Networking

Basic Concepts 1
 Networking Is All about Information

 Every business runs on info, whether the business is

banking, dry-cleaning, aerospace, or computer chip
manufacturing. Inventory and payroll, account
balances, contact lists, and customer preferences are
all types of information that are vital to a successful
business.
 The personal computer is a fantastic information
tool.
 It gives you the ability to control the flow of
information in your life.
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 Exchanging Information
 Before networks, even with the computer, people had
to personally move the info about, whether it was on
paper, over the phone, or on floppy disk or magnetic
tape.
 When you use a comp not connected to a network,
you are working in what is called a stand-alone
environment.
 You can use software to produce data, graphics, docs
spreadsheets, and so on, but to share your info you
must print it out or put it on floppy disk so that
someone else can use it.
 You are moving the information about yourself
rather than letting the computer do it for you.
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 The Network
 Computers connected over a network can
make that information exchange easier and
faster.
 The information moves directly from
computer to computer rather than through a
human intermediary.
 People can concentrate on getting their work
done rather than on moving information
around the company.
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 Network
 When you link computers together, you can
more swiftly and efficiently move
information between them.
 The computers can also share resources, such
as printers and fax modems, allowing you to
better use your hardware.
 A group of computers and other devices
connected together is called a network.
 The concept of connected computers sharing
resources is called networking.
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 Basic Network Concept
 Networks are an interconnection of
computers. These computers can be
linked together using a wide variety of
different cabling types, and for a wide
variety of different purposes.
 The basic reasons why computers are
networked are
 To share resources (files, printers, modems, fax machines)
 To share application software (MS Office)
 To increase productivity (make it easier to share data
amongst users)

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 Local Area Network

 A local area network (LAN) is a number

of computers connected to each other by
cable in a single location, usually a single
floor of a building or all the computers in
a small company
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 Wide Area Network
 While local area networks are perfect for sharing
resources within a building or campus, they cannot be
used to connect distant sites.
 Wide area networks (WANs) fill this need. Stated
simply, wide area networks are the set of connecting
links between local area networks.
 These links are made over telephone lines leased from
the various telephone companies. In rare instances,
WANs can be created with satellite links, packet radio,
or microwave transceivers.
 These options are generally far more expensive than
leased telephone lines, but they can operate in areas
where leased lines are not available.
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 Wide Area Network

A wide area network

links computers in
different locations.

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 Wide Area Network
 The Internet has emerged as both the largest
and the least expensive WAN in the world.
 WANs suffer from extremely limited
bandwidth.
 The fastest commercially feasible wide area
data links are many times slower than the
slowest local area links.
 This makes the sharing of resources over a
WAN difficult.

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 Sharing Information
 Just as a lot of information is moved about,
some information is centrally controlled and
shared.
 There is lot of info on the networked computers
and not everyone is given access to it.
 The information must be kept consistent and
secure, and timely access must be given to those
who need the information to run the business.

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 Types of Info
 Other types of information you might want
to centrally locate and share or control
include:
 Inventory
 Company letterhead and letter styles
 Sales contact information
 Company procedures manuals
 Sensitive financial record
 Service records
 Company memos
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 Server
If you select one computer
to store the shared info
and have all other comp
ref the info on that comp
over the network, the
comp can help you
centralize the info and
maintain control over it.
The central comp is often
called a server, and special
software and operating
systems are often used in
server computers.
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 Sharing Hardware Resources
 Computers that are not networked cannot
effectively share resources.
 A network allows anyone connected to the
network to use the printer, not just the
individual sitting at the computer to which
the printer is attached.

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 Sharing Hardware Resources
 Networked computers can also share
 Fax modems
 Scanners
 Hard disks
 Floppy disks
 CD-ROMs
 Tape backup units
 Plotters
 Almost any other device that can be attached to
a computer

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 Sharing Hardware Resources
You can attach some peripherals directly to the
network; they do not need to be attached to a
computer to be shared on the network. Figure
illustrates how anyone on a network can use a
shared printer.

