he Internet, popularly called the Net,

was created in 1969 for the U.S. defense

department. Funding from the Advanced
Research Projects Agency (ARPA) allowed
researchers to experiment with methods for
computers to communicate with each other. Their
creation, the Advanced Research Projects Agency
Network (ARPANET), originally linked only tour
separate computer sítes at U.S. universities and
research institutes, where it was used primarily by
scientists.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) assumed
responsibility for linking these users of ARPANET,
which was dismantled in 1990. The NSF Network
(NSFNET) now serves as the technical backbone for
all Internet communications in the United States.
Internetwork (internet) consists of multiple
networks in which LANs are attached to other
LANs, other Communications networks, remotee
sites, individual stations and Wide Area Networks
(WANs). It permits data to move freely among large
numbers of networks and populations. It had made
the sharing of data and other information
between
businesses, the customers and partners extremely
easy, even if the users are located across
great
distances.
 Database Management System (DBMS)
Introduction to Internet working in artworks. Also, data from
well as in graphical
as
Communication is one of themost popular uses of the different departments places located at distant can

and stored on central computer.

a
n e internet is making it easier for peopleh transferred to accessed by ne compurers
to communicate with one another using computers.|Thic data can then be The data at the
The most popular way of communication on the located in different departments.
nternet 1s the electronic mail (e-mail). With e-mailentral computer is updated and accessea Dy a
any bottlenecks in
topping the list of all the technologies used, some users. This method would prevent
smooth functioning of
the organization because
ypes of communication technologies also include the the latest information (tor
and so dscussion
-mail groups, Usenet news, chat groups, all
on. These are unique to networked computer example,
the users will get
inventory) stored in the central computer.
environments and have come into wide popularity
because of the Internet.
Othertechnologies, Local Area Network (LAN)
including video and audio conferencing and internetLocal Area Network (LAN) is a group of computers
telephony, are also available on the Internet. They room, on the same floor, or
located in the same
require more multimedia capabilities of computer that are connected to form a
in the same building
systems. They are more taxing of network resources LANs allow users to
single computer network.
than the others. They are also adaptations of other
share storage devices, printers,
applications, data,
technologies to the Internet.
and other network
resources. They are limited
The Internet provides a capability so powerful area, usually less than
to a specific geographical
LAN can
that, it can be used for almost any purpose that kilometer in diameter. Example of
depends on information. It is accessible by every
one
be an office, where different departments such as
individual who connects to one of its constituent located in the same
personnel and accounting are
networks. It supports human communication via uilding and connected via bus topology using
electronic mail (e-mail), chat rooms, newsgroups,| Ethernet cards.
and audio and video transmission. It allows people characteristics,
locations. physical
Figure 6.1 illustrates the basicshared
to work collaboratively at many different by many 1nformation transfer device
and concepts
It supports access to digital information underlying LAN Operation. The line printer
applications, including the World Wide Web and magnetic tape storage are shared resources,
(www). The Internet has proved to be a spawning
user attached to the network can access
number ofSince any
ground for a large and growing these devices through PCs acting as the resource
"e-businesses" that carry out most of their sales and
services over the Internet. Many experts believe that
manager, or server, as it is commonly called in
the Internet will dramatically transform business as AN terminology. In some networks, the users can
directly exchange data or files from Mainframe or
well as society. mini computers.
Basics of Computer Networks FNANCI
ENGNEER

connected in
A network is a group of computers
some fashion in
order to share resources. A group
would provide greater
of computers in a network LASER PRINTER
and processing power than that
ALES
MANRAME

storage capacity machine. In addition

by stand-alone independent of peripheral
a network also consists
to computers,
and data communication
devices with carrier
devices used for
the purpOse of exchanging data NS

a n d information.

