Chapter 1

Introducing Computer Network

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What is a Network?
A network is a connection between terminals, computers, servers,
and components which allows for the easy flow of data and use of
resources between one another.
Different networks that we come across in our day to day life are
telephone network, cable T.V network, transport network of a city
etc.

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Introducing Computer Networking

Elementary Form of Computer

Networking

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Stand-alone environment

Introducing Computer Networking

The sneaker net

A simple computer network

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What is a Computer Network?

Computer networking means sharing of data and resources
between two or more computers with a communication between
them through a medium. The communication medium can be
through radio waves, wires (Ethernet cable), leased lines, router,
infrared, optical fibers etc.

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Networking Application Areas

Sharing information (or data).
Sharing resources (hardware and software).
Centralizing administration and support

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Sharing Information
The ability to share information quickly and inexpensively has
proven to be one of the most popular uses of networking technology.
The computer can help you centralize the information and maintain
control over it
By making information available for sharing, networks can reduce
the need for paper communication, increase efficiency, and make
nearly any type of data available simultaneously to every user who
needs it. Managers can use these utilities to communicate quickly
and effectively with large numbers of people and to organize and
schedule meetings with people drawn from an entire company or
business enterprise far more easily than was previously possible.
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Sharing Hardware Resources

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Sharing Software Resources

Networks can be used to share and standardize applications, such
as word processors, spreadsheets, inventory databases, and so on,
to ensure that everyone on the network is using the same
applications and the same versions of those applications. This
allows documents to be shared easily and creates training
efficiencies: it is easier for people to master one word processing
application thoroughly than to try to learn four or five different word
processing applications.

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Centralizing Administration and Support

Electronic-mail (e-mail):
Preserving Information
Protecting Information
A network provides a more
Administrator can centrally install and configure
the software and also restrict access to the
software. It is easier than doing it on every one of
the computers in an organization.
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Understanding Networking Architecture

Explaining Client, Server and Peers
Explaining Server (domain) / Client Networks
Explaining Peer Networks
Explaining Hybrid Networks

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Identifying Components of Network

Client computers
Server computers:
Network interface cards (NICs):
Cable:
Switches:
Wireless networks:
Network software:

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Identifying Types of Network

LAN (Local area network)
PAN (Personal area network)
MAN (Metropolitan area network)
WAN (Wide area network)

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What is a Topology?
In Computer Networking topology refers to the layout or design of
the connected devices. Network Topologies can be physical or
logical.
Physical Topology means the physical design of a network
including the devices, location and cable installation.
Logical Topology refers to the fact that how data actually transfers
in a network as opposed to its design.

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Identifying Main Types of Physical Topologies

Bus
Ring
Star
Mesh
Hybrids

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Explaining Bus Topology

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Explaining Bus Topology continue

All workstations connect to the same cable segment
Commonly used for implementing Ethernet at 10mbps
The cable is terminated at each end
Wiring is normally done point to point
A faulty cable or workstation will take the entire LAN down
Two wire, generally implemented using coaxial cable during the
1980's

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Explaining Bus Topology continue

There are THREE common wiring implementations for bus
networks
10Base2 (thin-net, Cheaper Net) 50-ohm cable using BNC
T connectors, cards provide transceiver
10Base5 (Thick Net) 50-ohm cable using 15-pin AUI D-type
connectors and external transceivers
10BaseT (UTP) UTP cable using RJ45 connectors and a
wiring centre

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Explaining Bus Topology continue

Computers can connect to coaxial cables on a bus by tapping
directly through the core of the cable. The vampire taps pierce the
thick net cable but not the BNC.

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Explaining Bus Topology continue

BNC-style T-connectors make attaching computers to a bus a
simpler operation. This is shown in the following figure.

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Ethernet 802.3: Carrier Sense Multiple Access

with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)
Multiple access refers to the fact that in bus systems,
each station has access to the common cable.
Carrier sense refers to the fact that each station listens to
see if no other station is transmitting before sending data.
Collision detection refers to the principle of listening to
see if other stations are transmitting whilst we are
transmitting.

