Chapter 10

Computer Network
Part I
 Introduction
In 21st century, technology is rapidly
converging.

The merging of computers and

communications has deep influence on the
way computer systems are organized.

Organization has replaced single computer

serving all with large number of separate &
interconnected computers to do the job.
These systems are called computer
networks.
 What is a Network?

An interconnected collection of

autonomous computers.

Two computers are said to be

interconnected if they are capable of
exchanging information.

Autonomous means that no computer

on the network can start, stop or
control another.
Networking Goals
Resource Sharing
Reliability
Cost Factor
Communication Medium
Advantages Disadvantages
•Share resources •Complex to run
•Share storage •Add cost to
•Can share software company
•Improve •Work may interrupt
communications if server fails
•Protection from
virus
Application of Networks
1. Sharing: The potential advantage of
NW is to provide an easy and flexible
means of sharing.
a. Peripherals
b. Information
c. Distributed Control over network
2. Access to remote database: It is easy
for any person sitting at his PC to make
reservation for airplanes, trains,
hotels…
3. Communication facilities: Send,
receive digital mail, videos etc.
 Evolution of Networking

Evolution of networking started in

1969 by the development of first

network called ARPANET, which

led to the development of Internet.

 ARPANET

Advanced Research Projects Agency

NETwork project was sponsored by US
Department of Defense in 1969 to
connect computers at different
universities and US defense.
Soon the engineers, scientists, students
and researchers who ere part of this
system, began exchanging data and
messages on it.
The users were also able to play long
distance games and socialize with
people who shared their interests.
 Conti…
ARPANET started with a handful of
computers but it expanded rapidly.

In mid 80’s another federal agency,

the National Science Foundation,
created a new, high-capacity
network called NSFnet, which was
more capable than ARPANET.
 NSFnet

It allowed only academic research

on the network and not any kind of
private business on it.

So many private companies built their

own network, which were later
interconnected along with ARPANET
and NSFnet to form Internet.
 Birth of Internet

The original ARPANET was shut down in

1990 and the government funding for
NSFnet discontinued in 1995.
But the commercial Internet services
came into picture, which are still running
the Internet.
It was the Inter networking i.e, the linking
of these two and some other networks
that was named Internet.
 Evolution of Internet

In 1969,
ARPANET was
started by US In 1990s, the interworking
Defense of ARPANET, NSFnet &
other private networks
resulted into Internet
 The Internet

The Internet is a worldwide network of

computer networks that evolved from the
first network ARPANET.
The Internet is made up of many networks
around the globe each run by a different
company and interconnected at peering
points.
The common use of Internet standards
allows users connected to one network to
communicate with users on another
network.
 Components of a Computer
Network
Hosts/Nodes
Servers
Client
Network hardware
Communication channel
Software
Network Services
 Types of Networks
 Networks vary in size, complexity and
geographical spread.
 Mostly computers are classified on the basis of
geographical spread:
1. Local Area Networks (LANs)
2. Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
3. Wide Area Networks (WANs)
4. Personal Area Networks (PANs)
Local Area Networks (LANs)

Small computer networks

Serve users in resource sharing
In typical LAN, one computer is
designated as the file server which
stores all the software that controls the
network and are shared by other
computers.
Computers attached to file server are
called workstations.
Wide Area Networks(WANs)
Spread across countries.
Group of computers that are separated
by large distances and tied together.
It can even be a group of LANs
It link computers to facilitate fast &
efficient exchange of information at
lesser costs and higher speed.
WAN uses public network like telephone
lines, leased lines or satellites.
The largest WAN in existence is the
Internet.
Metropolitan Area Networks(MANs)

Are spread over a city.

Example, Cable TV networks
The purpose is also sharing of
hardware and software
among its users.
Personal Area Networks (PAN)

A personal area network, or PAN, is

a computer network that enables
communication
between computer devices near a
person.
PANs can be wired, such as USB or
FireWire, or they can be wireless, such as
infrared, ZigBee, Bluetooth and
ultrawideband, or UWB.
The range of a PAN typically is a few
meters.
Difference between LAN & WAN

LAN WAN
 Distance is limited. Upper  Distance is widely
limit approx-10 km & lower spread.
limit of 1 meter  Connected with
 Computers connected telephone lines,
physically with Fiber optic satellites etc.
etc for higher speed
 Speed less than 1 mbps
 Speed between 1 & 10  Due to distance more
mbps error rates
 Error rate less than WAN
 Network is operated by
 Network is controlled by countries post &
one organization telephone
communications
authorities
Types of Networks by Component Roles

