Chapter 2: Communication and networking technology
Network types
LAN(Local area network): a network connecting computers in a single room, in a single building or on a
single site
Benefits: software on an application server attached to the LAN instead can save cost
File server can be attached to LAN that allow user to store files and share between users
one or more printers could be attached to a print server that was connected to the LAN;
send e-mails to employer by manager
paper-less office
WAN(Wide area network): a network connecting computers on different sites, possibly thousands of
kilometers apart
Benefits: a “job” could be run on a remote computer that had require application software
a data achieve that was stored on a remote computer could be accessed
a message could be transmitted electronically to a user on a remote computer
Facilities and communication provided by PSTN (public switched telephone network company)
Internetwork: a number of networks all connected together.
LANs are connected to WANs which are in turn connected to the Internet
People can have full access to networks from their personal devices.
Transmission choices
Simplex transmission: One-way only
Half Duplex transmission: both-ways but not simultaneously
Full duplex transmission: both-ways and simultaneous
Broadcast: one-to-all communication
Eg: radio and television
Multicast: one source to many destinations
Unicast: one-to-one communication
Network usage models
Client-server: an architecture where a client runs an application provided by a server on a network
The client is a web browser connected to the internet. The server is a web
server hosted on the internet.
Thin client: a client that only provides input and receives output from the application
chooses an application to run on the server
sends input data to the server when requested by the application
receives output from the application.
Eg: User’s browser to receive and send data to server by online
Thick client: a client that carries out at least some of the processing itself
chooses an application provided by the server
possibly carries out some processing before running the application on the
server and also after receiving output from the application
alternatively, possibly downloads the application from the server and runs the
application itself.
Eg: User download the local application and run it with internet or without
internet
Peer-to-peer networking: operates with each peer (networked computer) storing some of the files.
Each peer can therefore act as a client and request a file from another peer or it can act as a
server when another peer requests the download of a file.
Benefits: [Link] the possibility of congestion on the network when many clients
are simultaneously attempting to download files
[Link] of a file can be downloaded separately
[Link] parts are available from more than one host.
Eg: Torrent Download (Upload and download data simultaneously)
Network topologies
A data transmission system needs:1. A sender
2.A receiver
3.A transmission medium
4.A message
5.A protocol
Digital signal: https, TCP……
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Point-to-point: A dedicated link
Simplex or duplex only
Only unicast
Bus topologies: contains one shared link to which all devices are attached
[Link] one link but it is shared by a number of end-systems and is
therefore described as a multi-point connection
[Link] direct connection
[Link] be broadcast
[Link] be intended for one end-system.
(Ring topologies): device connections create a circular data path
Unidirectional or bidirectional
Mesh topology: contains direct links between devices
each end-system has a point-to-point connection to each of the other end-
systems (a computer or server connected to a network). Transmission is
duplex; messages might be unicast, multicast or broadcast.
Star topology: each end-system is linked to a central device
A point-to-point connection to central devices(eg: switch, hub)
Duplex transmission
Unicast, multicast or broadcast
It can configure a network and connect to other network
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Hybrid network: a collection of connected LANs where some of them have different topologies or
supporting technologies
Connecting many different topologies or supporting technologies
A wired LAN is already installed but a new wireless LAN is to be connected to it
Eg: a network with wired and wireless
Transmission media
Wired transmission:
Twisted pair cable: use copper
Coaxial cable: use copper
Fibre-optic: use glasses
Wireless transmission: a transmission using radio, microwave or infrared
Only difference: the frequency of waves
Satellite: The Van Allen belts are areas containing high
levels of electrically charged particles, which interfere with
satellites.
GEO(Geostationary Earth Orbit)
long-distance telephone
computer network communication
only 3 GEO satellites can full the global coverage
MEO(Medium-Earth-Orbit)
Provide Global Positioning System(GPS)
Only 10 MEO satellites can full the global coverage
LEO(Low-Earth-Orbit)
supplement the mobile phone networks
Only 50 LEO satellites can full the global coverage
Advantage: direct connect with ground-based components
Disadvantage: The grater transmission distance causes transmission delays
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LAN hardware
Wired LAN:
Cable:
Coaxial cable
Twisted pair cable
Fibre-optic cable
One end is plugged into a bus socket(eg: RJ-45) and the other end is plugged into the LAN port of the end-
system
Repeater: a device that connects two cables and provides a full-strength signal to the second cable
Why: signals become attenuated (reduced in strength)
How: receives an input signal and generates a new full-strength signal
Function: boost the signal
Bridge: Two segments are connected
Why: Sometimes a bus network is constructed in what are called segments.
