Madda Walabu University

Department of Information Technology

Network Device and Configuration

Chapter One
Introduction to Basic Network Device

By Gutema Bote
 Chapter One
Introduction to Basic Network Device

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 Chapter One
Introduction
Configuration Wizard:
 is an easy way to display complex configuration options, it does rely on
the user having a basic understanding of the software component
 is used to guide a user through sequence of steps
Network Devices:
 are units that mediate (use as a medium of ) data in a computer
network and are also called network equipment.
 Units that are the last receiver or generator of data are called hosts or
data terminal equipment.
 OSI Reference Model
 was introduced by the International Standardization for Organization (ISO).

 is a model for a computer protocol architecture and as a framework for

developing protocol standards.

 An ISO standard that covers all aspects of network communications is the Open
Systems Interconnection (OSI)

 The OSI Model (Open Systems Interconnection Model) is a conceptual

framework used to describe the functions of a networking system.

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 OSI Model…
The OSI model is a concept that describes the transmission of data from one
computer to another.
OSI reference model has seven layers.
Each layer in the model is a packet of protocols, or procedures that govern
data transmission, which allow the layer to execute functions necessary for
this transmission.
This can even occur between computers or networks of different
architectures or operating systems.
The OSI model characterizes computing functions into a universal set of rules
and requirements in order to support interoperability between different
products and software.
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 OSI Model…
Advantages of OSI model
Network communication is broken into smaller, more manageable
parts.
Allows different types of network hardware and software to
communicate with each other.
All layers are independent and changes does not affect other
layers.
Easier to understand network communication.

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 OSI Model…
Why layered communication?
To reduce complexity of communication task by splitting it into
several layered small tasks
assists in protocol design
changes in one layer do not affect other layers

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OSI model…

Figure OSI model

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 LAYER 1: PHYSICAL LAYER

The lowest layer of the OSI Model is concerned with electrically or optically
transmitting raw unstructured data bits across the network from the physical
layer of the sending device to the physical layer of the receiving device.

It can include specifications such as voltages, pin layout, cabling, and radio
frequencies.

At the physical layer, one might find “physical” resources such as network
hubs, cabling, repeaters, network adapters or modems.

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 Physical layer…
Define physical characteristics of network.
• E.g. wires, connector, voltages, data rates, Asynchronous, Synchronous
Transmission.

Handles bit stream or binary transmission.

Used to maintain, activate and deactivate physical link.

For receiver it reassembles bits and send to upper layer for frames.

For Sender it convert frames into bit stream and send on transmission medium.
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 LAYER 2: Data Link
Directly connected nodes are used to perform node-to-node data transfer where
data is packaged into frames.

 The data link layer also corrects errors that may have occurred at the physical layer.

The data link layer encompasses two sub-layers of its own.

 Media Access Control (MAC), provides flow control and multiplexing for device
transmissions over a network.
 provides control for accessing the transmission medium.
 logical link control (LLC), provides flow and error control over the physical
medium.
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 Data Link layer…
The data link layer provides reliable transit of data across a physical link by using the
Media Access Control (MAC) addresses.

Source & Destination (address of device that connects one Network to next) address.

Flow Control: Prevent overwhelming of Receiving Node.

Access Control: Which device to have control

Data Link WAN specifications are: Frame Relay, PPP, X.25.

Bridges and Switches operate at this layer

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 Sub layers of Layer 2 (Logical link layer (LLC))
Logical Link Control (LLC) is a sublayer that generally provides the logic for
the data link as it controls the synchronization, multiplexing, flow control,
and error control functions of data link layer.
Used for communication with upper layers
It allows multipoint communication over computer network.
Frame Sequence Numbers are assigned by LLC.

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 LAYER 3: NETWORK

The network layer is responsible for receiving frames from the data link layer, and
delivering them to their intended destinations based on the addresses contained
inside the frame.

 The network layer finds the destination by using logical addresses, such as IP
(internet protocol).

At this layer, routers are a crucial component used to route information where it
needs to go between networks.

Defines source to destination delivery of packets across networks.

