Computer Networks Lab Report
Computer Networks Lab Report
Aim:
Requirements:
3 Windows PCs
CISCO Packet Tracer Software (Student Version)
8-port hub
Cat-5 LAN cable
Theory:
A Local Area Network (LAN) connects devices within a confined geographic space,
such as a building or campus, allowing them to share resources and communicate. In
this experiment,
we use a Hub, a basic networking device, to connect multiple devices. Hubs broadcast
incoming data to all connected devices, regardless of the intended recipient. This
broadcasting leads to shared bandwidth, which can result in network congestion and
packet collisions, especially as the number of connected devices increases.
Ethernet cables (Cat-5) are used to physically connect the devices in a LAN. The IP
addressing follows a specific range based on the subnet mask, and devices can
communicate with each other through protocols like ICMP (used for pinging).
When pinging from PC1 to PC2 and PC3, you will observe the following packet
exchange:
Aim:
Requirements:
3 Windows PCs
CISCO Packet Tracer Software (Student Version)
8-port switch
Cat-5 LAN cable
Theory:
A Local Area Network (LAN) connects devices within a limited geographic area, such
as an office, home, or campus, allowing them to share resources and communicate. In
modern LANs, switches are critical for efficient data management, as they provide
better performance than hubs.
Switches operate at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model. Unlike hubs,
which broadcast data to all devices in the network, switches maintain a MAC address
table that stores the physical addresses of connected devices. When a switch receives
data, it forwards it only to the intended recipient, thereby optimizing network
performance and reducing the likelihood of data collisions.
Cat-5 Ethernet cables are used to physically connect the devices within the LAN.
Devices on the same subnet use IP addressing to communicate with each other
directly, ensuring smooth data transfer.
When pinging from PC1 to PC2 and PC3, you will observe the following packet
exchange:
Aim
To configure static routing on a router using CISCO Packet Tracer and evaluate data
transfer between two different networks.
Requirements
Theory
Static Routing is a method of network routing in which routes are manually defined by
the network administrator. It is ideal for smaller networks with stable topologies that do
not require frequent updates. In static routing, explicit routes are configured on the
router, specifying how traffic should be forwarded between networks.
Destination network: The IP address of the network to which you want to send
traffic.
Subnet mask: Defines the range of IP addresses within the network.
Next-hop IP address or exit interface: Specifies where the router should send
packets destined for the remote network.
To test network connectivity, the ping command is used. It sends ICMP echo request
packets from one device to another and waits for a reply. If the ping is successful, it
confirms that the router is correctly forwarding packets based on the static routes.
Aim:
To configure static routing between two routers in a network using CISCO Packet
Tracer and verify connectivity between devices located in different networks.
Requirements:
Theory:
Static Routing is a process where routing paths are manually configured on routers.
Unlike dynamic routing, which adapts to changes in the network topology, static routing
requires manual updates by the network administrator whenever there are changes.
Static routes are best suited for smaller networks with stable, fixed paths and fewer
devices.
In this experiment, two routers are configured to connect two distinct networks:
Network 1: 192.168.1.0/24
Network 2: 192.168.2.0/24
The routers are interconnected through a Serial DCE (Data Communication Equipment)
interface using a point-to-point link with the IP range 10.10.10.0/30. This allows data to
be exchanged between the two networks.
To confirm network connectivity, the ping command is used. It sends ICMP echo
requests from one device to another. A successful ping response indicates that the
routers are properly forwarding data between the two networks, based on the static
routes manually set up on each router.
The following diagram represents the two-router setup with two separate networks:
Page |9
Aim:
To configure static routing between three routers in separate networks using CISCO
Packet Tracer and verify network connectivity between all end devices.
Requirements:
Theory:
Static Routing is a method where routes are manually configured on routers by the
network administrator. Unlike dynamic routing, which automatically adjusts to changes
in the network topology, static routing requires manual updates whenever there are
changes in the network. This method is ideal for smaller, stable networks where the
routing paths remain relatively constant.
In static routing, administrators have full control over how data is routed between
networks, ensuring that traffic follows specific paths. However, this requires manual
intervention to modify or add routes if the network expands or changes. Although it
provides greater control, static routing is less flexible compared to dynamic routing
protocols, which can adapt automatically to network changes.
