Chapter 15

Networks
 Chapter Goals
• Describe the core issues related to computer
networks
• List various types of networks and their
characteristics
• Explain various topologies of local-area networks
• Explain why network technologies are best
implemented as open systems
• Compare and contrast various technologies
for home Internet connections
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 Chapter Goals

• Explain packet switching

• Describe the basic roles of various network
protocols
• Explain the role of a firewall
• Compare and contrast network hostnames and
IP addresses
• Explain the domain name system
• Describe cloud computing and its benefits

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 Networking

Computer network
A collection of computing devices connected in
order to communicate and share resources
Connections between computing devices can be
physical using wires or cables or wireless using
radio waves or infrared signals

Can you name some of the devices in a computer

network?

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 Networking

Node (host)
Any device on a network
Data transfer rate (bandwidth)
The speed at which data is moved from one
place to another on a network

Why is bandwidth so key?

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 Networking

Computer networks have opened up an

entire frontier in the world of computing
called the client/server model

Figure 15.1 Client/Server interaction

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 Networking

Protocol
A set of rules that defines how data is formatted and
processed on a network; i.e., rules that allow client/server
interaction
File server
A computer that stores and manages files for multiple
users on a network
Web server
A computer dedicated to responding to requests (from the
browser client) for web pages

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 Types of Networks

Local-area network (LAN)

A network that connects a relatively small number of
machines in a relatively close geographical area
Topologies
Ring topology connects all nodes in a closed loop on
which messages travel in one direction
Star topology centers around one node to which all
others are connected and through which all messages are
sent
Bus topology nodes are connected to a single
communication line that carries messages in both
directions
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 Types of Networks

Ethernet
Figure 15.2 Various network topologies
The industry standard bus technology for
local-area networks
 Types of Networks

Wide-area network (WAN)

A network that connects local-area networks over a
potentially large geographic distance
Metropolitan-area network (MAN)
The communication infrastructures that have been
developed in and around large cities
Gateway
One particular set up to handle all communication
going between that LAN and other networks

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 Types of Networks

Figure 15.1 Local-area networks connected across a distance to create a wide-area network

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 Types of Networks

Internet
A wide area network that spans the planet

So, who owns the Internet?

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 Internet Connections
Internet backbone
A set of high-speed networks that carry Internet
traffic, provided by companies such as AT&T,
Verizon, GTE, British Telecom, and IBM
Internet service provider (ISP)
A company that provides other companies or
individuals with access to the Internet

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 Internet Connections
Various technologies available to connect a home
computer to the Internet
Phone modem converts computer data into an analog
audio signal for transfer over a telephone line, and then
a modem at the destination converts it back again into
data
Digital subscriber line (DSL) uses regular copper
phone lines to transfer digital data to and from the phone
company’s central office
Cable modem uses the same line that your cable TV
signals come in on to transfer the data back and forth
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 Internet Connections

Broadband
A connection in which transfer speeds are faster
than 768 kilobits per second
– DSL connections and cable modems are broadband
connections
– The speed for downloads (getting data from the
Internet to your home computer) may not be the same
as uploads (sending data from your home computer
to the Internet)

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 Packet Switching

Packet
A unit of data sent across a network
Router
A network device that directs a packet between networks
toward its final destination
Packet switching
Messages are divided into fixed-sized, numbered packets;
packets are individually routed to their destination, then
reassembled
 Packet Switching

Figure 15.4

Messages
sent by
packet
switching

Take a message, break it into three packets, and

simulate this process

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Hub
Network devices and computer systems connect to a hub using
Ethernet cables that attach to a port. Eight devices can be connected
with a 8 port hub. Hub sends data to all device in the network and data
reaches to correct device while other devices ignore it and pass on. It
generates traffic and slows down the network.

Switch
It also connects multiple devices over network but directly sends data
to correct node without taking much time, so makes faster and efficient
network.

Router
Its more sophisticated than Hub or Switch. It can connect several
networks at a time and works as intermediary among them. Ex. Home
network to internet.

