Chapter 8: Networking and Digital Communication

Telecommunication technology: the technology of long distance communication.

Basic Network Anatomy

Computer network any system of two or more computers linked together. Three essential components of every computer system: 1. Hardware: networks allow computer hardware resources to be shared 2. Software: networks enable people to share data and software programs 3. People: allow for easy communication. Networks Local area network (LAN): a network in which the computers are physically close to each other, usually in the same building. o Computers dont have to use the same operating system o Includes collection of computers and peripherals Node: the term for each individual computer and networked peripheral. Hubs or Switches: is what nodes are connected to, and allow for any node on the network to communicate with any other node. Hub broadcasts messages to all devices connected to the network o Single message at a time Switches transmits data to only the destination node o Multiple messages simultaneously Twister pair: the most common type of LAN cable that connects a node to a hub or switch. It contains copper wires that resemble those in a standard telephone cable. o Ethernet: popular networking architecture developed in the 1970s at Xerox PARC.

 Power-line networks: networks that use power lines; Ethernet usually connect each computers network port to a device that attaches tot eh phone line or power line. Wireless Networks: each node has a tiny radio transmitter so it can send and receive data through the air rather than through cables o Usually slower than wired LANs Network administrators: individuals who typically set up large enterprise network systems, and take care of the configuration details. Wide area network (WAN): a network of LANs that extend over a long distance o Each individual network site is a node on the wide area network o Internet = most popular WAN Routers: hardware devices or software programs that route messages as they travel between networks. Mesh Networks: alternative to networks that rely on centralized routers Bandwidth: the quantity of data that can be transmitted through a communication medium in a given amount of time. Typically measured in kilobits (thousands of bits) or megabits (millions of bits) per second. Can be affected by physical media that make up the network, amount of network traffic, software protocols of network, and type of network connection. Increase by o Increasing the number of parallel wires in that cable o Increase the speed with which information passes through the cable Fast Ethernet: includes 100BASE-T, carries traffic at 100 megabits per second, provided that all devices on the LAN are fast Ethernet compatible (mid 1990s) Gigabit Ethernet: 1000BASE-X standard, capable of transferring 1 gigabit of data per second on all gigabit Ethernet LAN Fiber-optic cables use light waves to carry information at blinding speeds. Communication Software

 Protocols: rules for the exchange of data between devices (two machines must follow same protocol to communicate). o Transmission speed o Pre-arranged codes o TCP/IP: most famous protocol for computer networking, and is used to control the exchange of data. Network operating system (NOS): takes care of the communication tasks for a local area network. o Shields the user from the hardware and software details of routine communication between machines. o Must respond to request from many computers and must coordinate communication throughout the network. Intranet: beginning to replace NOS; a system built around the open standards and protocols of the Internet. Client/server model: a hierarchical model in which one or more computers act as dedicated server and all remaining computers act as clients. Peer-to-peer model: enables every computer on the network to be both client and server. o Generally small networks. o Make files public to other users. Internet Connection Technologies Direct (dedicated) connection: generally must faster than other connection options, making it possible to transfer large files quickly. Backbone network: typically operated by large organization to connect to its LANs. Linking an Organizations network to the Internet o T1: can transmit voice, data, and video at roughly 1.5 Mbps o T3: has a data transmission speed around 45 Mbps. Dial-up connection: a connection using a modem and standard phone lines

o Narrowband connection: dont offer much bandwidth compared to newer Internet connections. Modem (modulator/demodulator): a hardware device, inside or outside the computer chassis that connects a computer to a telephone line through standard modular phone jacks. Broadband connection: a connection with much greater bandwidth than modems have. o DSL (digital subscriber line): a technology for brining broadband connections to homes and small businesses by sharing the copper telephone lines that carry voice calls. Upstream traffic from home computer to internet (slower) Downstream traffic from the internet to the subscriber (faster)

o Cable modems: allow Internet connections through the same network of coaxial cables that deliver television signals to millions of homes. Often exceeds DSL speed Single cable shared by an entire neighborhood = slower transmission speed o Satellite Internet connections: Downstream faster than conventional modem traffic, but not those above. Transmit signals via geostationary satellites in orbit Latency: a significant delay between the time a message is sent and the time its received. o Wireless broadband connections

Wireless Network Technology

Infrared wireless: technology used to send commands to TVs, sound systems, and other devices. Wi-Fi: wireless LAN technology that uses radio waves to link computers to a LAN through a nearby wireless access point (WAP) a Wi-Fi hotspot

o Wireless access point (WAP): serves a s a central connection point for wireless computers, smart phones, media players, digital cameras, game consoles, security devices, etc. o Today 802.11n has replaced 802.11g devices because of up to three times the bandwidth o Use 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio spectrum o Wi-Fi range is affected by: Nearby objects that block signals Antenna placement Devices competing for the same part of the radio spectrum

o WiMAX or 802.16: a newer, long-distance radio-wave technology Single tower can provide access to a 25 square-mile area

o Security: WEP: (wired equivalent privacy) encryption scheme that improves the security of wireless networks by making your data as secure as it would be on a wired Ethernet. Firewall: blocks unauthorized data transfers VPN (virtual private network): an electronic tunnel through the internet that uses encryption and other security measures to keep out unauthorized users and prevent eavesdropping Bluetooth (802.15): over comes differences among devices, and makes it possible for multiple devices to communicate with each other regardless of their operating system. o Radio technology (limited to 30 feet) o Personal area network (PAN): a network that links a variety of personal electronic devices so they can communicate with each other. o Applications: Link mobile phone to wireless headset Connect wireless keyboard, mouse, gam controller Share info and calendars between devices