Defines logical addressing and best path determination.

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 Network layer…
Treat each packet independently

Defines how routing works and how routes are learned

Converts frames to packets

Routed protocols ( encapsulate data into packets) and Routing protocols (create
routing tables) work on this layer

Examples of Routed protocols are:

• IP, IPX, AppleTalk and Routing protocols are OSPF, IGRP/EIGRP, RIP, BGP

Routers operate at Layer 3.

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 LAYER 4: TRANSPORT
The transport layer manages the delivery and error checking of data packets.
 It regulates the size, sequencing, and ultimately the transfer of data between
systems and hosts.
Segmentation, flow control and error control are the main services of this layer
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (user datagram protocol) the main
protocols in this layer.
It regulates information flow to ensure process-to- process connectivity between
host applications reliably and accurately
Adds service point address or Port address
Segmentation & Re-assembly:
• SEGMENTS data from sending node and reassembles data on receiving node
Flow control / Error control at Source to destination level
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 Transport layer…
• Flow control: A receiving node can receive the frames at a faster rate than
it can process the frame.
• Without flow control, the receiver's buffer can overflow, and frames can
get lost.
• To overcome this problem, the data link layer uses the flow control to
prevent the sending node on one side of the link from overwhelming
the receiving node on another side of the link.

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 Transport layer…
Connection oriented transport service ensures that data is delivered error
free, in sequence with no losses or duplications
Establishes, maintains and terminates virtual circuits
TCP (Reliable, provides guaranteed delivery) supports Connection oriented
transmission.
• is used when full data delivery is the must and when feedback is needed
• Example. www, FTP, email
UDP (Unreliable, less overhead) is a Connectionless transmission
• Does not provide feedback, thus it faster than TCP
• Example: video data

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 LAYER 5: SESSION
The session layer controls the conversations between different computers.
A session or connection between machines is set up and managed at layer 5.
Session layer services also include authentication , authorization and
reconnections.
The session layer defines how to start, control and end conversations (called
sessions) between applications,
Establishes dialog control between the two computers in a session, regulating
which side transmits, plus when and how long it transmits (Full duplex)

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 LAYER 6: PRESENTATION
The presentation layer formats or translates data for the application layer
based on the syntax or semantics that the application accepts.
 This layer can also handle the encryption and decryption required by the
application layer.
Presentation layer is concerned with the syntax and semantics of the
information exchanged between two systems.
This layer is primarily responsible for the translation, encryption and
compression of data.
Defines coding and conversion functions

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 Presentation layer…

This layer also manages security issues by providing services such as data
encryption and data compression
• Examples of these formats and schemes are: MPEG, QuickTime, ASCII,
EBCDIC, GIF, TIFF, JPEG

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 LAYER 7: APPLICATION
At this layer, both the end user and the application layer interact directly with
the software application.
 This layer sees network services provided to end-user applications such as a
web browser.
 Identifies communication partners, resource availability, and synchronizes
communication.
Responsible for providing services to the user
It is the closest layer to the user and provides user interface
• Examples of Application layer protocols are: HTTP, HTTPS , Telnet, SMTP,
FTP, SNMP

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 Layer 1 Vs Layer 2

Layer 1 cannot communicate with upper

Layer 2 does this using LLC
layers
Layer 1 cannot identify computer Layer 2 uses addressing process

Layer 1 can only describe stream of bits Layer 2 uses framing to organize bits

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 Data Encapsulation

Data Encapsulation is the process of adding a header to wrap/envelop the data

that flows down the OSI model.
The 5 Steps of Data Encapsulation are:
The Application, Presentation and Session layers create DATA from users’
input.
The Transport layer converts the DATA to SEGMENTS
The Network layer converts the Segments to Packets (datagram)
The Data Link layer converts the PACKETS to FRAMES
The Physical layer converts the FRAMES to BITS.

