MI0035 Computer Networks Descriptive Qns
MI0035 Computer Networks Descriptive Qns
1. Expound on the term Gateway. What is Gateway- 5 marks Gateway is a network access point which serves as an entry or exit point of a network. In addition to the interconnectivity
offered by routers and bridges, gateways offer connectivity and conversion between all the layers of the seven-layered OSI
(Open Systems Interconnection) model. The function of gateways can be carried out by hardware, software, or both.
Gateways can interlink two networks operating at different protocols, as a result of which their processing is slower than that
of bridges or routers. A gateway is an important aspect of some routers, although other devices (such as any PC or server)
can operate as a gateway.
But, there is a drawback of using a gateway—that it becomes the bottleneck during the period of traffic congestion due to its
slow processing rate. Gateways are also known as protocol converters. Proxy and firewall servers/network appliances in
organisations are also built around the gateways.
Refer section-2.2.12
2. Expound on the term Physical layer. What is Physical layer- 5 marks The physical layer of the OSI model consists of the wire or media whereby the network signal is conducted. The layer
includes hardware such as wires, plugs and sockets, and signal generators. It is responsible for passing bits to and from the
connecting medium. This layer conveys the bit stream through the network at the electrical and mechanical level. It
provides the hardware for sending and receiving data.
The physical layer provides the electrical and mechanical interface to the transmission medium. This layer gives the data
link layer (layer 2) the ability to transport a stream of serial data bits between two communicating systems. It conveys the
bits along the cable. This layer is responsible for ensuring that the raw bits move from one location to another.
Refer section-2.5.1
3. Expound on the term Data link layer. What is Data link layer- 5 In the Data link layer of the OSI model, the physical transfer, framing (the assembly of data into a single unit or block), flow
marks control, and error-control functions over a single transmission link are handled. This layer is also responsible for getting the
data packaged for the physical layer. The data link layer provides the network layer (layer 3) reliable information-transfer
capabilities.
The data link layer is also called Line or Media access layer. It controls access to the physical network hardware. The data
link is responsible for node-to-node validity and integrity of the transmission. It provides packet framing and media-level
addressing. Link-level standards include Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and wide area
network protocols such as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). The data link layer is media-dependent. It is responsible for
packaging and placing data on the network media and managing the flow process of the bit stream.
Refer section-2.5.2
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. Explain the types of networks. • Local Area Network-2 Marks Commonly, there three types of a computer network:
•Metropolitan Area Network-
2 Marks Local Area Network: When several computers are connected by means of hardware and software in a small range, then
such a group of computers is called a LAN. It is confined to a small range such as a building, a school, or a college campus;
•Wide Area Network- 1 Mark home; etc. and can be either wired or wireless (WLAN). LANs usually comprise desktop PC, printers, servers to mainframes
and many other devices. Routers are not used in LAN construction in most of the cases. However, if they are present, LAN
becomes inter-network LAN.
Metropolitan Area Network: MAN is a bigger version of a LAN and its technology is also similar to a LAN. It provides network
coverage over a range lying between LAN and WAN. In other words, MAN covers a range of area which is larger than the
area covered by a LAN but smaller than the area covered by a WAN. MAN generally connects two or more LANs or Campus
Area Networks (CANs). It usually acts as a backbone, connecting several LANs owned by an organisation.
Wide Area Network: WAN is a type of network used to cover a wide geographical area or region. WANs can be
interconnected with LANs. WAN links different metropolitans, countries, and national boundaries, thereby, enabling easy
communication. A
WAN may be located entirely within a state or country, or it may be interconnected around the world.
Refer Section-3.2
2. Expound on the terms Email and Voice mail. •Email - 2.5 Marks Email: An email refers to electronic mail. This application lets organisations avoid long distance telephone calls which
•Voice Mail- 2.5 Marks involve huge costs and long minutes. The organisations can share production schedules and inventory levels using email to
ship products from one country to another. The Internet and email have become so important for management as they
enable them to maintain close watch on the employees. Groupware facilitates the individuals, teams, and workgroups at
different locations in the organisation to participate in discussion forums, and share documents and projects.
Voice mail: A voice mail helps in communicating verbally. The spoken message of a sender is digitally transmitted over a
network and is stored on a disk. It can be retrieved by the recipient easily, since it is reconverted into audio form. The
recipients have an option of saving these messages for use in future by either deleting them or routing them to other users.
Refer Section-3.5
3. Expound on the terms Fax machine and •Fax Machine - 2.5 Marks Fax machine: A fax machine transmits documents, containing both text and graphics, using ordinary telephone lines. This
Teleconferencing. •Teleconferencing- 2.5 Marks machine scans and digitises the document image which is transmitted over a network and is reproduced by the receiving
machine in the form of a hardcopy.
Teleconferencing: This meeting through a telecommunications medium allows communication between people who are
hundreds or thousands of miles apart, by enabling them to meet electronically using teleconferencing, data conferencing,
or video conferencing. When teleconferencing helps people at distant locations to work on the same document or data at
the same time, it is called Data conferencing. The users at various distant locations are able to access and alter data. When
during the teleconferencing the participants are able to see others on a video screen, it is called Video conferencing.
Refer Section-3.5
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. What are the elements of a communication • Message - 1 Mark The data exchange between a computer and its components by means of protocols and hardware equipment makes a well-defined
system? communication system. The five principal elements of a communication system can be delineated as:
• Sender - 1 Mark
• Receiver - 1 Mark a. Message: The data which is intended to be sent and meet right interpretation over a network is known as a message. It can be in the
• Transmission Medium - 1 Mark form of text, image, or audio/video files.
• Protocol - 1 Mark
b. Sender: It is both the person and the medium that person is using for transmitting the intended message. A message can be sent by
email, fax, telephone, etc.
c. Receiver: It is both the person and the medium through which that person is receiving the transmitted message. As soon as a message
is sent, the receiver will receive it at the other end. The receiver can also receive a message on a similiar machine which is being used by
the sender to send the message, e.g. fax, telephone, etc.
d. Transmission Medium: It is a medium through which the data is transferred between the sender and receiver. The source of a
transmission could be a wire or no wire at all. It can also be twisted-pair wire, coaxial cable, fibre optic, or radio waves.
e. Protocol: The protocol is defined as a prescribed procedure used in a communication system, which must be followed by all the
computers and their users dealing in that communication system. For example, two computers cannot excahange data between each other
if they don't follow the protocol of the communication system.
Refer Section-4.4
2. Discuss the concept of Data communication. Concept of Data Communication-5 Data communication refers to sharing of data in a networking environment. The sharing of data can be through wired or wireless networks. To the
Marks professional world, where data-sharing is a necessity in the routine, Communication Technology has caused a new era by making things fast and
accurate, esp. the communication of any kind of data. This technology cum boon can be defined as the involvement of technological instruments for
data communication which make it more efficient and effective. These technological instruments include telephone, cellular phone, computer, pager,
and many such other devices which can be used as a medium for communication. The introduction of Communication Technology for the sharing of
data in business has completely changed the way of functioning of the organisational processes. Although most organisations have not shown yet
much of interest in adopting it, there has been seen a rise in the adoption of communication technologies lately, keeping in mind the benefits it
provides to business functioning. Among the major benefits of Communication Technology, speedier functioning of business through communication
and benefits of effective communications were anticipated, which has been realised to an extent.
Refer Section-4.2
3. What is the importance of data communication Business Advantages of Data The advantages of data communication are many; and to every business organisation, they are different as the data communication has its own role in
to a business? Communication- 5 Marks each. The advantages of data communication can be summed up in following manner:
Besides the above advantages, there are several other indirect benefits of effective communication to an organisation. These benefits are not the mere
reason for the adoption of Communication Technology. The reasons is the conditions of the business environment which generated a need for
adoption of this technology. Communication Technology tools, such as telephone, computer, cellular phones, internet, fax, infrared, bluetooth, web
cam, and microphones, have helped organisations unbelievably in facing the challenging business conditions.
Refer Section-4.3
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. Expound on the term Data compression. Data Compression-5 Marks The compression or reduction in the size of data which is intended for transmission or sharing over a computer network is
called data compression. Due to widespread use of multimedia, the size of data is increasing; therefore, organisations are
using the new technique of data compression. Data is compressed by using some encoding techniques. Sometimes, due to
network issues, data to be transferred over a network can be redundant. Redundancy of data increases the length of the
message. The increase in the length of data leads to an unnecessary load on the bandwidth of the network. Therefore, the
redundant data is required to be
encoded. This encoding reduces the number of bits and also transfers data with improved accuracy.
Data compression plays a vital role when limited bandwidth is available for transmission. It not only reduces the size of data
but also reduces the overall cost and is, therefore, beneficial for an organisation. In a nutshell, data compression compresses
data for ensuring the cost-effective and speedy data transfer.
Refer section-5.2
2. Explain the types of Data compression techniques. • Lossy- 2.5 Marks There are basically two types of data compression techniques which can be summaised in the following manner:
• Lossless- 2.5 Marks
In lossy compression, data is lost due to the compression and cannot be recovered once lost. Lossy compression may be acceptable for
images or voice; but for text, lossless compression is necessarily required. In lossless compression, the lost data can be recovered
exactly in the same amount as it was before compression. Sampling or signal processing of analogue signal is an example of lossless
data. Data can be recovered exactly in the same amount after the sampling of analogue signal.
Compression techniques are in huge demands in a multimedia environment. The quality of the compressed data and consequently of
the decompressed data must be as good as possible.
Refer section-5.2.1
3. Expound on the term Image compression. Image Compression-5 Marks It is no lie that the file extension '.jpg' today is as common as the file extension '.doc'. .jpg or JPEG is an image extension which you often
come across while working on or with the images. JPEG is a technique of compressing an image. It is the Joint Photographic Expert
Group (JPEG) who designed the JPEG algorithm for compressing the digital images. The compression of an image gets completed in
three phases. Each phase uses the image in the 8x8 block.
The first phase is the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) phase, which is used to convert the image`s signal into frequency. The variation
of frequency can be high or low depending upon the picture definition. The low frequency relates to the gross feature of the image. On
the other hand, higher frequencies relate to the finer details of the picture. In essence, DCT is the technique to separate the gross
feature of an image from its fine details. Since there is no loss of image details, DCT is a lossless image compression technique.
