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Network Software

Network software encompasses a broad range of software used for designing, implementing, operating, and monitoring computer networks. With software-defined networking, the software is separated from the hardware, making it more adaptable to changing network needs. Key functions of network software include setting up computer networks, enabling access to network resources, managing users, defining data storage locations, and protecting the network from security threats.

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Yash Sankhla
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321 views

Network Software

Network software encompasses a broad range of software used for designing, implementing, operating, and monitoring computer networks. With software-defined networking, the software is separated from the hardware, making it more adaptable to changing network needs. Key functions of network software include setting up computer networks, enabling access to network resources, managing users, defining data storage locations, and protecting the network from security threats.

Uploaded by

Yash Sankhla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NETWORK SOFTWARE

Network software encompasses a broad range of software used for the design,
implementation, and operation and monitoring of computer networks.
Traditional networks were hardware-based with software embedded. With the
advent of Software-Defined Networking (SDN), the software is separated from
the hardware thus making it more adaptable to the ever-changing nature of
the computer network.

Functions of Network Software:-

1. Helps to set up and install computer networks

2. Enables users to have access to network resources in a seamless manner

3. Allows administrations to add or remove users from the network

4. Helps to define locations of data storage and allows users to access that data

5. Helps administrators and security system to protect the network from data
breaches, unauthorized access and attacks on a network

6. Enables network virtualizations


SDN Framework
The Software-Defined Networking framework has three layers:

• Application Layer: SDN applications reside in the Application Layer. The


applications convey their needs for resources and services to the control layer
through APIs.

• Control Layer: The Network Control Software, bundled into the Network
Operating System, lies in this layer. It provides an abstract view of the
underlying network infrastructure. It receives the requirements of the SDN
applications and relays them to the network components.

• Infrastructure Layer: Also called the Data Plane Layer, this layer contains the
actual network components. The network devices reside in this layer that
shows their network capabilities through the Control to data-Plane Interface
ARCNET
 ARCNET is a widely-installed local area network (LAN) technology that
uses a token-bus scheme for managing line sharing among the
workstations and other devices connected to the LAN.
 The LAN server continuously circulates empty message frames on a bus
(a line in which every message goes through every device on the line and
a device uses only those with its address).
 When a device wants to send a message, it inserts a “token” (this can be
as simple as setting a token bit to 1) in an empty frame in which it also
inserts the message.
 When the destination device or LAN server reads the message, it resets
the token to 0 so that the frame can be reused by any other device. The
scheme is very efficient when traffic increases since all devices are
afforded the same opportunity to use the shared network.
Ethernet
 Ethernet is the traditional technology for connecting wired local area
networks (LANs), enabling devices to communicate with each other via
a protocol — a set of rules or common network language.
 Ethernet describes how network devices can format and transmit data
packets so other devices on the same local or campus area network
segment can recognize, receive and process them.
 An Ethernet cable is the physical, encased wiring over which the data
travels. Any device accessing a geographically localized network using a
cable — i.e., with a wired rather than wireless connection — likely uses
Ethernet — whether in a home, school, or office setting.
 From businesses to gamers, diverse end users depend on the benefits of
Ethernet connectivity, including reliability and security.
 Compared to wireless LAN technology, Ethernet is typically less
vulnerable to disruptions — whether from radio wave interference,
physical barriers, or bandwidth hogs.
 It can also offer a greater degree of network security and control than
wireless technology, as devices must connect using physical cabling —
making it difficult for outsiders to access network data or hijack
bandwidth for unsanctioned devices.

How Ethernet works


The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) specifies in the
family of standards called IEEE 802.3 that the Ethernet protocol touches both
Layer 1 — the physical layer — and Layer 2 — the data link layer — on the OSI
network protocol model. Ethernet defines two units of transmission: packet
and frame.

The frame includes not just the payload of data being transmitted, but also:
• the physical media access control (MAC) addresses of both the sender and
receiver;

• VLAN tagging and quality of service information; and

• error correction information to detect transmission problems.

Each frame is wrapped in a packet that contains several bytes of information to


establish the connection and mark where the frame starts.

Engineers at Xerox first developed Ethernet in the 1970s. Ethernet initially ran
over coaxial cables, while a typical Ethernet LAN today uses special grades of
twisted pair cables or fiber optic cabling.

Early Ethernet connected multiple devices into network segments through


hubs — Layer 1 devices responsible for transporting network data — using
either a daisy chain or star topology.

If two devices that share a hub try to transmit data at the same time,
however, the packets can collide and create connectivity problems.

To alleviate these digital traffic jams, the IEEE developed the Carrier Sense
Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol, which allows
devices to check whether a given line is in use before initiating new
transmissions.

Later, Ethernet hubs largely gave way to network switches, their more
sophisticated and modern counterparts.

Because a hub cannot discriminate between points on a network segment, it


can’t send data directly from point A to point B. Instead, whenever a network
device sends a transmission via an input port, the hub copies the data and
distributes it to all the available output ports.

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