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 Some of application layer protocols and their functions
 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
Governs the transmission of mail messages and attachments
SMTP is used in the case of outgoing messages
More powerful protocols such as POP3 and IMAP4 are needed and available to
manage incoming messages
POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) is the older protocol
IMAP4 (Internet Mail Access Protocol version 4) is the more advanced protocol
Telnet:
It allows a user on a remote client machine, called the Telnet client, to
access the resources of another machine, the Telnet server, in order to
access a command-line interface.

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 Some of application layer…
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) actually lets us transfer files, and it can accomplish
this between any two machines using it.
FTP’s functions are limited to listing and manipulating directories, typing file
contents, and copying files between hosts.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) collects and manipulates
valuable network information.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
It is used to manage communications between web browsers and web servers
and opens the right resource when you click a link, wherever that resource may
actually reside.
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 Some of application layer…
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is also known as Secure Hypertext
Transfer Protocol. It uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
Domain Name Service (DNS)
Domain Name Service (DNS) resolves hostnames—specifically, Internet names,
such as www.wcu.edu.et
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) assigns IP addresses to hosts
dynamically.
It allows for easier administration and works well in small to very large network
environments.

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 Some of Transport layer protocols and their functions

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

TCP: takes large blocks of information from an application and breaks them into
segments.

It is Connection oriented means that a virtual connection is established before

any user data is transferred. (hand shake)

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

UDP does not sequence the segments and does not care about the order in which
the segments arrive at the destination.

UDP just sends the segments off and forgets about them.
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 Network device
Hub
Hubs connect computers together in a star topology network.
Due to their design, they increase the chances for collisions.
Hubs operate in the physical layer of the OSI model and have no intelligence.
Hubs flood incoming packets to all ports all the time.
For this reason, if a network is connected using hubs, the chances of a collision
increases linearly with the number of computers (assuming equal bandwidth
use).
Hubs cannot filter data so data packets are sent to all connected
devices/computers and do not have intelligence to find out best path for data
packets.
This leads to inefficiencies and wastage.
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Bridge
Bridge is a product that connects a local area network (LAN) to another
local area network that uses the same protocol.
Having a single incoming and outgoing port and filters traffic on the LAN by
looking at the MAC address, bridge is more complex than hub.
Bridge looks at the destination of the packet before forwarding unlike a
hub.
It restricts transmission on other LAN segment if destination is not found.
Bridge works at the data-link level of a network, copying a data frame from
one network to the next network along the communications path.

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Bridge…

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Bridge…

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 Repeater
A repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it to
the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances
without degradation.
Because repeaters work with the actual physical signal, and do not attempt to
interpret the data being transmitted, they operate on the physical layer, the
first layer of the OSI model.
Repeaters are employed in long distance transmission to reduce the effect of
attenuation.
It is important to note that repeaters do not amplify the original signal but
simply regenerate it.

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 Network Interface Cards (NIC)
Network interface cards (NICs) are printed circuit boards that are installed in
workstations.
They provide the physical connection between the network cable and the
workstation.
A NIC is a device that connects a client computer, server, printer or other
component to your network.
A network interface consists of a small electronic circuit board that is installed
in a slot inside a computer or printer.
NIC operates at the physical layer of the OSI model, it is also considered a data
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layer device. By Gutema B. 35
 Network Interface Cards (NIC) …
The network interface provides two important services:
• It connects your computer physically to your network, and
• It converts information on your computer to signals to send over network
and vice-versa.
The network interface connects to your network via a small receptacle called
a port.
For wired networks, you insert the network cable into this port.
Alternatively, for wireless networks, the port includes a transmitter/receiver
that sends/receives radio signals.
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Network Interface Cards (NIC)…

Fig RJ-45 NIC used in star topology Fig NIC used for bus topology
with coaxial cable

Fig PCMCIA NIC for laptops

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Network Interface Cards (NIC) …

• NIC card port

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 Network Interface Cards (NIC)…
Each network interface card has a unique hardware address called its
media access control (MAC) address.

MAC address is unique for every NIC and it is used to identify the
workstation within a network (e.g. 00-00-A2-9A-4E-10).

The MAC address helps route information within your local area network
and is used by interconnecting devices such as switches and bridges.