In the second phase, the compression of the image turns out to be lossy. Therefore, this phase is also known as Quantisation phase. In
this phase, insignificant bits are deliberately eliminated from the frequency components. A rounding of frequency components is done
with the nearest quantised frequency components. Practically, there are quantisation tables available in JPEG standards which are used
to enhance the digital image compression.
In the third phase, encoding is done on the quantised frequency components to compress the image.
Refer Section-5.2.2
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. Discuss the concept of Data Link Control. Data Link Control-5 Marks A data link control (DLC) refers to a service which is responsible for reliable data communication over a network. It manages
flow control and frame error detection. This service is provided by the data link layer of the OSI model. It basically performs
the following tasks:
a. Ensures reliable transmission of packets and performs flow control so that the sender sending fast frames doesn’t choke a
slow receiver.
b. Perform error detection of frames.
c. Handles error framing that determines the destination of packetisation. It handles packetisation using three approaches
which are length counts, bit-oriented framing, and character-oriented framing.
Refer section-6.2
2. What do you mean by Error detection and Error • Error Detection-2.5 Marks When data is transmitted or received, it may contain multiple errors. The error in data transmission means the difference in
correction? • Error Correction-2.5 Marks the number of bits at the receiving end as compared to the sender’s end. The number of bits at the receiving end might be
greater or lesser than the number of bits sent from the source, irrespective of the transmission media. The transmission
media, such as optical fibre, is less prone to transmission errors as compared to copper cables or wireless transmission.
There can be negligible errors in case of optical fibre. On the other hand, the wireless data transmission and other
communication channels are much more inclined to errors. The only solution is to tackle these errors by deploying various
available techniques. Two techniques have been developed so far to confront errors. These techniques are known as error-
detection and error-correction. In both techniques, large amount of redundant information is appended to data which is to be
transmitted. In error-correcting technique, redundant information is added to the transmitted data. In error-detecting
technique, adequate redundancy is appended to the transmitted data so that the receiver can identify the error, if any.
However, the receiver can only identify the error but not its type. The use of error-correcting codes is also known as Forward
Error Correction (FEC). Each of these techniques can be adept in different networking conditions. The transmission media,
such as optical fibre, produces fewer errors. The deployment of error-detecting code on such type of media is inexpensive.
On the other hand, the wireless transmission media has a high error rate. Therefore, it is advisable to append redundant
code in such types of transmission media to reduce the errors. In support of aforesaid two techniques, one can think of the
type of errors which are expected to occur. In fact, none of the techniques is fully adept at eliminating all transmission errors
due to the presence of appended redundant bits. Moreover, it is not possible that a communication channel could handle
these redundant bits in a different way than the actual bits. On the contrary, the communication channel perceives redundant
bits as actual bits. Therefore, robust code is required to eliminate or detect the expected errors.
Refer section-6.3
3. Explain the function of data link layer. Functions of Data Link Layer-5 The data link layer is one of the layers in the OSI model. Following are the functions of the data link layer:
Marks •Flow Control
•Error Control
•Providing well-defined service interface to network layer, which is another layer of OSI model.
Flow control is the process which imposes some restrictions on data to be transmitted by the sender. The sender is required to wait for
an acknowledgement before continuing to send subsequent slot of data. Sometimes, there can be the possibility of having fast sender
and slow receiver. In such instances, flow control helps in reliable data transmission. Two flow control methods, namely, Stop-and-Wait
and Sliding Window, are there to deal with the flow of transmitted data.
If a frame gets lost, damaged, or corrupted during transmission, then re-transmission of that frame will be called error control. Error
control technique is also known as Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ). In this technique, if data transmitted by the sender arrives on the
receiver without any problem, then receiver reverts by sending an acknowledgement (ACK). Contrary to this, if data to be transmitted
gets lost or corrupted in between, then the receiver sends a negative acknowledgement (NAK). Consequently, sender retransmits the
same data. There is also a provision of the timer with the sender, so that if acknowledgement gets lost in the way, the sender can
retransmit data without any pause. Two main types of ARQ, namely, Stop-and-Wait ARQ and Sliding Window ARQ, are there to deal
with errors.
Refer Section-6.4
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1.Describe the 4-layered TCP/IP Model. Four-layered TCP/IP A brief description on the four layers of the TCP/IP model can be given as follows:
Operations-5 Marks
Network interface layer: TCP/IP does not define the underlying network media and physical connectivity; the physical layer is
not strictly a part of the TCP/IP suite. Physical layer defines the electrical and physical specifications for devices which help
in transmitting data (streams of bit) over the physical medium, such as copper cables or fibre optic cables. Network interface
layer is used to provide a relationship between a device and a physical medium. This layer comprises layout of pins,
voltages, cable specifications, hubs, epeaters, network adapters, Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) (which are used in storage area
networks), etc.
Internet layer: It defines datagrams and handles their routing from one machine to another. The IP used in the Internet layer
is considered to be the building block of the Internet.
Transport layer: End-to-end data delivery from one application program to another is provided by the transport layer and thus
flow of information is regulated. This layer accepts data from multiple application programs which may be running on the
user’s computer simultaneously and sends it to the next lower layer. This additional information which is sent along with
packets specifies which application program is sending it and where the reply is to be directed.
Application layer: It comprises services and protocols which help the applications running over the network. Examples of
such user applications include the file-transfer utilities (FTP and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)); email (Simple
Message Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and remote virtual terminals (TELNET - remote l).
Refer Section-7.2
2. Explain Network Address Translation (NAT) and NAT- 2 Marks Network Address Translation (NAT) is a method used to convert a local IP address of a system into a global and unique IP
also its various types. Its Types- 3 Marks address before the transmission of information takes place over an external network (Internet). NAT technology is used as a
firewall. So if computer in a company network uses local address 127.0.0.1 and it has to communicate to internet public
address like www.google.com, then the request from this computer is passed on by firewall to www.google.com; however,
the IP address by the firewall will be changed (Natted) to public IP address of company. Multiple IP addresses are used
internally by an organisation to join several ISDN connections into a single Internet connection. A system on NAT cannot be
accessed by external network systems.
Refer Section-7.7
3. Discuss Domain Name System (DNS) and the DNS- 2 Marks Domain Name System (DNS) is a facility provided by the TCP/IP which allows you to remember only the name of a site instead of a
various concepts associated with it. lengthy IP address. It is a client/server-based architecture which functions at the Application Layer. Nowadays, the use of Internet
Associated Concepts-3 Marks services is widespread. The name of a site you type in the address bar is converted into an IP address. Suppose, the DNS utility was not
available and you wanted to search for information on any topic from Google. In that case, you had to type 216.239.51.10 instead of
typing www.google.com. The DNS server, after mapping the address, sends the address back to the DNS client and the client displays
the respective webpage as per the request. The various concepts which are associated with the domain name server are explained as
follows:
A name space defines how a domain name and its IP address are arranged in a system. Mapping of each address to its specific name in
the name space is done according to either the Flat name space or the Hierarchical name space. It is of two types: In the Flat name
space, a unique address is allocated to every name. The Flat name space arranges these names and addresses in two columns. The
drawback of this system is that it cannot be used in larger systems. The Hierarchical name space consists of many parts such as the
name, type, and department of an organisation. The Hierarchical name space is a treelike structure (the tree is inverted in this case). In
this system, the central control and authority are assigned to one system which manages a group of other systems.
Refer section-7.8
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1 Explain the term Mobile Networking Technology. • A Brief on Mobile The cellular network is used by the mobile phone network provider to provide coverage to their customers. The cellular
Which mobile networking technologies are popular Networking Technology- 1 network helps the user of a mobile phone to make calls and receive calls, send and receive text and multimedia messages,
today? Mark and to use the Internet. The cellular network is provided in mobile phones with the help of towers. These towers provide
network to mobile users over a particular region. Now, the most important entity that matters is speed in transferring data
• GPRS- 1 Mark over a mobile network, which
• 2G - 1 Mark was achieved by continuous development and upgradation of technologies in the field of mobile communication.The poular
• 3G - 1 Mark mobile networking technolgies are following:
• 4G - 1 Mark
a. General Packet Radio Services (GPRS): It is used to provide a continious connection of the Internet to mobile phone. It
allows the user to access the Internet within the range of 9 Kbps to 171 Kpbs. The GPRS technology is based upon the
technology of GSM which refers Global System for Mobile communication. It is a GSM network which gets converts in
GPRS.
b. 2G: It was introduced to overcome the problems of 1G, as in 1G the speed was quite slow and calls used to drop. The 2G
network is known as GSM which works on the radio frequency band of 900 MHz spectrum.
c. 3G: It is a third generation technology which transfers data at a higher rate in comparison to 2G. It offers higher speed,
higher capacity of network, global roaming, etc., and also supports video conferencing. But for this a 3G-compatible handset
is required.
d. 4G: This is a successor of 3G technology and provides even higher speed, lower latency, and better network
connenctivity.
Refer Section-8.7
2. Discuss Wireless Network and the three vital • Wireless Network-2 Marks Wireless networking allows you to connect different computers on a network by using standard network protocols without
factors affecting it. • Three Vital Factors Affecting cables. For the distribution of data, the wireless network standard (such as Wi-Fi) uses cellular radio signals or links to
It- 1 Mark each provide network connectivity to PCs and laptops through a transmitter/receiver unit (transceiver), generally known as an
Access Point (AP) or Wireless Access Point (WAP). AP or WAP transmits and receives signals to and from wireless network
adapters. The availability, speed, and security of a wireless network are three vital factors affecting how the network sends
and receives signals.
Availability: Weather conditions between the earth and satellites may reduce the power of the signal in a network because
of the interference caused by induced electromagnetic waves due to cloud collision. This distorts the signals, which in turn
affects the transmission of the signals over the network.
Speed: Wireless networks can be slow as compared to their wired equivalents. For instance, a copper-based (wired)
network can give you speed of up to 1000 Mbps on each PC on the network, while a wireless network provides a shared
bandwidth at about 270 Mbps. In terms of speed, wired networks are always ahead of wireless networks. But if mobility
and convenience are concerned, wireless always outweighs the wired network.
