Networking Fundamentals

Outcome
COMPUTER NETWORKS • Understand what is Computer Network
AND COMMUNICATION • Identify end devices and intermediary devices
• Understand the basic characteristics of computer network
(CSC421) • Understand data communication
• Understand the difference between serial and parallel
communication.
• Understand the importance of protocols in computer network
• Know the elements of protocol

Prepared by Dr. Moses T.

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Definition An example of Computer Network

Computer network is a set of nodes connected by communication
links for the purpose of sharing resources.
It is two or more computer that are connected with one another for
the purpose of sharing resources (communicating data) electronically.

A node can be any device capable of sending/receiving data

generated by other devices in the network
Example of these devices:- computer, server, printer, security
camera, switches, bridges, routers etc.

Communication link is a communication channel that connects

two or more communicating devices. It can be wired line or
wireless link.
The link carries the information or resource to be shared.
Example:- Wired medium – cable, wireless medium –
microwaves, infrared, etc
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End devices and Intermediary devices Activity time

Identify end devices and intermediary devices in the diagram
End devices either the source or destination devices below.
responsible for data transmission in a network. All computers
connected to a network that participate directly in network
communication are classified as hosts. These devices form the
interface between users and the underlying communication
network.

Intermediary devices interconnect end devices. These devices

provide connectivity and work behind the scenes to ensure that
data flows across the network. Intermediary devices connect
the individual hosts to the network and can connect multiple
individual networks to form an internetwork.

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Basic characteristics of computer network
QoS is ability to:
There are four qualities every computer network should posses 1. Set priorities
• Fault tolerance 2. Manage data traffic to reduce data loss, delay etc
• Scalability
• Quality of Service Example is setting priority between e-mail data and VoIP. Delay
• Security is not a problem in e-mail communication.

Fault tolerance is ability to: Security is ability to

1. Continue to work despite failure a. Prevent
2. Ensure no loss of service
- unauthorized access
Scalability is ability to: - misuse
1. Grow based on the users’ needs - forgery
2. Have good performance after growth b. Provide
Example is the internet, which gives room for more users without - confidentiality
performance bottleneck
- integrity

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Data Communication
Data communications are exchange of data between two nodes via
some form of link (transmission medium).
Since communication involves exchange of data between two nodes,
there will be the need for data flow.

Data Flow:- There are three forms of data flow

- Simplex:- Communication is always unidirectional. One device can
transmit and the other device will receive.
Example:- keyboard
- Half duplex:- Communication is in both directions, but not at the
same time.
Example:- Walkie – talkie
- Full duplex or Duplex:- Communication is in both directions,
simultaneously. Devices can send and receive at the same time.
Example:- Telephone line

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Communication Technologies Parallel communication allows various data bits to be transmitted

simultaneously using multiple communication links between
Communication technology refers to devices that are used to
sender and receiver.
process and communicate information.
Communication can be serial or parallel

In serial communication, data bits are transmitted serially over a

common communication link one after the other. Comparison
Basis for comparison Serial Parallel communication
Basically, it does not allow simultaneous transmission of data communication
because only a single channel is utilized. This allows for Data transmission speed Slow Comparatively fast
sequential transfer rather than simultaneous transfer of data. Number of communication links Single Multiple
Number of transmitted bit/clock cycle Only one bit n number of links will carry n bits
Cost Low High
System upgrade Easy Quite difficult
Crosstalk Not present Present
Suitable for Long distance Short distance
High frequency operation More efficient Less efficient
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 Network Protocols Protocols – Human communication
• An identified sender and receiver
Protocols are set of rules that govern communication. • Common language and grammar
All communication schemes will have the following things in • Speed and timing of delivery
common:
• Confirmation or acknowledgement required
- Source or sender
- Destination or receiver
Protocols – Network communication
- Channel or media
• Message encoding
• Message formatting and encapsulation
Protocol determines
• Message timing
- What is communicated
• Message size
- How it is communicated
• Message delivery options
- When it is communicated
These five are referred to as ELEMENTS OF A PROTOCOL

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Elements of a Protocol Message Formatting and Encapsulation

Both sender and receiver agree on certain format for
transmission – message formatting
Message Encoding
Message is then encapsulated to identify the sender and the
Encoder is necessary to translate the message into digital
receiver rightly. In this case, sender/receiver information are
signal for transmission using a transmission medium. For
added to the original message so that, it gets to the right
wireless network, the encoder translates the message (data)
destination.
into some form of wave.