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Physical Bus Cable Limits

10Base2 Thin Ethernet Network Layout

Limitations

Maximum number of trunk segments = 5

Maximum trunk segment length = 607 feet (185 meters)
Maximum network trunk cable = 3035 feet (925 meters)
Maximum number of stations on a trunk segment = 30
Minimum distance between t connectors = 1.5 feet (0.5 meters)

Rules

Each end of the trunk segment is terminated in 50-ohms

One of the terminators is grounded
Connector splices are kept to a minimum

Cabling

BNC-T type connectors

RG58-AU 50-ohm cable, 0.2"

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Physical Bus Cable Limits continue

A 10Base2 Thin Ethernet Network Layout

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10Base5 Thick Ethernet Network Layout

Limitations

Maximum number of trunk segments = 5

Maximum trunk segment length = 1640 feet (500 meters)

Maximum network trunk cable = 8200 feet (2500 meters)

Maximum number of stations on a trunk segment = 100

Minimum distance between transceivers = 8 feet (2.5 meters)

Maximum transceiver cable length = 165 feet (50 meters)

Rules

Each end of the trunk segment is terminated in 50-ohm

One of the terminators is grounded

Connector splices are kept to a minimum

Cabling

Transceivers 802.3

50-ohm cable RG-11

Male DIX connector

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10Base5 Thick Ethernet Network Layout

A 10Base5 Thick Ethernet Network Layout

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10BaseT UTP Network Layout

Limitations

Maximum segment length of 100 Meters

Hub to Hub or repeater to repeater links limited to 100 Meters

Rules

Star topology
4 repeater/5 segment rule of 10base5 is retained
Only two nodes per segment are allowed

Cabling

RJ-45 Connectors
Category 3 UTP minimum, preferably Category 5

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10BaseT UTP Network Layout

A 10Base5 Thick Ethernet Network Layout

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Bus Network Topology Summary

Advantages

Disadvantages

Easy to implement

Limits on cable length

and
Workstation
numbers
Difficult
to
network faults

Low Cost

isolate

A cable fault affects all

workstations
As the number of
workstations increase,
the speed of the
network slows down

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Explaining Ring Topology

The main features are:
Workstations connect to the ring
Faulty workstations can be bypassed
More cabling required than bus
The connectors used tend to cause a lot of problems
Commonly used to implement token ring at 4 and 16 Mbps
Four wire, generally STP or UTP

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Explaining Ring Topology continue

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Physical Implementation of a Ring Network

Each workstation is connected back to a Multiple Access Unit (MAU), which

supports up to eight workstations. Additional MAU are cascaded to provide
greater workstation numbers.

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IEEE 802.5 Token Ring

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IEEE 802.5 Token Ring

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IEEE 802.5 Token Ring

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IEEE 802.5 Token Ring

Either

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IEEE 802.5 Token Ring

Or

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Physical Ring Cable Limits: TOKEN RING

NETWORK LAYOUT

Limitations

Maximum number of workstations = 96

Maximum number of 8228 MAU's = 12

Maximum patch cable distance between an 8228 MAU and a station (not including 8'
adapter cable) = 150 feet (45 meters)

Maximum patch cable distance between two 8228's = 150 feet (45 meters)

Maximum patch cable connecting all 8228's = 400 feet (120 meters)

Rules

Stations are connected into the jacks of the 8228 units

Patch cables interconnect RO to RI for 8228 units.

The last RO is connected to the first RI to form a ring.

Cable

Patch cables generally type 6 (26 awg) or 1 (22 awg)

Type 1 for lengths > 66 feet (20 meters)

IBM 8310574 MIC connectors

Alternatively, UTP with RJ45 connectors

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Ring Topology: Summary

Advantages
Cable failures
limited users
Equal
users

access

Disadvantages
affect
for

Each workstation
full
access
speed to the ring

all
has

Costly Wiring
Difficult Connections
Expensive
Cards

As
workstation
numbers
increase
performance diminishes
slightly

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Adaptor

Explaining Star Topology

The main features are:

All wiring is done from a central point (the server or hub)

Each node (file server, workstations, and peripherals) connected
directly to a central network hub or concentrator
Data on a star network passes through the hub or concentrator
before continuing to its destination
The hub or concentrator manages and controls all functions of the
network. It also acts as a repeater for the data flow
Has the greatest cable lengths of any topology (and thus uses the
most amount of cable)
This configuration is common with twisted pair cable; however, it
can also be used with coaxial cable or fiber optic cable

Generally STP or UTP, four wire

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Star Topology

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Star-Wired Ring
A star-wired ring topology may appear (externally) to be the same as
a star topology. Internally, the MAU (multistation access unit) of a
star-wired ring contains wiring that allows information to pass from
one device to another in a circle or ring. The Token Ring protocol
uses a star-wired ring topology

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Star Topology: Summary

Advantages

Disadvantages

Easy
to
add
workstations

new

Centralized control
Centralized
network/hub
monitoring

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Hub failure cripples all

workstations
connected to that hub
Hubs are slightly more
expensive than thinEthernet