Security: As data packets travel through air instead of data cables in a network, there are concerns about the security of
these packets. Therefore, various methods have been designed to overcome security-related issues, which in
turn contributes to the complexity of wireless technology. Radio waves are the signal carrier waves and the packet
transferred through radio waves can be read by anyone. Ultimately, there are more security concerns in wireless
networking in comparison with wired networking.
Bluetooth wireless technology enables you to establish a wireless communication between one bluetooth device, such as
your notebook, and other bluetooth devices, such as another notebook, a mobile phone, camera, or modem station
without any cables.
Refer Section-8.3.1
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. Explain the basic concept of the Internet. Internet- 5 marks In this competitive business world, an organisation needs to communicate with its customers, employees, shareholders,
suppliers, and other parties to explore new ideas and provide relevant information. This can easily be achieved using the
Internet, which is an interconnected computer network connecting two or more computers with the help of gateways such as
routers, switches, or bridges. The Internet is a cost-effective mode of sharing information and is available in almost all
geographical regions. The traditional modes of communication, such as telephone and television, have been redefined and
reshaped with the help of the Internet. For instance, the Internet has facilitated users to interact with individuals across the
world, with the help of instant messaging, chatting, forums, blogs, and social networking. The Internet contains a varied set of
information and resources which can be accessed by users with the help of websites. A website is the address of a resource
which is available on the Web server and can be accessed through Web browsers. These websites contain various
webpages which in turn contain textual or graphical content. Such webpages can be designed with the help of various
markup languages such as:
2. What are the various kinds of Internet • Broadband Connection- 1 The Internet connection can be of different types. Let us first identify the different kinds of Internet connection methods
connection? Mark and the essential hardware and software requirements for setting up an Internet connection.
• Digital Subscriber Line- 1
Mark Broadband connection: This connects your computer straight to the broadband modem. Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) and
• Cable Modem- 1 Mark cable modem are categories of broadband connections.
• Dial-up Connection- 1 Mark
• ISDN-1 Mark Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL): It uses standard telephone wires to connect the computer with the modulator/demodulator
(modem).
Cable modem: It uses co-axial cable in place of telephone wires in the DSL to establish the Internet connection.
Dial-up connection: It uses ordinary telephone lines. A dial-up connection supports both data transmission and voice calls
but not their occurrence simultaneously.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN): It provides the customer with DSL-like services and is more popular than DSL.
Refer Section-9.2.2
3. What do you understand by Setting Pop-up Setting Pop-up Blocker- 5 Pop-ups are small browser windows which appear or pop up when you view Web contents in a Web browser. The pop-ups,
blocker? Marks generally, are produced by advertisers. These pop-ups hamper your work by slowing down the speed of the system. You
can block these pop-ups so that you can smoothly work with the website you are surfing. A pop-up blocker prevents
unsolicited advertisements and unwanted pop-ups. You can turn a pop-up blocker on or off. If you turn on the pop-up filter,
you can also set the filter level to high, medium, or low for blocking up the pop-ups to the desired level. Set the filter level
to high if you want to block all pop-ups, or set it to low or medium as per your preference to see the pop-up windows.
Refer Section-9.2.4
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. What are the components of an optical network? • Transmitter-1.5 Marks The components of an optical network are as follows:
• Light Source-1 Mark
a. Transmitter: It refers to an instrument which converts an electric signal into an optical signal and transmits the signal
• Optical Fibre-1 Mark
along the fibre. Optical transmitters are made up of semiconductor and consists of the following parts:
• Receiver-1.5 Marks
Modulator: This refers to an instrument which modulates or combines the electric signal carrying information with a light
wave to form an optical signal.
Connector: This refers to a device which connects optical fibre to other components such as light source and/or light sensor.
b. Light source: This refers to the devices, such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes, which are made up of
semiconductors.
c. Optical fibre: It refers to a cable which uses light as a transmission medium. It is built up of a core, a cladding, and an
outer buffer coating. The core acts as a light carrier and cladding prevents any light leakage by using the method of total
internal reflection. The core, cladding, and outer buffer coating is used in the cable to respectively carry light signals, reflect
light
signals back into the core, and protect core and cladding from moisture and damage.
d. Receiver: This refers to a device which receives the transmitted optical signal. A receiver consists of the following
components:
Light sensor: It refers to a photo detector which converts light into electricity using the photoelectric effect.
Amplifier: It refers to a device which produces a digital signal in the electric domain and regenerates a new signal from the
attenuated and distorted signal.
Detector: It refers to a device used for signal processing, such as a phased-locked loop which is used for Clock and Data
Recovery (CDR).
Refer Section-10.2
2. Why is optical networking needed? Need of Optical Network- 5 Optical networking has brought about a new revolution in telecommunication industry. The use of optical network components, such as
Marks optical fibre, has gradually increased network capacity and decreased the cost of network infrastructure. It was estimated by
networking experts that the bandwidth of fibre, fibre-optic media increases four times in every 18 months. Over the past couple of
decades, optical fibre has been used to make connections between communication devices such as switches and computers. Today, the
existing electronic communications devices, such as twisted-pair cable and co-axial cable, have reached to their maximum capacity to
carry signals. As a result, optical fibre is now used as a signal carrier between electronic devices. In today’s communication system, only
the existing electrical wires have been replaced by optical fibre and the rest remains the same. The speed and quality of optical
communication systems have predicted the development of a new type of electronic communication which would transmit signals
through optical fibres. SONET and SDH technologies are good examples of the different type of optical communication systems. Experts
are looking ahead to true optical networks in which routing is done optically from one end user to another without the signal ever
becoming electric.
Refer section-10.2.1
3. Delineate the technologies used in optical Optical Network Optical networking has replaced the existing coaxial cable transmission system by a large extent. Nowadays, the following optical
networks. Technology/ies - 5 Marks networking technologies are in use in major countries:
a. SONET and SDH: This denotes U.S. and international standards respectively for optical networks. SONET is the American standard for
fibre-optic communication, whose specification is provided by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). You can visit the ANSI
website, http://www.ansi.org, for current updates on SONET technology. SDH is the international standard for fibre transmission and is
based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specifications. You can visit the ITU website, http://www.itu.int, for current
updates on SDH technology.
b. DWDM: This refers to a technique which enables more than one wavelength to be added to a single-mode fibre to increase the
capacity of the transmission path by a factor equal to the number of wavelengths added.
Refer Section-10.2.4
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1 What is Network management? •Network management: Network management is a domain of computer networking which configures and monitors a network to offer efficient
Discuss its evolution. 2Marks performance, reduced downtime, and better security for the client. Network management system consists of network
•Its Evolution: 3 Marks management software such as IBM Tivoli, HP OpenView, and Computer Associate’s UniCenter, etc., which improve the
performance of a network. It means controlling routing and data traffic, debugging problems, controlling network equipment,
and locating computers violating protocol standards.
Refer Section-11.2
2 Discuss the importance of network •Network Management Network management can be defined as the set of activities, methods, procedures, and tools which are concerned with the
management in business. Introduction-1Mark efficient operation of the systems, devices, and applications on the network. It is responsible for keeping the network and the
• Its Importance- 4Marks services available on the network alive and executing. Network management includes monitoring of the network to detect
problems as early as possible or before any user on the network gets affected. It is also responsible for keeping track of
resources and their assignment on the network. Network management is also responsible for maintenance, repairs, and
upgrades of the devices accessible on the network. A management platform which is just described earlier delivers important
business benefits which are as follows:
1. Decrease operational costs.
2. Enhance operational visibility.
3. Increase system value.
The prior benefits of the system support the following business goals:
a) Enhanced security
b) Quickness of operations
c) Increased efficiency
d) Superior operational consistency
e) Increased profitability
f) Higher customer satisfaction
The successful operation of a network is truly essential for q business. Therefore, organisations use network management to
make operations more efficient and productive. The eventual goal of using network management is to decrease and
minimise the total cost related to the network. The aggregate cost comprises the equipment cost as well as the cost of
operating the network which includes personnel, electricity, physical space, and cost for the operations support infrastructure.
The cost savings make any organisation more competitive from an economic perspective.
Refer Section-11.1
3 Describe the various Network • Payment gateway- 2Marks The network management functions state the steps and methods which are used to efficiently monitor and control a network
Management functions. • Procedure - 3Marks for effective use. Reliable transfer of data over the network is the primary goal of network management functions. The
network management functions are mainly of four types:
a) Operation
b) Maintenance
c) Provisioning
d) Administration
These management functions perform the following tasks such as Network Planning, Access Control, Resource Allocation,
Network Monitoring, Analytics, Security, etc.
The operational function of the network management emphasises on ensuring that the network should be operated
efficiently all the time. For continuous operation of the network, monitoring of the network is required. The analysis of network
data is also needed for finding traces to potential problems. The objective of locating potential problems is to troubleshoot
them before they pose a risk to the network and problem for the end users.
The administrative function of the network management is accountable for all networks resources, their allocation, and
makes sure those resources are used efficiently over the network. In other words, administration focuses on controlling the
network.
The provisioning function is associated with the significant functions of network management which configure the network
for appropriate and effective use. For instance, provisioning may include a new proficiency to the network or providing a
network service to a new customer.
Maintenance comes into the picture from time to time in order to perform tasks such as servicing the network or fixing issues
which remain undetected with network equipment. The maintenance function not only involves repairing of the equipment but
also includes upgrades and addition of equipment to the network as and when required.
To conlude, all the management functions are interrelated and go hand in hand.
Refer Section-11.8
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1 Discuss the impact of e-learning on the Impact of e-Learning on e-Learning is growing at a fast pace and is becoming an important tool for learners of every age group, ranging from school
society. Society-5 Marks going students to professionals, housewives, and retired people. Studies have revealed that e-learning, as a tool is as
efficient as a real instructor or teacher, especially for the demonstrative courses. The impact of e-learning on the society can
be positive and negative both. The positive impact of e-learning is that it provides similar course content to millions of people,
and it acts as a boon for the working class. On the other hand, the adverse impact of e-learning includes apprehensive
employers and high dropout rates.
