Computer networks notes

What is a Network?
- A network is two or more computers, or other electronic devices, connected
together so that they can exchange data.
- Network connections between computers are typically created using cables (wires) or
can be created using radio signals (wireless / wi-fi), telephone lines (and modems) or
even, for very long distances, via satellite links.
- A computer that is not connected to a network is known as a standalone computer.

- COMMON TERMS IN NETWORKS

o node or host refers to any device on a network

o Data transfer rate the speed with which data is moved from one place on a
network to another. It is a key issue in computer networks

Advantages of Networks?
- Using a computer connected to a network allows us to…

 Easily share files and data

o Share resources such as printers and Internet connections
o Communicate with other network users (e-mail, instant messaging, video-
conferencing, etc.)
o Store data centrally (using a file server) for ease of access and back-up
o Keep all of our settings centrally so we can use any workstation

 Make use of on-line services such as shopping (e-commerce) or banking

 Get access to a huge range of information for research
 Access different forms of entertainment (games, video, etc.)
 Join on-line communities (e.g. MySpace, Facebook, etc.)

Disadvantages of Networks?
- Using a computer connected to a network means that…

 The computer is vulnerable to hackers

 If the network breaks, many tasks become very difficult
 Your computer can more easily be attacked by a virus

- In particular, if we use a computer connected to The Internet…

 We have to be careful about revealing personal information

 We have to be careful to avoid suspect websites that might contain malware
 We have to be aware that information found on The Internet is not always accurate
or reliable

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 Computer networks notes

H/W
1. Wi-fi stands for __________(1)
2. List any 4 types of networks (4)
3. Write down 5 disadvantages of using
computer networks (5)
4. Describe a client-server network (2)
Computers in a Network
- Computers connected together to create a network fall into two categories: servers
and clients (workstations).

Clients
- Client computers, or workstations, are the normal computers that people sit at to get
their work done.

Servers
- Servers are special, powerful computers that provide ‘services’ to the client
computers on the network.

These services might include:

 Providing a central, common file storage area

 Sharing hardware such as printers
 Controlling who can or can’t have access the network
 Sharing Internet connections

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Network devices

1. A router
- It is responsible for routing data packets between different networks.
- A router (including a wireless router) is a specialized networking device connected to two
or more networks running software that allows the router to move data from one network
to another. It may be wireless or wired
- The primary function of a router is to connect networks together and keep certain kinds of
broadcast traffic under control. It connects for example LAN to the WAN (the internet)
-
Data packets

- These are small chunks of data that make up a large piece of data that has been broken
down so that it can be transmitted over the internet
- Data can include anything from text images , audio, video, animations, etc or any
combinations of these ;
- Data packets consists of:
i. Header – which contains source IP address, destination IP address and packet
numbers
ii. Payload - actual data being transported
iii. Trailer – additional security information and End of packet notification.

What is an IP address

- Is an internet Protocol address, a unique identifier given to devices which

communicate over the internet
- They are dynamic which means they can change if the the device change the location
- There are two versions of IPs which are
i. IPv4- internet protocol version 4 is represented as 4 blocks of denary numbers
between 0 to 255 and are separated with full stops
 Each block is one byte which is 8bits thus each address is 32 bits
 It provides 4 billion unique address (2 32) which is not enough for an
estimate of 7 billion and countless devices per person thus IP v6 came
as a solutions
ii. IP v 6- is represented by 8 blocks of 4 hexadecimal digit separated by colons
 Each block is 2 bytes(16 bits )and each address is 16 bytes(128 bits )
 Can provide one billion address for every person on the planet (2128)

2. Modems
- Short for modulator-demodulator.
- A modem is a device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over, for
example, telephone or cable lines.
- Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information transmitted over
telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analogue waves.

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- Thus the purpose of a modem is to convert computer’s digital data to analogue for
transmission over a telephone line (modulation) and vice versa analogue to digital for
computer processing modulation (demodulation).
- Dial up modems are slower than ADSL

Difference between the router and a modem

Connecting to a router provides access to a local area network, it doesn’t necessarily provide
access to the internet while a modem connect you to the ISP, it provides access to the
internet.