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 Sharing Software Resources
 Software resources can also be used more effectively
over a network. With stand-alone computers, the
software used on the computer must be present on
each computer’s hard disk, whether or not that
computer is used at that moment for that task.
 Software costs can become prohibitive for a large
number of computers.
 It is also difficult and time consuming to install and
configure the software individually on every one of
the computers.
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 Sharing Software Resources
 With a network you can centrally install and
configure the software, vastly reducing the
work required to make computer programs
available to an organization.
 You can also restrict access to programs.

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 Preserving Information
 A network also allows for information to be
backed up to a central location.
 Important information can be lost by mistake
or accident when a stand-alone computer has
no backup.
 It is difficult to maintain regular backups on a
number of stand-alone computers.
 When you back up to a central location (often
to a tape cartridge in the network server), you
have one place to look for the lost information,
and you can be assured that the information is
being backed up.
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 Protecting Information
 A network provides a more secure environment for a
company’s important information.
 With stand-alone computers, access to the computers
often means access to the information on the
computers.
 Networks provide an additional layer of security by
way of passwords. You can give each network user a
different account name and password, allowing the
network server to distinguish among those who need
access to have it and protecting the information from
tampering by those who do not.

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 E-Mail
 The computer network can also help people
communicate.
 One of the greatest benefits to users of networks is
electronic mail, or e-mail.
 Rather than exchanging memos and directives on
paper, engaging printing costs and delays, network
users can instantly send messages to others and even
check to see whether their message has been received.
 You can attach electronic documents to mail
messages, instantly duplicate and forward mail, and
perform many more tasks
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 Networks
 Based on the roles of the computers attached to
them, networks are divided into three types:
 Server-based (also called client-server), containing
clients and the servers that support them.
 Peer (also called-peer-to-peer), which have no
servers and use the network to share resources
among independent peers.
 Hybrid network, which is a client-server network
that also has peers sharing resources. Most
networks are actually hybrid networks.

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 Characteristics of the Windows NT Operating System

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An exabyte is slightly larger than one billion gigabytes.
Network Topologies

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 Network Topology
 The way in which the connections are made is called the
topology of the network.
 Network topology specifically refers to the physical layout
of the network, especially the locations of the computers
and how the cable is run between them.
 It is important to select the right topology for how the
network will be used.
 Each topology has its own strengths and weaknesses.
 The four most common topologies are
 the bus topology
 the star topology
 the ring topology
 the mesh topology
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 Bus Topology
 The bus topology is often used when a network
installation is small, simple, or temporary.
 On a typical bus network, the cable is just one or
more wires, with no active electronics to amplify
the signal or pass it along from computer to
computer.
 This makes the bus a passive topology.

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 How Bus Networks Works
 Another important issue in bus networks is termination.
Since the bus is a passive topology, the electrical signal from
a transmitting computer is free to travel the entire length of
the cable. Without 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. To stop the signals from ringing, you
attach terminators at either end of the segment. The
terminators absorb the electrical energy and stop the
reflections.
 Cables cannot be left unterminated in a bus network.
 Ethernet 10Base2 (also known as thinnet) is an inexpensive
network based on the bus topology.

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 Computers Connected in Bus
Topology Network

In a bus topology the computers are connected in a line.

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 Advantages of Bus Topology
 There are several advantages to a bus topology:
 The bus is simple, reliable in very small networks,
easy to use, and easy to understand.
 The bus requires the least amount of cable to
connect the computers together and is therefore less
expensive than other cabling arrangements.
 It is easy to extend a bus. Two cables can be joined
into one longer cable with a BNC barrel connector,
making a longer cable and allowing more computers
to join the network.
 A repeater can also be used to extend a bus; a
repeater boosts the signal and allows it to travel a
longer distance.
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 Disadvantages of Bus Topology
 Each barrel connector weakens the electrical
signal, and too many may prevent the signal
from being correctly received all along the bus.
 It is difficult to troubleshoot a bus. A cable
break or malfunctioning computer anywhere
between two computers can cause them not to
be able to communicate with each other. A
cable break or loose connector will also cause
reflections and bring down the whole network,
causing all network activity to stop.

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 Star Topology
 In a star topology, all the cables run from the computers
to a central location, where they are all connected by a
device called a hub.
 Each computer on a star network communicates with a
central hub that resends the message either to all the
computers (in a broadcast star network) or only to the
destination computer (in a switched star network). The
hub in a broadcast star network can be active or passive.
 An active hub regenerates the electrical signal and sends
it to all the computers connected to it. This type of hub is
often called a multiport repeater. Active hubs and
switches require electrical power to run.