The strategies for making e-learning successful should be properly developed in order to help and retain learners. The
strategies should be developed to minimise the dropout rate. The strategies may consist design (such as interaction),
management (followup by the instructor), and motivational strategies (such as rewards).
Refer Section-12.2.2
2 Explain the e-Governance Model and • e-Governence Model-2 These days, the government is using e-governance as a means to involve people in administration. At the same time, the
its types. Marks government hopes that e-governance would help it to be more responsive towards the needs and expectations of its citizens.
Since the expectations from the government has increased a lot, the role of e-governance in itself is very important in this
•G2C-1 Mark
regard, and it is in continious demands of citizens, businesses, and the government itself. The e-governance model provides
• G2B-1 Mark three ways of interaction:
• G2G-1 Mark
a. G2C: Government to Citizen or vice versa (that is C2G or Citizen to Government).
b. G2B: Government to Business or vice versa (that is, B2G or Business to Government).
c. G2G: Government to Government.
Refer Section-12.5.2
3 Describe in brief the working of MCA Ministry of Corporate The project named MCA 21 was conceived and implemented by the Ministry of Company Affairs in association with Infosys
portal. Affairs portal-5 Marks to
provide e-governance in the field of Company Law. This project provides the authorised signatories (stakeholders) or
employees of companies, citizens, and investors across the country with access to the online services provided by the
Ministry of Company Affairs. The key services which are available on the MCA 21 portal are as follows:
Refer Section-12.5.3
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. What is Traffic Engineering? Classify • Traffic Engineering-3 Traffic engineering for the Internet is one of the primary concerns of today because effective management and utilisation of
its performance. Marks network and network resources have become important for accomplishing the various requirements of Internet services. The
• Classification of its application of traffic engineering in the Internet deals with the evaluation and optimisation of the performance of operational
Internet Protocol (IP) networks. The controlling, modelling, measuring, and characterising of Internet traffic are encompassed
performance-2 Marks in traffic engineering. The goal of traffic engineering is to provide effective and candid network operations, increasing the
traffic performance, and utilisation of the network resources at the same time.
Traffic-oriented performance: This includes the features that improve the Quality of Service (QoS) for traffic such as
minimisation of delay, maximisation of throughput, and delay variation; hence, all these enhances the efficiency of the
organisation.
Resource-oriented performance: This includes the features pertaining to the increase of resource utilisation.
refer Section-13.6.2
2. What is Traffic Sizing? Discuss the • Traffic Sizing-2 Marks In a network, the data is encapsulated in packets and these packets of data on the network are referred to as traffic. Network
features of its measurement tools. • Features of its traffic can use any protocols and formats, travel in different patterns, and require special methods of processing and handling
the transmission of data over the network. The size of network traffic is measured in bandwidth. Various software tools, such
Measurement Tools-3
as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), sniffer, and Windows Management Instrumentation (which is a Microsoft
Marks Windows based driver model), are used to measure traffic size.
Refer Section-13.3
3. Explain the term Connectivity. Connectivity- 5 Marks Connectivity defines the state in which a computer or the network devices are connected to each other on a network. The
connectivity is very much required in all organisations, since through connectivity, the systems are connected and data is
shared. The requirements for geographic connectivity are the most important factors in traffic patterns due to local
connectivity, current infrastructure, and design of cables.
In some cases, it is possible that some remote locations can have dial-up connectivity, Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL), or
cable access type connectivity to access the networks. A dial-up connection is a connectivity type in which a user is
connected with the network using Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Cable access type connectivity is similar to
the dial-up connectivity, as both of these are connected using a modem. Presently, xDSL is the most frequently used type of
network and a part of Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN), as it does not require any type of connectivity.
Refer Section-13.5
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. Explain the term Biometrics and its modes. • Meaning of Biometric- 3 Biometrics is defined as the process of identifying and authenticating the identity of a user by using physiological and
Marks behavioural characteristics under close observation. Biometrics is based on what a person is, rather than what a person has.
• Modes of Biometric-2 Marks
The modes of biometrics are:
Verification: Refers to a process in which a user’s biometric is compared with stored original information to verify that the
user is who he/she claims to be. It can be done in combination with a smart card, username, or ID number.
Identification: Refers to a process in which a user’s biometric is compared with the biometrics available in a database to
identify an unknown user. The identification of a user succeeds only when the taken biometrics match with the biometrics
sample stored in the database.
2 Define Identification and Authentication. • Meaning of Authentication Identification and authentication are similar terms with a little difference. Identification refers to the process of labeling and recognising
Delineate the various methods of doing them. and Identification-2 Marks a user, whereas authentication refers to the process of verifying whether the user is a valid user or not. These terms are used in access
• Their Methods-3 Marks control, which means controlling the access of users over the network resources and information. In these processes, the user provides
his/her credentials to a computer or network which identifies the user. If the user credentials are correct, the user gains access to the
computer or network resources. However, if the user credentials are incorrect, the user’s request to access the network resources is
rejected. In this way, you can protect your network from unauthorised access and modification.
a. Password: A password is a code, number, word, or string of characters that must be kept secret from others. It is used for
authenticating users over the network to confirm their identity and gain access over the network.
b. Biometrics: Biometrics is defined as the process of identifying and authenticating the identity of a user by using physiological and
behavioural characteristics under close observation.
c. Single Sign-on: In a Single Sign-On (SSO), a user provides the username (ID) and password to the network at the beginning of the
authentication process to log on to the network.
Refer Section-14.7
Integrity: This refers to the accuracy of information or data. In data integrity, the information is accurate, unmodified, precise, and
consistent, implying that the information can only be modified by the authorised user. Data integrity and data accuracy are related to
each other in some of the cases, but this is not always possible. If data integrity is present, the data is accurate. In other words, if data
entering into the network is incorrect, it remains incorrect. This implies that it is possible to have data integrity but not data accuracy.
Availability: This specifies that information must be available when it is needed. The information is available if the following conditions
are satisfied:
a. It is user-friendly.
b. There is fault tolerance in the computer.
c. There is a fair allocation of resources in the computer.
d. There is concurrency control in a database
Refer Section-14.6
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1 What are the objectives and features of a cloud? • Objectives of Cloud-2 Marks The objective of a cloud is to simplify the use of multiple network connections and computers entailed in providing online
• Features of Cloud-3 Marks services. In the present era, implementation of cloud is enhancing the feature of widespread use of the Internet. With the
help of a cloud, any user having the Internet connection can access the services offered by a cloud provider. The word
cloud provides reference to two important concepts, namely, abstraction and virtualisation.
The term abstraction implies that in cloud computing, the details of the implementation of the system are abstracted or
hidden from users and developers. In cloud computing, the details and complexity associated with the working of a physical
system on which applications are running are abstracted. In addition, the management and administration of the systems
are outsourced to the cloud service providers and the users can simply access the desired application from anywhere using
the Internet.
Cloud computing is able to leverage the benefits of virtualisation to meet user requirements. Cloud providers integrate
automation, self-service portal, chargeback, and metering tools to make the entire cloud solution transparent and robust.
Scalability: Allows the users to expand or shrink the accessibility of resources from a centralised location depending on
their requirements.
Multi-tenancy: Allows multiple users to share the resources offered by a single cloud service provider.
Measured cost: Charges the users according to their accessibility. For example, if a user is accessing cloud storage from a
vendor, the vendor will charge the user for the cloud storage service for the amount of data stored by the user.
Refer Section-15.2
2 What are the types of cloud? • Public Cloud- 2 Marks Types of Cloud
• Private Cloud-1 Mark
• Community Cloud-1 Mark Public Clouds: The clouds, accessed or used by the general masses and hosted, are maintained as well as managed by cloud
• Hybrid Cloud-1 Mark service providers, such as the Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. In this type of cloud, the service providers charge the
companies according to their usage.
Private Clouds: In a private cloud, cloud computing infrastructure is solely designed for a single organisation and cannot be
accessed or shared with other organisations. As compared to public clouds, private clouds are more costly and secure.
Community Clouds: The community cloud is a type of cloud that is shared among various organisations with a common tie.
This type of cloud is generally managed by a third party offering the cloud service and can be made available on or off
premises.
Hybrid Clouds: The cloud environment in which various internal or external service providers offer services to various
organisations is known as hybrid cloud. Generally, it is observed that an organisation host applications, which require high
level of security and are critical, on private cloud.
Refer Section-15.2.6
3 What are the applications of Cloud computing? • Email-1 Mark Applications of Cloud Computing
• Backup and Sharing of Files-
1 Mark Email: Sometimes organisations do not implement their own email server for exchanging emails. They utilise cloud for
• Customer Relationship handling emails of their clients and employees. The popular email services such as Gmail, Yahoomail used in organisations
Management-1 Mark are cloud-based.
• Rented Servers-1 Mark
• Editing Documents-1 Mark Backup and file sharing: Organisations often prefer to take backup of their data on cloud instead of taking a backup on a
standalone computer. The benefit of taking backup of data on cloud is that you can gain access to the data from any
location. Cloud service also provides various softwares such as Dropbox, SugarCRM for data backups and files sharing.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Organisations use the CRM system to save details of the customer so that
they can be easily located in case of any future reference. The installation and setting of a CRM system is expensive and
time-consuming. Therefore, organisations prefer to save details of customers on a cloud. The details of customers are easily
available by logging into the Internet.
Rented Servers: Cloud provides flexibility of getting a rented server for setting up a networking environment in an
organisation. Sometimes, for avoiding additional costs of implementing networking server, organisations prefer to pay rent
for a server. This enables an organisation to save upon installation and maintenance cost of the server.
Editing documents: Cloud provides flexibility of editing documents online by providing editing software such as Google
Docs and Office 365. The benefit of using online editing software is that you do not need to purchase a document-editing
software, such as Microsoft Office suite, for each system.
Refer Section-15.2.7
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1 Explain any ten hardware components of a Each Hardware Component of Hardware Components of a Computer Network
computer network. Computer Network - 1 Mark
each a. Connectors: Connectors are basically devices that join two network hardware components together and are used for the
varied purpose which inclues audio/video, internetworking, power transfer, etc.
b. Transceiver: A transceiver is an electronic device that can be used for sending as well as receiving signals simultaneously.