Message Size
Just as humans break long messages into smaller parts or
sentences, long messages too must be broken into smaller
pieces to travel across a network.
If the capacity of a link is small and data to be transmitted is big
(big data), the system breaks the data into smaller units called
packets that the transmission can handle.
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Message Timing Message delivery options

This deals with (i) flow control (ii) response timeout Three delivery options:
There must be a flow control between a sender and a receiver • Unicast – sender sends message to only one receiver in the
because systems are most times not of the same configuration. network.
Without a flow control, a high speed system will keep sending
data with no response from a low speed system. • Multicast – sender sends message to set of receivers (but not
all receivers) in the network.
Computer network also ensures message delivery
acknowledgement from a receiver of a message. Protocols • Broadcast – sender sends message to all receivers in the
should help determine response timeout in order to resend a network.
message or to understand that a node is dead and can no
longer receive messages.

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Illustration of the elements of a protocol Classification of Computer Networks

Outcome
- Understand LAN, MAN and WAN
- Know various devices involved in LAN, MAN and WAN
- Know the new trends in Computer Networks
- Understand other types of network

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Classification Metropolitan Area Network (MAN):- is a computer network that

interconnects users with computer resources in a geographical
Computer networks are broadly classified into:
region of the size of a metropolitan area (city).
1. LAN
2. MAN
MAN devices includes Switches/Hub, Routers/Bridges
3. WAN

Local Area Network (LAN):- Is a computer network that

interconnects computers within a limited area such as a
residence or office building.

LAN devices include

For Wired LAN (Example: Ethernet – Hub, Switch)
For Wireless LAN (Example: Wi-Fi)

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Other types of network

Wide Area Network (WAN):- is a telecommunication network
that extends over a large geographical area for the purpose of - Personal Area Network (PAN):- smallest type of network. It is made
computer networking. up of a wireless modem, a computer or two, phones etc and
revolves around one person in one building.
WAN devices – end devices and intermediary devices.
- Campus Area Network (CAN):- A form of LAN spread across several
buildings that are fairly close to each other. Seen typically in
universities.

Nigeria Ghana - Storage-Area Network (SAN):- a dedicated high-speed network that

connects shared pool of storage devices to several servers. These
types of networks do not rely on LAN or WAN, instead they move
storage resources away from the network and place them into their
own high-performance networks. E.g. Cloud computing

- System-Area Network (also known as SAN):- a relatively LAN that is

designed to provide high-speed connection in server-to-server
application (cluster environments), storage area networks and
processor-to-processor applications.
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Other types of network… New trend in computer network

- Passive Optical Local Area Network (POLAN):- an alternative

- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
to traditional switch-based Ethernet LAN.
- Online Collaboration
- Cloud Computing
- Enterprise Private Network (EPN):- types of networks built
and owned by businesses that want to securely connect its - Fog/Edge Computing
various locations to share computer resources.

- Virtual Private Network (VPN):- Let its users send and receive
data as if their devices were connected to a private network.

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Reasons for Network Network Topology

• Streamline communication.
• Cost-effective resource sharing. Outcome:
• Improving storage efficiency and volume. - Understand various network topologies
• Cut costs on software.
- Understand advantages and disadvantages of each topology
• Cut costs on hardware.
- Determine the number of links (cables) and ports required for
• Optimize convenience and flexibility.
a given topology.
• Allows File sharing.
• sharing of peripherals and internet access.
• Allowing information sharing.
• Supports distributed processing.
• User communication.
• Overcoming geographic separation

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Topology Various network topologies

Network Topology is the arrangement of nodes in a computer Bus Topology
network.
- All data transmitted between nodes in the network are
transmitted over a common transmission medium and is able
It can be built as a Physical topology or Logical topology. to be received by all nodes in the network simultaneously.
- A signal containing the address of the intended receiving
Physical topology has to do with placement of various nodes in machine travels from a source machine in both directions to
the network. all machines connected to the bus until if finds the intended
recipient.
Logical topology deals with the data flow in the network.