networks, the cost of data

computer
By using can be made economical because
NCOMPUTER

transfer
can send
data
at a very fast speed. Thus,
computers
enable us to reduce
both cost and time LPLKANONG

computers
or information. In the network.
in transferring data
wAG
make can be connected
of different
computers
work together in a group. Figure 6.1: Typical LAN with
together
and
c a n wo
users

developed for grouns ditterent departments

system in an organization
Software packages
have b e e n connected with shared storOg
devices and
peripherals,
such as printers
Advantages of LANs are as follows: Characteristics of LANs ster
Local area networks allow sharing of Local area networks are a specialized form of
expensive resources, such as colored laser However, there are three
printers and high capacity, high-speed mass communication systems.of LANs that distinguish
primary characteristics
storage devices among a number of users. such as Telnet,
them from wide area networks
They allow for high-speed exchange of Tymnet, CompuServe and the Public-Switched
essential intormation between key people | Telephone Network (PSTN). These are:
in
organization. If properly managed, |
an
LANs work in a restricted geographical area.
this sharing will promote greater efficiency when
and productivity, and will lead to more They operate at relatively high speed
networks
sophisticated applications, such as electronic compared to the typical wide a r e a

mail and company's Website. currently in use.

to
Users can access their files They are private networks, not subject
from any
workstation. tariffs or other regulatory controls.
and startopology.
Files can be stored on the central
computer I h e y use mainly bús, ring
of transmission
and everyone in the network can see and use They support a variety wireless.
data sharing. Further, if due to some mediums, such as Ethernet, fiber and
data is erased from one
problem,
computer, then it can Wide Area Network (WAN)
be easily recovered from the central
In the case of a business, a LAN should be computer.
a visible Wide Area Network (WAN) is a digital
which interconnects
contributor to increased profitability. communication system
different sites, computer installations and user
Dísadvantages of LANs are as follows: communicate
terminals. It may also enable LANs to
The financial cost of local area networking
with each other. This type of network may be
is still high. If one plans to use a network to
to operate nationwide or worldwide.
share a laser printer, he might find it cheaper developed
The transmission media used in WANs are normally
to purchase another laser printer than to
ropublic systems, such as telephone lines, microwave
purchase networking hardware and software.
links and satellite links.
Local area networking software requires WAN is used to interconnect LANs which may be
memory space in each of the computers used at opposite sides of a courntry or located around the
on the network.
earth's globe.
Local area networking adds another level of Wdo a
Wide area networks combine the continuous error
complexity to the computer operation. Users
detection and correction techniques included in
may have difficulty in learning the network synchronous communications with robust network
commands. The installation and management
problem determination and data routing to form
of a LAN requires far more technical and powerful backbones that ensure high-quality,
administrative skills than installing and reliable service for end users. These networks allow
not
managing several computers that are
multiple users to access a variety of host computers
networked. simultaneously through the same physical medium
Some control the part of the u s e r is lost.
on while separating each user's session so that no
with otheer
You may have to share a printer user is aware of another on the network.
Wide
a situation like, the
entire
u s e r s . You may face networks also operate at speeds much
area
because onee higher
network is suddenly locking up than 19,200-bps limit of normal voice-grade
user has made a mistake.
oe the
telephone lines.
must
Some type of security system beFigure 6.2 shows a wide area network that a
is important to protect large
implemented if it company might use to connect
regional computers.
In this
confidential data.
Many current application programs will not
example, different Centers, such as
manufacturing, distribution, and accounting, are all

run in the network environment. 1ne pro8r connected to national headquarters and therefore
may require too much memory or h a e Oue to each other for communication purposes. Most

technical constraints. WANs are complex and serve and

many users
many
 through WANs can send all
sales data from
functions compared to LANs. Centers. The central purchase their
as
remote sale
Lommuncation
Satelire can monitor all the sale figures on a Center
basis. The central distribution Center day-to-day
act supply
to the grocery
needed items thereafter
supermarket branches, based on the datain collected
different
ferent ent
from these branches. This in helps collected
controlling
all the
branches and ensures timely supply of all the all the
to different branches. items
Similarly, Remote Job Entry at coll
universities enables aculty and lleges and
students to wr
write
and execute their own programs on a
mnuter. For example, if all Indian Institutes
Technology (1TTs) are connected through W of
then the research projects can be s,
Heedquarte
implemented
easily because a program developed at one of bh
Earth sttion IUTs can be used online by students of other IITs, and
Regicnal office*

oneted to
thus, duplication of eftorts can be avoided. This not
Manuiaturng plant only brings efficiency but also economy of efforts.

