Computer network Design and setup

Computer Network

This is a group of two or more computers that connect with each other to share a resource.

Types of Networks

There are several different types of computer networks. Computer networks can be characterized
by their size as well as their purpose.

The size of a network can be expressed by the geographic area they occupy and the number of
computers that are part of that network. Networks can cover anything from a handful of devices
within a single room to millions of devices spread across the entire globe.

Some of the different networks based on size are:

 Personal area network, or PAN

 Local area network, or LAN
 Metropolitan area network, or MAN
 Wide area network, or WAN

In terms of purpose, many networks can be considered general purpose, which means they are
used for everything from sending files to a printer to accessing the Internet. Some of the different
networks based on their main purpose are:

 Storage area network, or SAN

 Enterprise private network, or EPN
 Virtual private network, or VPN

Personal Area Network

A personal area network, or PAN, is a computer network organized around an individual person
within a single building. This could be inside a small office or residence. A typical PAN would
include one or more computers, telephones, peripheral devices, video game consoles and other
personal entertainment devices.

This type of network provides great flexibility. For example, it allows you to:

 Send a document to the printer in the office upstairs while you are sitting on the couch
with your laptop.
 Upload a photo from your cell phone to your desktop computer.
 Watch movies from an online streaming service to your TV.

Local Area Network

A local area network, or LAN, consists of a computer network at a single site, typically an
individual office building. A LAN is very useful for sharing resources, such as data storage and
printers. LANs can be built with relatively inexpensive hardware, such as hubs, network adapters
and Ethernet cables.

The smallest LAN may only use two computers, while larger LANs can accommodate thousands
of computers. A LAN typically relies mostly on wired connections for increased speed and
security, but wireless connections can also be part of a LAN. High speed and relatively low cost
are the defining characteristics of LANs.

LANs are typically used for single sites where people need to share resources among themselves
but not with the rest of the outside world. Think of an office building where everybody should be
able to access files on a central server or be able to print a document to one or more central
printers. Those tasks should be easy for everybody working in the same office, but you would
not want somebody just walking outside to be able to send a document to the printer from their
cell phone! If a local area network, or LAN, is entirely wireless, it is referred to as a wireless
local area network, or WLAN.

Metropolitan Area Network

A metropolitan area network, or MAN, consists of a computer network across an entire city,
college campus or small region. A MAN is larger than a LAN, which is typically limited to a
single building or site. Depending on the configuration, this type of network can cover an area
from several miles to tens of miles. A MAN is often used to connect several LANs together to
form a bigger network. When this type of network is specifically designed for a college campus,
it is sometimes referred to as a campus area network, or CAN.

Wide Area Network

A wide area network, or WAN, occupies a very large area, such as an entire country or the entire
world. A WAN can contain multiple smaller networks, such as LANs or MANs. The Internet is
the best-known example of a public WAN.

Computer network components

Computer network components include the major parts that are needed to install a network.
Before delving into the installation process, you should be familiar with each part so that you
could choose and buy the right component that fits your network system.

Computer network is a group of two or more computers that connect with each other to share a
resource. Sharing of devices and resources is the purpose of computer network. You can share
printers, fax machines, scanners, network connection, local drives, copiers and other resources.

In computer network technology, there are several types of networks that range from simple to
complex level. However, in any case in order to connect computers with each other or to the
existing network or planning to install from scratch, the required devices and rules (protocols)
are mostly the same and below are some of the major computer networks.

 Network Interface Card (NIC)

 Hub
 Switches
 Cables and connectors
 Router
 Modem

1. Network Interface Card

Network adapter is a device that enables a computer to talk with other computer/network. Using
unique hardware addresses (MAC address) encoded on the card chip, the data-link protocol
employs these addresses to discover other systems on the network so that it can transfer data to
the right destination.

There are two types of network cards: wired and wireless. The wired NIC uses cables and
connectors as a medium to transfer data, whereas in the wireless card, the connection is made
using antenna that employs radio wave technology. All modern laptop computers incorporated
wireless NIC in addition to the wired adapter.

Network Card Speed

Network Interface card, one of the main computer network components, comes with different
speeds, 10Mbps, 100Mbps, and 1000Mbps, so on. Recent standard network cards built with
Gigabit (1000Mbps) connection speed. It also supports to connect slower speeds such as 10Mbps
and 100Mbps. However, the speed of the card depends on your LAN speed.