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Switch
Switches can support both layer 2
(based on MAC Address) and layer
3 (Based on IP address) depending
on the type of switch.

Usually large networks use

switches instead of hubs to connect
computers within the same subnet.

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 Switch…
It is an intelligent network device that can be conceived as a multiport network
bridge.
It uses MAC addresses to send data packets to selected destination ports.
It uses packet switching technique to receive and forward data packets from the
source to the destination device.
It supports unicast (one-to-one), multicast (one-to-many) and broadcast (one-to-all)
communications.
Transmission mode is full duplex
Switches are active devices, equipped with network software and network
management capabilities.
Switches can perform some error checking before forwarding data to the destined
port.
The number of ports is higher – 24 to 48.
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 How switches work ?
 Host A is trying to communicate with Host B and
Let's take a look at the sends a packet.
following example:  A packet arrives at the switch, which looks at the
destination MAC address.
 The switch then searches that address in its MAC
address table. If the MAC address is found, the
switch then forwards the packet only to the port
that connected to the frame's destination.
 If the MAC address is not found, the switch will
flood the frame out all other ports.
 To learn which MAC address is associated with
which port, switches examine the source MAC
addresses of the receiving packet and store that
MAC addresses in their MAC address table.
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 What is a MAC address table?
 A MAC address table lists which MAC addresses is connected to which port. It is used by
switches to make forwarding decisions.
The table is populated by examining the source MAC address of the incoming packet.
If the source MAC address of a packet is not present in the table, the switch adds an entry
to its MAC address table.
The picture below show how a MAC address table on a switch looks like:

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 Difference between a switch and a bridge ?
A switch is sometimes called a multiport bridge, but there are differences
between these two devices.
A bridge usually has fewer ports than switch.
A switch operates faster because it is hardware-based, which means that it
uses chips (Application Specific Integrated Circuits(ASICs)) when making
forwarding decisions. In contrast, a bridge is software based.
A switch can also have multiple spanning-tree instances while a bridge can
have only one.
Switches can also have multiple broadcast domains, one per VLAN

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 Collision & broadcast domain

Collision domain
A collision domain is, as the name implies, a part of a network where packet
collisions can occur.
A collision occurs when two devices send a packet at the same time on the
shared network segment.
The packets collide and both devices must send the packets again, which
reduces network efficiency.
Collisions are often in a hub environment, because each port on a hub is in the
same collision domain.
By contrast, each port on a bridge, a switch or a router is in a separate collision
domain. The following example illustrates collision domains.

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 Collision domain …
The following example illustrates collision domains.

As you can see, we have 6

collision domains.
 TIP : remember, each port on a
hub is in the same collision
domain.
Each port on a bridge, a switch or
router is in a separate collision
domain.

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 Broadcast domain

A broadcast domain is a domain in which a broadcast is forwarded.

 A broadcast domain contains all devices that can reach each other at the
data link layer (OSI layer 2) by using broadcast.

All ports on a hub or a switch are by default in the same broadcast domain.

All ports on a router are in the different broadcast domains and routers don't
forward broadcasts from one broadcast domain to another.

The following example clarifies the concept.

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 Broadcast domain…
The following example clarifies the concept.

In the picture here we have three

broadcast domains, since all ports
on a hub or a switch are in the
same broadcast domain, and all
ports on a router are in a different
broadcast domain.