Figure 6.2: A Wide Area Network Connected Centralizing Information

to Regional Computers It is often convenient for a business to centralize
WANs
regional/national information. For example, auto-
typically created using specially- part dealers can be helped in locating rare auto
are
conditioned telephone lines, microwave using a centralized computer file of inventory itemns.parts
communications or satellite data
transmission. WANs enable such dealers to query centralized
Advantages of WAN are as follows:
WAN
databases.
covers a
larger geographical area. So,
computers
communicate.
at
Communications
longer distances can easily Facilitating Communications
Corporations in advanced countries often use WANs
I t allows sharing of resources and
software
application to facilitate
employee communications, to save on
programs among distributed long-distance phone calls and letter writing, to cut
workstations. costs on the
to overcome
preparation of written documents, and
Disadvantages of WAN are as follows: the time
lags involved in overseas
Investment costs are higher. communications. Computer
users communicate
conferencing, in which
I t is difficult to maintain network. It with each other
computer systems, is another possiblethrough
their
requires
technicians and network administrators.
WANs. function o
There are more errors and issues due to wide
Two
coverage and use of different
technologies. particularly important types of WANs are
I t has low security
compared to LAN and
MAN coverage. It uses more Hierarchical Networks
technologies.
Some of the functions that can be Many WANs configure
computers in a
WANs are as follows: performed on and are
therefore called hierarchical hierarcn
The basic idea
is that local
network
Remote Data and Job minicomputers
microcomputers cluster around regional mini aa
Entry Mainframe computers. This creates a porting
It is possible to enter data for sales and
at the
point-of-sale terminals using WANs. It is actionsarrangement
of an
similar to the hierarchical
relationsn ps
also possible to centralize this data in a organizational chart. The most
power
erful
for processing or reporting computer
purposes. For example,
computer a of
hierarchical netwe
work is usually
Supermarkets in advanced countries connected large Mainframe
processor is used oncomputer. Often,
ont-end
a
this Mainframe hand
site to na
 input/output, data communications, and computer | take place, the two LANs must be in the same
Security tasks of thhe system, enabling the back-end WAN. Routers can be used to connect LANs that
processor to pertorm the required data-processing employ similar protocols. Figure 6.3 shows the

jobs. interconnection between two Ethernet LANs:

Distributed Data-processing Networks LAN A
LAN B

Distributed data-processing networks place Printer WAN

computers or termirnals at local or regional sites,
thereby providing computer power (for example,
access to Maintrame computer resources) to PC

these locations. The distributed data-processing RoUter

Ruute

system enables the sharing of many hardware and

Figure 6.3: LAN to LAN connection through WAN
significant software resources among several users
who may be located far away from each other.
When two dissimilar LANs are to be connected,
tunnels and gateways are made use of.
Using WAN and Network Services Tunnels are simple constructs that can be usedto
Many wide area network services are emerging these
pass data packets through an otherwise incompatiblee
days due to the increasing demand of corporate network region. Data packets are encapsulated with
business houses and public and private sectors. a framing that is recognized by the network that
Users are demanding Wide area network accesses transports it. The original framing and formatting
that offer support for transmission of data, video,| ofthe data are retained inside the encapsulation.
imaging, fax and voice. The primary driving forces (A gateway is a device that is capable of
of increased capacity and sophistication for wide | interconnecting
networks with dissimilar routing
area network services are:
protocols.
Host to Terminal Connection A communication link that joins two or more LANs
A terminal is an Input/Output(T/O)device, consisting8 into
WANaWAN is known
links can as WAN
be grouped intolink.
the following three
of a keyboard and a monitor, and the hostis a back- main categories:
end processing computer. )Hosts and terminals
may be located in differentlocations. Hosts can be Circuit-switched Services
connected to different terminals through local area
network connections or through remote dial-up
lunA temporary switched circuit is established through
the telecommunications system for the duration of
connections. User's commands are typically entered
the communication session. When
ncaon
through a terminal. This information is transmitted is terminated, the
session. When the
the connection
connection
to a host computer (generally, Mainframe computer) carrier switches are freed up
for other uses. Examples are modems and dial-
over an Ethernet or Token
Ring local area network up
connection. The mainframe computer processes the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
connections.
Ectlons.
input and sends the output over the network to the
terminal monitor. Thus, application runs in the
host, |
and the terminal performs user interfacing function.
Leased Lines
Ferminals can be of two types: These are dedicated connections that establish a
permanent switched circuit that is always ready too
Local Terminal:It is directly connected to the carry network traffic.
host via a serial or LAN connection.
An example of a leased line is
Remote Terminal:Itis connected to the host a T1 line or fractional
T1 line.
via a phone line with a modem at both the
Leased lines are
ends. very expensive because they are
dedicated to the customer even when they are not
LAN to LAN Connection in use.