Playing multiplayer games with smart phones

3G and 4G Technology o 3G: networks carry multimedia data and voice communications simultaneously, making it possible for mobile phones to serve as Internet multimedia devices. o 4G: networks complete the transition to the IP packet-switching technology of the Internet. Offer gigabit broadband speeds to a vast array of mobile devices that are compatible across carriers. Some use WiMax. o Tethering: cabling a laptop to a mobile phone so it can send and receive Internet data through the phones wireless Internet connection

Specialized Networks: From GPS to Digital Money

Global Positioning System (GPS): includes at least 24 satellites that are carefully spaced so that from any point and time on the planet, four satellites will be above the horizon. o GPS receiver: use signals broadcast by three or four visible satellites to determine its position Automated teller machine (ATM): a specialized terminal linked to a banks main computer through a commercial banking network.

The Network Advantage

Networks enable people to share computer hardware resources, reducing costs and making it possible for more people to take better advantage of powerful computer equipment. o Print server: a server that accepts, prioritizes, and processes print jobs. Networks enable people to share data and software programs, increasing efficiency and productivity. o File servers: storehouses for software and data that are shared by several users. o Site licenses or network licenses: reduce costs for multiple copies or remove restrictions on software copying and use at a network site

o Data translation software: used to read and modify each others files when users of different systems use programs with incompatible file formats. Networks enable people to work together, play together, and communicate in ways that are difficult or impossible without network technology. o Groupware: programs designed to enable several networked users to work on the same documents at the same time. E.g. appointment calendars, project-management software, etc.

Interpersonal Computing: Form Communication to Communities

Most email client program use standard Internet protocols: o SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol) for sending mail o IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) or POP (Post Office Protocol) for receiving mail. Webmail: web-based email services that are designed to be accessed primarily through Web browsers. Web-bug: an invisible piece of code that silently notifies the sender about when the message was opened and may report other information about the users machine or email software at the time. o Operate through specially encoded one-pixel graphics files, are also embedded in some commercial web pages as well as HTML email messages Attachments: how one can send and receive formatted documents, pictures, and other multimedia files. o Temporarily converted to ASCII text using some kind of encoding scheme before they can be sent through Internet mail. Email Issues o Spam: junk email, or most email messages that are sent worldwide. o Email messages are not private; most employers reserve the right to read their employees messages.

o Phishing sites: web sites intended to capture credit card numbers and other sensitive financial information. Mailing List: enable you to participate in email discussion groups on special-interest topics. o Moderated group: a designated moderator acts as an editor, filtering out irrelevant and inappropriate messages and posting the rest. Newsgroups, Web Forums, and Blogs o Newsgroup: a public discussion on a particular subject, traditionally distributed through a worldwide newsgroup network called Usenet. o Web forum: built on a web application and accessed through a Web browser, but not through email. o Threaded discussions: discussion in which postings are organized by topics or subjects, called threads, rather than by time. o Lurkers: silent, invisible observers who dont contribute to the discussions. o Blog: an online journal thats updated frequently and posted on a public Web site. o Micro-bloggers: use twitter and similar sites to chronicle their minute-by-minute activities and thoughts with one-or-two sentence micro-blogs. o Blogosphere: Provides an outlet for an incredibly diverse population of writers Continues to expand

Real-time Communication o Asynchronous communication: when the poster and reader dont have to be logged in at the same time. o Chat room: a public or private virtual conference room where people with similar interest or motivations can type messages to each other and receive near-instant responses. o Avatars: graphical bodies that might look like simple cartoon sketches, elaborate 3-D figures, or exotic abstract icons. o Video teleconference: enables two or more people to communicate face to face over long distances by combining video and computer technology.

Computer Telephony o Computer telephony integration (CTI): the linking of computers and telephones to gain productivity. o Internet telephony (Voice-over IP, VoIP): phone call is carried over the internet rather than the telephone network Computer networks are generally unusable during power outages.

Social Networking: services combine many tools with other services to make it easy for members to connect with friends or colleagues, meet people with common interests, and create online communities. o Massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs): games support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous players taking on roles n virtual worlds.

Information Sharing o Wiki: a web site designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute to, and modify, content. o Viral o Crowdsourcing: outsourcing of a task to a large community of people, possibly volunteers, rather than to a small group of contracted specialists.

Sharing Resources o Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing (peer-to-peer file sharing): making files on ones hard drive available to others rather than posting them on central servers. o BitTorrent: popular way to download very large files, P2P. Divides files into pieces, by allowing the downloader to receive different parts of the file from multiple providers. o Grid computing: like P2P, it is a form of distributed computing that is about sharing processing power. Volunteer computing: involves creating a virtual network of geographically dispersed computers to work on a problem thats too big to solve with a single machine or LAN.

Utility computing: involves offering computational power and storage as metered commercial services, with the Internet acting like a utility grid

o Cloud computing: resources seem to be coming from somewhere on the Internet, rather than from a particular computer.