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 Types of Switches

There are variety of switches that can be broadly categorized into 4 types:
1. Unmanaged Switch:
These are inexpensive switches commonly used in home networks and small
businesses.
They can be set up by simply plugging in to the network, after which they instantly start
operating.
When more devices needs to be added, more switches are simply added by this plug
and play method.
 They are referred to as unmanaged since they do not require to be configured or
monitored.
Unmanaged switches are generally made as plug-and-play devices and require little to
no special installation beyond an Ethernet cable.
The setup of this type of switch relies on auto-negotiation between Ethernet devices to
enable communication between them.
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 Types of Switches
2. Managed Switch:
These are costly switches that are used in organisations with large and
complex networks.
They have features of QoS (Quality of Service) like higher security levels,
better precision control and complete network management.
 Despite their cost, they are preferred in growing organizations due to their
scalability and flexibility.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is used for configuring
managed switches.
This type of switch gives you total control over the traffic accessing your
network while allowing you to custom-configure each Ethernet port so you
get maximum efficiency over data transfers on the network.
Managed switches are also typically the best network switches to support
the Gigabit standard of Ethernet rather than traditional Fast Ethernet.
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 Types of Switches
3. LAN Switch:
Local Area Network (LAN) switches connects devices in the internal LAN
of an organization.
They are also referred as Ethernet switches or data switches.
These switches are particularly helpful in reducing network congestion or
bottlenecks.
They allocate bandwidth in a manner so that there is no overlapping of
data packets in a network.
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 Types of Switches

4.PoE Switch:
Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches are used in PoE Gogabit Ethernets.
PoE technology combine data and power transmission over the same cable
so that devices connected to it can receive both electricity as well as data
over the same line.
PoE switches offer greater flexibility and simplifies the cabling connections.
A PoE switch distributes power over the network to different devices.

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 Routers
Routers are OSI network layer 3 devices.
Routers are network devices that literally route data around the network.
By examining data as it arrives, the router can determine the destination address
for the data.
Then, by using tables of defined routes, the router determines the best way for
the data to continue its journey.
Unlike bridges and switches, routers use the software-configured network
address (IP address ) to make decisions.
This approach makes routers more functional than bridges or switches, and it
also makes them more complex because they have to work harder to determine
the information.

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 Routers…
 For example, check the following scenario:
How routers work ?
 A router uses IP addresses to
figure out where to send Host A and host B are on different
packets. networks.
 If host A wants to communicate with
 If two hosts from different
host B, it will have to send a packet to the
networks want to
router.
communicate, they will need a The router receives the packet and
router between them to route checks the destination IP address.
packets. If the destination IP address is in the
routing table, the router will forward the
packet out the interface associated with
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that network.
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 Routers…
What is a routing table?
A routing table lists a route for every network that a router can reach.
 It can be statically configured (using IOS commands) or dynamically learned (using a routing
protocol).
 It is used by routers when deciding where to forward packets.
The picture below shows how a routing table looks like:
 The command to display an IP routing
table is show ip route.
 In the picture , you can see that this
router has two directly connected
subnets.
 “C“ means that the route is a directly
connected route .
 NOTE : in Windows, you can use the
netstat –r command to display the
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 Routers…
Each individual interface on a router belongs to its own collision domain.
Thus, like switches, routers create more collision domains, which results in fewer
collisions.
Unlike switches, routers also separate broadcast domains.

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 Routers…
The following are the two key functions of a router:
Routers must maintain routing tables and make sure other routers know of
changes in the network topology. They use routing protocols to
communicate network information with other routers.
When packets arrive at an interface, the router must use the routing table
to determine where to send them. The router switches the packets to the
appropriate interface, adds the frame information for the interface, and
then transmits the frame.
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 Routers…
A router is a network layer device that uses one or more routing metrics to determine the
optimal path along which network traffic should be forwarded.
Routing metrics are values that are used to determine the advantage of one route over
another.
Routing protocols use various combinations of metrics to determine the best path for data.
Some of the metrics are:
Hop count
Bandwidth of route
Delay
Reliability of route
Load of route
Cost of route

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 Media Converter
A media converter, in the context of network hardware, is a cost-effective and
flexible device intended to implement and optimize fibber links in every kind of
network.
Among media converters, the most often used type is a device that works as a
transceiver, which converts the electrical signal utilized in copper unshielded
twisted pair (UTP) network cabling to light waves used for fibber optic cabling.
 It is essential to have the fibber optic connectivity if the distance between two
network devices is greater than the copper cabling is transmission distance.
The copper-to-fibber conversion carried out by a media converter allows two
network devices having copper ports to be connected across long distances by
means of fibber optic cabling.

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Media Converter…

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