COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

(CBE-Mwanza)

COMPUTER APPLICATION IN BUSINESS (CAB)

Course Code: ITT05109

Lecture SEVEN

COMPUTER NETWORKS

What is computer network?

Computer Network is the connection to two or more computers, connected together for
the purpose of sharing resources (resource could be: applications software, data, hardware,
information, files, technology and etc).

TYPES OF COMPUTER NETWORKS

We often define the type of Computer Network depending upon the geographical area
covered by a particular network, and these types are like:
 Local Area Network (LAN)
 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
 Wide Area Network (WAN)

1. Local Area Network (LAN) – These types of computer networks connect network
devices over a relatively short distance. Quite often, a networked office building, home
or school contains a single LAN although it is normal to come across a building that
contains a few small LANs. On a few occasions, a LAN may also span over a group of
nearby buildings. Such computer networks are usually owned by one organization (In
other word we can say LAN is Private computer network).

Example of LAN:
i. Networking in home, office.
ii. Networking between two computers.
iii. Wi-Fi (When we consider wireless LAN)

Intranet, An intranet is a private computer network that uses Internet Protocol

technology to share information, operational systems, or computing services within an
organization.

Point to understand: through different scholars used intranet as example of LAN,

there slightly difference between the two terms: as we said LAN is the computer network
span a room or building mean if you have a campus like CBE Mwanza we have several
buildings, means each building can has its own LAN. But when we speak in term of
Intranet: since all LAN of different building are connected to form CBE network and the

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 network is only accessed in CBE Mwanza Campus, which is Intranet. So please don’t be
confused by the two terms

2. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) – This is a network that spans over a physical area
like a city or state that is smaller than a WAN but larger than a LAN. Quite often, such
computer networks are owned and operated by single entities such as government
bodies or large corporations (MAN is also private computer network since its own by
someone).

Example of MAN:
i. Networking between banks in a city.
ii. Used in air reservation.

CBE is one college with several campuses (Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mbeya & Mwanza),
so if you have the network that extends the functionality of other College’s business
partners (like NMB, CRDB, NACTE) we say “you are using MAN”. Extranet may be taken
as example of MAN: Speaking about Extranet, Extranet is a private network that uses
Internet technology and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a
business's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or
other businesses. In other words we can say Extranet, is the private computer network
that can be accessed by the outside part of the organization.

3. Wide Area Network (WAN) – As the name suggests, a WAN spans over a continents to
continents (globally). It may be regarded as a collection of LANs dispersed over a
geographical area. The internet is a very good example of a WAN. Most WANs exist
under distributed or collective ownership and management and unlike the LANs, are not
necessarily owned by one organization (in other word, we can say: is the public
computer network since no one has full mandate of the network).

INTERNET
What is internet?
Internet is a public global computer network that connects different networks for the
purpose of sharing resources (Data/Information, Hardware, Software, User and etc.).

What is a history of internet?

The Internet developed from the ARPANET, which was funded by the US government to
support projects within the government and at universities and research laboratories in the
US – but grew over time to include most of the world's large universities and the research
arms of many technology companies. Use by a wider audience only came in 1995 when
restrictions on the use of the Internet to carry commercial traffic were lifted.

Who own the internet?

Answer: No one actually owns the Internet, and no single person or organization controls
the Internet in its entirety. The Internet is more of a concept than an actual tangible entity,

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and it relies on a physical infrastructure that connects networks to other networks.

How do we get internet services?

Answer: we always have internet services from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). If you
want to access the internet at home, you'll need an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and a
modem to connect to the ISP.

The Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for
accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. List of ISP in Tanzania: Africa Online,
Powernet by Powercomputers, SimbaNET, RAHA - Internet Services, TTCL Broadband,
Zanzibar Datacom Limited and etc.

