NETWORK A computer network is a collection of computers and devices interconnected by communications channels that facilitate communications and allow

sharing of resources and information among interconnected devices. A computer network is a collection of two or more computers linked together for the purposes of sharing information, resources, among other devices. Properties of Computer Networks Facilitate communications Permit sharing of files, data, and other types of information Share network and computing resources Insecure Interfere with other technologies Difficult to set up

Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics such as Medium Communication Protocol Scale Organizational Scope Topology Hardware Components

COMMUNICATION MEDIA Wired Technologies Twisted Pair Co-axial Cable Optical Fiber Wireless Technologies Satellite Infrared Communication COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS Ethernet Asynchronous Transfer Mode Internet Protocol Suite Synchronous Optical Networking(SONET)

SCALE Networks are often classified by their physical or organizational extent or their purpose, such as

Personal area network Local area network Wide area network Metropolitan area network

Usage, trust level, and access rights differ between these types of networks. Personal area network A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computer and different information technological devices close to one person. Some examples of devices that are used in a PAN are personal computers, printers, fax machines, telephones, PDAs, scanners, and even video game consoles. A PAN may include wired and wireless devices. The reach of a PAN typically extends to 10 meters. Local area network A local area network (LAN) is a network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area such as home, school, computer laboratory, office building, or closely positioned group of buildings. Each computer or device on the network is a node. The defining characteristics of LANs, in contrast to WANs (Wide Area Networks), include their higher data transfer rates, smaller geographic range, and no need for leased telecommunication lines. Local Area Networks can be connected to Wide area network by using routers. Metropolitan area network A Metropolitan area network (MAN) is a large computer network that usually spans a city or a large campus. It is larger than a LAN and smaller than a WAN. It will be owned by an entity like a government or corporations. Cables will be used to connect the LAN at various sites in a given city to form a MAN. Wide area network A wide area network (WAN) is a computer network that covers a large geographic area such as a city, country, or spans even intercontinental distances, using a communications channel that combines many types of media such as telephone lines, cables, and air waves. WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and management.

ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE Networks are typically managed by organizations which own them. According to the owner's point of view, networks are seen as intranets or extranets. A special case of network is the Internet, which has no single owner but a distinct status when seen by an organizational entity - that of permitting virtually unlimited global connectivity for a great multitude of purposes. Intranets and extranets Intranets and extranets are parts or extensions of a computer network, usually a local area network. An intranet is a set of networks, using the Internet Protocol and IP-based tools such as web browsers and file transfer applications, which are under the control of a single administrative entity. That administrative entity closes the intranet to all but specific, authorized users. Most commonly, an intranet is the internal network of an organization. A large intranet will typically have at least one web server to provide users with organizational information. An extranet is a network that is limited in scope to a single organization or entity and also has limited connections to the networks of one or more other usually, but not necessarily, trusted organizations or entitiesa company's customers may be given access to some part of its intranetwhile at the same time the customers may not be considered trusted from a security standpoint. An extranet cannot consist of a single LAN; it must have at least one connection with an external network. Internet The Internet is a global system of interconnected governmental, academic, corporate, public, and private computer networks. In other words, the Internet is a worldwide interconnection of computers and networks which are either owned privately or publicly. The Internet is also the communications backbone underlying the World Wide Web (WWW). NETWORK TOPOLOGY A network topology is the layout of the interconnections of the nodes of a computer network. Common layouts are: Bus Topology One cable connecting all the network nodes Usually co-axial cables One communication channel shared between nodes/workstations

The network is limited to 10 nodes Terminators at two end points. The electrical signal from a transmitting computer is free to travel the entire length of the cable. Without the termination, when the signal reaches the end of the wire, it bounces back and travels back up the wire. When a signal echoes back and forth along an unterminated bus, it is called ringing. The terminators absorb the electrical energy and stop the reflections (noise).

Advantages: Easy and inexpensive to set up the connection. Disadvantages: Lack of scalability: If more nodes are added the performance degrades on single channel Difficult to troubleshoot No fault tolerance

Star Topology: A star topology links the computers by individual cables to a central unit, usually a hub. When a computer or other networking component transmits a signal to the network, the signal travels to the hub. Then, the hub forwards the signal simultaneously o all other components connected to the hub.

Advantages of star topology: The failure of a single computer or cable doesn't bring down the entire network. Network management much easier

Disadvantages of star topology: Failure of the central hub causes the whole network failure.

It is slightly more expensive than using bus topology.

Ring Topology All the devices are connected to a common cable forming a closed loop: no begin/end Usually twisted-pair cables or fiber optic cables are used Packets are transmitted in one direction of ring Each node accepts/responds to its packets and forward remaining packets to next node in ring A token is used Sending node with token transmits: data + token through ring Destination node picks-up data and returns acknowledgement via ring to sending node Sending node releases token to next node in ring Advantages Fault tolerance Economical Disadvantages More cables than a bus Failure: If one node breaks the entire ring breaks Lack of scalability: If more nodes are added then the response time is higher because of token passing More difficult to configure than a Star

Mesh Topology Each node is connected to every other node in the network. Often used in Backbone/WAN to interconnect LANs Advantages Fault tolerance: communication not stopped if one link breaks Good for Backbone Disadvantages Expensive Difficult for installation, management, troubleshooting.

Tree Topology In a tree topology each node is connected to a concentrator (hub): similar to a star Concentrators connected together to form a hierarchy

Basic hardware components Apart from the physical communications media them networks comprise additional basic hardware building blocks interconnecting their terminals, such as network interface cards (NICs), hubs, bridges, switches, and routers. Network interface cards A network card, network adapter, or NIC (network interface card) is a piece of computer hardware designed to allow computers to physically access a networking medium. It provides a low-level addressing system through the use of MAC addresses. Repeaters and hubs A repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal, cleans it of unnecessary noise, regenerates it, and retransmits it at a higher power level, or to the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances without degradation. In most twisted pair Ethernet configurations, repeaters are required for cable that runs longer than 100 meters. A repeater with multiple ports is known as a hub. Bridges Bridge is a networking component used either to extend or to segment networks. Bridges work at the OSI data-link layer. They can be used both to join dissimilar media such as unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling and fiber-optic cabling, and to join different network architectures such as Token Ring and Ethernet. Bridges come in three basic types:
Local bridges: Directly connect local area networks (LANs) Remote bridges: Can be used to create a wide area network (WAN) link between LANs. Remote bridges, where the connecting link is slower than the end networks, largely have been replaced with routers. Wireless bridges: Can be used to join LANs or connect remote stations to LANs.

Switches A switch is a networking component used to connect workgroup hubs to form a larger network or to connect computers that have high bandwidth needs. The switches provide superior performance to hubs but are more expensive. Routers A router is an internetworking device that forwards packets between networks by processing information found in the datagram or packet. In many situations, this information is processed in conjunction with the routing table (also known as forwarding table).