Wide networking may be used for Packet-switched Services

area
communicating with devices that reside beyond These
These are dedicated
one's local LAN. For the communication to dedicated or
or dial-up
dial-up connections toa
public packet-switching network, such as X.25,
Pblic trame-relay network, or even a VirtualExamples LAN example WA example is
'ivate Network (VPN). can be an the
Send data
Intermediary switches
packets along
the best route possible by office where connection of
using the logical address of the destination node, different various
which is contained in the
packet header. departments branches of
Remote LAN Connection such as MNC such as
Remote access to a LAN can be either through dial personnel, Microsoft or Intel
up connection using a modem or through a leased
accounts, etc. These branches
are located are linked using
line. The remote
access to the office LAN the
gives in the same microwave satellite
emplovees and/or customers access to the following building and communication
services:
connected via system or Internet
File and print services bus topology Connection. Each
Client/Server applications, such as database using branch has its own
applications Ethernet LAN circuit. But
Applications tor remote network cards the different LAN
administration in various branches
Programs, such as PC Anywhere, controls the are communicating
network-access remotely. However, since remote with head office
Connection is mainly made using WAN
using a slow modem,
network-access control is often slow and jerky. But link.
it
provides high security, saves on hardware and
licensing costs, and is simple to implement on a Table 6.1: Difference between LAN and WAN
network.
Remote LAN connection allows users to
file, print and other services of the access Network Topology and Protocol
company from
remote locations. Network topology is the schematic description of
a network arrangement, connecting various nodes
Difference between LAN and WAN (sender and receiver) through lines of connection.
Difference between LAN and WAN
are as follows: Bus Topology
Basics LAN WAN
Bus topology is
network type in which every
a
Acronym Local Area Wide Area Network computer and network device is connected to a
Network
single cable. When it has exactly two endpoints,
Cost Less costly ostliest then it is called Linear Bus topology, as shown in
Speed Up to 10- 256Kbps to 2Mbps |Figure6.4:
100Mbps
Range 1 Km Up to 10,000 kms
TopologyBus and Ring ATM, Frame Relay,
Sonnet

|Location Computers Computers are

of are connected distributed all
computers within over the country
connecteed the same or the Continent.
in the buildings. The connection is
made via satellite
system
communication link
or via Internet.

Figure 6.4: Bus Topology

Features of Bus
Topology:
The data signal is available to all
connected to the bus.
computers
I t carries the
address of the destination
computer.
Bus topology is good for connecting 15-20
computers.
Each computer on the network checks the
destination address as the data
signal travels
through the bus.
Ethernet is a commonly used protocol in
networks connected by bus topologEY.
Advantages of Bus Topology are as follows:
Bus topology cost is very low. Figure 6.5: Ring Topology
Requires less cable
length compared to other
networks such as start follows:
topology. Features of Ring Topology are as
Easy to connect computer peripheral to a network does not have terminated ends;
linear bus.
Ring
thus, data signals travel in a circle.
I t is easy to extend a bus. Two cables can be
Ring topology, as shown in Figure 6.5,
uses
joined into one longer cable with a connector, the token passing method to provide a c c e s s to