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 Star Topology
 A passive hub, such as wiring panels or
punch-down blocks, merely acts as a
connection point and does not amplify or
regenerate the signal.
 Passive hubs do not require electrical power
to run.
 You can use several types of cable to
implement a star network. A hybrid hub can
accommodate several types of cable in the
same star network.
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 Star Topology

In a star topology
the computers
are all connected
by cables to a
central point.

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 Hybrid Star Network
You can expand a star
network by placing
another star hub where
a computer might
otherwise go, allowing
several more
computers or hubs to
be connected to that
hub. This creates a
hybrid star network,
like the one shown in
Fig

The hybrid star network has several central star network

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points linked in a star.
 Advantages of Star Network
 The center of a star network is a good place to
diagnose network faults.
 Intelligent hubs (hubs with microprocessors that
implement features in addition to repeating
network signals) also provide for centralized
monitoring and management of the network.
 Single computer failures do not necessarily bring
down the whole star network. The hub can detect
a network fault and isolate the offending
computer or network cable and allow the rest of
the network to continue operating.

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Disadvantages of Star Network
 The star topology has a few disadvantages:
 If the central hub fails, the whole network fails
to operate.
 Many star networks require a device at the
central point to rebroadcast or switch network
traffic.
 It costs more to cable a star network because
all network cables must be pulled to one
central point, requiring more cable than other
networking topologies.

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 Ring Topology
 In a ring topology, each computer is connected
to the next computer, with the last one
connected to the first.
 Rings are used in high-performance networks,
networks requiring that bandwidth be reserved
for time-sensitive features such as video and
audio, or when even performance is needed
when a large number of clients access the
network.
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 Ring Topology
In a ring topology computers are connected in a circle.

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 Advantages of Ring topology
 The ring topology offers the following
advantages:
 Because every computer is given equal access
to the token, no one computer can
monopolize the network.
 The fair sharing of the network allows the
network to degrade gracefully (continue to
function in a useful, if slower, manner rather
than fail once capacity is exceeded) as more
users are added.
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Disadvantages of Ring topology
 The ring topology has the following
disadvantages:
 Failure of one computer on the ring
can affect the whole network.
 It is difficult to troubleshoot a ring
network.
 Adding or removing computers
disrupts the network.
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 Basic Network Components
 For Ethernet cards, each card is identified by a
twelve digit hexadecimal number. This number
uniquely identifies the computer. These network
card numbers are used in the Medium Access
[MAC] Layer to identify the destination for the
data.
 When talking to another computer, the data you
send to that computer is prefixed with the
number of the card you are sending the data to.
 This allows intermediate devices in the network
to decide in which direction the data should go,
in order to transport the data to its correct
destination.

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 Basic Network Components
 A typical adapter card looks like

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 Network Components
 Cabling
 Cable is used to interconnect computers and network
components together.
 There are three main cable types used today
 Twisted pair
 Coaxial cable
 Fiber optics
 The choice of cable depends upon a number of factors, like
 Cost
 Distance
 Number of computers involved
 Speed
 Requirements [bandwidth] i.e., how fast data is to
be transferred

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 Network Components
 Twisted Pair (Shielded Twisted Pair and
Unshielded Twisted Pair)
 Shielded twisted pair uses a special braided wire which
surrounds all the other wires, which helps to reduce unwanted
interference.
 The features of twisted pair cable are,
 used in token ring (4 or 16MBps), 10BaseT (Ethernet 10MBps)
100BaseT (100Mbps)
 reasonably cheap
 reasonably easy to terminate [special crimp connector tools are
necessary for reliable operation
 UTP is prone to interference, which limits speed and distances
 category 2 = up to 1Mbps (Telephone wiring)
 category 3 = up to 10Mbps (Ethernet and 10BaseT)
 category 5 = 100MBps (supports 10BaseT and 100BaseT)

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 Network Components
Unshielded Twisted Pair cable
used in Category 5

Category 5 cable uses 8 wires. The

various jack connectors used in the
wiring closet look like

The patch cord which connects the

workstation to the wall jack looks
like,
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