TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... 1

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

CONTENT OF THE FIGURES ................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................... 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.1 Network Systems .................................................................................................................. 3

1.1.1 Local Area Network (LAN) ..................................................................................... 3

1.1.2 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) ........................................................................ 4
1.1.3 Wide Area Network (WAN) .................................................................................... 5
2.1 Network Technologies .......................................................................................................... 6

2.1.1 Local Area Network Technology .................................................................................. 6

1.2 Networking Standards ..................................................................................................... 7

1.2.1 The IEEE 802 Family............................................................................................... 7

3.1 Importance of Protocols in Data Communication ................................................................ 8

3.1.1 Introduction to Protocols ............................................................................................... 8

3.1.2 Communication Protocols ............................................................................................. 8
3.2 Roles of Different Protocols ................................................................................................. 9

3.2.1 Transfer Internet Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) .................................................. 9

3.2.2 User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) ...... 10
3.2.3 Mail Protocols POP3 and SMTP ................................................................................. 11
3.2.4 Hypertext Transfer Protocol ........................................................................................ 11
3.2.5 File Transfer Protocol (FTP) ....................................................................................... 11
5.1 Software for the Network System .......................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Appendices ................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

References ................................................................................................................................ 13
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 14

ABBREVIATIONS

TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

LAN: Local Area Network
MAN: Metropolitan Area Network
IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
ICMP: Internet Control Message Protocol
POP: Post Office Protocol
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
HTPP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language
HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer
HTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol
FTP: File Transfer Protocol
TASK 01

1.1 Network Systems

There are many types of network systems available, each having their own set of benefits and
constraints. The topics below addresses some of the constraints and benefits while explaining
the types of network systems.

1.1.1 Local Area Network (LAN)

LANs are used primarily in small areas where the network spans a size of a small building. They
are an older type of network system and uses Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) as the method of communication (Hussain 2013). The benefits and constraints of LAN
are stated in the table below.

Table 1: Benefits and Constraints of LAN

Benefits Constraints

Speed: Local Area Network specially the
wired networks are relatively faster than that
of others, and is suited for situations where
large files are transferred.
Mobility: There is a limited ability in LANs
to move to a different location once they are
set, as they require additional switches and
running cables especially when the
organization’s layout is changed.

Cost: Cost for LANs are relatively lower
than that of other network types. Wired
LANs have a very low initial installation cost
as well as a low maintenance cost. The
average cost for each network drop is about
$100.
Network Security: Once the necessary
security features are enabled by a
professional networking expert, there is
relatively high level of security, especially if
the network is not connected to the internet.
Server: If the network is not small where a
peer-to-peer network cannot be setup, it is
recommended for the LAN to have a high
powered and high capacity server to store and
centralize information.
The server requires ongoing maintenance and
a qualified individual to maintain it. This will
cost high, as the organization will also have
to purchase software licenses, antivirus
software and so in order to accommodate the
server.
 Stability: LANs are much stable after correct
configurations, and can run long without
many problems.
Source: Author’s work adopted from Brookstone (2011).

1.1.2 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

MANs are a relatively new type of network system which can span up to about 5 to 50 km or
even 120 Km, and falls between LAN and WAN networks. MANs often acts as high speed
networks to help share regional resources and to provide connection to other networks by
linking it to a WAN (Fairhurst 2001). The table below shows some constraints of MAN network
systems.

Table 2: Constraints of MAN system

Constraints Descriptions

The total number of links (in a backbone network), bridges,

gateways, and transceivers are parameters that could be used to
measure the cost of the network.
The cost for installation, cables, and for the electronic interface must
Cost be considered. Low speed low cost devices cannot afford a direct
connection to a high speed medium such as a MAN. So either the
company should afford high speed devices or apply a two level
network hierarchy where all low speed devices are connected to a
low speed network which in turn connects to a high speed MAN via
a bridge.

MANs are most often owned by common carriers where

Security confidential data are passed through a competitor’s station. So,
privacy protection against unauthorized access is essential for MAN
networks.

MANs are relatively less reliable in terms of transmission and

routing. Transmission functions rely on integration of transmission
media and correct operation of access protocols.
Reliability
Routing function on the other hand depends on reliability of bridges
and gateways. There is always a risk that a LAN might become
isolated due to a failure in a bridge.
 The MAN must be compatible with both existing as well as future
Compatibility networks. Much attention must be given to compatibility as this is
an important issue on MAN networks.