Switch: a connecting device that can direct a communication to a specific end-system
NIC(Network Interface Card): a component used to identify the end-system
Unique address
WNIC(Wireless Network Interface Card): provides the NIC function in a WiFi LAN
Server: A system providing a service to end-systems
WAP(Wireless Access Point): The connecting device in a WiFi LAN
Central device: Router
Ethernet
Ethernet: primarily focused on LANs
The dominant LAN protocol:802.3
Original: a bus or as a star with a hub as the central device are all broadcast
type(available to all of the end-systems without any controlled)
For each message received an end-system had to check the destination
address
CSMA/CD: carrier sense multiple access with collision detection
If two end-systems were to transmit messages at the same time there would be what is described
as a collision
Function: Prevent collision of message
Modern version: Switch
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1. Check the voltage on the transmission medium.
2. If this indicates activity, wait a random time before checking again.
3. If no activity is detected, start transmission.
4. Continuously check for a collision.
5. If no collision is detected, continue transmission.
6. If a collision is detected, stop transmission of the message and transmit jamming
signal
Internet support infrastructure
Modem: Convert the digital data to analogue signals
Convert the analogue signals to digital data
Router: A device that acts as a node on the internet
can be described as a “mesh” structure
At every node is a device called the router
Function: choose the best route
Internet Service Provider(ISP): give Internet access to an individual or company
a hierarchical aspect to the structure
Public switched telephone network (PSTN): provide significant infrastructure support for the Internet
How? One modem: Convert the digital data to analogue signals
Another modem: Reverse the process
What?1. Broadband network
2. WiFi hotspot technology
Internet Application
The World Wide Web (WWW): a distributed application multimedia webpage which is available on the
Internet
Can give direct and essentially immediate access to other web pages
Cloud computing: Provision of computing services usually via the Internet
1. Private Cloud: owned by and only accessed by an organization
The organization takes full responsibility
The organization outsources to a third-party(on-site)
Management
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2. Public Cloud: owned by a cloud service provider for general access
Infrastructure provision
Platform provision
Software provision
Advantage:1. better performance
2. increased storage capacity
3. facilities for software development and testing
4. be able to run applications that require high performance systems
5. a software package themselves would be far too high
6. The cloud user no longer needs technical expertise
Disadvantage:1. provider has complete access to all of the data
2. user cannot be sure that their data is not being shared with third-parties
3. Data privacy
4. Be lost
Bit Streaming:
bytes which can be transmitted one after the other as a 'byte stream'
compressed to a sequence
decoding process
Streaming medi[Link] On demand
Received into a buffer
Media Player software play the media
2: Real-time
Being generated as it is being delivered
A large number of content provider servers
IP addressing
IPv4 addressing (Internet Protocol version4):
32bits (2^32 different address)
One IP address per Internet user
Contain a netID and a hostID
a hierarchical address
IPv4 hierarchical: 5 classes
IPv6 addressing:
128bits
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Variations introduced
Why? The original scheme became too restrictive
So: various alternatives or modifications appeared
Classless inter-domain routing (CIDR):
removes the rigid structure
11 bits
How? Add an 8-bit suffix to the address that specifies the number of bits for the netlD
Sub-netting: A more efficient use of a hostID
The LANs connected to a gateway. This is a device that connects networks with different protocols
First connect to a router or have the capability
Each LAN would point to one of the LAN gateways
Allocating just one ClassC netID
256 individuals in just one LAN
Eg:7 LANs can connect 256*7=1792 devices
Not sub-netting(Original classful IPv4 scheme): The LANs connected to a gateway. This is a device that
connects networks with different protocols
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Network address translation (NAT)
IP address should be unique
Want private networks but also Internet connection
The NAT box has one IP address
each address can be simultaneously used by any number of different private networks
Has software installed
Security check
Domain Name
Domain name services (DNS or Domain name system): a hierarchical distributed database installed on
domain name servers that is responsible for mapping a domain name to an IP address. Also known as
domain name system
The domain name system (DNS) allows use of a universal resource locator URL instead
The URL includes a domain name
The domain name system is hierarchical
A domain name server can provide a domain name when an IP address is supplied
