NETWORKS

•Criteria – Performance, Reliability & Security

•Structure – Type of Connection (Point- to- Point, Multipoint)
- Topology (Mesh, Star, Bus, Ring)
•Categories – LAN, MAN, WAN

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 NETWORKS
• A network is a set of devices (often referred to as
nodes) connected by communication links.
• Node – any device capable of sending and/or
receiving data generated by other nodes on the
network. E.g Computer, Printer
Distributed Processing
• Task is divided among multiple computers.
• Instead of one single large machine being responsible
for all aspects of a process, separate computers
(usually a personal computer or workstation) handle a
subset.
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 Network Criteria :
PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY & SECURITY
Performance
*Can be measured in may ways
• transit time: amount of time required for a message to travel
from one device to another
• response time: time elapsed between an inquiry and a
response
*Depends on
• Number of users
• Type of transmission medium
• Hardware capabilities and software efficiency
*Evaluated using
• Throughput (average rate of successful message delivery )
• Delay 3
 Network Criteria..
Reliability
*Measured by
• frequency of failure
• time needed to recover from failure
• network robustness in a catastrophe
Security
*Protecting of data from
• unauthorized users
• damage & development
* Recovery from breaches &data loss

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 Physical Structures
Types of connection: Whether the link capacity is shared or not
* point-to-point(dedicated link)
* multipoint (link shared spatially or temporally)

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 Physical Topology
Physical topology refers to the way in which a network
is laid out physically.
Network topology is the geometric representation of the
relationship of all the links and linking devices (nodes)

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 MESH TOPOLOGY

•Dedicated Point-to-
Point link to every other
device
•n(n-1) half-duplex links
•n(n-1)/2 duplex links

Pro: robustness, eliminates traffic problems, privacy or security, fault

identification and isolation easy
Con: many cabling/installation and need many I/O ports on nodes,
expensive
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Used in: telephone regional offices
 Star topology
•Dedicated Point-to-
Point Link to a central
Controller called HUB
•Number of links = n

Pro: robust against a node’s failure or a link failure, easy to

configure & Install, Less expensive than mesh, less cabling
Con: single point of failure at the hub
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Used in :LAN
 Bus topology

•One long Cable acts as a backbone to link all devices in a

network
•Nodes are connected to bus cable by drop lines and taps
•Number of links = n+1
•E.G. First generation Ethernet that used cable for wiring
•Pro: Ease of Installation, less cabling
•Con: any tap device failure will cause the whole system fail 9
 Ring Topology

•Each device has a dedicated point-to-point connection with only

the two devices on either side of it.
•Signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from device to
device, until it reaches its destination
•Each device in ring incorporates a repeater. 10
 Ring Topology..
• Number of links = n
• Pro: easy to install and reconfigure, addition or deletion of a
device requires changing only two connections, fault isolation
is simplified.
• Con: unidirectional traffic is a disadvantage in case of break,
can be solved by using a dual ring or a switch capable of
closing off the break
• Example: IBM token ring LAN (less popular now).

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A hybrid topology: a star backbone
with three bus networks

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 Categories of Networks

Categories of
Networks

Metropolitan Area
Local Area Networks Wide Area Networks
Networks
(LAN) (WAN)
(MAN)

IEEE 802.3
High-speed DSL Frame Relay
IEEE 802.4
Cable TV network ATM
IEEE 802.5

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 Categories of Networks..
• Local Area Networks (LANs)
— Usually privately owned and links the devices in a single office,
building or campus
— Most common LAN topologies are bus, ring and star
— Speeds of 100Mbps-1Gbps
• Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
— Designed to extend over a city
— May be owned by a large private organization or a service provider
(telephone company)
• Wide Area Networks (WANs)
— Provide long-distance transmission of data, voice, image and video
info over large geographical areas that may comprise a country or a
continent
• Internetworks
— When two or more networks are connected they become an
internetwork or internet 14
Fig :An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet

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Figure WANs: a switched WAN and a point-to-point WAN

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Figure A heterogeneous network made of four WANs and two LANs

INTERNET

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Internet: Interconnection of Networks
Before Internet:
Many isolated Local Area Networks (LANs) existed
Those LANs had very different hardware and network
protocols
 Protocol example: TCP/IP, IPX (from Novell)

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 Comparison Chart – LAN, MAN, WAN
BASIS OF
LAN MAN WAN
COMPARISON
Metropolitan Area
Expands to Local Area Network Wide Area Network
Network

A network that connects It spans large locality

It covers relatively large
a group of computers in and connects countries
Meaning region such as cities,
a small geographical together. Example
towns.
area. Internet.

Ownership of Network Private Private or Public Private or Public

Design and
Easy Difficult Difficult
maintenance
Propagation Delay Short Moderate Long
Speed High Moderate Low
Fault Tolerance More Tolerant Less Tolerant Less Tolerant
Congestion Less More More
College, School,
Used for Small towns, City. Country/Continent.
Hospital.
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