 It supports multiple applications, multiple clients and multiple
locations.
(Internet Message Access  It works on two ports:
Protocol)
i. Port 143- default, Unsecure communication

ii. Port 993 – encrypted port (secure communication)

SMTP  It is used to sending mails across the internet

 It works on two ports:
(simple mail Transfer
Protocol) i. Port 25 – used for unsecured email communication
ii. Port 465 – encrypted port (secure communication)
VoIP  Technology enables voice communication over the internet through the
compression of voice into data packets that can be transmitted over
(Voice over Internet data network and converted back into voice in the other end.
Protocol)

NFC  It is a protocol used to provide short range wireless connectivity

between two electronic devices within the distance of 4-5 cm.

(Near Field
Communications)

SCP(Session Control  It securely transfers computer files between a local host and a remote
Protocol) host or between two remote hosts.

SSH(Secure Shell Protocol)  It is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services
securely over an unsecured network.

Question

Q1. The following is a 32-bit binary number usually represented as 4 decimal values, each representing 8 bits, in the range 0 to
255(known as octets) separated by decimal points.
140.179.220.200
What is it? What is its importance?
Ans: It is an IP Address.It is used to identify the computers on a network.
Q2. Name the network tools used in the given situations:
a. To troubleshoot internet connection problems
Ans: ping
b. To see the IP address associated with a domain name
Ans: nslookup
c. To lookup registration record associated with a domain name.
Ans: whois
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d. To test the speed of internet connection

Ans: speedtest.net
Q3. Expand the following
(i) VoIP
Ans: Voice over Internet Protocol
(ii) SMTP
Ans: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
(iii) CSMA
Ans: Carrier sense Multiple Access
(iv) TCP/IP
Ans: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
Q4. The wireless networks employ strategies to avoid collision. Why can’t they detect collisions?
Ans: Collisions occur when multiple transmissions takes place at the same over a network. Wireless networks are half duplex in nature
that is they cannot listen while transmitting. Hence they cannot find out if any other transmission is taking place simultaneously, and
thus cannot detect collision
Q5. When you move the NIC cards from one PC to another PC, does the MAC address gets transferred as well?
Ans: Yes, that's because MAC addresses are hard-wired into the NIC circuitry, not the PC. This also means that a PC can have a
different MAC address when the NIC card was replace by another one.
Q6. Which protocol helps us to transfer files to and from a remote computer?
Ans: FTP (File transfer protocol)
Q7. Which protocol is used to search information from internet using browser?
Ans: HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
Q8. Identify the protocol, domain name and path from the given URL https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp . What is the
name of the process to obtaining corresponding IP address from the domain name?
Ans: Protocol: https
Domain name: www.w3schools.com
Path: html/default.asp
The process to obtaining corresponding IP address from the domain name is domain name resolution.
Q9.Assume that 8 bit checksum is used for error detection. The data to be transmitted is given below.
10011001111000100010010010000100. Calculate the checksum value?

Ans: Step 1: Add all segments and find the sum

10011001 + 11100010=101111011 [1 extra bit, so add to the result]
01111011+1=01111100
01111100+00100100=10100000 [No extra bit]
10100000+10000100=100100100 [1 extra bit, so add to the result]
00100100+1=00100101
Step 2: find the complement of sum: 11011010
Checksum value =11011010
Q10. What is MAC address? How it differ from IP address? Give example?
Ans: A MAC address is the unique identifier that is assigned by the manufacturer to a piece of network hardware. It is a unique
address used to identify a device on the internet.
Eg: MAC address: 00:1B:f4:11: fA: B7
IP address: 216.27.61.137
Q11. Suppose you want to perform any financial transaction through the internet. How can you check if the connection is secure or
not?
Ans: Before entering any financial information, first make sure that URL starts with HTTPS and then check the padlock sign on the
navigator bar. If both are there, then the connection is secure.
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Short and long answer Questions

1. Define amplitude?
2. Give example for IP address?
3. List out any four network tools?
4. Which is the protocol used to handle congestion in wireless network?
5. Give eg for connection oriented protocol?
6. Differentiate amplitude modulation and frequency modulation?
7. What are the different types of errors occur when date is transmitted over network? Give example for each.
8. Differentiate IPv4 and IPv6?
9. What are the different wireless connectivity protocols?
10. What happens behind the scenes when you send an email, before it reaches the destination?
11. Differentiate the use of POP and SMTP protocol in email?
12. What is SSL? How does it affect the communication over internet?
13. Define checksum? What are the steps to find out checksum?
14. What type of information is stored in routing table?
15. What measures do wireless networks employ to avoid collision?

Previous year board questions and answers

1. ABC Company wants to link its computers in Head office in New Delhi to its office in Sydney. Name the type of
Network that will be formed. Which communication media should be used to form this Network?
Ans: Type of network that will be formed: Wide Area Network (WAN)
Transmission media to be used: Satellite
2. Which of the following is/are not communication media?
a. Microwaves b. Optical Fiber cable c. Node d. Radio waves
b. Identify which of the above mentioned communication media are wired media and which ones are Wireless media.
Ans. Not communication media: Node
Wired media: Optical Fiber cable
Wireless media: Microwaves, Radio waves
3. Name the devices:
This device connects multiple nodes to form a network. It redirects the received information only to the intended node(s).
Ans: Switch
4. Write the expanded names for the following abbreviated terms used in Networking and Communications :
i. SMTP
ii. VoIP
iii. GSM
iv. WLL

Ans: i. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ii. Voice over Internet Protocol iii. Global System for
Communication iv. Wireless Local Loop

5. Differentiate between communication using Optical Fiber and Ethernet Cable in context of wired medium of
communication technologies.
Ans:
Optical Fibre - Very Fast - Expensive - Immune to electromagnetic interference Ethernet Cable - - Slower as compared to
Optical Fiber - Less Expensive as compared to Optical Fiber - prone to electromagnetic interference
6. Identify odd one out of the following:
Optical Fiber/Coaxial Cable/ Bluetooth/Twisted Pair Cable. Give reason for your answer.
Ans: Odd one: Bluetooth

Reason: Bluetooth is a wireless/unguided communication media while others are wired/guided communication
media.
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7. How is it easier to diagnose fault in Star topology than in Bus topology?

Ans: In Star topology each node is directly connected to a central hub / switch, hence fault diagnosis becomes easy. In bus
topology all the nodes are connected to the backbone cable. The signal travels through the entire length of the backbone and
is received by the node for which it is intended. Hence, fault diagnosis is difficult.
8. Which of the following are valid IP addresses? Give reason(s) if invalid.
i) 121.23.1.45
ii) 192.168.0. 254
iii) 192.168.0.1
iv) 198.-1.1.1

Ans: Valid IP addresses: (i), (ii), (iii) Invalid IP address: (iv) 198.-1.1.1 because an IP address is a group of four bytes; each
of which can be a number from 0 to 255.

Praveen Kumar