Chapter 4: Networks

Subject :ICT
Grade : 8

By: Nilofer Malek

4.1 Networks
 A network connects computers and other digital devices together
and allows them to share data and resources. Networks allow the
use of the following:
 Computer-to-computer communication.
 Computers communicating with devices such as printers, mice
and keyboards.
 Mobile phone networks. Smart televisions.
 Tablets and media players downloading videos and music and
playing them through external devices such as speakers and
digital projectors.

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Network types

◎ Types of networks include local area networks (LAN), including

wireless local area networks (WLAN), and wide area network
(WAN).

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Local area network

◎ A local area network (LAN) enables a group of computers that

are in close proximity to each other to be networked.
◎ Typically, a LAN would be used in a school, in an office or at
home.
◎ A LAN is useful because it allows resources such as files, printers,
games and other software applications to be shared by the
computers on the network.

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◎ There are two ways of connecting the devices so that they can
communicate with each other.

◎ These are: By cables that have to be routed throughout the

buildings.

◎ Using radio waves so that no cables are required. This method is

called a wireless local area network or WLAN.

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◎ An advantage of a WLAN over a cable LAN is that it allows the
users to move around the area with their devices and remain
connected.

◎ With a cable LAN they would have to log off, remove the cable,
plug the cable in somewhere else and log in again.

◎ A WLAN also lets one or more people connect their mobile

devices such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, media players,
speakers and printers. This are often called a personal area
network (PAN).

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 Wide area network
◎ A wide area network (WAN) is a network that connects separate
LANs over a large geographical area.

◎ Typically, a WAN will connect cities, a country or many countries.

Imagine an organisation that has offices in more than one town;
they would probably each have a LAN set up in each building and
then connect them all together into a WAN.

◎ A WAN ensures that computers in one location can communicate

with computers and users in other locations. The internet is a
huge wide area network.

◎ The separate networks are connected by cables running

throughout the world under the ground and under the sea and by
satellite communications.
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The uses of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

◎ When computers and other digital devices are connecting to a

network and communicating with each other they have to follow
sets of rules so that they can understand each other.

◎ These sets of rules are called protocols.

◎ Protocols are also used for other activities such as accessing

printers.

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Wi-Fi

◎ Wi-Fi is a digital communications protocol that sets out how data

is transmitted on wireless LANs.

◎ Wi-Fi is a trademarked term that is owned by Wi-Fi Alliance. Each

device must connect to a wireless access point to access the
network.

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Bluetooth

◎ Bluetooth is a wireless protocol allowing communication over

short distances, usually up to 30 feet.
◎ It is used to link personal devices – for example, laptops, tablets,
smartphones, speakers or smart televisions – so that data can be
shared between them.
◎ Using Bluetooth, music can be streamed to remote speakers. It
allows direct communication between the devices while Wi-Fi
does not.

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Tethering

◎ If you have a smartphone, you can use it to connect your tablet

to the internet. This process is called tethering; it is the linking of
one device to another to connect to the internet.

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Common network devices
◎ Network interface card (NIC)
◎ Hubs
◎ Switches
◎ Bridge
◎ Routers

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Network interface card (NIC)
◎ A network interface card (NIC) or network adapter is a
component that connects a computer to a network.

◎ It formats the data sent from the computer into a required

format according to the protocols of the network to allow data
packets to travel to and from the computer to the network.

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◎ Originally, the adapters for desktop PCs were on ‘cards’ that
were installed in the computer but are now built into the
motherboard; however the name ‘card’ remains.

◎ Network interface cards and adapters support both wired and

wireless network connections. Every NIC is created with a
hardware number permanently ‘burned’ into it.

◎ This permanent hardware number is known as the MAC (media

access control) address. Every MAC address is unique so that all
data on a network can be sent to the correct component, just like
letters delivered to the correct house or text messages and voice
calls to the correct phone number.

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 Hubs
◎ Where a network has a central point to which all the signals from
individual computers are sent, a particular kind of network
device, either a hub or a switch, is needed.
◎ Hubs work in the following way:

◎ All of the computers on the network plug into a port on the hub
using a cable.

◎ When a message is received through the cable from one of the

computers, the hub transmits it to all of the other computers.
◎ Hubs are ‘dumb’ and cannot learn the addresses of the different
devices on a network and when a message is received through
the cable from one of the computers, the hub transmits it to all
of the other computers and not just the one it is intended for.
This creates a lot of needless network traffic.
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Switches

◎ A network switch handles messages more intelligently than a

hub by inspecting the MAC address of the device to which they
should be sent.
◎ The switch knows the addresses of the different devices on the
network and only sends the message to the correct device.

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Switches work in the following way:
◎ Network switches have a similar function to hubs in a single
network, but they read the messages passing through.
◎ They can read the destination addresses and send them to only
the intended computers.
◎ They can do this because they build up a table of all of the MAC
addresses on the network.
◎ They therefore cut down on unnecessary network traffic, thereby
increasing the performance of the network.
◎ Switches can send and receive information at the same time, so
they are faster than hubs.