The following is the device connection order:

i. PC or wireless device
ii. Router
iii. Modem
iv. ISP
v. Internet.
3. Network hubs
- A common connection point for devices in a network.
- Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN.
- A hub contains multiple ports and when a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the
other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.
- It main task is to take data received via one of the ports and then send it out to the
others .
- It is least expensive, least intelligent and least complicated of the three devices (router
and modem).

4. Switches

- Similar to hubs but are more efficient in the way they distribute data.
- A network switch (also called switching hub, bridging hub, officially MAC Bridge) is a
computer networking device that connects devices together on a computer network, by
using packet switching to receive, process and forward data to the destination device.
- It learns which devices is connected to which ports.

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- Each device has a MAC (Media access control) which identifies it uniquely.
- Data packets send to the switch will be having MAC address of the source and receiving
device thus with a switch the network traffic will only go where it is needed hence a
switch is more efficient than a hub.

5. Bridge

A network bridge is software or hardware that connects two or more networks so that they
can communicate. People with home or small office networks generally use a bridge when
they have different types of networks but they want to exchange information or share files
among all of the computers on those networks.

6. Network interface card

A network interface card (NIC) is a circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that
it can be connected to a network.

7. HTTP Proxy server

- Serves as a buffer between WAN and a LAN.

- A proxy server is a server (a computer system or an application) that acts as an intermediary
for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers.

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Types of Network
1. Local Area Network (LAN)
- A Local Area Network is a network confined to one building or site.
- Because LANs are geographically small, they usually use cables or low-power radio
(wireless) for the connections.

2. Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

- A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a LAN that uses radio signals (WiFi) to connect
computers instead of cables.
- At the centre of the WLAN is a wireless switch or router - a small box with one or
two antennas sticking out of the back - used for sending and receiving data to the
computers. (Most laptops have a wireless antenna built into the case.)
- It is much more convenient to use wireless connections instead of running long wires
all over a building.

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- However, WLANs are more difficult to make secure since other people can also try
to connect to the wireless network. So, it is very important to have a good, hard-to-
guess password for the WLAN connections.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

- A Wide Area Network is a network that extends over a large area.
- A WAN is often created by joining several LANs together, such as when a business
that has offices in different countries links the office LANs together.
- Because WANs are often geographically spread over large areas and links between
computers are over long distances, they often use quite exotic connections
technologies: optical fibre (glass) cables, satellite radio links, microwave radio
links, etc.

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 Computer networks notes

- The Internet is an example of a global WAN .In fact it is the world’s largest WAN.

Bluetooth (Personal Area Network)

- Bluetooth is a wireless networking technology designed for very short-range
connections (typically just a few metres).
- The idea of Bluetooth is to get rid of the need for all of those cables (e.g. USB cables)
that connect our computer to peripheral devices such as printers, mice, keyboards, etc.
- Bluetooth devices contain small, low-power radio transmitters and receivers. When
devices are in range of other Bluetooth devices, they detect each other and can be
'paired' (connected)

Typical uses of Bluetooth:

 Connecting a wireless keyboard to a computer

 Connecting a wireless mouse to a computer
 Using a wireless headset with a mobile phone
 Printing wirelessly from a computer or PDA
 Transferring data / music from a computer to an MP3 player
 Transferring photos from a phone / camera to another device
 Synchronising calendars on a PDA and a computer

Advantages

- Compatibility -ideal for personal devices and ad hoc connections

- Very low power consumption

Disadvantages

- Very low transfer speed

- Data can be intercepted by anyone in range

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- Short range (30 )

Wi_Fi

- Wireless fidelity which is common standard for wireless networks

- Most commonly used in homes and offices to connect devices such as laptops, tablets
and smart phones
- Devices communicate with hotspots or wireless access points(WAP) which can be a
standalone device or built into a router or switch