INTERNET SERVICES

There variety of services offered by internet, some of them are:

 World Wide Web - the WWW is a system of interlinked hypertext documents that are
accessed via the Internet. With a web browser, one can view web pages that may
contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them via
hyperlinks.
 Telnet–is the network protocol that allows a user on one computer to log into another
computer that is part of the same network.
 Electronic Mail (E-mail)-messages distributed by electronic means from one computer
user to one or more recipients via a computer network (often internet).
 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)-is a standard network protocol used to transfer computer
files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP
is built on client-server architecture and uses separate control and data connections
between the client and the server.
 Newsgroups-A newsgroup is an Internet-based discussion about a particular topic.
These topics range from sports, cars, investing, teen problems, and some stuff you
probably don't want to know about. Users post messages to a news server which then
sends them to a bunch of other participating servers. Then other users can access the
newsgroup and read the postings. The groups can be either "moderated," where a
person or group decides which postings will become part of the discussion, or "un-
moderated," where everything posted is included in the discussion.
 Chat-is the Real-time communication between two users via computer. Once a chat has
been initiated, either user can enter text by typing on the keyboard and the entered text
will appear on the other user's monitor. Most networks and online services offer a chat
feature.
 Video conference –is a conference in which participants in different locations are able
to communicate with each other in sound and vision.
 Streaming video is content sent in compressed form over the Internet and displayed
by the viewer in real time. With streaming video or streaming media, a Web user does
not have to wait to download a file to play it. Instead, the media is sent in a continuous
stream of data and is played as it arrives.
 Electronic Business and Electronic commerce (e-Commerce and e-Business) – is
the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers through an

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 electronic medium, without using any paper documents. E-commerce is widely
considered the buying and selling of products over the internet, but any transaction that
is completed solely through electronic measures can be considered e-commerce.

BASIC PARTS OF AN E-MAIL

What is E-mail?

E-Mail is the short for Electronic Mail, which means: messages distributed by electronic
means from one computer user to one or more recipients via a computer network (often
internet).
E-MAIL SERVICES

E-mail service also known as webmail, is the service that you can only utilize (enjoy) if
you only registered yourself with online email service providers to enable you to send,
receive and review e-Mail from your Web browsers.

e-Mail services offer many of the same features and functionality for managing e-Mail as
desktop email software counterparts like Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. Some
of the more popular online e-Mail services providers are YahooMail, Gmail, Hotmail and
AOL Mail.

Note: Due to advancement of Information Technology, we can either save our e-Mail
message: either on server (where you register yourself for email service by using IMAP) or
on location machine like your laptop or desktop machine (using Ms Outlook, Ms Express and
etc by using POP3) or Mobile device like smart phone (using WAP).

COMPONENTS OF AN E-MAIL:

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Any Electronic Mail (e-Mail) consists of the basic four components, and these are:
1. HEADERSECTION – e-Mail header section contains the following:
a. The e-Mail address and sometimes the name of ADDRESSEE (keyed in the TO:
section)
b. The e-Mail address of AUTHOR (keyed in the FROM: section)
c. DATE – the date the message is created
d. SUBJECT – the topic of the message
Note: Use the subject line to inform the receiver of EXACTLY what the email is
about. Appropriate use of the subject line increases the chances your email will
be read and not discarded into the SPAM can
e. Cc (Carbon Copy) e-Mail addresses listed here will receive a copy of the email
that you sent to the people listed in the To: field. Everyone listed under the CC
field will see everyone’s email addresses that are under the To and CC field.
f. Bcc- Stands for Blind Carbon Copy. e-Mail addresses listed here will receive a
copy of the email that you sent to the people listed in the To: field. Everyone
listed under the CC field will see everyone’s email address that are listed under
the To and CC field but will not see the addresses listed in the BCC field. Each
person listed on the BCC field will not see the email addresses of other recipients.

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 2. BODY SECTION– the message of the email.
a. Usually contains a request for action.
b. Sentences should be kept short and to the point
c. Avoid with very long sentences when possible.
d. Include a desired action and a deadline for completion when appropriate

3. SIGNATURE (CALL OUT) – the name and contact information of the sender.
a. Email service providers provide a user interface for the creation of an electronic
signature that automatically attaches to the end of every message.
b. Make sure to include contact information, including your name, title, phone and
fax numbers, as well as snail-mail address in the signature portion of the email.
c. If you have additional email addresses, you may want to include these as well

4. ATTACHMENT – is a computer file sent along with an email message. One or more
files can be attached to any email message, and be sent along with it to the
recipient. This is typically used as a simple method to share documents and images.