In this kind of instrument, both transmitter and receiver are embedded into network interface cards, which eliminates the
need of separate circuits and cables.
c. Network Interface Card (NIC): It is a hardware device which is used to connect a computer to a network. It can support
several networks. Every NIC has a unique Media Access Control (MAC) address on a LAN which is allotted to it by the
manufacturer.
d. PC Cards: The PC cards are the cards which are mostly used as a storage device; these are of the size of the credit
cards, which are developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association; these are of following types:
Category I: This category of cards is typically used as a storage device using memory devices such as Flash cards and RAM
chips.
Category II: This category of cards is used for the modems and network adapters for the system which does not have built-
in-support for the inputs and outputs.
Category III: This category of cards refers to the class of the cards such as small harddisk or wireless NIC that would not fit
into Type I or Type II card sizes.
e. Repeaters: It is a two-port signal regenerator which is used to extend the length of the Ethernet cable; it joins two networks
at the physical layer of the OSI model and cannot connect two LANs that operate at different protocols.
f. Hub: It is also known as concentrator, which can be used to connect several segments of a Local Area Network (LAN)
together at the physical layer of the OSI model, and can also be used to connect multiple workstations in a single LAN.
g. Bridges: The bridge is a network device which is used for connecting two or more LANs at the data link layer of the OSI
model; a typical bridge operates at both the physical and data link layers.
h. Transparent Bridges: It was Digital Equipment Corporation who invented the concept of transparent bridges; they have a
transparent operation and the nodes are unaware of the existence of a bridge in the network.
i. Source Routing Bridges: The source routing bridges are used to eliminate the loops in a network created because of the
redundant bridges, In source routing, the sending node has to determine whether the destination node is on the same
network or on the other network.
j. Router: A router can connect various LANs, various wide area networks (WAN), and can also connect LAN and WAN
together; on the other hand, router connects only LAN or a WAN, while a repeater connects segments of LAN.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP): This protocol is used for sending email that consists of an attachment or a single
file. Besides these protocols, the other software component used for setting up the network is Network Operating System
(NOS). The NOS may also include programs to manage each of the dedicated servers in the network, provide e-mail
services, and allow remote users to access LAN resources. Examples of networking operating systems are UNIX, LINUX,
Microsoft Windows and Netware.
Virtual Private Network (VPN): Suppose there are two offices of an organisation, one in Asia and other in US. If the
employees of two far apart locations want to share information in a secure and reliable way, then VPN is the incredible option
for that organisation. A VPN is a private network that is used to connect two remote sites with the help of a public network
such as the Internet.
Wireless/Mobile Networks: Refers to the transmission media such as infra-red light, radio channels, microwave radio
cellular telephone systems, and satellite relays; here the transmission rates vary with the media, from under 1 Mbit/s up to
the 1Gbit/s range for satellite relays.
a. Standard Ethernet: The original standard Ethernet had been introduced using different cable
arrangements. Standard Ethernet is divided into the following types:
10Base5: Refers to thicknet because the cable used was thick, which makes working difficult.
10Base2: Refers to thinnet because 10Base2 used thinner type of co-axial cable with BNC connectors. 10Base2 was
introduced after the problem of thick cable had been generated by 10Base5. Another factor considered in using 10Base2 is
that it is more economical than 10Base5.
10BaseT: Uses Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP), allowing devices to connect. It can be installed easily, lighter, reliable,
and more flexible Ethernet type.
10BaseF: It consist three types, namely, 10BaseFL, 10BaseFB, and 10BaseFP.
b. Fast Ethernet: Fast Ethernet, as the name suggests, transfers data at a faster rate than the Standard Ethernet. It can
transfer data at the rate of 100Mbit/s, which is 10 times more than the speed of Standard Ethernet.
c. Gigabit Ethernet: The data transfer rate of the Gigabit Ethernet is much higher than that of the Standard Ethernet or Fast
Ethernet. In other words, it is a 100 times faster than the original 10 Mbps Ethernet, that is, 1000 Mbps. The following are
the different types of Gigabit Ethernet.
Token Ring: Token Ring is a type of LAN technology, which is developed by the International Business Machines (IBM) and
is standardised as IEEE 802.5. This technology is based on ring topology The data transfer rate for Token Ring is from 4
Mbit/s to 16 Mbit/s. Token Ring uses the same medium (UTP cable) and two of four pairs of cable wires are used by
Ethernet. Token Ring works by circulating a packet consisting data referred to as token or data frame. The token is passed
to all the nodes in the network and returned to the node from where it (token) had started. When the token reaches the
node that is meant to receive the data, the node copies the data and sends the packet back to the sender with a received
notification.
Token Bus: Token Bus is a different type of LAN technology that is based on bus topology Token Bus is similar to the Token
Ring, the only difference between the two is that each node in Token Bus identifies from where the token is passed and to
which node the token will be passed next. Token Bus is standardised as IEEE 802.4 and this technology is designed for larger
organisations.
Fibre Distributed Data Interface: Fibre Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is a standard data transmission LAN technology
with the data transfer rate of 100Mbps over fibre optic cables.The protocol used for FDDI is derived from standard IEEE
802.4. FDDI uses a dual ring model based on the ring topology, consisting a primary ring and a secondary ring, as depicted
If data is transferred to the primary ring, the data flows in one direction, whereas, in case of the secondary ring, flow of
data is in the opposite Direction.
Need of innovation: This ensures cutting edge advantage for business, as innovative ideas not only make an organisation a
market leader but also derives intangible assets for an organisation. For the sucess of the organization the innovation is
continiously required.The organisation that first launched a service, feature or facility is always the pioneer grabbing market
share for itself. For example, Videocon was the first to involve fuzzy logic in washing machines and became the market
leader.
Knowledge-sharing: This refers to that fact that knowledge is not worth much if not utilised optimally. The knowledge
sharing is very much important, as the knowledge sharing is very much important for the sucess of the businees. The
knowledge base of an organisation needs to be shared so that innovations can be brought out and it can be utilised as an
organisational success factor. Suppose one employee has good knowledge about an aspect which the rest of them lack, his
knowledge can be shared so that all of them can benefit from it for better output.
Dynamic business environment: It involves constantly changing business conditions that are almost unpredictable without
the use of communication technology. Any change in condition can be now quickly communicated and an organisation can
adjust according to the change. It enables an organisation to make strategies to tackle adverse business conditions as well
as concentrate on expansion and growth of business conditions.
Some ways through which analogue signals can be transmitted are coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire, and air. However, there
are two main types of analogue signals, namely, amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM), described
below:
Amplitude Modulation (AM): It is a technique of transferring information mostly using a radio carrier wave. The frequency
range of a carrier wave ranges to 600 kilo Hertz (kHz). The signal is elevated till it becomes positive. The elevated signal is
used as an envelope for the transmitted wave.
Frequency Modulation (FM): Frequency can be defined as a number of waves per second. The carrier wave has a very high
frequency in the case of frequency modulation. The signal of high amplitude can generate a higher bandwidth of the signal
by varying the frequency.
Digital Transmission: A digital transmission refers to a series of continuous discrete signal pulses. As compared to analogue
signals, the digital signal is quite simple as it takes only two discrete values, that is, 0 and 1 for data transmission. Every
computer uses these binary bits to send or receive signals. Several character sets are available to accomplish the decoding
of binary digits so that the computer can easily decode them. The binary digits are also an abstraction, which actually refers
to low and high voltage. Binary digits 0 and 1 refer to high and low voltage,
respectively. Digital transmission has excellent transmission rate over analogue transmission. Digital transmission networks
also consume less power and are more secure than analogue transmission networks. As compared to digital transmission,
there is a very high error rate in analogue signals.
Digital Photography: The field of digital photography requires extreme compression of images with their clarity. Therefore, JPEG images
are used.
Document imaging: With the advancement in the field of publication, the publishing organisation focuses more the clarity of images in
documents. The well-written document is judged on the basis of sharpness and clarity of images.
Remote sensing: The weather monitoring satellite capturing and sending images to weather monitoring departments. The clarity of
these images is required for accuracy in prediction of weather. Remote sensing satellites are used for performing aerial photography of
geographical location. The organisations keep the images in JPEG format for better understanding.
Scientific and Industrial: The JPEG format is widely used in scientific and industrial organisations for the advertisements of their
products.
Internet: The images over the Internet are uploaded in JPEG which provides better clarity of images on any platform or operating
system (OS). Some organisations used to sell images online needed by the user for documentation and other purposes.
Wireless imaging: The images in JPEG format can be transmitted over the wireless communication without any errors. Their resolution
and clarity of images do not degraded during the transmission.
Pre-Press: The JPEG image format is also used by newspaper agencies for printing better quality of images associated with the text.
Images gathered from various resources are first converted into JPEG format to enhance their quality.
Digital Cinema: The JPEG format of images is widely used in the field of cinema. The quality and clarity of images are of utmost
importance in the field.
Image archives and databases: The images cannot be stored in databases to their original size. Therefore, the images are converted
into JPEG format so that they occupy less amount of space in the memory.
FurtherThe JPEG format of images plays a vital role in the field of surveillance and is also used for creating duplicating images.
MPEG technology receives video frames sequentially in the form of input and compresses them into the aforesaid three types of
frames. Every input frame is compressed into one of these three frames. The video frame that is compressed into the JPEG format is
called I-frame.
Audio Compression: You have most probably heard about the MP3 audio format. Often, this format is available for download from the
Internet, supported by multiple CD players and many more. Why is this format so popular? The reason behind the popularity of this
audio format is related to the method used to compress the audio. Not only MP3 but there are also other compressed audio formats.
Audio compression helps to save a lot of storage space. The compressed audio can be transmitted efficiently over a lower bandwidth.
The sampling rate of a CD player is 44.1 kHz. This means that a CD player takes 44100 units of data per second to produce the sound
waves. If we reduce the sampling rate to half, this would lead to deterioration of sound quality.
The problem of quality reduction upon compression can be resolved by taking up some benefits of human auditory characteristics.
Various digital processing techniques are available to ensure almost the same sound quality production as it was before compression.
