Computer Networks

A computer network is a collection of computers and other hardware components

interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and
information.

Benefit s of Computer Networks

1) Facilitate communications: - Using a network, people can communicate efficiently
and
easily via email, instant messaging, chat rooms, telephone, video telephone calls, and
video conferencing.
2) Permit sharing of files, data, and other types of information: - In a network
environment, authorized users may access data and information stored on other
computers on the network.
3) Share network and computing resources: - In a networked environment, each
computer on a network may access and use resources provided by devices on the
network, such as printing a document on a shared network printer.
4) Provides data/ information backup: interconnected computers can be used for data
backup
5) Avoid File Duplication and Corruption: - A server manages network resources.
Servers store data and share it with users on a network. Confidential or sensitive data
can be protected and shared with the users who have permission to access that data.

Limitations of Computer Networks

1) May be insecure: - A computer network may be used by computer hackers to
deploy computer viruses or computer worms on devices connected to the network, or
to prevent these devices from normally accessing the network (denial of service)
2) May be difficult to set up: - A complex computer network may be difficult to set up.
3) Expensive: - It may be very costly to set up an effective computer network in a
large organization or company.

Basic Networking Components

1) Network Interfaces \ network interface: The NIC is the component that takes
information from the computer and sends it out onto the network wire, or into the air
in the case of a wireless network.
2) Hubs: When you connect multiple computers on a network, they all plug into a
central device called a hub. The hub has the job of moving the network signal from
one wire to another.
3) Switches: - Switches are really smart hubs in that they are able to build tables that
keep up with which computer is on which switch port. With this intelligence, a switch
does not transmit all information to all other computers on the switch, just to the
destination computer. Switching technology helps to reduce congestion on a network
and should be used for networks of 10 or more computers.
4) Routers: -routers are used to send data between physical networks. They are also
used to connect one local area network (LAN) to another, across long distances via
commercial data carriers.
5) Media (Cabling): used to connect networking devices to each other so that data is
sent form one device to another.
6) Networking software e.g. NOS: Software is the intelligence that causes all of the
components in a network to function together.
7) Computer systems

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Communication Media
 Communication/Network media refer to the wires, cables and other means by
which data is transferred from source to its destination.
 Wired media
 Wireless media
 The most common wired media for data communication are twisted-pair wire,
coaxial cable, fibre-optic cable, and wireless link i.e. microwave and sattellites.

The Twisted Pair

 The twisted-pair wire consists of two copper strands individually shrouded in
plastic, then twisted around each other and bound together in another layer of
plastic insulation.
 Twisted-pair wire is commonly known as telephone wire.
 It is readily available and inexpensive.
 Telephone wire gained earlier favour as a conduit for data communications.

Coaxial Cable
 Coaxial cable, sometimes called coax is widely used for cable TV.
 There are two conductors in coaxial cable. One is a single wire in the centre of
the cable; the other is a shield that surrounds the first wire with an insulator in
between.
 Although it does not have any more conductors than twisted-pair, coaxial cable,
because of the shielding, can carry more data than older types of twisted-pair
wiring.

Fibre-optic cable
 A fibre-optic cable is a thin strand of wire that transmits pulsating beams of
light, instead of electrical frequencies.
 It is faster, lighter and more durable tha wire media
 It is immune to electromagnetic interference that is a problem for copper wires.
 Main problems with fibre optic is the physical routing of the cable.

Bluetooth
 Bluetooth is a wireless networking standard, which is useful for creating small
personal area networks (PANs).
 It can link up to eight devices within a 10-meter area using low-power, radio-
based communication
Microwave
Microwave is based on radio signals.
 Transmits high radio frequency through space and are widely used for high
volume, long distance, point to point communication.
 They follow a straight line and do not bend with the curvature of the earth.
Therefore, long distance transmission is possible by using communication
satellites as relay stations for microwave signal transmitted from terrestrial
stations.
Wi-Fi(Wireless Fidelity)
 A Wi-Fi system can operate in two different modes. In infrastructure mode,
wireless devices communicate with a wired LAN using access points.

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  An access point is a box consisting of a radio receiver/transmitter and
antennas that links to a wired network, router, or hub.
 It facilitates communications up to 100m. It can also be used to provide
wireless access to the Internet. It can be used in check-in, baggage
handling, downloading and listening to music, restaurants and stores etc
Mobile Computing
 Wireless computing, in which users move from one wireless hotspot to
another to gain network or Internet access, is sometimes referred to as
nomadic computing.
 Mobile computing, in contrast, enables Internet-enabled cell phones, PDAs,
and other wireless computing devices to access digital information on the
Internet from any location.

Types of Computer Networks

1) Local area network (LAN)
2) Wide area network (WAN)
3) Metropolitan area network (MAN)

Local Area Network: - LAN is a computer network that spans a relatively small area.
It supplies network capability to a group of computers in close proximity to each other
such as in an office building, a school, or a home. A LAN is useful for sharing resources
like files, printers, games or other applications. A LAN in turn often connects to other
LANs, and to the Internet or other WAN.
Major Characteristics of LAN
 every computer has the potential to communicate with any other computers in
the network
 high degree of interconnection between computers
 easy physical connection of computers in a network
 inexpensive medium of data transmission
 high data transmission rate
Use of LAN
 File transfers and Access
 Word and text processing
 Electronic message handling
 Remote database access
 Personal computing
 Digital voice transmission and storage

Advantages of LANs
1) Expensive hardware can be shared e.g. laser printer
2) Network software is cheaper than buying individual packages
3) Users can access the same files
4) Messages can be sent between users
5) A single Internet connection can be shared among many users