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 Ring topology
Advantages of Bus topology
Is a bus topology in a closed loop. A form of peer—to-peer LAN
- Only one wire. So, it is less expensive topology.
- Suited for temporary network - Two connections: one to each of its nearest neigbours.
- Node failure does not affect others. - Unidirectional
- Sending and receiving data takes place with the help of a
Disadvantages of Bus topology TOKEN
- Not fault tolerant network
- Limited cable length – message must pass through a common
and single cable to other nodes
- No security

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Advantages of Ring topology Star topology

- Performance better than bus topology • Every node is connected to a central node called a hub or
- All nodes with equal access switch.
• Centralized management
Disadvantages of ring topology • All traffic must pass through the hub or switch.
- Unidirectional, single point of failure will affect the whole
network
- Can cause bottleneck due to weak links
- In load – in performance
- No security

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Advantages of star topology Extended star topology

- Easy to design and implement
- Centralized administration
- Scalable

Disadvantages
- Single point of failure affect the whole network
- Bottleneck due to overloaded switch/hub
- Increased cost due to switch/hub

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 Mesh topology
Advantages of Mesh topology
• Each node is directly connected to every other nodes in the
- Fault tolerant
network.
- Reliable
• Fault tolerant and reliable.

Disadvantages
- Issues with broadcasting messages
- Expensive and impractical for large networks

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What name can we give to this topology? Question

Identify the given topology and determine how many cables and
ports are required to have such network?

No. of No. of No. of ports connecting Total No. of ports in the network
nodes (N) cables (CN) each device (NOP) (TNOP) = N x NOP
2 2 2 4
3 3 2 6
4 4 2 8
N N 2 2xN

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Question
- Traffic problem can be minimized using what topology?
Basics of IP addressing
- How many ports and cable links are needed for the star
topology below? Outcome:
- Understand the basics of IP addressing
- Know how to see the IP address in real device
- Identify valid and invalid IP addresses

- Assume six devices are arranged in a mesh topology

- How many cables are needed?
- How many ports are needed for each device?
- How many ports are there in the entire network?

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IP Address
IP stands for Internet Protocol
There are two variations of IP address – IPV4 and IPV6

IPV4 address
- Every node in the computer network is identified with the help Nigeria
of IP address. Ghana
- They are logical address – can change based on the location
of the network device.
- Can be assigned manually or dynamically
- Represented in decimal and it has 4 octets (x.x.x.x)
- Ranges from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255 (32bits)

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Basics of MAC addressing

How to view IP address in real device
- Start your command prompt
Outcome:
- Type ipconfig
- Understand the basics of MAC addressing
- Understand the difference between IP address and MAC
Activity time address
Identify valid and invalid IP addresses in the following set: - See the MAC address in real devices
a. 24.25.26.8
b. 10.3.156.256
c. 0.0.0.0
d. 255.255.255.255
e. 100.2.6.345.456
f. 16.2e.45.67

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MAC address
MAC stands for Media Access Control IP addresses are router friendly
address while MAC addresses
- Every node in LAN is identified with the help of MAC address are switch friendly address.
- Physical address or hardware address
- Unique
- Cannot be changed
- Assigned by the manufacturer
- Represented in hexadecimal (e.g. 70-20-84-00-ed-fc - 48bits)
- Separator are hyphen(-), period(.) or colon(:)

By way of illustration
- IP address = location of a person
- MAC address = name of the person

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 Basics of Port addressing
IPV4 address MAC address
Needed for communication Needed for communication Outcome:
32bits 48bits - Understand the basics of Port addressing (port number)
Represented in decimal Represented in hexadecimal - Know three key points to ponder
- See port number in real devices
Router needs IP address to forward Switch needs MAC address to
data forward data
Example: 10.12.23.45 Example: 34-20-84-00-ED-FV

How to see MAC address in real devices

- Start your command prompt
- Type ipconfig/all

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Port addressing

Analogy: Suppose someone residing in Lafia intend to send a

package to someone in Abuja. He/she first sends the package to
Abuja, then the courier service man will locate the house of the
person to receive the package. If there are many people in the
house, the courier service will need to locate the right person.

Reaching Abuja = reading our network (IP address)

Reaching apartment = reaching the host (MAC address)
Reaching the right person = reaching the right process (port
address)

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