Networks can be classified by its

role played in networking
operation on two basis:
Peer to Peer networks
Client/Server Networks
 Peer to Peer (P2P)
 In a P2P network, the "peers" are computer systems
which are connected to each other via the Internet.
 Files can be shared directly between systems on
the network without the need of a central server.
 In other words, each computer on a P2P
network becomes a file server as well as a client.
Peer-to-Peer Network: advantages and
disadvantages
 The Client-Server Networks

Client/server network. A computer network in

which one centralized, powerful computer
(called the server) is a hub to which many less
powerful personal computers or workstations
(called clients) are connected.
The clients run programs and access data that
are stored on the server.
It uses both client hardware devices and
servers, each with specific functions.
Examples of client-server systems on the
internet include web browsers and web
servers, FTP clients and servers, and the DNS.
Types of Networks based on
Communication Channel
 The connections among he hosts are
established using specific
communication media.
 CC or Transmission Media (TM)means
connecting cables or connecting
media that connects two or more
workstations.
 The computer networks can be
categorized as :
 Wired Computer Networks/ Guided
Media
 Wireless computer Network/ Unguided
Media
Twisted Pair Cable
 As a voice grade medium (VGM), it is the basis for most
internal office telephone wiring.
 It consists two identical wires wrapped together in a double
helix.
 The bleeding of a signal from one wire to another and
which can corrupt signal and cause network errors. This
form of signal interference is called Crosstalk.
Types of Twisted Pair Cables
Advantages & disadvantages of Twisted Pair
cable

Advantages Disadvantages
 Simple  Because of High
 Easy to install & attenuation, is incapable
maintain of carrying a signal over
long distance without use
 Physically flexible of repeaters.
 Low weight  Low bandwidth
 Easily Connected capabilities make it
unsuitable for broadband
 Very Inexpensive
applications.
 Supports max data rates 1
Mbps without
conditioning and 10 Mbps
with cond.
Coaxial Cables

Consists of a solid wire core

surrounded by one or more foil or wire
shields, separated by some kind of
plastic insulator.
Inner core carries signal and shield
provides the ground.
Has high electrical properties & is
suitable for high speed
communication.
Used for TV signals, security systems.
 Advantages & disadvantages of Coaxial
Cable
Advantages
 Better than twisted pair cable.
 Can be used as basis for a shared cable network
 Used for broadband transmission
 Offer higher bandwidth upto 400 MBPS

Disadvantages
 Expensive than Twisted pair
 Are not compatible with twisted pair cables.

Types
⚫ Thicknet: Can be upto 500 meters long
⚫ Thinnet: Can be upto 185 meters long
Optical Fibers
Consists of thin strands of glass or
glass like material which are so
constructed that they carry light
from a source at one end of the
fiber to a detector at the other
end.
The light sources used are either
Light Emitting diodes (LEDs) or
Laser diodes (LDs).
Data transmitted is modulated
onto the light beam
The fiber optic cable

The core: The glass or plastic through

which the light travels

The caddling: which is a covering of

the core that reflects light back to the
core

Protective coating: which protects the

fiber cable from hostile environment.
Advantages & disadvantages of Optical
Fiber Advantages
 Immune to electrical & magnetic interference (Noise)
 Suitable for harsh industrial environments
 Guarantees secure transmission with high capacity
 Used for broadband, telescope, graphics, TV & Sound
Disadvantages
 Installation problem & Special care
 Connecting two cables difficult process
 B’coze of noise immunity, OFs are virtually impossible to
tap. To do so fiber must be cut & detector to be inserted
 Light can reach the receiver out of phase
 Most expensive of all the cables.

Types
⚫ Single node: Supports segment length upto 2 kms &
bandwidth of 100 Mbps
⚫ Multinode: Segment length 100 kms & bandwidth 2 Gbps
Guided Media Compared
Micro Wave

 Micro wave signals are used to transmit

data without use of cables.
 Used for long distance communication
 Consists of transmitter, receiver and the
atmosphere.
 Parabolic antennas are mounted on
towers to send a beam to other
antennas. 100 meter high tower- 10 km
distance is feasible.
 It is line-of-sight transmission means
travels straight line free of obstacles
Advantages & disadvantages of Micro
Wave
Advantages
 It proves cheaper
 Offer freedom from land acquisition rights
 Offers communication over difficult terrain
 Have the ability to communicate over oceans

Disadvantages
 Insecure communication
 Signals may split by slightly different path to the receiving
antenna
 Suspectable to weather effects
 Bandwidth allocation is extremely limited
 The cost of design, implementation and maintenance of
microwave links is high.
Radio Wave