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Disadvantages of LANs
1) Quite expensive to set up and maintain
2) A virus can spread to all the computers on the network
3) More prone to hacking because of multiple points of access
4) If the file server goes down, the entire network may go down (star network)

Metropolitan area network (MAN)

Networks used to interconnect computers in a single town or city is called
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). MAN transmits data with a speed of several
megabits per second (106 bits per second). The transmission medium is normally
coaxial cables and fiber optic cables

Characteristics of MAN - Similar to those of LAN

Wide area network (WAN)

Wide Area Network (WAN) is used to describe a computer network spanning a
regional, national or global area. For example, the entire country or the world.
The distance between computers connected to WAN is larger. Therefore the
transmission medium used are normally telephone lines, fiber optic cables and
satellite links.
Characteristics of WAN
 Communication Facility: WAN has enhanced the communication process thro
video conferencing, emails and audio conferencing.
 For a big company spanning over different parts of the country the employees
can save long distance phone calls and it overcomes the time lag in overseas
communications.
 Computer conferencing is another use of WAN where users communicate with
each other through their computer system.
 Remote Data Entry: Remote data entry is possible in WAN. It means sitting at
any location you can enter data, update data and query other information of
any computer attached to the WAN but located in other cities.
 Centralized Information: In modern computerized environment most
organizations go for centralized data storage. This means if the organization is
spread over many cities, they keep their important business data in a single

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 place. As the data are generated at different sites, WAN permits collection of
this data from different sites and save at a single site.

Difference between LAN and WAN

 LAN is restricted to limited geographical area of few kilometers. But WAN
covers great distance and operate nationwide or even worldwide.
 In LAN, the computer terminals and peripheral devices are connected with wires
and coaxial cables. In WAN there is no physical connection. Communication is
done through telephone lines and satellite links.
 Cost of data transmission in LAN is less because the transmission medium is
owned by a single organization. In case of WAN the cost of data transmission is
very high because the transmission mediums used are hired either telephone
lines or satellite links.
 The speed of data transmission is much higher in LAN than in WAN.
 Few data transmission errors occur in LAN compared to WAN. It is because in
LAN the distance covered is negligible.
NETWORK TOPOLOGY
Network Topology refers to the physical layout of a computer network. This includes
the way in which each computer is wired into the network, as well as how equipments
(such as hubs and switches) are used to join together different parts of the network.
Bus Topology
 The bus topology network is supported by a long, uninterrupted cable called a
backbone. All communications devices are connected to this common channel
using co-ax, STP or UTP. This backbone is the root for all connectivity. Network
devices – workstations, terminals, and peripherals, -- draw their network feed
from the backbone.
 There is no central computer or server, and data transmission is bi-directional.
Each communications device transmits electronic messages to other devices. If
some of those messages collide, the device waits and tries to retransmit.
ADVANTAGES
 Simplicity. Implementing bus topology is very straight forward – you simply
string a backbone and plug in your workstations.
 Bus topology is inexpensive because it requires neither hubs nor routers.
DISADVANTAGES

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  Bus topology based networks are difficult to troubleshoot. If problems arise at
the network level, it can be difficult to isolate the source.
 Bus topology lacks central administration. Because most bus topology
networks have no hubs, routers, or switches, they are difficult to manage.
 Speed and performance constraints. Only one workstation can send data at
any one time. Thus, each additional workstation east substantial network
resources.
 Bus topology networks have a high-profile single point of failure. That is, if the
network backbone fails, the entire network is effectively knocked out.
 Bus topology is undesirable from a security standpoint. Data sent from one
workstation is transmitted to all remaining workstations.
Star Topology
 Star topology is more structured than bus topology, and focuses on
centralization. All microcomputers and other communications devices are
connected to a central point or hub such as a file server or host computer.
 This is done via UTP or STP. Some intelligent hubs can provide switching,
bridging and routing capabilities. Electronic messages are sent through the
central hub to their destinations.
 The central hub monitors the flow of traffic.
ADVANTAGES
 Star topology offers centralization. Thus star networks are more easily
managed and secured.
 Star networks are usually faster than bus networks. Each workstation is
independently wired directly to the hub; data is transmitted directly, allowing
greater speed and organization.
 Star networks are stable. If one workstation fails, the rest continue to operate
unhindered. Damage control is therefore much easier.
 Reconfiguration is easy. If new workstations are to be removed or added, this
can instantly be done by plugging them or unplugging them from the hub.
DISADVANTAGES
 Star networks have a single point of failure at the hub level. Hence, if a hub
cable breaks, or the hub fails for other reasons, all workstations will lose
connectivity.

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  Star networks can represent a greater initial investment. This is because hubs
are expensive.
 The average hub has between 8 and 20 ports (ports are where the workstations
get plugged into). If the number of workstations exceeds the number of
available ports, another hub needs to be bought.
RING TOPOLOGY
 A ring network is one in which all microcomputers and other communications
devices are connected in a continuous loop. Electronic messages are passed
around the ring in one direction, with each node serving as a repeater, until
they reach the right destination. Rings are generally co-ax or fiber .
 Ring networks are very similar to bus networks, the difference lying in the fact
that the ring network’s backbone is a closed loop.
ADVANTAGES
 Ring topology has the same basic advantages of bus topology --
 Ring networks can be easier to establish.
 Ring networks represent low initial overhead (that is, no need to purchase a
hub, and each wire only has to connect to the next workstation).
DISADVANTAGES
 Ring networks have many single points of failure. (That number is equal to the
number of connected network devices). If even one network device fails, or the
cable between any two workstations is disconnected, the entire network is
temporarily not functional.