making a longer cable and allowing more the devices in the network.
computers to join the network. devices are connected in the
The computers or
I t works well for small networks. twisted pair cables, coaxial cables
ring using
Disadvantages of Bus Topology are as follows: or optic fibres.
I f there is a break in the main cable, the entire Theprotocols used to implement ring topology
network will be shut down. are Token Ring and Fibre Distributed Data
I fIf network gets heavy traffic, a node's Interface (FDDI).
performance of the network falls. Bit-by-bit data is transferred in a sequential
The length of cable is limited. manner. It has to pass through every node of
I t is difficult to troubleshoot a bus. A cable the network till the destination node.
break or malfunctioning computer anywhere Advantages of Ring Topology are as follows:
between two computers can cause them not It is a more reliable network, because the
to be able to communicate with each other. communication system is not dependent on
Cable break or loose connector will also the single host computer.
cause reflections and bring down the whole Easy to install and the maintenance is much
network, causing all network activity to stop. easier compared to the bus network.
will not
Ring Topology Adding components such
as
affect the performance of network.
nodes
It is called ring topology because it forms a ring as Because every computer is given equal access
each computer is connected to the other computer, to the token, no one
with the last one connected to the first. Exactly two computer can monopolize
the network.
neighbours are there for each device, as shown in Troubleshoot is easy because cable faults can
Figure 6.5:
beeasily loçated.
Disadvantages of Ring Topology are as follows:
Failure of one computer on the
r T
ring affects the
whole network.
Adding or removing devices to the networks
would slow down the network activity.
Module 3: M3-R5

because it .Single computer failures do not

It is
difficult to troubleshooting
equipment to default the bring down the whole:star network. necessarily
The h
requires special can detect a network fault and
isolato
cable faults. offending computer or network cable
it disturbs all other
one of the node fails, allow the rest of the network to continue its
I f any operation.
networks.
. E a s y to manage and maintain the net

Star Topology because each node has separate cable, ork

host is connected to a

A start
network, every I t supports a high-spee data bandwidth
like a hub or a Switch. approximately 100 Mbps. of
central connection point, hub deviceis
between a node and Cost effective as it uses
Theconnection The device takes a signal from any inexpensi coaxial
a point-to-point.
cable.
network.
all other nodes in the
passes it to
node and passes all onet of Star Topology are
It works as a s e r v e r
and it controls the entire function| Disadvantages as
follows:
wS:
. I f the central
hub goes down, then sl
is used to connect a computer
of the network. It other connected nodes will
Coaxial cable, as shown in Figure
6.6: not be ablo.to
through communicate with each other.
It requires wires compared to the
more
and bus topology because t is expensive ring
to
use.

.Ifthe hub gets failed then all the

nodes will not be able to
connected
communicate with
Hub/Switch each other.

Mesh Topology
In Mesh topology, every node has point-to-point
a
connection to the other node. All the computers:are
interconnected to each other in a network. This trpe
of mesh topology is very expensive and it is difficult
to establish the connections. The connection in mesh
Figure 6.6: Star Topology topology can be used in wireless network as shown
in Figure 6.7:
Features of Star Topology are as follows:
Every node has its own dedicated connection
to the hub.
Hub acts as a repeater for data flow.
Can be used with twisted pair, optical fibre or
coaxial cable.
The data signal is transmitted from the source
computer to the destination computer via the
hub or switch.
The common protocols used in star
topology
are Ethernet, Token Ring, and LocalTalk.

Advantages of Star Topology are as follows:

I t is much easier to
modify or add new
computers to a starnetwork without disturbing Figure 6.7: Mesh Topology
the rest of the network. You simply run a new
line from the
computer to the central location Features of Mesh Topology are as follows:
and plug it into the hub. When the capacity of
the central hub is I n a mesh network topology, each of the
with one that has a
exceeded, you can replace it
larger number of ports to networ node, computer and other devices,
plug lines into it. are interconnected with one another.
 follows:
Every node not only send its own signals but | Advantages of Tree Topology are as is
also relays data from other nodes. Point-to-point connection of each computer
This type of topology is very expensive as connected to each part of hub network.
the
there are many redundant connections. Tt is easy to add computer by extending
The internet is an example of mesh topology. cables to connect computers.
Error detection is an easy process.
Advantages of Mesh Topology are as follows:
Fast expansion of nodes.
The networks are very reliable because if follows:
any link breaks, it will not affect the other Disadvantages of Tree Topology are as

connected computers. If any faults occur in the node, it is difficult to

There is no link between point-to-points maintain.

because it is secure. devices for broadband
Requires high cost

.Fault is diagnosed easily. transmission.

