Lecture1A

Understanding Networks

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Learning Objectives
• After this lecture students should be able to:
—Briefly outline the history of networking
—Identify and define the three basic components of computer
networks and their capabilities
—Distinguish between peer-to-peer networks and those which use a
distributed server
—Briefly describe computer network topologies
—Explain the basic difference between LANs and WANs with respect
to network media

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What is a Computer Network?

• An interconnection of computers and computing

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Why do Businesses need Computer
Networks?
• Computer networks help businesses work faster by allowing them to:
—Share and protect resources
• Networks centralized data so that it can be shared while preventing access from
unauthorized users
• Data can be backed up to protect against lost

—Improve efficiency
• Employees are more efficient when important files, computer programs, and Internet
access are available to them all the time.
• A network with remote access capability enables employees to access e-mail and
other information quickly and easily whether they're in the office or on the road.

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Why do Businesses need Computer Networks
(cont’d)?
• Computer networks help businesses work faster by allowing
them to (cont’d):
—Reduce cost
• Networks allow many users to access one device or service, eliminating
the need for extra printers, modems, and Internet.

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Evolution of Computer Networks

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SneakerNet
• Used when few computers
were available
• Stand alone computers
• Files transferred by copying to
disk and physically delivering it
to destination
• Makes it difficult to track
current file version
• Waste time Fig 1: SneakerNet

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Local Area Networks (LANs)

• Connected computes in a
shared medium
• Enabled users to share files
electronically
• More efficient
• Standards developed to allow
equipment from different
Fig 2: Local area network
vendors to interoperate
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 Wide Area Networks (WANs)
• As corporations grew wider
communication was needed
• Each branch of a corporation
became isolated
• Files sent by post or courier
• Solution
—WAN standards developed
— Companies were able to
communicate with other networks
globally
Fig 3: Wide Area Network 9
Components of A Computer Network
• All networks including the most complicated ones contains
the same three basic types of building blocks:

—Devices that provide network service

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Components of A Computer Network
(cont’d)
• Servers
—Servers are specialized computers dedicated to managing shared
resources
— Servers provide services such as:
• Manage access to other devices such as printers, fax machines, and other
computers.
• Manage access to files and data such as financial files, graphics, and
business presentations.
—Server operating system runs the server in order to provide the
above functions

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Components of A Computer Network
(cont’d)
• Client
—A client is anything on a network that uses the services a server provides
—Common clients are workstations
• Communication Media
—Interconnect servers and clients to enable communication
—The range of available media is very broad:
• Twisted pair Physical media
• Coaxial
• Fiber Optic
• Wireless media
Microwave
• Satellite

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 Peer-to-Peer Vs Client/Server Networks
• Peer-to-Peer Networks
—Use cables to link together multiple
computers and other devices such
as printers and fax machines.
—No station is designated as a server
or client
—Offer a simple, low-cost, easy
solution for sharing files, printers,
and other devices.
—Do have drawbacks: data may be
lost if one computer crashes, or
access to information may not
always be available if the computer
is turned off. Fig 4: Peer-to-Peer networks

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Peer-to-Peer Vs Client/Server Networks
(cont’d)
• Client/Server Networks
—Use a single, specialized computer (the server) as the central hub.
—Connect individual desktop PCs, laptops, printers, or mobile
devices.
—Allow users to be more productive because they can share files,
business applications, Internet access, and equipment.
—Decrease the risk of data loss if a PC's hard drive crashes because
all information saved on the server can be backed up.

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 Peer-to-Peer Vs Client/Server Networks
(cont’d)
• Dedicated servers in a
Client/Server Network
—In a large network there can
be servers dedicated to
various tasks

Fig 5: Dedicated servers Client/Server networks 15

Fig 6: One general server in a Client/Server network 16

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Topologies
• Network topologies describe
—Structure of the network
—Can be physical or logical
• Physical Layout of Cabling (Physical Topology)
• How the media is accessed by communicating hosts (Logical Topology)
• Common Physical Topologies
—Bus
—Ring
—Star
—Extended star
—Hierarchical
—Mesh
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 Topologies (cont’d)
• Bus Topology
—Uses a single backbone
cable that is terminated at
both ends.
—All the hosts connect
directly to this backbone
—Bandwidth is shared
between the number of
hosts on Network Fig 7: Bus topology
—Can be Logical or Physical

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Topologies (cont’d)
• Star topology
—A star topology connects all
cables to a central point of
concentration
—Can be a logical bus or ring
—Concentrators can be a
• Hub
• Switch
Fig 8: Star topology

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 Topologies (cont’d)
• Ring topology
—Connects one host to the
next and the last host to the
first
—This creates a physical ring
of cable
—Can be logical or physical
Fig 9: Ring topology

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 Topologies (cont’d)
• Extended star topology
—Links individual star wired
network segments together
—Uses hubs and/or switches
—This topology can extend the
scope and coverage of the
network
Fig 10: Extended star topology

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 Topologies (cont’d)
• Hierarchical topology
—Similar to an extended
star
—Instead of linking the
hubs and/or switches
together, the system is
linked to a computer that
controls the traffic on the
topology Fig 11: Hierarchical star topology

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 Topologies (cont’d)
• Mesh topology
—Implemented to provide as much protection
as possible from interruption of service
—The use of a mesh topology in the
networked control systems of a nuclear
power plant would be an excellent example
—Each host has its own connections to all
other hosts.
—Internet has multiple paths to any one Fig 12: Mesh topology
location but it does not adopt the full mesh
topology.
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Logical Topologies
• Defines how the hosts communicate across the medium
• The two most common types of logical topologies are:
Broadcast Topology Token Pass
• Controls network access by passing an electronic
• Means that each host sends its data to all token sequentially to each host.
other hosts on the network medium. • When a host receives the token, that host can send
• There is no order that the stations must data on the network. If the host has no data to send,
follow to use the network. it passes the token to the next host and the process
repeats itself.
• It is first come, first serve. Ethernet works
• Two examples of networks that use token passing
this way are Token Ring and Fiber Distributed Data Interface
(FDDI).
• A variation of Token Ring and FDDI is Arcnet.
—Arcnet is token passing on a bus topology.
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LANs Vs WANs
• Local area networks (LANs)
—Privately owned, size limited to few kilometers
—Link devices in a single office, building or campus
—Allow multiple access to high-bandwidth media
—Provide full time connectivity to local services
—Inexpensive
• Common LAN technologies
—Ethernet
—Token ring
—Token bus
—FDDI
—ATM 26
LANs

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LANs Vs WANs (cont’d)
• Wide Area Networks (WANs) are designed to:
—Operate over a large geographical area
—Allow access over serial interfaces at lower speeds
—Provide full and part time connectivity
—Connect devices separated over wide, even global areas
—Expensive
• Common WAN technologies are:
—Point-to-Point WAN (a network that connects 2 communicating device
through a transmission media)
• Modems, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), T-lines and Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)
—Switched WAN ( a network with more than two ends)
• X.25, Frame Relay, and ATM
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Point to point WAN Vs Switched WAN

Point-to-point WAN

Switched WAN
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WANs

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End

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Thank you

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