What are advantages and disadvantages of Electronic mail (E-mail)

ADVANTAGES OF EMAIL
There are a number of benefits of using an email service. The benefits are listed in a
manner that readers should find them easy to understand.
 Easy to Use - Sending an email frees us from the tedious work of managing huge
chunks of data. An email service helps manage our contacts, allows us to send mails
quickly, helps maintain our mailing history and provides sufficient storage space. An
email can be sent from any terminal (computer) in the world with Internet access.

 Speed - An email can be delivered instantly and almost anywhere across the globe.
No other mailing service matches the email in terms of speed. You can send a
message/mail simultaneously to multiple users; thus, email service saves a lot of time.

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  Data Storage-The email service providers offer their customers/users with enough
space for storage of data. Also, the process of sorting and arranging mails, as per the
subject or other criteria (date, sender, etc.), is made easier for users.

 Provision of Attachments - The feature of attachment allows users to send huge

chunks of data in a single mail. Also, sending attachments with emails doesn't raise
cost as in postal service.

 Easier for Reference -When a person has to reply to an email, he/she can use the
provision of attaching previously sent/received mails. Such mails can be used for the
purpose of reference in the communication process. It helps the recipient understand
what he/she is reading.

 Automated Emails - It is possible to send automated emails with the help of

specialized programs like auto-responders. Auto-responders reply only to those
messages with a generalized, pre-written text.

 Easy to Prioritize-Emails come with a subject line. Therefore, it becomes easy to

prioritize them and ignore the ones that are unwanted. Thus, users can easily sort and
filter the mails in their inbox.

 Reliable and Secure - Constant efforts are taken to improve the security needed for
using an electronic mailing service. Today, electronic mailing service is considered as
one of the most secure ways of communicating online.

 Advertising Tool - Nowadays, many individuals and business organizations are using
the email service to advertise their products, services, etc. Thus, email can also be
used as a marketing tool.

 Cheap Service - The expenses incurred in using an email service are lesser in
comparison to that in the traditional mailing service. However, the expenses also
depend on whether you have an Internet connection at home or not. Those who don't
have access to Internet at home can avail the services offered by internet cafes.

 Advantages of Technological Development - Development in computer technology

has enabled users to send emails not only from their desktop computers, but also
smartphones and other such devices. Thus, a user can send and receive emails even
while he/she is traveling.

DISADVANTAGES OF EMAIL
The email service, although has many benefits to offer, it also has certain limitations.
Disadvantages of the email service are listed below.
 Spam - Emails when used to send unsolicited messages and unwanted advertisements
create nuisance and are termed as spam. The activity of checking and deleting
unwanted mails may consume a lot of user's time. Therefore, it has become necessary
to block or filter unwanted emails through spam filters. Generally, spamming is

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 practiced by sending hoax emails. Email spoofing is another practice which is
commonly used for spamming. The act of spoofing involves deceiving a recipient by
altering email headers or addresses from which a mail is sent.
 Viruses - Viruses are computer programs which have the potential to harm computer
systems. Viruses are known to copy themselves and further infect the computer
system in question. Recipients are required to scan their mails because, viruses can be
transmitted through them.
 Less privacy –in order to use email service: you need the internet service
provider(ISP) to provide email service since email is part of service offeredby the
internet. ISP act as third person on your conversation and all emails from sender to
receiver and vice versa has to pass to third person who is your ISP.
 Email services need sender and receiver to have email address so as to make
communication active
 Lacking that Personal Touch - Even in today's digital age, there are many who feel
comfortable reading the handwritten word. Emails lack that personal touch.
 Internet Access is required - There are many parts in the world where people don't
have access to Internet. The email service doesn't serve any purpose in such areas.

PARTS OF AN EMAIL ADDRESS

Every e-Mail user on the Internet has a unique e-Mail address that identifies an electronic
post office box on a network where e-Mail can be sent. Different types of networks have
different formats for e-mail addresses. On the Internet, all e-Mail addresses have a similar
form. All addresses must have a user name, @Symbol and a domain. For example, an
email address at CBE University might look like this:

[email protected] ---- username@domain

The first part of the address <aloyce> is also known as the user name. This is the unique
name recognized by the mail server.The @ symbol separates the unique user name from
the domain. The domain in this case is cbe.ac.tz. The domain name may also be broken
down into parts. Understanding the parts of the domain name is helpful in deciphering the
origin of an email address.