It is very fast communication between the If new or more nodes added, then it
are

nodes. becomes difficult to reconfigure.

Failure in the main bus cable will damage the
Disadvantages of Mesh Topology are as follows: overall network.
It requires space to run the cables.
Installation process is difficult, as each node is Protocol
connected to every node. Different types of networking operating systems use
. I t requires number of cables and Input-output different languages to control the communication
ports for communication. process between the computers. These languages
Themanagementof meshnetwork is very large are called Network protocols.
and difficult to maintain and manage. If not. A protocol is a set of rules that governs the
monitored carefully, then the communication communications between computers on a network.
link in the network fails. There are many protócols, each one governing the
way a certain technology For the
Tree Topology works. example,
IP protocol defines a set of rules governing the way
It has a root node, and all other nodes are connected
computers use IP packets to send data over the
to it, forming a hierarchy. It is also called hierarchical Internet. It also defines addressing in IP. Likewise,
topology. It should have at least three levels to the we have other protocols, such as
hierarchy, as shown in Figure 6.8: TCP: Transmission Control Protocol is used
for communication over a network. It is a
connection-based protocol. The data is broken
down into small packets and then sent to the
destination. It is one of the most important
protocols that function at the transport layer
of the OSl model.
HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol is used
Figure 6.8: Tree Topology for transmitting and displaying införmation
in the form of web pages on browsers. It is
Features of Tree Topology are as follows: basically used for downloading files, media,
I t combines ch¡racteristics of linear bus and text and various other forms from the server
star topologies. in a secure way. It makes use of Secure Socket

It is arranged in a group of star workstations

Layer to add an extra feature of security
to the network. If data is transferred over
connected to a linear bus backbone cable.
the Internet after being encrypted, it makes
The top-level node in tree topology is known
sure that anyone who intercepts data cannot
as a root node, and all other nodes are
decipher it easily. It works at the application
hierarchy of the root node.
layer and makes use of TCP protocol for the
purpose of transfer of data.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol is used for file
transter (uploading and downloading) over
the Internet. It works at the Application layer
of the OSI model.
POP: The most common protocol tor
receiving mail is Post Office Protocol (POP).
It is now in version 3, so it is called
PCOP3
POP2 is an application layer protocol that
allows the client to retrieve and download
emails fronm the server. It is simple to connect
to the server to download emails. Once you
have downloaded them it is easy to read them
offline. This protocol has been used in email
applications to serve their purpose.
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is
used for email. It is used for the purpose of
transmission of emails over the network. Not
only can it transfer emails within networks,
but it can also transfer them between different
networks.
Ethernet: It is the most popular protocol used
for LAN communication. It transfers the
information in digital packets. If any computer
wants to use this protocol, it must contain
Ethernet Network Interface Card. This card is
a unique address code fixed in the microchip.
Wi-Fi: One of the wireless protocols.
I P : Internet Protocol is also known as TCP. It
is an addressing protocol. The IP addresses in
packets help in routing them through different
nodes in a network until they reach their right
destination. The IP protocol was developed in
1970.
UDP: It is usually known as User Datagram
Protocol. It is the transport layer of the OSI
model. It is a connectionless protocol which
enables the transfer of data over the network.
However, it does not ensure that the data
arrives at its destination perfectly without
any error. Moreover, if there is any change or
error in the data, it will not be detected ever.
Hence, it is used in those situations where the
security and perfection of data do not matter,
but the speed of transfer is important.
Gopher: Gopher is a collection of rules
implemented for searching, retrieving as well
as displaying documents from sites. It also
works on the cient/server principle.
Telnet: It is a set of rules for connecting one
system with another. The connecting process
is termed as a remote login. The system which
requests for connection is the local computer
and the system which accepts the
connection
is the remote Computer.