These technologies eliminate the sounds that are irrelevant and difficult for human to hear. Algorithms used for audio compression are
known as audio codec (coderdecoder). Compression can be either lossless or lossy. The MPEG technique is the lossy audio compression
technique. Lossy audio compression is deployed extensively for compressing audio. A very high compression rate can be achieved by
lossy compression when compared to lossless compression. The MP3 (MPEG layer 3) file format is a result of lossy compression.
Thus, these layers are made for the creation of the whole OSI model, which is very helpful in the networking of the systems.
2. What are the application protocols? Describe in Application protocols and their A set of user protocols should be defined for the existing applications or the proposed applications to ensure compatibility among the
detail. description-10 Marks network devices, software, and hardware. This set of protocols contains all the protocols from the physical layer (includes physical
media requirement) to the application layer (includes software and operating system) of an Open Systems Interconnection reference
model (OSI reference model).
Different protocols, such as TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, and FTP, are used for different layers of the OSI reference model. You need to define a
protocol for the network as well as for application layers because different protocols operate on separate layers. During network
ommunication, the process of routing, bridging, and switching is greatly affected by the protocols. For instance, protocol, such as FTP,
uses TCP/IP at the network layer of the OSI reference model. Numerous applications, such as word processing, accounting, and
databases, are used for businesses. Apart from this, you need to understand the efficiencies that the applications need from the
network. For example, the business application focuses on providing business-related solutions, accounting-related software provides
accounting solutions, and educational application provides education-related solutions.
The existing or proposed application generally follows a specific architecture that establishes standard user and programmer interface.
When developers use application architecture, they are required to create a standard of protocols for programming, data transfer, and
storage with data access methods for consistency across the network. some of the types are: TCP/IP Internet architecture: It specifies
guidelines for the implementation of the Internet protocols and enables the computer to communicate over the network. The TCP/IP
architecture is also defined as a descriptive implementation of computer network protocols, which consist four layers, namely,
application layer, transport layer, Internet layer, and network interface layer and should not be confused with OSI layers. IBM’s System
Application
Architecture (SAA): It defines a set of standards for computer software, which was developed by IBM in 1980. This system was
implemented in Operating Systems (OSs) developed by IBM. The purpose of the development of SAA was to enable the existing
software to be used on different OSs and platforms. Novell’s Netware: This refers to an OS that was developed by Novell Corporation
Inc., Waltham, MA, to perform multitasking with various services from a local computer with different network protocols. In computing,
naming schemes are often used to name those objects that are connected to computer networks. Larger networks utilise a proper
naming scheme, such as the name starts with the initial of the location name and followed by the initials of the department name, and
finally, the local name of the computer.
Inexpensive: Technology is changing and improving day by day, therfore the cost of using Bluetooth instrument has reduced.
Automatic: Bluetooth devices are easy to work with as they do not require user interaction. The devices find one another and
communicate without any user input at all.
Fixed Frequency: The frequency of 2.5 Gigahertz is set aside by an international agreement for the use of industrial,
scientific and medical devices.
Upgradeable:The pace of the technological advancement is breathtaking these days. This is a reason why bluetooth comes
equipped with the feature that allows to easily upgrade the device.
Bluetooth wireless technology has an authentication function, which ensures you are communicating with the right person.
With the authentication function, Since the two devices are protected through the means of password hence it provides
security one can also prevent an anonymous Bluetooth device from accessing your notebook, Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA), or mobile phone. The first time any two Bluetooth devices communicate, a common Passkey should be determined to
register both the devices.
For registering the devices the password is to be added, Once the devices are registered, there is no need to re-enter the
Passkey. You can change the settings of the Bluetooth device so that it is not discovered by other Bluetooth devices or
change the accessing range of your device. Bluetooth wireless technology is used in several ways, including creating a
wireless connection between the Internet and a mobile phone or modem server, transferring files between computers or
between a computer and another device. Some other applications of Bluetooth technology are:
Bluetooth devices have to support identical profiles to communicate with each other. For security, Bluetooth offers proprietary
128-bit encryption and capability to set per-user passwords to guard against unauthorised access to a Bluetooth network.
1 It is used in most television remote control systems, and with a standard called Infrared Data Association (IrDA).
2 It is also used to connect some computers with peripheral devices.
3 It is used in digital mode for most computers as well as for entertainment purposes; the signal is pulsed on and off very quickly to
send data from one point to another.
4 It is also used in intrusion detectors, control units, robot control systems, line-of-sight laser communications, cordless microphone
headsets,modems, printers, and other peripherals.
Wireless networking using infrared technology, though slow compared to other forms of wireless technology, comes as a standard on
many laptop computers for easy transfer of files between computers. Communication through infrared devices is enabled by using the
IrDA protocol. This protocol stack is a widely supported industry standard and has been included in all versions of Windows operating
systems. Infrared devices transfer data at a maximum speed of 4 Mbps and have a maximum distance of 1 meter.
Infrared is a line-of-sight technology. For example, you have to point the remote control at the television to make things happen.
Infrared is almost always a one-to-one technology. You can send data between your desktop computer and your laptop computer, but
not your laptop computer and your PDA at the same time.
Radio Waves: The wavelength of the radio waves is the longest in the electromagnetic spectrum. They have most of the concern with
the cell phone technology. The signals, images, videos etc. are transferred using radio waves. The range of frequency of the radio waves
can be from as small as 10 KHz to as large as 1 GHz. These frequencies are divided into Very Large Frequency (VLF), Low Frequency (LF),
Middle Frequency (MF), High Frequency (HF), Very High Frequency (VHF), Ultra High Frequency (UHF), Super High Frequency (SHF), and
Extremely High Frequency (EHF).
Email: E-mail is short form for electronic mail, a service that helps you communicate with others on the Internet. Through e-
mail, you can communicate with anyone connected to the Internet and possessing an email identification (e-mail id) by
sending and receiving electronic messages within seconds. In the starting days of this service, you could only send textual
messages. However, today it is possible to send or receive information in different formats ranging from scanned/faxed
images to computer graphics and sound and video files along with your e-mail messages.
Chatting:The chat service available on the Internet enables two or more users living in different parts of the world to
communicate with each other simultaneously by sending and receiving messages. The Chat functionality of the Internet uses
the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) protocol to exchange text messages among users on the Internet. A chat room is the hub for
Internet chatting. Chat rooms are actually computers (chat servers) that allow reading and broadcasting of the messages and
responses of users in a chat room. When you enter a chat room, the names of the users who are already present in the room
are displayed on your computer screen, and a window, known as the typical conversation window, displays the messages of
the various users to their
chat partners. After joining the room, you can read the messages from other users as well as send your own messages to
any one of them. Every user has a login name that helps identify or differentiate him or her from the other users.
e-Learning: Electronic learning (e-learning) is the mode of acquiring knowledge by means of the Internet and computer-
based training programmes. In this type of education, students learn and study on their own and communicate with their
instructors and other students through e-mail messages, electronic forums, video-conferencing, chat rooms, bulletin boards,
and messaging.
The main advantage of e-learning is that it provides you the freedom and flexibility to read any subject at your pace from any
location, be it your home, a library, or your office. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection.
e-Commerce: The concept of e-commerce is similar to commerce, which means the transaction or exchange of goods and
services. However, e-commerce differs from commerce because it involves selling and purchasing of goods and services
using a computer network, usually the Internet.
Entertainment: The Internet is also a great medium of entertainment. You can use it to play and download songs, videos,
and games. Some websites use music and video as primary products for e-commerce, where users can place orders for
Compact Disks (CDs) and Digital Video Disks (DVDs) online.
Extranet: Extranets link the Internet resources of a company with other organisations and individuals. In other words,
Extranet is the network that connects the external environment of an organisation. It refers to a network owned by a
company. Employees can access an Extranet even when they are outside the office premises. This enables the customers,
suppliers, and consultants to access the Intranet Web site and other databases of the company. There can be a direct
private network link between organisations who serve for one another’s need. There can also be a virtual private network
that is more secure to use. In this way, an Extranet provides access to a definite company for its stakeholders including
customers, consultants, and suppliers.
c. High capacity: This refers to the property of optical fiber to transfer information at a very high rate (up to 10 Gbps). This
capacity of optical fiber can be increased (perhaps a thousand times) by sending many channels on a single fiber using
WDM.
d. No electrical connection: This defines that optical fiber does not require any electrical connection to transmit the light
signal, whereas a coaxial cable requires a high-voltage electric connection to transmit an electrical signal.
e. No electromagnetic interference: This means that the optical signal cannot be distorted or interfered by the other
(electromagnetic) signals.
f. Long distance between repeaters: It shows the feature of optical signal that it loses its strength and picks up noise after
traveling more distance than the electrical signal. It is estimated that in an optical transmission system, repeaters are placed
normally 40Km apart, whereas in coaxial cable transmission system, a repeater is required after every 12Km.
g. Better security: It ensures lower possibility to tap optical fiber cable; as a result, an intruder experiences difficult to tap an
optical fiber transmission system. Even if tapping is done, it is very easy to detect it.
Difficult to join cables: This refers to the problem of joining two ends of the optical fiber. The most commonly used
technique for joining the two ends of an optical fiber is fusion splicing. In this technique, the two fiber ends are fused together
by melting the glass. Fusion splicing is a skilled task and requires precision equipment to make splices in a way that will
ensure minimal loss of signal. The other technique to join two fiber ends is by using an optical connector, which is unreliable
and causes a large amount of signal loss.
Difficult to bend cables: This refers to the problem of bending the optical fiber. When light travels along the fiber, it is
reflected from the interface between core and cladding. The electromagnetic wave (light) resides in the fiber only in case the
fiber is bent to a certain degree. However, if the fiber isbent more than a certain degree, the reflected light escapes. The
degree of acceptable bending differs from cable to cable as it depends on the difference in refractive index between core and
cladding.
Gamma radiation: This refers to the radiation that comes from Gamma rays, which can harm optical signals. Gamma
radiation comes from space and is considered as a high-energy x-ray. Gamma radiation may cause a glass to emit light
which results in interference. This radiation can also cause the glass to discolour and attenuate the signal. In normal
situations, that is, in the absence of Gamma radiation, these effects are minimal.