Uses radio frequency

Users are licensed to operate in the
range of 10 miles.
All radios use Continuous sine waves
to transmit information (audio, video,
data). Radio setup has:
The transmitter
The receiver
Uses antennas to radiate & capture
the radio signal
Advantages & disadvantages of Radio Wave
Advantages
 Radio-wave transmission offers mobility
 Cheaper
 Offers freedom from land acquisition
rights
 Ease of communication over difficult
terrain

Disadvantages
Insecure communication
Suspectable to weather effects
Satellite
 Radio wave can be classified by
frequency and wavelength. When the
frequency is higher than 3GHz, it is
named as Microwave.
 Satellite communication is special case
of microwave relay system.
 In SC the earth station consists of a
satellite dish that functions as an antenna
& communication equipment to transmit
& receive data from satellites passing
overhead.
 Satellites are placed in orbit about 22300
miles above the earth’s surface.
Advantages & disadvantages of Satellite
Advantages
 The area coverage through satellite transmission is quiet
large
 Best in maintaining Intercontinental cables
 The heavy usage of Intercontinental traffic makes it
commercial attractive
 Useful for Sparsely populated areas

Disadvantages
 Technological limitation preventing the deployment of
large, high gain antennas on the satellite platform.
 Over crowding of available bandwidths due to low
antenna gain
 The high investment cost & insurance cost
 High atmospheric losses above 30 GHz limit carrier
frequencies
Other Wireless/Unguided Media
1. Infrared:
o Uses infrared light to send data.
o Used in TV remotes, automotive garage doors,
wireless speakers etc.
o Transmits data through air & cannot cross walls.
o Secure transmission
o Common in PDA (Personal Digital Assistants)
2. Laser waves:
o Transmission requires direct line-of-sight
o Much higher speed than microwaves
o Requires laser transmitter & photo-sensitive
receiver at each end.
o Used between building
o Are adversely affected by weather
Network Topologies

The pattern of interconnection of

nodes in a network is called the
Topology.

Factors that affect are:

Cost
Flexibility
Reliability
The Star Topology
 A star topology is a topology for a Local Area Network (LAN) in
which all nodes are individually connected to a central connection
point, like a hub or a switch.
 A star takes more cable than e.g. a bus, but the benefit is that if a
cable fails, only one node will be brought down.
 It is the topology used in most existing information networks
involving data processing or voice communications.
 Advantages of Star Topology:
1. Easy to manage and maintain the network because each node
require separate cable.
2. Easy to locate problems because cable failure only affect a single
user.
3. Easy to extend the network without disturbing to the entire
network
4. Due to Hub device network control and management is much
easier.
5. Fault identification and removing nodes in a network is easy.
6. It provides very high speed of data transfer.
 Disadvantages of Star Topology:
1. Entire performance of the network depends on the single device
hub.
2. If the hub device goes down, the entire network will be dead.
3. Star topology requires more wires compared to the ring and bus
topology.
The Bus or Linear Topology
 Consists of single length of transmission medium like coaxial
cable onto which the various nodes are attached.
 The transmission from any station travels the length of the
bus.
 In both directions, and can be received by all other
stations.
 A each end, there are terminators which remove the
travelling data token from the network.
The Ring or Circular Topology
 A ring topology is a network configuration where device
connections create a circular data path.
 Each networked device is connected to two others, like
points on a circle. Together, devices in a ring topology are
referred to as a ring network.
 The data token travels in one direction only, from node to
node around the ring. After passing through each node, it
removes to the sending node, which removes it.
Mesh Topology
 A mesh topology is
a network setup
where each
computer and
network device is
interconnected with
one another.
 This topology setup
allows for most
transmissions to be
distributed even if
one of the
connections goes
down.
 Tree or Expanded Star Topology

 A tree
topology combines
characteristics of
linear bus and star
topologies. It consists
of groups of star-
configured
workstations
connected to a linear
bus backbone cable
Network Devices and Hardware

Many devices or specialized

hardware play important role in the
smooth functioning of network
NIC
WiFi Card
HUB
Switch
Bridge
Router
Gateway
Access Point
Network Interface Unit (NIU)
 A NIU is an interpreter that helps establish communication
between the server and workstations.
 A standalone computer needs an interface to help
establish a connection with the network because without
this, the workstations will not be able to share network
resources.
 NIU establish all important connection with the network.
 NIU has unique number known as node address.
 NIU is also called Terminal Access Point (TAP)
 NIU is also called NIC – Network Interface Card.
 NIC manufacturer assigns a unique physical address to
each NIC card known as MAC address.
WiFi Card
 A WiFi card is either an internal or external LAN adapter with
a built-in wireless radio and antenna.
 The most common WiFi cards used in desktop computers
are PCI-Express WiFI Cards made to fit the PCI Express card
slots on the motherboard.
HUB
 A hub is a physical layer networking device which is used
to connect multiple devices in a network.
 They are generally used to connect computers in a LAN.
 A computer which intends to be connected to
the network is plugged in to one of these ports.
 Hubs are Multi-Slot concentrators into which a number of
multi-port cards can be plugged to provide additional
access as the networks grows in size.
Active and Passive hubs

