Computer Networks

A soft launch
What is a network?
What is a Computer Network?

In its simplest form, a

computer network is two
computers which are
connected and are sharing
data / resources with each
other.
If you break it down, there are two aspects to this connection:
● The physical part: The hardware, e.g the wires and cables
connecting them / wireless devices
● The logical part: The data being transported through the
physical hardware
Types of Networks
Types of Networks (by size/ geography)

● Personal Area Network: personal use e.g phone to laptop

● Local Area Network: single room or building e.g small office network
● Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN): a LAN that’s fully wireless e.g
home
● Campus Area Network; Schools or campuses, many buildings
● Metropolitan Area Network
● Wide Area Network: large geographical area e.g the internet
 Networks by Geography
o Personal Area Network (PAN)
▪ Smallest type of wired or wireless network. Covers the least amount of area (few
meters)
▪ Examples:
● Bluetooth cellphone to car and USB hard drive to laptop

o Local Area Network (LAN)

▪ Connects components in a limited distance
▪ In a LAN, all nodes and segments are directly connected with cables or short-range
wireless technologies.
▪ Most of the network infrastructure in a LAN would be directly owned and managed by a
single organization.
▪ Consists of both Wired and Wireless networks (WLAN) e.g using WiFi
▪ Examples:
● Home/residential network and Small Office Home Office (SOHO) network
 o Campus Area Network (CAN)
▪ Connects building-centric LANs across a university, industrial park, or business
park
▪ Covers many square miles and buildings
▪ Examples:
● College campus
● Business Parks
● Military bases
o Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
▪ Connects scattered locations across a city
▪ Larger than a CAN, but smaller than a WAN
▪ Covers up to a 25-mile radius in larger cities
▪ Examples:
● City departments like the police department
● Community college with campuses spread across a county
 o Wide Area Network (WAN)
▪ Connects geographically disparate internal networks
▪ Covers distances around the country or around the world
▪ Examples:
● The Internet (largest WAN)
● Connecting two private corporate networks from New York to Seattle
Summary of Network Geography
Creating Networks
 What do we need to create a
network?
Computers
Network devices (to facilitate
communication)
Connection medium
The computers : Clients
vs Servers
Client

A client is a computer that requests for and receives data /

services from another computer (server)

Could be your phone, laptop, desktop or even another

server
Server

A server is a computer that provides data or services to

another computer. Servers usually host (store) a lot of data
or information, and share it with other computers.
There are different types of servers including:
Web servers, Email servers, File servers, DNS Servers
 Client - Server Model

A communication model where clients communicate directly with a

centralised server.
▪ Administration and backup are easier since resources are located on a few
key servers
o Benefits of Client/Server
▪ Centralized administration
▪ Easier management
▪ Better scalability
o Drawbacks of Client/Server
▪ Higher cost
▪ Requires dedicated resources
▪ Requires network operating system
Peer-to-Peer Model

▪ Peers (PCs) share resources (files/printers) with each other directly (no central servers)
▪ Administration and backup are more difficult since resources are located on a many
PCs which adds to the administrative burden
o Benefits of Peer-to-Peer
▪ Lower cost
▪ No dedicated resources required
▪ No specialized operating system required
o Drawbacks of Peer-to-Peer
▪ Decentralized management
▪ Inefficient for large networks
▪ Poor scalability
Addresses In order for computers to
communicate with each
other, they need to be able to
locate/ identify each other on
a network.

There are two main addresses

MAC address vs IP Address used to identify a computer:
● MAC address
● IP Address
MAC Address: Media Access Control Address

It is a unique identifier given to every network device (NIC)

It’s like a P.O Box for your computer

It consists of 6 bytes. The first three bytes (24 bits) denote the
manufacturer. The rest are unique to that computer.

To check, run ifconfig -a

IP Address

It is the logical address.

Every computer connected to the internet has a unique address.

Where are you in the network?

Network Devices
Network Devices : Hub

● A Hub is used to connect

multiple devices in a
network.
● Mostly found in home
networks.
● Not as smart as switches or
routers. (older tech)
● Unnecessary traffic, wastes
bandwidth
Network Devices : Switch

● Also known as an intelligent hub.

● They are wired devices that know the
addresses of the devices connected to
them and route traffic to that port
/device rather than retransmitting to
all devices.
● They are smarter than hubs but not as
smart as routers.
● Can also create VLANs
Network Devices : Router
● Hubs and switches only work within a LAN,
can’t communicate with outside networks.
● Routers can, they can read IP addresses.
● Routers connect two networks
● They forward / route data from one network
to another based on the IP address.
● Control the flow of data between networks
● Determine the most efficient route for data
to flow across a network
Network Devices : Modem
● Used to connect you to your Internet
Service Provider usually through a
coaxial cable, brings internet into your
home/ office
● Transforms analog signals into digital
signals that can be read by your
computer.
Wireless Access Point
● A network device that enables wireless
based devices to connect to a wired
network.
● (like a switch but for wireless devices)
● Mostly found in large organisations.
Network Devices : Firewall
● Used to filter traffic based on a
defined set of rules (filters /
access control lists
● Can be software or hardware
● Usually put between a private
network and the rest of the
internet.
● Can also be put between
departments in an organization.
Network Devices : Servers and Endpoints
● A server is a computer that shares data / resources with
other computers
● Servers are usually protected differently than other
computers.
● An client is a computer that requests for and receives data
from a server .
● Endpoints are the ends of a communication link in a
network. Could be a server or a client.
Connection Medium:
Wired vs Wireless
Wired Connections

Use cables /wires to create networks/ to

connect the computers so that they
communicate

Use the Ethernet standard

Examples of cables include: Coaxial cables,

Fibre optic cables, twisted pair cables.
Ethernet

Also called IEEE 802.3

A standard that defines wired connections of networked devices.

This standard defines the way data is formatted over the wire, to
ensure disparate devices can communicate over the same
cables.
WiFi

Many people referred to as Wireless Internet as WiFi

Also called IEEE 802.11

A standard that defines communication for wireless LANs.

Some security protocols to protect wireless connections include

WPA1 and 2
Extra Practice: Cisco Packet Tracer

https://www.netacad.com/courses/packet-tracer

You’ll need to first create a skillsforall account, then join this course:
https://skillsforall.com/course/getting-started-cisco-packet-tracer?courseLang=en-US
Download packettracer, follow the instructions given.
Then to practice networking, try this course:
https://skillsforall.com/course/exploring-networking-cisco-packet-tracer?courseLang=
en-US
Thanks