Electrical fields: This refers to a very high voltage that influences some glass fibers in the same way as gamma rays do.
Fiber communication cables are usually wrapped around high-voltage electrical cables on transmission towers. However, this
essentially works where the electrical cables are only of 30000 volts or below. If the voltage of cables is above 30000 volts,
the glass has a tendency to emit light and discolour.
Ring topology: It connects inter-office equipment and is used for residential access.
Mesh topology: It connects to the long-haul backbone network and is used for inter-Post Office Protocol (POP) connections.The optical
layer must be capable of supporting many topologies that should be flexible to handle the volatile developments. Today, the main
topologies in operation are point-to-point and ring. With point-to-point links over DWDM between large enterprise sites, there need to
be only a CPE for converting application traffic to specific wavelengths and multiplexing.
The evident advantage of DWDM technology is the capability to provide unlimited transmission capacity from both technical and
economic perceptive. The current investment in fiber plant can be conserved, as well as optimised. The network capacity can be
enhanced according to the user demand by increasing the number of channels on the fiber. On the other hand, the network capacity
can also be attained at the cost of the equipment to preserve the existing fiber plant investment. Apart from bandwidth, the other
advantages of DWDM technology can be summarised as follows:
a. It provides the capacity to support 160 wavelengths, which means that over 1 Tbps of traffic can be transported through a single
fiber.
b.It works with both TDM and existing data formats such as ATM. For this, it provides open interfaces over a common physical layer.
c. It provides fast, simple and dynamic network connections, thereby giving the providers high-bandwidth services.
d. It provides cost-saving optical amplifiers that amplify all wavelengths instead of requiring an optical amplifier for each fiber.
Although DWDM has increased the network capacity to a large extent, it has the following disadvantages too:
a. Several existing fiber plants do not support DWDM.
b. Vendor interoperability issues exist.
c. DWDM does not support ring architecture protection methods.Therefore, the point-to-point protection is used. However, the point-
to point protection system wastes bandwidth.
d. DWDM systems are difficult to troubleshoot, manage, and provision.
The most common tools that are used in network testing are as follows:
Electrical testers: These testers are used to measure both AC and DC voltages, resistance and continuity. This tester displays the value of the voltage if available on
the cable. It shows zero resistance when two bare wires touch each other on a line. The electrical tester is used for locating electrical issues with wires.
Cable testers: These devices are used to check connectivity and test for various types of faults in the network cables such as open circuits, short circuits, reversed
circuits and crossed circuits. The cable testers can also be used for testing fiber optic cables, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks, and T-1 circuits.
Local area network testers: These devices are operated on Ethernet and token ring networks to identify whether they are containing switches or not. These testers also
display a network segment and the devices attached to it. When a network jack is plugged into a tester, then it performs troubleshooting and suggests corrective
measures. These testers can also identify and locate the Network Interface Card (NIC) on the network that is not sending the valid data. It tells the 48 bit address of the
NIC present on the network. After finding the problematic NIC on the network, the system administrator can take the corrective measures.
Network sniffers: These diagnostic tools are used to monitor and analyse the data that are transmitting over the network. The sniffers may include devices or software
for monitoring the network. The most common tool used for traffic sniffing is protocol analyser or traffic analyser. This tool continuously monitors (24 x7) traffic and
records the details about the packets transmitting on the network. This tool is also used to show which devices are communicating with each other over the network. An
example of the most popular open source sniffer that is used with both UNIX and Windows is ethereal. It provides data
collected from a live network and then you can view the details of the captured data.
2. Configuration Management: The main aim of configuration management is to observe the configuration information of the network components. It assists in tracking
and managing function of different versions/make/models of hardware and software in the network. Each network component has a variety of version information related
to it. The configuration management system stores the version information in a database for future access. When a problem occurs, this database can be referred for
resolving the problem.
3. Accounting Management: The foremost aim of accounting management is to evaluate network utilisation parameters that facilitate in regulating the network usage.
By regulating the network usage, network problems are minimised and the network access capacity is maximised. For accounting management, firstly network utilisation
parameters of the essential network resources are measured and analysed. Analysis of utilisation parameter comprehends the way of network usage and to take
appropriate steps to resolve any issue, if it exists.
4. Performance Management: The principal aim of performance management is to evaluate and provide unique features of network performance so that internetwork
performance can be maintained at a satisfactory level. Some of the performance management factors are network throughput, user response times, and line utilisation.
The performance management system can be reactive or proactive. In a
reactive management subsystem, the managers constantly observe the performance of the variables. As soon as the performance threshold is surpassed, an alert
message is generated and transmitted to the network management system. When the performance reaches to the level that is equivalent to user-defined threshold, the
system responds by sending a message. In a proactive management subsystem, network simulation is applied to planning how network growth will influence the
performance metrics. Such simulation alerts managers to the pre-specified problems that probably may happen, so that suitable actions can be taken in time.
5. Security Management: The core aim of security management is to manage access to network resources so that the network cannot be disrupted and secured
information cannot be accessed without appropriate authorisation. For example, a security management system can monitor users’ authentication and deny access to
those who enter the wrong password. The security management system functions by separating network resources into authorised and unauthorised domains. For some
users, access to any network resource is inappropriate; on the other hand, for others, a set of information is inappropriate. The functions of a security management
system are:
a) Discovers sensitive network resources
b) Creates mappings between sensitive network resources and user sets
c) Monitors access points to sensitive network resources
d) Logs improper access to sensitive network resources
Health knowledge management: It provides information on best practices followed in the healthcare sector. It is very much important to know best practice in the
industry because if the best practices are known in the industry it can be alwyas benchmarked.
Virtual healthcare teams: These teams include healthcare professionals who collaborate and exchange information on patients through digital equipment.
mHealth or m-Health: It involves the use of mobile devices for gathering and assembling health-related data, providing healthcare information to practitioners,
researchers and patients and updating the information about patients. This is a very useful, as it helps in maintaing a proper databases of the patients and one can easily
extracts the records of the patients whenever it is required.
Healthcare Information System: It is a software solution used for scheduling appointments, managing patient data and work schedule and other administrative tasks
surrounding health. It helps in keeping a regular check and ensuring that the correct medificine and information and treatement is given to the pateient by attending him
on time it is very useful, as the feedback record is also is maintained and also helps in providing the efficient services to the patients.
2. Explain the following fully electronic transactional • ATM-3 Mark ATM: ATM machines are one of the fully electronic transactional systems introduced by the banks for facilitating easy and fast cash withdrawal from the bank accounts
systems: • Credit Card/ Debit Card-3 by its customers. To operate an ATM machine, a customer merely needs to carry an ATM card, which is a specialised plastic card. The ATM card is issued to the
Mark customer along with a specific combination of digits that acts as an authentication id. This is known as PIN which is provided by the Bank; This card when used with this
a. ATM • Smart Card- 4 Mark combination of digits allows a customer to withdraw money from his bank account anytime and anywhere in the world. ATM cards have replaced the requirement for any
b. Credit Card/Debit Card cheque books, banking hour restrictions and paper based verifications to carry out a money withdrawal process. Apart from withdrawing money, customers can also
c. Smart Card obtain information regarding their account details from an ATM machine. In other words, ATM machine acts as a fund transfer terminal that can also handle the cash
deposit information, manage the cash withdrawals, account transfers, pay bills and balance queries. The ATM also allows to use any bank ATM by paying small fee
hence its really suits the requirements of the customers and also the banks as the foot fall in banks have reduced tremendously.
Credit cards/Debit cards: The evolution of credit card is another important development in the banking sector. The person who owns a credit card can spend money,
whenever or wherever required, within the limits fixed by the respective bank in which he/she holds an account. The same Debit card Credit is used for withdrawing the
machines from the ATM machines card is similar to a postpaid card in which after reaching the given limit or completion of the due duration, the customer has to pay the
credited amount. On the contrary, the debit cards are similar to prepaid cards, that is, some amount of money is deposited in the customer’s account. Whenever the
person uses the debit card to purchase something, the exact amount is deducted from the customer’s bank account through Internet banking. To use a debit card, a
person has to open an account with the bank that provides the debit card. A Personal Identification Number (PIN) is also issued to each customer alongwith the debit
card. Whenever the debit card is used, the customer is dentified by that PIN. When the customer purchases an item, he/she has to provide the PIN and Internet security
management authenticates that PIN.
Smart card: The smart card is a standard credit card-sized plastic card, with an embedded microchip containing integrated circuits. It is often called as an electronic
wallet, and provides not only memory capacity, but also computational capability of processing data. Smart cards can always be used as a storage device and once can
hold a large amount of information, ranging from personal to professional, such a medical health information and the information regarding any transaction made by the
owner. The magnetic stripe of a smart card can store several hundred times more data than a conventional card. In addition, it is more reliable and secure than credit or
debit cards and can perform tasks, such as authentication, identification, data storage and application processing.
Multipoint or point to point: This refers to the connectivity between two networking devices using Pointto- Point Protocol (PPP). PPP is a data-link layer
protocol of the OSI reference model and is used to connect two devices using synchronous circuits, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) or
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), and asynchronous circuits, such as Switched Virtual Circuits (SVC). This protocol is also used for connection
authentication and transmission encryption on a network host.
Multiplexing or muxing: It combines multiple analogue or digital signals into a single signal over a shared medium. The most common example of
multiplexing is telephone, in which a single wire is used for multiple telephone calls.
Switching (circuit, packet, frame, or cell): It uses circuit, packet, or frame switching for network connectivity. Circuit switching is a type of network, in
which two network devices communicate
using an electrical circuit. Packet switching is a method in which all the transmitted data are grouped together to form a packet. The packets are then
transmitted over the network using adapters, switches, and routers. In frame switching, the network devices group variable-length frames for
transmission.
Bridging or routing: It is a process through which the packets using packet switching over a shared betwork is done;In brdiging or routing the bridgers
process the packet header for finding the address of the intended recipient and then forward the packet to the intended recipient.
Hybrid: Uses two or more topologies (bus, star, mess, or ring topology) to connect two network devices.
