Computer networks

Computer Networking
• Computer Networking is the practice of connecting computers
together to enable communication and data exchange between them.
In general, Computer Network is a collection of two or more
computers. It helps users to communicate more easily.
How Does a Computer Network Work?

• Basics building blocks of a Computer network are Nodes and Links. A

Network Node can be illustrated as Equipment for Data
Communication like a Modem, Router, etc., or Equipment of a Data
Terminal like connecting two computers or more. Link in Computer
Networks can be defined as wires or cables or free space of wireless
networks.
• The working of Computer Networks can be simply defined as rules or
protocols which help in sending and receiving data via the links which
allow Computer networks to communicate. Each device has an IP
Address, that helps in identifying a device.
Basic Terminologies of Computer
Networks
• Network: A network is a collection of computers and devices that are
connected together to enable communication and data exchange.
• Nodes: Nodes are devices that are connected to a network. These can
include computers, Servers, Printers, Routers, Switches, and other
devices.
• Protocol: A protocol is a set of rules and standards that govern how data
is transmitted over a network. Examples of protocols include TCP/IP,
HTTP, and FTP.
• Topology: Network topology refers to the physical and logical
arrangement of nodes on a network. The common network topologies
include bus, star, ring, mesh, and tree.
• Service Provider Networks: These types of Networks give permission to take
Network Capacity and Functionality on lease from the Provider. Service Provider
Networks include Wireless Communications, Data Carriers, etc.
• IP Address: An IP address is a unique numerical identifier that is assigned to
every device on a network. IP addresses are used to identify devices and enable
communication between them.
• DNS: The Domain Name System (DNS) is a protocol that is used to translate
human-readable domain names (such as www.google.com) into IP addresses that
computers can understand.
• Firewall: A firewall is a security device that is used to monitor and control
incoming and outgoing network traffic. Firewalls are used to protect networks
from unauthorized access and other security threats.
Types of Enterprise Computer Networks

• LAN: A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network that covers a small area,
such as an office or a home. LANs are typically used to connect
computers and other devices within a building or a campus.
• WAN: A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a network that covers a large
geographic area, such as a city, country, or even the entire world. WANs
are used to connect LANs together and are typically used for long-
distance communication.
• Cloud Networks: Cloud Networks can be visualized with a Wide Area
Network (WAN) as they can be hosted on public or private cloud service
providers and cloud networks are available if there is a demand. Cloud
Networks consist of Virtual Routers, Firewalls, etc.
• These are just a few basic concepts of computer networking.
Networking is a vast and complex field, and there are many more
concepts and technologies involved in building and maintaining
networks. Now we are going to discuss some more concepts on
Computer Networking.
• Open system: A system that is connected to the network and is ready
for communication.
• Closed system: A system that is not connected to the network and
can’t be communicated with.
Types of Computer Network Architecture

• Computer Network falls under these broad Categories:

• Client-Server Architecture: Client-Server Architecture is a type of
Computer Network Architecture in which Nodes can be Servers or
Clients. Here, the server node can manage the Client Node Behaviour.
• Peer-to-Peer Architecture: In P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Architecture, there is
not any concept of a Central Server. Each device is free for working as
either client or server.
Network Devices

• An interconnection of multiple devices, also known as hosts, that are

connected using multiple paths for the purpose of sending/receiving
data or media. Computer networks can also include multiple
devices/mediums which help in the communication between two
different devices; these are known as Network devices and include
things such as routers, switches, hubs, and bridges.
Network Topology

• The Network Topology is the layout arrangement of the different

devices in a network. Common examples include Bus, Star, Mesh,
Ring, and Daisy chain.
OSI Model

• OSI stands for Open Systems Interconnection. It is a reference model that specifies
standards for communications protocols and also the functionalities of each layer. The
OSI has been developed by the International Organization For Standardization and it is 7
layer architecture. Each layer of OSI has different functions and each layer has to follow
different protocols. The 7 layers are as follows:
• Physical Layer
• Data link Layer
• Network Layer
• Transport Layer
• Session Layer
• Presentation Layer
• Application Layer
Protocol

• Protocol
• A protocol is a set of rules or algorithms which define the way how
two entities can communicate across the network and there exists a
different protocol defined at each layer of the OSI model. A few such
protocols are TCP, IP, UDP, ARP, DHCP, FTP, and so on.
Unique Identifiers of Network

• Hostname: Each device in the network is associated with a unique

device name known as Hostname. Type “hostname” in the command
prompt(Administrator Mode) and press ‘Enter’, this displays the
hostname of your machine.
IP Address
• IP Address (Internet Protocol address): Also known as the Logical
Address, the IP Address is the network address of the system across
the network. To identify each device in the world-wide-web, the
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) assigns an IPV4 (Version
4) address as a unique identifier to each device on the Internet. The
length of an IPv4 address is 32 bits, hence, we have 232 IP addresses
available. The length of an IPv6 address is 128 bits.
Type “ipconfig” in the command prompt and press ‘Enter’, this gives
us the IP address of the device.
MAC Address
• MAC Address (Media Access Control address): Also known as
physical address, the MAC Address is the unique identifier of each
host and is associated with its NIC (Network Interface Card). A MAC
address is assigned to the NIC at the time of manufacturing. The
length of the MAC address is: 12-nibble/ 6 bytes/ 48 bits Type
“ipconfig/all” in the command prompt and press ‘Enter’, this gives us
the MAC address.
Port:
• Port: A port can be referred to as a logical channel through which
data can be sent/received to an application. Any host may have
multiple applications running, and each of these applications is
identified using the port number on which they are running.
• A port number is a 16-bit integer, hence, we have 216 ports available
which are categorized as shown below:

Port Types Range

Well known Ports 0 – 1023

Registered Ports 1024 – 49151

Ephemeral Ports 49152 – 65535

• Number of ports: 65,536
Range: 0 – 65535
Type “netstat -a” in the command prompt and press ‘Enter’, this lists
all the ports being used.
• Socket: The unique combination of IP address and Port number
together is termed a Socket.
• Other Related Concepts
• DNS Server: DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS is basically a
server that translates web addresses or URLs (ex: www.google.com)
into their corresponding IP addresses. We don’t have to remember all
the IP addresses of each and every website. The command ‘nslookup’
gives you the IP address of the domain you are looking for. This also
provides information on our DNS Server. \
• ARP: ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol. It is used to convert
an IP address to its corresponding physical address(i.e., MAC
Address). ARP is used by the Data Link Layer to identify the MAC
address of the Receiver’s machine.
• RARP: RARP stands for Reverse Address Resolution Protocol. As the
name suggests, it provides the IP address of the device given a
physical address as input. But RARP has become obsolete since the
time DHCP has come into the picture.