Advantages

- Portability -easy to move around location is only limited by range

- Cost – less expensive to setup and add new devices
- Compatibility – most devices are manufactured with a built in Wi-Fi adpter

Disadvantages

- Speed – lower data transfer than ethernet

- Security – less secure than ethernet
- Range – relies on signal strength to the WAP, signals can be obstructed

Differences between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

Bluetooth Wi_Fi
Maximum number of 7 30
connections
Transmission Frequency 2.4Ghz 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz
Maximum range(meters) 30 meters 100 meters (depending on
obstructions)
Maximum transfer speed 3MB/sec 75 MB/sec

The Internet
- The Internet is a world-wide network. IT is the global network that connect networks
together.
- The Internet connects millions of people, and thousands of businesses, governments,
schools, universities and other organisations.

What Can We Use the Internet For?

- The Internet provides the network connections that links computers together. There
are many ways that we can use these connections:

 Browsing on the WWW (World-Wide Web)

 Researching

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 Communicating using voice (VOIP) and video (video-conferencing)

 Entertainment (Playing multi-player games,Listening to streamed music
or watching streamed video.
 E-commerce
 E-banking
 E- government

Intranets
- An intranet is the name given to a private network that provides similar services to
The Internet: e-mail, messaging, web pages, etc.
- However, these services are only for the users of the intranet – they are private, not
public (unlike Internet services which are generally public).
- Businesses and other organisations often have intranets for use by their employees.
Typical uses of an intranet would be:

 Viewing internal web pages (e.g. company calendars, etc.)

 Internal e-mail and instant-messaging between workers
 Sharing of internal documents

Extranet

- An extranet is a private network similar to an intranet, but typically open to external

parties, such as business partners, suppliers, key customers, etc. The main purpose of
an extranet is to allow users to exchange data and applications, and share information.

Some use cases for extranets include the following examples:

- exchanging large volumes of data using electronic data interchange;

- sharing product catalogs exclusively with wholesalers;
- collaborating with other companies on joint development projects;
- jointly developing and using training programs with other companies;
- providing services to a group of other companies, such as an online banking
application managed by one company on behalf of affiliated banks; and
- sharing news of common interest exclusively with partner companies.

Extranet Features

1. Ensure data security

- Extranets provide a safe environment to share confidential and sensitive data
between organizations. The framework ensures that confidential data is secure and
chances of data loss or leak are close to nil.
2. Seamless communication
- With extranets, organizations can carry out secure and seamless communication
with multiple parties, companies, and businesses.
3. Flexibility
- Extranet provides a flexible and scalable environment for all collaborators to work
on a common task. As a result, this increases the overall productivity of the
organization.

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4. Reduced cost
- Extranets can help minimize paperwork and contribute to cutting down on travel
for stakeholders to a considerable extent.
5. Authentication
- Extranet provides an authentication mechanism where its users should enter
credentials such as username and password to gain access to the network. This
adds a layer of security as only authorized users are given access to the network.

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 Computer networks notes

Cloud computing

- Is a method of data storage where data is stored on remote servers (they may be many
servers stored in different location. Same data is stored in more than one server in case
of maintenance or repair thus data is always available. However, this allows data
redundancy.
- Physical environment of the cloud servers is owned and managed by a hosting company

Cloud storage systems

i. Public cloud – it is when customers and cloud storage provider are different
companies
ii. Private cloud -

Firewall
- A firewall is a device, or a piece of software that is placed between your computer
and the rest of the network (where the hackers are!).
- If you wish to protect your whole LAN from hackers out on the Internet, you would
place a firewall between the LAN and the Internet conection.

- A firewall blocks unauthorised connections being made to your computer or LAN.

- Normal data is allowed through the firewall (e.g. e-mails or web pages) but all other
data is blocked.
- In addition to physical devices, firewalls can also be software. In fact most computer
operating systems have a software firewall built in (e.g. Windows, Linux and Mac
OS)

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