The network system must be easy to handle and user friendly. It

Human Factors should be pretty good in terms of user adaptability, therefore
educating the service provider and the customers might be an
important strategy.

A MAN spreads across a huge area and serve a large number of

Network users. Therefore, the MAN system must provide network
management that allows evaluation of customer utilizing of network
Management
resources and services to the central organization which installs and
operates the MAN system.
Source: Author’s work adopted from Sadiku (1994: p.23-24).

1.1.3 Wide Area Network (WAN)

WANS can interconnect many number of LANs and MANs, and is considered as a
communication network that connects geographically separated areas (Karris 2009: p.19).
According to LINFO (2016), WANs are commonly implemented in enterprise networking
environments to link their offices which are located at different corners of the world. It also
states that internet which is an example of a WAN system is the largest of its kind. The following
table demonstrates some of the constraints and benefits of WAN systems.
Task 02

2.1 Network Technologies

2.1.1 Local Area Network Technology

Local Area Networks (LANS) were developed in the 1980s, starting with Ethernet and quickly
followed by token ring and others. They enable members of any organization to share databases,
applications, files, messages, and resources such as servers, printers, and internet connections.
The promised benefits of LANs are often too compelling to ignore: improved productivity,
increased flexibility, and cost savings. These benefits spark the initial move from main-frame
based data centers to a more distributed model of computing, which continues today. The
impetus for this “downsizing” can come from several directions, including:

 Senior Management, who are continuously looking for ways to streamline operations to
improve financial performance.
 End Users, who are becoming more technically proficient, resent the gatekeeper
function of data center staff, and want immediate access to data that they perceive as
belonging to them. In the process, they benefit from being more productive and in their
ability to make better and faster decisions, which comes from increased job autonomy.
 IT management, who are responding to budget cutbacks or scarce resources, and are
looking for ways to do more using less powerful computers.

From their own perspectives, LANs represent the most feasible solution. With PCs now well
entrenched in corporate offices, individuals, work groups, and departments have become
acutely aware of the benefits of controlling information resources and of the need for data
coordination. In becoming self-sufficient and being able to share resources via LANs, users
have become empowered to better control their own destinies within the organization. For
instance, they can increase the quality and timeliness of their decision making, execute
transactions faster, and become more responsive to internal and external constituencies- all
without the need to confront a gatekeeper in the data center.
 In many cases, this arrangement has the potential of moving accountability to the lowest
common point in the organization, where many end-users think it properly belongs. This
scenario also has the potential of peeling back layers of bureaucracy that have traditionally
stood between users and centralized resources. IT professionals eventually discovered that
it was in their best interest to gain control over LANs, enabling them to justify their existence
within the organization by using their technical expertise to keep LANs secure and operating
at peak performance. Further, there was the need to assist users, who were not technically
savvy. Rendering assistance helped companies get the most out of their technology
investments.

1.2 Networking Standards

1.2.1 The IEEE 802 Family

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE) is one of the largest professional
organizations in the world, and is extremely influential with regard to setting standards. In
February of 1980, the IEEE implemented a task force to develop a set of standards for
connectivity between Network Interface Cards (NICs) and transmission media. This task force
was known as the 802 committee. This 802 committee was broken down into several different
sub-committees that were each responsible for some different implementation of data transfer
that occurs at the Data Link level of the OSI model. These IEEE standards have also been
adopted by ISO, and they are referred to as ISO 8802.
Task 03

3.1 Importance of Protocols in Data Communication

3.1.1 Introduction to Protocols

When two humans converse, they may have to use the same language but they generally
understand each other without having to adhere to rigid rules of grammar or formal language
frameworks. Computers, on the other hand, have to have everything explicitly defined and
structured. If computers wish to communicate with one another, they have to know in advance
exactly how information is to be exchanged and precisely what the format will be. Therefore,
standard methods of transmitting and processing various kinds of information are used and these
methods are called "protocols". Protocols are established by international agreement and ensure
that computers everywhere can talk to one another. There are a variety of protocols for different
kinds of information and functions. This article will discuss some of the common protocols that
the average PC user is likely to encounter.