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Bridge

◎ Often large LANs are split into smaller parts called segments to
improve network performance.
◎ A bridge is used to connect the different segments and they can
prevent transmissions from one segment reaching the others.
◎ They improve network security by isolating segments from
others and thus prevent the spread of harmful programs or users
accessing information that they shouldn’t.

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 Routers
◎ While switches allow different devices on a network to
communicate, routers allow different networks to communicate.
◎ WANs, such as the internet, which is a network of networks, rely
on routers to direct data to the correct network.
◎ For example, a request could be sent from a computer on a
network in Indonesia to a computer on a network in Brazil.
◎ This request would be directed from one router to another until it
reached the correct network.
◎ Routers are used in the home to connect the home network to
the internet.
◎ They allow many computers to share an internet connection.

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◎ The router will transmit the incoming web pages, streamed
audio, etc.
◎ To the correct computer on the network. When devices transmit
data across the internet, the data is broken down into small
pieces called data packets.
◎ These are sent separately, and then joined up at the end so that
the message is complete.
◎ Rules are needed so that all of the computers on the network
work together.
◎ Otherwise, how would the receiving computer know when the
message is complete or if there has been a transmission error?

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A packet consists of three parts:

◎ Header: this contains the addresses of the source and

destination, and also the position of the packet in the complete
message/file.

◎ Body: (also known as the payload) this contains part of the

complete message/file.

◎ Footer: (also known as the trailer) this informs the receiving

device that it has reached the end of the packet. The footer can
also be used for error checking to make sure that the packet has
been delivered intact.

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How routing works:
◎ The source computer splits the file into packets and addresses
them with the recipient’s IP address.
◎ The file is split because the transmission of a large file would
consume all the bandwidth and slow the network.
◎ These packets are then sent onto the network using cables or
radio waves as in a wireless network.
◎ Routers on the network inspect each packet to find the
destination address and decide the most efficient path for the
packet to take on the next stage of its journey.

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◎ In order to do this, each router has a configuration table
containing information about which connections lead to
particular groups of addresses.
◎ The routers can balance the load across the network on a
millisecond-by-millisecond basis.
◎ If there is a problem with one part of the network while a
message is being transferred, packets can be routed around the
problem, ensuring the delivery of the entire message.
◎ The final router can direct the packet to the correct recipient.
◎ Thousands of miles in less than a second and all put back
together again!

◎ This method of data communication is called packet switching.

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Common network environments

◎ Internet,
◎ Intranet
◎ Extranet

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◎ The internet is a global network of interconnected computer
networks.
◎ The internet is used to connect people, communities and countries
worldwide.
◎ Businesses can use the internet for information retrieval,
communications, marketing and sales to distant customers, and
banking.
◎ The internet allows all users access to web pages. The internet
uses a set of rules or protocols called TCP/ IP.
◎ This stands for transmission control protocol/internet protocol.
◎ That is why all computers need a unique IP address so that data
can be directed to the correct one

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◎ An intranet is a private computer network within an organisation,
such as a school or a business which uses internet technology.

◎ Even though an intranet uses internet technologies, it is separate

from the global internet and cannot be accessed by outside
users.

◎ An intranet contains web pages about the organisation.

◎ For example, it can publish newsletters, health and safety

policies, information about courses and training and forms for
requesting payment and holidays.

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◎ An extranet is an intranet that allows users from other
organisations to use it for specific purposes.

◎ Examples include hospital intranets that allow access to

community doctors to book appointments for patients or a
manufacturing company that allows access to distributors for
ordering and pricing information.

◎ The organisation can also share news with the other users and
keep them updated on future developments.

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 Cloud computing
◎ Cloud computing is the delivery of computer services over the
internet.
◎ These services, such as software and storage space, are housed
in remote computers called servers.
◎ They are called servers because they serve these services to the
users.
◎ If you are using cloud computing, then you do not actually know
where the servers are located.
◎ They could be anywhere in the world. But they are definitely not
up in the air in the clouds!
◎ Cloud computing allows users to access and use applications,
such as word processors and spreadsheets, stored on remote
servers.

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 Advantages of cloud computing
(storage)
◎ Lower maintenance costs: software does not need to be installed,
maintained or upgraded on the local computers or servers.
◎ Software does not have to be ‘bought’ and businesses only have to
pay for those parts that they need to use (this is known as
‘software as a service’).
◎ All software is automatically upgraded.
◎ As long as they have internet access, employees can work from
anywhere in the world and even from home, reducing the need for
office space.
◎ All data is automatically backed up at the remote site.
◎ Employees can collaborate on the same documents because they
are not stored on one particular computer.

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Disadvantages of cloud computing
(storage)

◎ Internet access is required.

◎ The organisation has less control and is reliant on the providers to

maintain access and update the software but some organisations
are building their own ‘private’ clouds.

◎ The providers’ servers may be targeted by hackers.

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Thanks!

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