• Active hub strengthen the signal where passive

hub repeat/copy signals.
• Active hub need Electricity whereas passive
hub work without it.
• Active hub more smarter then passive hub.
• Passive hub is just a connector which connects
wire coming from other devices.
• Active hub is multi-point repeater with capability
of regeneration of signals.
• Active hub can process and monitor information
while passive hub cannot do this.
Switch
 A network switch is networking hardware that connects devices
on a computer network by using packet switching to receive and
forward data to the destination device.
 A switch is used to segment networks into different subnetworks
called subnets or LAN segments.
 A switch is responsible for filtering i.e transforming data in a
specific way and forwarding packets between LAN segments.
 A network switch is a multiport network bridge that uses MAC
addresses to forward data at the data link layer of the OSI model.
Bridge
 A bridge is a device that lets you link two networks
together.
 Bridges are smart enough to know which computer are on
which side of the bridge, so they only allow those messages
that need to get to the other side to cross the bridge.
 Router
▪ It works on network layer of OSI reference model.
▪ A router is a network device that is used to separate
different segments in a network to improve performance
and reliability. A router works like a bridge but can
handle different protocols. Ex:- it can link ethernet
to a mainframe.
▪ It uses logical addresses unlike bridges which uses
physical address.
▪ If the destination is unknown to a router it sends the
traffic to another router which knows the address.
Gateway
A gateway is a network device that connects two
dissimilar networks. It establishes an intelligent
connection between a local network and external
networks with completely different structures.
It works on application layer of OSI reference model.
A gateway is actually a node on a network that serves
as an entrance to another network. In enterprises a
computer acts as a gateway & in homes it is the ISP
which acts as a gateway.
The gateway nodes often act as a proxy server (not
actually a server but appearing so) & a firewall a system
designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a
private network).
The gateway is associated to both a router determines
where a packet is sent) and a switch(provides actual
path).
 Access Point
 Also called Wireless Access Point (WAP), is a hardware device
that establishes connection(s) of computing devices one
wireless LAN with a fixed wire network.
 The AP is connected to a fixed wire network and it then
broadcast wireless signals that computing devices having Wi Fi
cards can detect; using these wireless signals, the computing
devices gets connected to fixed wired network via AP and use
network as needed.
 It is a station that transmits and receives data.
The Cloud
 The cloud is a generic term used for Internet.
 The term cloud was coined to refer to the
collection of servers.
 Cloud computing is Internet-based computing,
whereby shared resources, software and
information are provided to computers and
other devices on demand, like the electricity
grid.
 A basic definition of cloud computing is the use
of the Internet for the tasks you perform on your
computer for storage, retrieval and access.
 It also means “ the delivery of computing
services from a remote location”.
Types of Clouds
 Internet of Things (IoT)
 The Internet of things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—
“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies
for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and
systems over the Internet.
 It can use wired or wireless connections
Sketch/draw/design

How would smart IoT

shape our lives in the
future?
 Enabling Technologies for IoT
 RFID (Radio Frequencies Identification): RFID
uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track
tags attached to objects.
 An RFID tag consists of a tiny radio transponder; a radio
receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromagnetic
interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag
transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number,
back to the reader.
 Sensors

A sensor is a device that is able to

detect changes in an environment.
A sensor is able to measure a physical
phenomenon (like temperature,
pressure etc) and transform it into a
electric signal.
The sensors enable us to collect data
about the status of the “Thing”.
Smart Technologies

It includes additional functionally to

take action and have other
processing capabilities as per the
requirements.
For Eg Smart controllers can connect
with the smart devices, stopping a
vehicle, locking/unlocking a door,
adjusting the temperature of an oven
and many more actions.
They are able to interact with smart
nano devices as well.
Software
 The software part is equally important in the success of any
technologies.
 The software provides reusable solutions for connecting, taking
actions and solving issues that may arises.
Efficient network connectivity

 IoT is formed through interconnections of

devices to the Internet.
 Modern age efficient network technologies
play an important role in IoT.
Challenges and Risks of IoT