Computing
9.2: Network
What is a network?
A set of computers and devices that are connected to communicate and share
resources.
The network can be local or spread across countries
Advantages Disadvantages
Sharing devices such as Purchasing the network cabling and file servers can
printers saves money. be expensive.
Site (software) licenses are Managing a large network is complicated, and
likely cheaper than buying requires training, and a network manager usually
several standalone licenses. needs to be employed.
Files can easily be shared If the file server breaks down, the files on the file server
between users. become inaccessible. Email might still work if it is on a
separate server. The computers can still be used but
are isolated.
Network users can Viruses can spread to other computers throughout a
communicate by email and computer network.
instant messenger.
Security is good - users cannot There is a danger of hacking, particularly with wide
see other users' files unlike on area networks. Security procedures are needed to
stand-alone machines. prevent, e.g., a firewall.
Data is easy to back up as all
the data is stored on the file
server.
Components of a Computer Network
Network Switch - connects devices on a network to form a wired network
Router - a hardware device that connects networks together
Network Interface Card (NIC) - every device that connects to a network has a
NIC, which has a pre-programmed MAC Address so it can be identified on a
network
MAC Address - number programmed into a network interface card that
identifies each device on a network
Wireless Acess Point (WAP) - a network device that allows wireless capable
devices to connect to the Wi-Fi
Ethernet Cable - Designed to work with ethernet ports on a NIC to connect
devices to the network
Servers -
● File Server-place to store and access files
● Print server-They help users connect to shared printers and they process
files from a client to the printer.
● Mail server-A mail server (sometimes called an email server) is a software
program that sends and receives email
● Web server-used for accessing the world wide web. The main job of a
web server is to display website content through storing, processing and
delivering webpages to users
Firewall - restricts the network traffic entering and exiting a network, to ensure
that it is safe
Network Protocols
TCP/IP:
TCP - Transmission Control Protocol
IP - Internet Protocol
Function - used to break data into data packets for transportation
Data Packet:
Sender IP Address 172.16.254.1
Receiver IP Address 192.168.0.1
Packet Number 2/4
Data 01010010 01101111 01110010 01111001 00100000 01000111
01101001 01101100 01101101 01101111 01110010 01100101
Packet Switching:
A method of data transmission in which a message is broken up into a number
of packets.
They can be transported individually and at the destination, the packets need
to reorder into the correct sequence.
HTTP/HTTPS:
HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HTTPS - Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure
URL - Uniform Resource Location
Function - set of rules for communicating with web servers
Domain Name - website name
DomainHost - www
Domain Type - part of a URL that specifies the location on the Internet
Eg. com., co., org.
Checking For Errors
Reasons for Transmission Errors
- electrical spikes or power surges (may flip bits)
- security breaches (hacking & malware)
- more electrical devices in a small area can cause electrical/radio waves
to disrupt
- hardware failure
Parity Checking - method of error detection in data transmission from one
device to another
Even Parity:
Parity Bit Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 3 Bit 4 Bit 5 Bit 6 Bit 7
1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
The number of 1s should be even if not they should add 1 so it is even
Parity Bit Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 3 Bit 4 Bit 5 Bit 6 Bit 7
0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1
The number of 1s should be even, if they are, add a 0
Odd Parity:
Parity Bit Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 3 Bit 4 Bit 5 Bit 6 Bit 7
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
The number of 1s should be odd if not they should add 1 so it is odd
Parity Bit Bit 1 Bit 2 Bit 3 Bit 4 Bit 5 Bit 6 Bit 7
0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
The number of 1s should be odd, if they are, add a 0
Scalability:
Scalability means how a network can cope when there is a sudden increase in
movement of data between more devices
Security-Cyber attacks need more fire-walls as the network becomes unstable
Storage solutions-Expand file server or another file server
Accessibility of data-increase bandwidth
Need more switches or WAP
Ways to keep datasets safe on networks:
● Firewalls: Blocks access to datasets from outside the network
● User access controls: Restricted access to users(Ex:
administrator, staff, students etc.,)
● Password policies: strong password, change password regularly
● Takes a longer time for hackers to use a brute-force attack
● Biometric security- biological password(fingerprint, facial recognition)
or iris scan)
● Two-factor authentication-user hs to confirm identification using a
second device(Ex: OTP)
● Encryption-Network managers make sure data is encrypted using
secure protocols(Ex: HTTPS)
9.6: Array of Skills
String-Handling:
text=input("enter")
print(text.capitalize())
print(text.upper())
print(text.lower())
print(len(text))
print(text[0:2])#slicing
Sub Programs:
Syntax:
