Activity 01

What is Networking ?
Networking is the process that allows multiple computers to share information (data) and
resources. Through the integration of computers and other devices, users can communicate more
easily and efficiently. Networking involves creating a collection of linked computer systems.
These connections, known as networks, can be established through either cable or wireless
media. In any network, computers and devices are connected using a combination of hardware
and software, facilitating smooth communication and resource sharing.
(sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)

Types of Networking

There are primarily five types of networks

1. Personal Area Network (PAN)Local Area Network (LAN)

2. Local Area Network (LAN)
3. Campus Area Network (CAN)
4. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
5. Wide Area Network (WAN)
Personal Area Network (PAN)

PANs are the most basic type of computer networks. It is a network designed to connect devices
within a short distance, usually around one person. It enables personal devices, such as
smartphones, tablets, laptops, and wearables, to communicate and share data with one another.
PAN provides a network range of 1 to 100 meters from person to device for communication. It
has a high gearbox speed, is very easy to maintain, and is very inexpensive. This makes use of
Bluetooth, IrDA, and Zigbee technology. PANs include USB, computers, phones, tabletsprinters,
and PDAs. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Types of Personal Area Network (PAN)

1. Wireless Personal Area Networks: Wireless Personal Area Networks are created
simply by combining wireless technologies like WiFi and Bluetooth. It is a low-range
network.
2. Wired Personal Area Network: A USB is used to set up a wired personal area network.

Advantages of Personal Area Network (PAN)

 Personal Area Network is relatively flexible and efficient for short network distances.
 It needs easy setup and relatively low cost.
 It does not require frequent installations and maintenance.
 It is easy and portable.
  Needs fewer technical skills to use.

Disadvantages of Personal Area Network (PAN)

 Low network coverage area/range.

 Limited to relatively low data rates.
 Devices are not compatible with each other.
 Inbuilt WPAN devices are a little bit costly.

Image: Personal Area Network (PAN)

Local Area Network (LAN)

LAN is the most commonly used network. A LAN is a computer network that connects
computers together via a common communication path that is limited to a specific area, or
locally. A local area network (LAN) is made up of two or more computers that are connected via
a server. Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two most important technologies used in this network. It has
a range of up to 2 kilometres, a high gearbox speed, and is simple to maintain and inexpensive.
LANs include networking in the home, school, library, laboratory, college, and office.
(srilathaturlapati, 2024)
Advantages of a Local Area Network (LAN)
  Privacy: Local Area Network is a private network, it is not controlled by any external
regulatory body, ensuring its privacy.
 High Speed: Local Area Network provides a much higher speed (around 100 mbps) and
data transfer rate than WAN.
 Supports different transmission mediums: Local Area Network support a variety of
communication transmission mediums, including Ethernet cables (thin, thick, and twisted
pairs), fibre, and wireless transmission.
 Inexpensive and Simple: A Local Area Network is typically inexpensive in terms of
installation, expansion, and maintenance, and it is relatively simple to use and has good
scalability.

Disadvantages of a Local Area Network (LAN)

 The initial setup costs for installing Local Area Networks are high because special
software is required to create a server.
 Communication devices such as Ethernet cables, switches, hubs, routers, and cables are
expensive.
 The Local Area Network administrator can view and review each LAN user's personal
data files as well as their Internet history. Hence, the users' privacy is violated.
 All data is stored on a single server computer, unauthorized access could pose a serious
data security risk.

Image: Local Area Network (LAN)

Campus Area Network (CAN)

Although it’s larger than a Local Area Network, Campus Area Network is still smaller than a
Metropolitan Area Network. In places like a school or colleges, this tends to be the type of
computer network used. This network stretches over an limited expanse of geographical space,
as it affects multiple campus buildings. Campus Area Network usually employs Ethernet
technology and has a range extending from 1km to 5km. The rate of transmission is very quick,
along with an average maintenance cost and an average cost. Campus Area Network includes
examples of networks that cover schools, colleges, and different buildings. (srilathaturlapati,
2024)
Advantages of a Campus Area Network (LAN)
 Speed: Inside a CAN, communication happens over Local Area Network (LAN), which
enables data transfer speeds slightly higher than those found on the Internet.
 Security: University network administrators keep the network in order by continuous
monitoring, tracking, and controlling access. In order to defend the network from
unauthorized access, a firewall is positioned between the network and the internet.
 Cost effective: Through a bit of work and care, network functions reliably, delivering
fast data transfer rates with easy access across multiple departments. One can manage
wiring and cabling costs while enabling it wirelessly. This campus cost-effectively works
with CAN in terms of performance.

Image: Local Area Network (LAN)

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
A Metropolitan Area Network is of greater size than a Local Area Network but of smaller scale
than a Wide Area Network. This is the sort of computer network that connects computers across
a geographic distance, using a shared communication channel over a city, town, or metropolitan
area. This network chiefly runs on FDDI, CDDI, and ATM, with a range from 5km to 50km. The
rate of its transmission is just average. Maintaining it is tricky, and it comes at a high expense.
Examples of Metropolitan Area Network comprise networking in towns, cities, a substantial
single city, a large expanse encompassing various buildings, and so forth. (srilathaturlapati,
2024)
Advantages of a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
  The connectivity provided by MAN ranges from 10 to 100 Mbps and is high speed.
 Security levels in MAN are steeper and more disciplined than in WAN.
 The dual bus architecture supports its capability to send data in two directions at once.
 MAN is able to support several users at once with rapid and consistent internet access for
all.
Disadvantages of a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
 The architecture of MAN is quite complicated hence, it is hard to design and maintain.
 Due to the need for high cost to install fiber optics, this network is extremely expensive.
 It offers less fault tolerance.
 The data transfer rate of MAN is marginal when compared to LANs.

Image: Metropolitan Area Network (LAN)

Wide Area Network (WAN)

The Wide Area Network is a type of computer network that associates computers over a vast
geographical area through a collectively used communication pathway. It does not have limits to
a certain area; it instead spans across many locations. Wide Area Network is also characterizable
as a group of local area networks that communicate across distances larger than 50km. In this
case, we depend on Leased-Line & Dial-up technology. The transmission velocity is quite
sluggish, and it introduces very high maintenance and very high expenditure. The most prevalent
case of Wide Area Network is the Internet. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Advantages of a Wide Area Network (WAN)

 Enhancing the reach of the organization to transport data quickly and cheaply is what this
covers, over a large geographical area.
  Thanks to remote access to data provided by WAN, data can be stored in a centralized
manner.
 The travel charges that are needed to cover the geographical area of work can be
minimized.
 WAN makes it simple for a user or organization to reach the rest of the world, enabling
data and business exchange on a global stage.

Disadvantages of a Wide Area Network (WAN)

 Traffic congestion in the Wide Area Network is extremely high.
 The fault tolerance of WAN is very low.
 A large quantity of noise and error is present because of many connection points.
 The transfer speed of data is not up to par with LAN, largely due to long distances and a
large number of systems within the network.

Image: Wide Area Network (WAN)

Network Devices
General hardware elements of network nodes including NICs, Bridges, Hubs, Switches, and
Routers are used in all networks. In addition, there is a need to have a way of interconnecting
these building parts which can be done using galvanic cable and optical cable commonly known
as “optical fiber.” The following are the network devices. (sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)

 NIC (Network Interface Card): Network card can be also called network adapter or
NIC (Network Interface Card) is a computer device which allows computers to exchange
information via a network. Physical access to the network media is provided and MAC
addresses are used as a lower level addressing mechanism in most cases. Every NIC has
its own unique number. This is usually done on a chip which is embedded on the credit
card. (sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)

Image: Network Interface Card

 Repeater: A repeater is a device that captures a signal, removes noise from it, amplifies
it, and sends it out at a greater power level or on the other side of an obstacle, In many of
the twisted pair Ethernet networks, Repeaters may be needed for cable lengths in excess
of 100 meters in some systems. Repeaters, as you may have guessed, rely on physics.
(sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)

Image: Repeater Device

 Hub: A hub is a connection point of many twisted pairs or fiber optic Ethernet devices
that create the appearance of one network segment. The device can be thought of a multi-
port repeater as shown in the figure below. A network hub is a relatively unsophisticated
 broadcast device. Any packet which comes to any port is retransmitted and forwarded out
of all the other ports and hubs do not manage flow of the packets. Packet collisions occur
due to the fact that each packet is transmitted through all other ports; this greatly hampers
the efficient exchange of information. (sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)

Image: Image of Hub

 Bridges: It forwards broadcast data to all the ports but the one that has received the
transmission. While hubs, on the other hand, simply replicate incoming messages to all
connected ports, bridges, for example, are able to determine which MAC addresses are
reachable through particular ports. After a port and an address are linked, the bridge will
only transmit packets from the address to the port. (sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)

Image: Network Bridge

 Switches: A switch is different from a hub in that it does not broadcast frames to all of
the ports that are connected but, instead, only to the ports that are involved in the
transmission and reception of frames. A switch divides the collision domain but the
switch portrays itself as a broadcast domain. The frame forwarding process is done by
switches based on MAC addresses. (sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)
 Image: Network Switch

 Routers: Routers are devices that are used to route data packets through a network by
examining headers and forwarding table. A router is a physical or a software appliance
that connects two or more data networks and manages the flow of data traffic between
them. A router can use address information in each data packet to check if the source and
the destination are located within the same network or if the data packet should be
rerouted between networks. When many routers are used in a large set of interconnected
networks, the routers exchange target system addresses so that every router can organize
a table of the optimal paths between any two systems on the connected networks.
(sameekshakhandelwal1712, 2024)

Image: Router
Network Topology
Network topology can be explained as the organization of various components in a given
network such as nodes, links or devices. It also states how those components that compose it are
organized and how they are associated with one another. Knowledge of different kinds of
network topologies is useful in creating effective and efficient networks. Some examples of LAN
topologies are bus, star, ring, mesh, tree, and many others each with strengths and weaknesses.
Different types of network topology with their merits and demerits are going to be explained in
this article. (GeeksForGeeks, 2024)
There are various types of Network Topologies
1. Point to Point Topology
2. Mesh Topology
3. Star Topology
4. Bus Topology
5. Ring Topology
6. Tree Topology

Point to Point Topology

Point to point was found to be a type of topology that incorporated the operation of the sender
and the receiver. It is the most basic of the communication in which one node is the sender and
another node is the receiver. Point to Point offers high bandwidth is offered with the connection.
(GeeksForGeeks, 2024)

Image: Point to Point Topology Image

Advantages of Point to Point Topology

 Point to Point topology establish direct communication link between two nodes and
allows higher data transfer rates.
 When only two devices are connected, the identification of problems is easier than on any
other type of network, since each of the nodes or links can be checked.
 In Point to Point topology, the nodes are interconnected directly, and data transferred
over the network are not vulnerable to data interception or theft.
 It is more efficient for high traffic networks where there is no additional node to delay or
congest traffic. (Singh, 2024)

Disadvantages of Point to Point Topology

  Expanding the devices in use requires formation of several links between the new device
and the current network and this is both time consuming and costly.
 If a link is unavailable, or a node is disconnected, an issue arises because there is no other
way through which data can be sent around this loop.
 Point to Point topology cannot be suitable for large area since the former requires
establishment of direct connection. (Singh, 2024)

Mesh Topology
In a mesh topology, each and every single device will connect to another device through a
certain channel. In Mesh Topology, the protocols used are AHCP (Ad Hoc Configuration
Protocols), DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), etc. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Image: Mesh Topology

Advantages of Point to Point Topology

 Communication between the nodes is extremely fast.
 Mesh Topology is durable.
 The fault is recognizable quickly. Data is highly likely to be reliable since data is
transmitted from device to device through channels commonly referred to as links.
 Ensures security and privacy. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Disadvantages of Point to Point Topology

 Installation and configuration are difficult.
  The cost is fairly expensive as bulk wiring is needed, which makes it ideal for a fewer
number of devices.
 The cost of maintenance is high. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Star Topology

In Star Topology, all the devices for a network are connected by a single cable to a central hub.
This one is fixed as a hub and all others are connected to the hub only. A hub can be merely
passive i.e., it is not an intelligent hub like broadcasting devices and at the same time, it can be
an intelligent hub, an active hub. The other important fact about active hubs is that they contain
repeaters in the active hubs. Coaxial cables also known as RJ-45 cables are used in a point to
point connection between the computers. Star Topology uses a number of Ethernet LAN
protocols such as CD (Collision Detection), CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access), etc.
(srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Image: Star Topology

Advantages of Star Topology

 A star topology connects every device to a particular device and if N devices are
connected with each other in a star topology, then the number of cables required in
between them is N. So, it is easy to set up.
 Every device calls for a single port say to connect to the hub in the network, thus the total
number of ports needed is N.
 It is Robust. In that case, if one link fails only the link will be damaged and not other than
that.
  Easy to identify and remove faults.
 Star topology is inexpensive since star topology uses cheap coaxial cable.
(srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Disadvantages of Star Topology

 The problem that exists in this type of topology is if the concentrator (hub) that the whole
topology depends on is destroyed, then the whole system will come down.
 The cost of installation is high.
 Performance is measured and evaluated solely on the single concentrator that is the hub.
(srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Bus Topology
Bus topology is a network configuration in which each computer and network device is
connected to a single cable. It is bidirectional. Yes, it is a multi-point connection with a non-
robust topology because if the backbone fails, the entire topology collapses. In Bus Topology,
LAN ethernet connections use MAC (Media Access Control) protocols such as TDMA, Pure
Aloha, CDMA, Slotted Aloha, and so on. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Image: Bus Topology

Advantages of Bus Topology

 When designing bus topology, if n devices are connected, then you need only one
backbone cable and n drop lines.
  Coaxial or Twisted pair cables are typically associated with bus based networks that have
bandwidth of up to 10 Mbps.
 The cable is comparatively cheaper than other topologies, but this is used to construct the
small networks.
 Bus topology is recognized technology since both installation methods and problem
solving approaches are well understood.
 For this kind of topology, the most used method is the CSMA. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Disadvantages of Bus Topology

 A bus topology is slightly easier, although, like with any bus topology, a massive amount
of cabling will be needed.
 If the common cable being used breaks down then the whole system will collapse.
 When the traffic is high within the network it will lead to more collisions in the network
system. To avoid this, several protocols exists at MAC layer including Pure Aloha,
Slotted Aloha, CSMA/CD etc.
 New device on the network would slow down network.
 Security is extremely low. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Ring Topology
In a Ring Topology, it comprise a ring to connect devices with only two neighboring devices.
Many repeaters are used for Ring topology in case of many nodes because if one person has to
send some data to the last node in the ring topology with 100 nodes then the data will have to
pass through all the 99 nodes to reach the 100th node. Therefore to avoid data loss repeaters are
used in the network.
The data flows in one direction, i.e. it is unidirectional; however, it can be made bidirectional by
connecting each Network Node twice; this is known as Dual Ring Topology. Workstations in the
Ring Topology transmit data using the Token Ring Passing protocol. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Image: Ring Topology

The prominent access method of ring topology is token passing.

 Token passing: It is a form of connection where a token is transferred from one node to
another node.
 Token: It's a frame that moves around the network. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Operations of Ring Topology

 One station is called active station which takes all the responsibility and perform all the
operations of the process.
 For the station to be able to transmit the data it has to retain the token. Finally, the
following message is followed by a token that is to be made available for other stations to
hold.
 If no station is sending the data in the ring then the token will pass through the ring.
 There are two types of token release techniques: Early token release frees the token
immediately after sending the data while Delayed token release frees the token after the
receiver sends back an acknowledgment. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Advantages of Ring Topology

 The data is transmitted at high speeds.

 In this topology, the possibility of collision is minimized.
 Cheap to install and expand.
 It costs less than a star topology. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Disadvantages of Ring Topology

 In case one of the nodes fails, the message passing in the entire network is negatively
affected.
 Troubleshooting is difficult with this topology.
 It is seen that if some new stations are added in between or some stations are removed,
the whole topology gets disturbed.
 Less secure. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)

Tree Topology

This topology is the modification of the Star topology. This topology has directional arrangement
and works under hierarchy when it comes to data flow. In Tree Topology protocols like DHCP
and SAC (Standard Automatic Configuration) are practiced. (srilathaturlapati, 2024)
 Image: Tree Topology

Advantages of Tree Topology

 Since it can accommodate more devices to connect to a single central hub; it reduces the
physical distance taken by the signal to reach the devices.
 It enables the network to become isolated and also select from various computers.
 We can connect new devices to the existing network.
 The very aspects such as error detection and error correction can be accomplished with
great ease in a tree topology.

Disadvantages of Tree Topology

 If the central hub fails then the entire system fails right there too.
 The cost is high due to cabling.
 If new devices are added to the network it becomes very difficult to achieve
reconfiguration of the network.