In this experiment, three routers are used to interconnect three different networks:
Network 1: 192.168.1.0/24
Network 2: 192.168.2.0/24
Network 3: 192.168.3.0/24
The routers are linked using point-to-point serial connections. Static routes are
manually configured on each router, allowing communication between devices on these
different networks. The goal is to ensure that data can be routed correctly between all
networks by configuring the appropriate static routes.
The following diagram represents the two-router setup with two separate networks:
P a g e | 11
Aim:
To configure and verify static routing in a triangular topology between three routers
using Cisco Packet Tracer, enabling communication between different networks.
Requirements:
Theory:
In a triangular static routing topology, three routers are connected in a triangle, with
each router linked to its own local network. To enable communication between devices
across different networks, static routes must be configured on each router, specifying
the correct next-hop IP addresses. This ensures that data is forwarded appropriately
between the routers, enabling successful communication between all connected
networks.
Aim
To analyse the performance and configuration of a square static routing setup using
four routers in a local area network (LAN).
Requirements:
Theory
Advantages
Control: Administrators can precisely define the routes for data packets,
optimizing network performance.
Security: Static routes are less vulnerable to unauthorized changes since the
routing tables are manually configured and not dynamically updated.
No Overhead: Unlike dynamic routing protocols, static routing doesn’t consume
network resources for route discovery or updating routing tables.
Disadvantages
Aim:
To analyse the performance and configuration of the Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
in a local area network (LAN) environment using routers.
Requirements:
Theory
Advantages
Disadvantages
Hop Count Limitation: The maximum hop count of 15 limits the size of the
network it can effectively manage.
Slow Convergence: Changes in the network topology can take time to
propagate through the network.
Aim:
To analyse the performance and configuration of the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
routing protocol in a local area network (LAN) environment using routers.
Requirements:
Theory:
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) is a link-state routing protocol that utilizes a link-
state routing algorithm to identify the most efficient path for data transmission. Unlike
distance-vector protocols, which rely on hop counts, OSPF builds a complete map of
the network topology and uses this information to calculate the shortest path based on
various metrics, such as bandwidth.
OSPF is widely adopted in enterprise networks because of its scalability and ability to
efficiently manage large and complex networks. It can support a vast number of routers
and subnets, making it suitable for dynamic environments where network topologies
frequently change. Additionally, OSPF offers faster convergence times compared to
distance-vector protocols, ensuring that routing decisions adapt quickly to network
changes. By dividing networks into areas, OSPF optimizes routing efficiency and
reduces overhead, further enhancing its performance in large-scale deployments.
Advantages of OSPF:
Aim:
To analyze the configuration and performance of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
in a network environment using CISCO Packet Tracer.
Requirements:
Theory:
A Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) is a logical grouping of devices within a LAN,
regardless of their physical location. VLANs improve security by isolating traffic,
enhance performance by reducing broadcast domains, and simplify network
management through logical organization rather than physical reconfiguration.
Aim:
To configure and test an HTTP server using CISCO Packet Tracer, enabling web
access for clients on a local area network (LAN).
Requirements:
Theory:
An HTTP server is a software application or hardware device that delivers web content
to clients (such as web browsers) over the Internet or a local network. It utilizes the
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to transmit data, enabling communication
between clients and servers for accessing websites and resources.
Protocol Support: HTTP servers support various protocols, including HTTP and
HTTPS (secure HTTP).
Static and Dynamic Content: They can serve static web pages and generate
dynamic content using server-side scripting languages.
File Handling: HTTP servers can handle multiple file types (HTML, CSS,
images, etc.) for web delivery.
Ease of Access: HTTP allows clients to easily access resources on the web
using a uniform resource locator (URL).
Scalability: HTTP servers can handle multiple requests simultaneously, serving
many users.
Flexibility: They can serve a wide variety of content and applications,
accommodating various client needs.
From PC1:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: text/html
<html>
<head>
<title>HTTP Server of Sampad Singha</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello. This is Sampad Singha</h1>
<p>This is my first web page served by an HTTP server.</p>
</body>
</html>