The mail server at IFM University for all faculty, staff, and students is <cbe>.The second
part before the last part of the address, <ac>, is the second level domain (SLD) and last
part of the address is<tz>, is the top-level domain (TLD) in the hierarchical Domain Name
System. Examples of top-level domains include:
gov - Government agencies
edu - Educational institutions
org - Organizations (nonprofit)
mil - Military
com - Commercial business
net - Network organizations
tz - Tanzania or ug - Uganda - both of these are examples of country domains.

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BROWSER
What is Browser?
Browser is an application software that allows a user to view contents of the web. An easy
way to navigating the Internet through a series of hyperlinks you can use browser to do so.
Examples of popular browsers are Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari,
Netscape and Opera.

Each browser has a navigation toolbar, like the ones shown below that also illustrate how
the Internet browser toolbar has changed over the history of Internet browsers. This
navigation bar is the most essential portion of the browser and will always at least contain
the Back arrows and address bar.
Internet browser bar evolution

CLIENT/SERVER CONCEPT
Client/server model is a concept for describing communications between computing
processes that are classified as service consumers (clients) and service providers (servers).
The basic features of a Client / Servr model are:

1. Clients and servers are functional modules with well defined interfaces (i.e., they
hide internal information). The functions performed by a client and a server can be
implemented by a set of software modules, hardware components, or a combination
thereof. Clients and/or servers may run on dedicated machines, if needed. It is
unfortunate that some machines are called "servers." This causes confusion (try
explaining to an already be wildered user that a client’s software is running on a
machine called "the server").

2. Each client/server relationship is established between two functional modules when

one module (client) initiates a service request and the other (server) chooses to
respond to the service request. Examples of service requests (SRs) are retrieve
customer name, produce net income in last year, etc. For a given service request,
clients and servers do not reverse roles (i.e., a client stays a client and a server stays
a server). However, a server for SR R1 may become a client for SR R2 when it issues

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 requests to another server. For example, a client may issue an SR that may generate
other SRs.

3. Information exchange between clients and servers is strictly through messages (i.e.,
no information is exchanged through global variables). The service request and
additional information is placed into a message that is sent to the server. The
server's response is similarly another message that is sent back to the client. This is
an extremely crucial feature of Client /Server model.

4. Messages exchanged are typically interactive. In other words, Client /Server model
does not support an off-line process. There are a few exceptions. For example,
message queuing systems allow clients to store messages on a queue to be picked
up asynchronously by the servers at a later stage.

5. Clients and servers typically reside on separate machines connected through a

network. Conceptually, clients and servers may run on the same machine or on
separate machines. In this book, however, our primary interest is in distributed
client/server systems where clients and servers reside on separate machines.

The implication of the last two features is that Client /Server service requests are real-time
messages that are exchanged through network services. This feature increases the appeal
of the Client /Server model (i.e., flexibility, scalability) but introduces several technical
issues such as portability, interoperability, security, and performance.

SEARCH ENGINES FUNDAMENTALS

Search Engine refers to ahuge database of internet resources such as web pages,
newsgroups, programs, images etc. it helps to locate information on World Wide Web. User
ca search for any information by passing query inform of keywords or phrase. It searches
for relevant information in its database and return to the user.

Search Engine Components

Generally there are three basic components of a search engine as listed below:
1. Web Crawler –it is also known as spider or bots. It is a software component that
tracerses the web to gather information.

2. Database-is the collection of related and interdependent information/data that have

been orgonized in a centralised approach for easy inserting, updating, deleting and
accessing of records.

3. Search Interfaces – this component is an interface between user and the

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 database. It helps the user to search through the database.
Example of Search Engines Google.com,Bing.com, Yahoo.com, Ask.com, AOL.com, msn.com
and etc.

Exercise
1. Define what is Computer Network
2. Describe the main types of Computer Network
3. Write short notes Intranet, extranet and internet
4. Brief explain the different internet services
5. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of computer Network
6. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using e-Mail
7. With examples, define what is web browser?
8. Who own internet?
9. Write short notes on how internet user(s) connected to internet
10. Write short notes on elements/ components of computer system
11. Write short notes on elements/ components of computer

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