Explaining FDDI Topology

The main features are:
Has a speed of 100 Mbps
Normally implemented over fiber optic (fast-Ethernet, UTP)
Dual redundancy built in by use of primary and secondary
ring
Automatic bypassing and isolation of faulty nodes

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Explaining FDDI Topology

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Fiber Distributed Data Interface

FDDI is based on two counter rotating 100-Mbit/sec token-passing
rings. The rings consist of point to point wiring between nodes which
repeat the data as it is received.
The primary ring is used for data transmission; the secondary is
used for data transmission or to back up the primary ring in the
event of a link or station failure. FDDI supports a sustained transfer
rate of about 80Mbps, a maximum of 1000 connections (500 nodes)
and a total distance of 200 kilometers end to end. There is a
maximum distance of 2 kilometers between active nodes.

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FDDI Station Types

There are two main types of stations, class A which attach directly to
dual rings; or class B which attach to a station acting as a
concentrator.
A concentrator is a specialized workstation that attaches to the ring
and has multiple ports that allow attachment of other devices in a
physical star configuration. These may be cascaded.

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Explaining Mesh Topology

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Understanding Hybrid Networks

Hybrid networks are the complex networks, which can be built of
two or more above mentioned topologies .

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Tree Network

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Hierarchical Star Network

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Star-Wireless Network

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Considerations When Choosing a Topology

Money. A linear bus network may be the least expensive way to

install a network; you do not have to purchase concentrators.
Length of cable needed. The linear bus network uses shorter
lengths of cable.
Future growth. With a star topology, expanding a network is easily
done by adding another concentrator.
Cable type. The most common cable in schools is unshielded
twisted pair, which is most often used with star topologies.

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Understanding Wi-Fi Connectivity

What Is Wi-Fi?
The very short version is that Wi-Fi is a way for
wireless devices to communicate. Wi-Fi, short for
wireless fidelity, is the Wi-Fi Alliance's name for a
wireless

standard,

or

protocol,

used

for

communication, Known collectively as IEEE 802.11.

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wireless

The 802.11 Standard and Its Variations

Generally, the core 802.11 standard is intended to specify a way for
computers to network using the 2.4GHz and 5GHz free spectrums.
(When computers network, it is said that they are forming a local
area network, or LAN. When computers network wirelessly, it is
called a Wireless LAN, or WLAN.)

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The 802.11b Standard

The key things to know about 802.11b:
The 802.11b standard uses the 2.4GHz spectrum.
The 802.11b standard uses a technology called Direct
Sequence

Spread

Spectrum

(DSSS)

to

minimize

interference with other devices transmitting on the 2.4GHz

spectrum.
The 802.11b standard has a theoretical throughput speed
of 11 megabytes per second (Mbps).

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The 802.11a and 802.11g Standards

The 802.11a standard uses the 5GHz band for transmission, which
minimizes the possibility of interference with the plethora of 2.4GHz
devices out there (think microwaves, garage door openers, and so on) and
promises a theoretic throughput of 24Mbps.

Still newer than 802.11a, 802.11g operates on the 2.4GHz spectrum and
boasts throughput as fast as 54Mbps.

In other words, both 802.11a and 802.11g show the promise of being
considerably faster than 802.11b.

The chief advantage of 802.11a is that it will run into less interruption from
other devices because it does not use the crowded 2.4 GHz band.

Moving to 802.11a has some pluses and minuses, but moving to 802.11g
is a no-brainerbecause 802.11g systems are backward-compatible with
802.11b, and faster. This backward compatibility of 802.11g devices is a
requirement for Wi-Fi certification.

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The 802.11i Standard

The IEEE is in the process of developing a new security standard
for 802.11 that is named 802.11i. The Wi-Fi Alliance has released a
subset of the 802.11i standard that the Alliance has developed
called "Wi-Fi Protected Access."

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Understanding Half- and Full-Duplex Modes

Half-duplexCollision detection is turned on The device can only send

or receive at any given time Devices connected to a hub must use
half-duplex communication Up to the rated bandwidth (10 Mbps for
10BaseT, 100 Mbps for 100BaseT, etc.)
Full-duplexCollision detection is turned off The device can send and
receive at the same time Requires full-duplex capable NICs
Requires switches with dedicated switch ports (a single device per
port) Double the rated bandwidth (20 Mbps for 10BaseT, 200 Mbps
for 100BaseT, etc.)

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