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 Open Systems

A logical progression...

Proprietary system
A system that uses technologies kept private by a
particular commercial vendor
Interoperability
The ability of software and hardware on multiple
machines and from multiple commercial vendors to
communicate
Open systems
Systems based on a common model of network
architecture and a suite of protocols used in its
implementation
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 Network Protocols

• Network protocols are layered such that

each one relies on the protocols that
underlie it
• Sometimes referred to as a protocol
stack

Figure 15.6 Layering of key network protocols

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 TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

Software that deals with the routing of packets
through the maze of interconnected networks to
their final destination
Internet Protocol (IP)
Software that breaks messages into packets,
hands them off to the IP software for delivery, and
then orders and reassembles the packets at their
destination

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 TCP/IP

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

An alternative to TCP that is faster but less reliable
Ping
A program used to test whether a particular
network computer is active and reachable
Traceroute
A program that shows the route a packet takes
across the Internet

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 Types of Networks

• LAN • Intranet

• WAN • Extranet
• WLAN • VPN
• SAN
• P2P
• PAN

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SAN (Storage Area Network)
SAN is a network that is created so that large
storage devices can be accessible from servers in a
convenient and easy way.

WAN
It connects computer systems in a large
geographical area. Internet is best example of
WAN. A WAN typically consists of several LANs
connected together over a broad geographical area.

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VLAN
Virtual LAN can be used to partition existing LAN, Where each department is connected,
into logical separate networks. Each separate network can not see computer system or
shared resources of other logical separate networks, without specific permissions.

Its safer , flexible and gives better performance.

WLAN
It links two or more computers to a small geographic area similar to LAN. Devices are
connected using wireless connecting methods (works on radio waves). Its more flexible
but unsafe and slower than LAN.

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Intranet
It’s a collection of private computer networks with an organisation that utilizes
standard network protocols like TCP/IP. It’s a private network designed to facilitate
communication between individuals or work groups and to improve data sharing.
Intranet resources and services are not available to the world outside the company.

Internet of Things (IOT)

It is a network of individual “things” that are able to connect to the network,
communicate and exchange data. All “things” carry necessary hardware and software
and are assigned IP addresses. Each “thing” is a physical object such as a patient with
an implant, a car with an emergency system, a wild animal with a tracking system etc.
Each physical object has an embedded system that uniquely identifies it.

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Extranet
An extranet is a network that utilizes the internet to allow controlled access by specific
users to a specific LAN or WAN. For ex : a specific business may wish to securely share
part of its network (and information) with suppliers, partners, customers or other business
without making its whole network available to them or the public. This part of network
extended to outside users is termed as extranet. It is considered as intranets that are
partially accessible to authorised outsiders.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A VPN is a computer network that connects two or more computer systems, similar to a
LAN or a WLAN, but allows clients from remote locations to connect to the network and
appear to be inside the LAN as if they were physically present. So it allows the creation
of a LAN that is managed through a server software application , to which clients can also
connect from a remote location, even through a different network.

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PAN (Personal Area Network)
PAN interconnects devices that are centred around an individual person’s workspace. It
is a LAN supporting only one person in a short range , maximum of 10 meters. Ex –
Laptop, smartphone and a tablet all interconnected and sharing data as emails,
photographs, other files etc through wire / USB. A PAN using a wireless group of devices,
interconnected using Bluetooth technology is known as piconet.

P2P(Peer to Peer)
It is not based on client/server model. P2P uses a distributed network architecture
where all the computer systems (nodes or peers) in the network are decentralized and
act as both client and server at the same time, consuming and supplying resources
from and to other computers systems connected to the network.

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Technology required for VPN
A VPN makes a “tunnelled” network connecting through the internet or any other public
network. It is ideal to establish a secure connection between private networks with
remote users and remote sites.

It can be used to access data, files, databases and resources from remote locations too.