3.1.2 Communication Protocols

Communication protocols are basically all of the communications between devices, protocols
in general are a pre-defined sets of rules which are used to split data up in order for it to be sent
in a particular way. The following reasons are why communication protocols are important:

 Private communication capabilities

 Authentication messages

 Error checking

 Breaking up data into blocks, also known as “packets”

Listed above this are some of the main functions for some of the protocols in the TCP/IP suite.
There is also some extra importance what communication protocols bring, without all of the
things listed below there would be no organised, or any secure types of communication
occurring between any computers in the network, or even the internet. Many of the protocols
included inside the TCP/IP suite control how the computers send messages, how to handshake,
and this also includes repairing broken and incomplete messages. Listed below are some of the
main functions of communication protocols, and what makes them important:

 Detection of the network connection, it can be wireless or wired

 Handshaking

 How to format communication messages

 How to send and receive messages

 Handle various connections

 Correction of broken and incomplete messages

 Termination of the session, or connection

All of the above manage, and tell the computers how to send and receive data, without this there
would be not communication between the computers at all. This is all one through protocols,
these are the pre-defined rules set, to let the computers communicate in a uniformed way. If
these did not exist, then the computer systems would not be able to run in a network, or do any
forms of communication in a networked level. Also, the protocols prevent errors occurring, and
if they do then they can also be repaired, which prevents the same data being sent again, and
again using up bandwidth when it isn’t needed (Mitchel 2015).

3.2 Roles of Different Protocols

3.2.1 Transfer Internet Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol) are two different procedures
that are often linked together. The linking of several protocols is common since the functions
of different protocols can be complementary so that together they carry out some complete task.
The combination of several protocols to carry out a particular task is often called a "stack"
because it has layers of operations. In fact, the term "TCP/IP" is normally used to refer to a
whole suite of protocols, each with different functions. This suite of protocols is what carries
out the basic operations of the Web (Kessler 2014). TCP/IP is also used on many local area
networks. The details of how the Web works are beyond the scope of this article but I will
briefly describe some of the basics of this very important group of protocols. More details can
be found in the references in the last section.

When information is sent over the Internet, it is generally broken up into smaller pieces or
"packets". The use of packets facilitates speedy transmission since different parts of a message
can be sent by different routes and then reassembled at the destination. It is also a safety measure
to minimize the chances of losing information in the transmission process. TCP is the means
for creating the packets, putting them back together in the correct order at the end, and checking
to make sure that no packets got lost in transmission. If necessary, TCP will request that a packet
be resent.

Internet Protocol (IP) is the method used to route information to the proper address. Every
computer on the Internet has to have its own unique address known as the IP address. Every
packet sent will contain an IP address showing where it is supposed to go. A packet may go
through a number of computer routers before arriving at its final destination and IP controls the
process of getting everything to the designated computer. Note that IP does not make physical
connections between computers but relies on TCP for this function. IP is also used in
conjunction with other protocols that create connections (Oliver 1999).

3.2.2 User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Internet Control Message Protocol
(ICMP)

Another member of the TCP/IP suite is User Datagram Protocol (UDP). (A datagram is almost
the same as a packet except that sometimes a packet will contain more than one datagram.) This
protocol is used together with IP when small amounts of information are involved. It is simpler
than TCP and lacks the flow-control and error-recovery functions of TCP. Thus, it uses fewer
system resources (Protocols n.d).
A different type of protocol is Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). It defines a small
number of messages used for diagnostic and management purposes. It is also used by Ping and
Traceroute.

3.2.3 Mail Protocols POP3 and SMTP

Email requires its own set of protocols and there are a variety, both for sending and for receiving
mail. The most common protocol for sending mail is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).
When configuring email clients, an Internet address for an SMTP server must be entered. The
most common protocol used by PCs for receiving mail is Post Office Protocol(POP). It is now
in version 3 so it is called POP3. Email clients require an address for a POP3 server before they
can read mail. The SMTP and POP3 servers may or may not be the same address. Both SMTP
and POP3 use TCP for managing the transmission and delivery of mail across the Internet.

A more powerful protocol for reading mail is Interactive Mail Access Protocol (IMAP). This
protocol allows for the reading of individual mailboxes at a single account and is more common
in business environments. IMAP also uses TCP to manage the actual transmission of mail.

3.2.4 Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Web pages are constructed according to a standard method called Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML). An HTML page is transmitted over the Web in a standard way and format known as
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). This protocol uses TCP/IP to manage the Web
transmission.

A related protocol is "Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer" (HTTPS), first
introduced by Netscape. It provides for the transmission in encrypted form to provide security
for sensitive data.

3.2.5 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) lives up to its name and provides a method for copying files over
a network from one computer to another. More generally, it provides for some simple file
management on the contents of a remote computer. It is an old protocol and is used less than it
was before the World Wide Web came along. Today, Its primary use is uploading files to a Web
site. It can also be used for downloading from the Web but, more often than not, downloading
is done via HTTP.
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