2 What is Remote access? Explain through its • Remote Access-2 marks The term remote access means to access the networks or a computer from a distant location. People who are working in corporations sometimes require
types. • Its Types-8 Marks accessing their official network, which can be done using the Internet through an ISP. Nowadays in business, this has become a necessity, as the users
are more frequently requried to travel to a distant location and for accessing the data, the employees require such kind of technique. The remote access
depends on the type of its user environment and the type of access facilities. Remote access facilities could be of the following types:
a. Dedicated circuits: It refers to the circuits that are dedicated to a specific network of two computers such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM),
Frame Relay (FR), and private line. The Dedictaed circuits are the circuits which is basically installed only for the purpose of the Remote access.
b. Dial-up access: It uses a set of standards for digital transmissions on copper telephone wire and other transmission mediums such as coaxial cable,
twisted pair, or fiber optical. For connecting two computers using this technology, you require the use of adapters at both ends instead of telephone
modems. With the help of ISDN, your computer can receive the Web page at the maximum speed of 128 Kbps, which is faster than the speed of the
modem. Herein a Dial up connection is attached i a form of modem through which the systems are connected.
c. Wireless access: It uses a Wireless Access Point (WAP) to access the network. WAP is a device which enables a wired network connection to a
wireless network using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology. Generally, WAP is connected to a router and can transmit the data between the wireless devices
and the wired devices on the network. The bluetooth technology is technology through which a password is used for connecting the two systems, the only
disadvantage of this kind of technology is that the range of this kind of technology is very limited.
d. Broadband services: It refers to high-speed Internet and data network over a WAN. Broadband service is different from dial-up modem, because the
dial-up modem requires the use of a telephone line and transmits the data by the maximum speed of 56 Kbps. On the other hand, the broadband services
do not require a telephone line, and their data transmission rate is faster than that of a dial-up modem.This is very fast system and connects the two
system very quickly and infact this is the system which is mostly used in the organizations.
Refer Unit-13,section-13.5.4
Question Scheme of evaluation Answer
1. Explain the types of Firewall techniques and also • Types of Firewall Types of Firewall Techniques
the vulnerabilities of Firewall. Techniques- 4 Marks
• Vulnerabilities of Firewall - 6 1. Packet Filter: The packet fileter is used for inspecting the data that is passed thorugh the network and accept or reject the
packets on the basis of the default or user defined rules.
Marks
2. Application Level Gateway: The Application level gateway applies the security mechanisms to the specific applciations
such as File transfer protocols and Telnet Servers.
3. Circuit Level Gateway: This applies the security mechanisms after establishing a TCP or a UDP connection.
4. Proxy Server: The Proxy server checks all the messages that basically enter or leave a network, it is basically used in
hiding the real network address.
Firewalls are software and hardware systems that protect networks from attacks. These attacks occur by filtering and
managing the Internet traffic. It is not possible to evaluate each firewall separately for the network problems. Firewall
vulnerability is the result of errors that are caused during the installation and configuration of the firewall. It makes the trusted
network vulnerable that the firewall is supposed to protect.
Vulnerabilities of Firewall
Authentication error: This allows a user to access the network resources without verifying its authority. An authentication
error is also called authorisation error.
Validation error: This occurs when a program communicates with the environment without confirming the security aspect of
environmental data. The environmental data, including input, origin, and output, needs to be validated. Input includes the
number, type, and format of each input field. Origin includes the source point of the data. Target includes the destination of
the data packet.
Serialisation error: This allows an attacker to exploit the asynchronous behaviour of different system operations, causing a
security violation. Several Time-Of-Check-To-Time-Of-Use (TOCTTOU) flaws fall under this category. The aliasing of flaws
occurs when two names for the same object cause its matter to change unpredictably, and consequently avoid checks that
are already applied to it.
Boundary checking error: This refers to an error that occurs when the firewall fails to check the boundary and is unable to
ensure constraints. A boundary-checking error occurs while checking the data security against table size, file allocation, or
other resource consumption. One of the examples of this error is buffer overflow.
Domain error: This occurs when the boundaries between environments, which are used for protection, have flaws. This
causes information to implicitly leak out.
Weak/Incorrect design error: This refers to an error which weakens the system design or configuration. Weak encryption
algorithm is the example of this type of an error.
a. Secure from unauthorised access: Ensures protection of data and information to be accessed by anybody who is not
authorised to access it. If unauthorised access is not prevented, an unauthorised user can steal, destroy, or harm the data
resource of an organisation.
b. Secure from misuse: Ensures that any private or confidential data is not used to cause harm to an individual or
organisation. If some hacker has hacked a website or personal account, he will not be allowed to manipulate the data or
the information therein.
c. Secure from virus: Ensures that data stored or knowledge within an organisation is protected from virus in the system. If
a virus attacks a computer system, it can harm all its functions.
d. Secure for privacy: Prevents any harm to privacy. The network accessed and computer systems should provide security
to the privacy of the user. Some websites that utilise the personal information of users should disclose it in their privacy
policy.
2. Privacy issues: Maintaining privacy refers to maintaining confidentiality of information related to an individual or an
organisation. The regulations that support privacy consider that every individual has the right not to publicise everything
related to them. The issue of privacy includes the following:
a. Access to personal information: This refers to access to information that an individual may or may not permit to be
shared. For example, personal contact number, address, and relationship status are the personal information of an
individual. Such information should not be made public without the consent of the individual.
b. Maintenance of confidentiality: It involves protection of confidential records, information, or data. For example, if an
employee, who has access to confidential company information, intends to make it available for the competitor, it is
unethical. Organisations sometimes ask the employees to enter into an agreement of fair use of organisational data.
Ethical responsibility of business: This involves fair disclosure of terms of employment, policy and procedures to be
followed, and equal treatment for all the employees. Hurting the sentiments of any employee intentionally is unethical
practice by an employer.
c. Adequate disclosure: This involves maintaining a balance between the right to information and privacy of an individual.
The data that is not required to be disclosed should not be disclosed. Also, if it becomes necessary to disclose any such
information, prior consent must be taken from the individual to whom this information belongs.
d. Personal communication: It involves unauthorised access to a personal communication between two parties without
their consent. Every individual has the right to express his or her feelings given that it does not hurt the sentiments of
others. Accessing a personal e-mail inbox and reading personal mails of an individual is unethical.
3. Ethical Issues: Networking has a direct effect on individuals and society. The first and foremost effect of networking is on
individuals. For instance, the telecommunication system has revolutionised the way an individual used to communicate
with another individual. This brought a change in the society. People started using phones to communicate with each other
instead of meeting personally. This also resulted in the formation of various telecom regulatory authorities.
a. Cyber Crime: Crime is an action that is considered an offence by law and is punishable when committed by a person.
b. Crimes harming individuals: It includes transmission of a threat or harassment through IT and those that mislead or
harm individuals in the society.
c. Crimes harming property: This involves harming other’s property through IT. Sending a virus in the system and stealing
data by trespassing on the security of another system are examples of such crimes.
d. Crimes harming society: This involves an intension of harming the society. Using IT to support terrorism is included in
this category. Other such examples are cracking the security of a government or military agency and use of social sites for
social disruption.
e. Hacking: Hacking is a crime that relates to the unauthorised access of a computer or a network. A hacker breaks the
security system of a computer or network and gains access. Hacking may result in serious cyber-crimes while some people
find it a fun activity. Cyber thieves utilise tools that are able to scan the weakness in the software of a website. They use
remote service to enable one computer in a network to execute a program on another computer.
f. Cyber Theft: Cyber theft is a committed stealing or damage of a database in a computer by unauthorised entrance to a
computer network. Such practices are serious theft to intelligence and strategic businesses. The issues in cyber theft relate
with theft of money or money’s worth, by using IT tools as major weapons for theft.
On-Demand Self-Service: Another feature of cloud computing is selfservice provisioning. According to this feature, the
customers can easily request the desired amount of storage, software, hardware or any other resource from the cloud
service provider. The request of the customer is dependent upon his need of usage and other relevant actors An
organisation can directly demand for desired services from the cloud service provider, and after the utilisation of the
resources, they can be deprovisioned automatically.
Cloud Service APIs: There should be standardise interface for the cloud services as they provide instructions related to the
seamless communication between two applications or data sources. For example, it is due to the standardised interface
that a customer can quickly and easily connect the two systems—customer relationship management system and financial
accounts management system, without custom programming.
Metered Service: In cloud computing, customers are charged on a measured basis, such as the amount of storage (cloud
resource) used to store data and the number of transactions being performed. The cloud service is provided free of cost;
instead, the cloud environment bills the customer by measuring the usage of the service. The customer’s usage is
metered even for the free cloud services, such as Gmail or Zoho’s Internetbased office applications.
Service Management Environment: The environment to manage and maintain the service level as well as systems for an
organisation is known as service management environment. In other words, the cloud service provider has to manage,
administer and optimise the set of services provided to the customers.
b. It provides outsourced IT management, as in cloud computing, the infrastructure of an organisation is hosted by cloud
service provider and the organisation can manage profits or losses in the business.
c. It assures the desired level of quality for the customers. In other words, the quality of service to be provided by the cloud
service provider is stated under the contract between the customer and the vendor. If due to any reason the service
providers are not able to provide the assured or guaranteed service to the customers, then they are responsible to
compensate customers for the same.
d. It allows users to regularly access the latest software versions as patches or updates can be easily applied by the
customers from the centralised server.
In order to avail the service of cloud computing, the customers should have a stable Internet connection to access the
applications available on the cloud. Moreover, if data centre available on clouds crashes, all the virtual
machines would also get affected. The other major problem faced in cloud computing is when the customers try to work
with printers. In cloud computing, it has been found that popular desktop/network printers do not lead to many problems
as compared to the little printers, such as label printers. Generally, if a user is working on a mini PC and need to use a label
printer in cloud computing, then the situation may result in some issues. Consider a scenario wherein a customer needs to
use scanner however, requisite software for the scanner is not available on the virtual hard disk (on
clouds). In such a situation, when the customer logs in the cloud systems, he or she would not be able to perform the
required tasks with the scanner until the required software is installed on the virtual hard disk. In cloud computing, the
entire control of your data and information is with the cloud service provider; therefore, you need to ensure that the third
party would be able to maintain security as well as confidentiality of your data.