Hardware and software requirements:

1.Internet access
2.VPN software for server and client
3.VPN routers and other appliances
4.VPN Concentrators (A single device to handle large number of VPN tunnels)
5.VPN Servers

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 Firewalls

Firewall
A gateway machine and its software that protects
a network by filtering the traffic it allows
Access control policy
A set of rules established by an organization that
specifies what types of network communication
are permitted and denied
Have your messages ever been
returned undelivered, blocked by a firewall?
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 Network Addresses

Hostname
A name made up of words separated by dots that
uniquely identifies a computer on the Internet
IP address
An address made up of four one-byte numeric
values separated by dots that uniquely identifies a
computer on the Internet

Is there a correspondence between the parts of a

hostname and an IP address?
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 Firewalls

Figure 15.8 A firewall protecting a

LAN
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 High-Level Protocols

Other protocols build on TCP/IP protocol suite

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) used to specify
transfer of electronic mail
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows a user to transfer
files to and from another computer
Telnet used to log onto one computer from another
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (http) allows exchange
of Web documents
Which of these have you used?

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 Domain Name System
Host number
The part of the IP address that specifies a
particular host (machine) on the network
Domain name
The part of a hostname that specifies a specific
organization or group
Top-level domain (TLD)
The last section of a domain name that specifies
the type of organization or its country of origin

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 Domain Name System

Figure 15.10 Top-level domains, including some relatively new

ones
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 Domain Name System
Organizations based in countries other than the United
States use a top-level domain that corresponds to their
two-letter country codes

Have you
emailed
someone
in another
country?

Figure 15.11
Some of the top-level domain names based on country codes

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 Cloud Computing

• Public clouds are accessible by any subscriber

• Private clouds are established for a specific group or
organization
• Community clouds are shared among two or more
organizations with the same needs
• Hybrid clouds are some combination of the others

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 Ethical Issues

Effects of Social Networking

What are some examples of popular social
networking sites?
What are the benefits and the disadvantages of
using these social networking sites?
Do the benefits of social networking out weigh
the potential costs?

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 Open Systems

Open Systems
Interconnection Reference
Model
A seven-layer logical break
down of network interaction to
facilitate communication
standards
Each layer deals with a
particular aspect of network
communication
Figure 15.5 The layers of the OSI Reference Model

7 Layers : PDNTSPA

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 OSI Model
SN Layer Description of protocol
7 Application Performs various services for the applications used by the end user. Ex :
HTTP

6 Presentation Provides data format information, data compression information, and data
encryption information for the application. Portable Network Graphics(PNG)

5 Session Manages session between two users. Ex : Windows system protocol

4 Transport End to end connections(hosts), Defining data segments assignment of

numbers data transfer  reassembling of data at destination Ex- TCP

3 Network Handles routing of packets across a network through intermediary devices.

Ex – Protocol IP

2 Data Link Error handling of physical transmission, amends transmission rate according
to the buffer receiver (flow control), Ex : Ethernet

1 Physical Transmits 0s and 1s over media between devices, Ex : Protocol for RS232-C
(serial port)

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 OSI Model
1. Easy to maintain
2. Greater understanding of each layer
3. Common language for each layer
4. Makes protocol design easier
5. Products of different manufacturers can work together
6. Technology advances are independent of different
layers

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 TCP/IP Model

SN Layer Description
1 Application Performs various services to the software
applications used by the end user. Ex. HTTP

2 Internet Manages End to End connections. End to end

connections(hosts), Defining data segments
assignment of numbers data transfer 
reassembling of data at destination Ex- TCP

3 Transport Handles routing of packets across a network

through intermediary devices. Ex – Protocol IP

4 Network Access Media and devices

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 OSI v/s TCP/IP
OSI : Open Systems Interconnection

TCP/IP : Transfer Control Protocol / Internet Protocol

Similarities Differences

Both include a number of OSI has more layers (7) than

layers TCP/IP (4)

They are used to describe OSI is a reference model while

network functionality TCP/IP is a protocol model

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