For example, if you have a switch that supports up to 100Mbps, your NIC will also transfer a
data with this same speed even though your computer NIC has still the capability to transfer data
at 1000Mbps (1Gbps). In modern computers, network adapter is integrated with a computer
motherboard. However if you want advanced and fast Ethernet card, you may buy and install on
your computer using the PCI slot found on the motherboard (desktop) and ExpressCard slots on
laptop .

2. Hub

Hub is a device that splits a network connection into multiple computers. It is like a distribution
center. When a computer request information from a network or a specific computer, it sends the
request to the hub through a cable. The hub will receive the request and transmit it to the entire
network. Each computer in the network should then figure out whether the broadcast data is for
them or not.

Currently Hubs are becoming obsolete and replaced by more advanced communication devices
such as Switchs and Routers.
3. Switch

Switch is a telecommunication device grouped as one of computer network components. Switch

is like a Hub but built in with advanced features. It uses physical device addresses in each
incoming messages so that it can deliver the message to the right destination or port.

Like Hub, switch don’t broadcast the received message to entire network, rather before sending it
checks to which system or port should the message be sent. In other words switch connects the
source and destination directly which increases the speed of the network. Both switch and hub
have common features: Multiple RJ-45 ports, power supply and connection lights.

4. Cables and connectors

Cable is one way of transmission media which can transmit communication signals. The wired
network typology uses special type of cable to connect computers on a network.

There are a number of solid transmission Media types, which are listed below. - Twisted pair
wire

It is classified as Category 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5E, 6 and 7. Category 5E, 6 and 7 are high-speed cables
that can transmit 1Gbps or more. -

Coaxial cable

Coaxial cable more resembles like TV installation cable. It is more expensive than twisted-pair
cable but provide high data transmission speed.

Fiber-optic cable

It is a high-speed cable which transmits data using light beams through a glass bound fibers.
Fiber-optic cable is high data transmission cable comparing to the other cable types. But the cost
of fiber optics is very expensive which can only be purchased and installed on governmental
level.

5. Router

When we talk about computer network components, the other device that used to connect a LAN
with an internet connection is called Router. When you have two distinct networks (LANs) or
want to share a single internet connection to multiple computers, we use a Router.

In most cases, recent routers also include a switch which in other words can be used as a switch.
You don’t need to buy both switch and router, particularly if you are installing small business
and home networks.

There are two types of Router: wired and wireless. The choice depends on your physical
office/home setting, speed and cost.
6. Modems

A modem enables you to connect your computer to the available internet connection over the
existing telephone line. Like NIC, Modem is not integrated with a computer motherboard. It
comes as separate part which can be installed on the PCI slots found on motherboard.

A modem is not necessary for LAN, but required for internet connection such as dial-up and
DSL.

There are some types of modems, which differs in speed and transmission rate. Standard PC
modem or Dial-up modems (56Kb data transmission speed), Cellular modem (used in a laptop
that enables to connect while on the go), cable modem (500 times faster

Cabling

Cabling is the set of wires made of either copper or glass that are used to connect computers and
other network components to enable them to communicate, thus forming a network of
computers.

What is Network Cabling?

Network Cabling is the medium through which information usually moves from one network
device to another. There are several types of cable which are commonly used with LANs. In
some cases, a network will utilize only one type of cable, other networks will use a variety of
cable types. The type of cable chosen for a network is related to the network’s topology,
protocol, and size. Understanding the characteristics of different types of cable and how they
relate to other aspects of a network is necessary for the development of a successful network.

Laying cables is the foundation for both creating local area networks (LANs) and connecting
LANs into wide area networks (WANs). Network administrators are usually involved only in the
planning and laying of LAN cabling since WAN cabling is the responsibility of
telecommunications carriers.

Types of cables

Coaxial Cable

It has a single copper conductor in the middle. A plastic layer provides insulation between the
braided metal shield and center conductor. The metal shield blocks outer interference from
motors, fluorescent lights, and other computers. Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cabling is extremely resistant to signal obstruction though it is complex to install. It can
handle great cable lengths between network devices than the twisted pair cable. The two types of
coaxial cables are thin coaxial and thick coaxial.

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable

It is a special kind of copper telephone wiring used in business installations. An external shield
which functions as a ground is added to the normal twisted pair telephone wires. Shielded
twisted pair may be the answer if you want to place the cable in an area with potential
interference and risk to the electrical current in the UTP. Shielded cables can also help in
expanding the distance between the cables.

Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber optic cabling consists of a center glass core surrounded by many layers of protective
materials. It removes the problem of electrical obstruction by transmitting light rather than
electronic signals. This makes them perfect for certain atmospheres which contain huge amount
of electrical interference. It has become the standard for connecting networks between buildings
because of its resistance to lighting and moisture.

How Cabling Works

There are two basic types of cabling used in LAN networking environments:

Copper cabling, which consists of insulated copper conductors that transmit signals using
electrical voltages and currents. Copper cabling can be either coaxial cabling (such as thinnet or
thicknet) that is used mainly in industrial environments, or the more commonly employed
twisted-pair cabling. Twisted-pair cabling comes as either unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling
(commonly used in Ethernet or Fast Ethernet environments) or the less common shielded
twisted-pair (STP) cabling (employed for token ring networks and sometimes for Gigabit
Ethernet installations). Copper cabling is mainly used for shorter cable runs such as horizontal
cable runs between wiring closets and wall plates in work areas, for patch cables, and for
equipment interconnects.

Fiber-optic cabling, which is made of glass strands that transmit signals as light waves or pulses.
Fiber-optic cabling can be either single-mode, which is used for the longest cable runs, or
multimode, which has a much higher carrying capacity. Fiber-optic cabling is generally used for
backbone cable runs such as vertical rises in buildings and building-to-building interconnects on
a campus, for high-speed interconnects between networking devices in a wiring closet, and for
connections to high-speed servers and workstations

IP Addressing

An IP address is an address used in order to uniquely identify a device on an IP network. The

address is made up of 32 binary bits, which can be divisible into a network portion and host
portion with the help of a subnet mask. The 32 binary bits are broken into four octets (1 octet = 8
bits).

Network classes

What are the different types of network classes?

 Class A
 Class B
 Class C
 Class D
 Class E

Each of these classes has a valid range of IP addresses. Classes D and E are reserved for
multicast and experimental purposes respectively. The order of bits in the first octet determine
the classes of IP address.

IPv4 address is divided into two parts:

 Network ID
 Host ID

The class of IP address is used to determine the bits used for network ID and host ID and the
number of total networks and hosts possible in that particular class. Each ISP or network
administrator assigns IP address to each device that is connected to its network.

Note: IP addresses are globally managed by Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and
regional Internet registries (RIR).
Note: While finding the total number of host IP addresses, 2 IP addresses are not counted and are
therefore, decreased from the total count because the first IP address of any network is the
network number and whereas the last IP address is reserved for broadcast IP.

Class A:

IP address belonging to class A are assigned to the networks that contain a large number of hosts.

 The network ID is 8 bits long.

 The host ID is 24 bits long.

The higher order bit of the first octet in class A is always set to 0. The remaining 7 bits in first
octet are used to determine network ID. The 24 bits of host ID are used to determine the host in
any network. The default subnet mask for class A is 255.x.x.x. Therefore, class A has a total of:

 2^7-2= 126 network ID(Here 2 address is subracted because 0.0.0.0 and 127.x.y.z are
special address. )
 2^24 – 2 = 16,777,214 host ID

IP addresses belonging to class A ranges from 1.x.x.x – 126.x.x.x

Class B:

IP address belonging to class B are assigned to the networks that ranges from medium-sized to
large-sized networks.

 The network ID is 16 bits long.

 The host ID is 16 bits long.

The higher order bits of the first octet of IP addresses of class B are always set to 10. The
remaining 14 bits are used to determine network ID. The 16 bits of host ID is used to determine
the host in any network. The default sub-net mask for class B is 255.255.x.x. Class B has a total
of:

 2^14 = 16384 network address

 2^16 – 2 = 65534 host address

IP addresses belonging to class B ranges from 128.0.x.x – 191.255.x.x.

Class C:

IP address belonging to class C are as signed to small-sized networks.

 The network ID is 24 bits long.

  The host ID is 8 bits long.

The higher order bits of the first octet of IP addresses of class C are always set to 110. The
remaining 21 bits are used to determine network ID. The 8 bits of host ID is used to determine
the host in any network. The default sub-net mask for class C is 255.255.255.x. Class C has a
total of:

 2^21 = 2097152 network address

 2^8 – 2 = 254 host address

IP addresses belonging to class C ranges from 192.0.0.x – 223.255.255.x.

Class D:

IP address belonging to class D are reserved for multi-casting. The higher order bits of the first
octet of IP addresses belonging to class D are always set to 1110. The remaining bits are for the
address that interested hosts recognize.

Class D does not possess any sub-net mask. IP addresses belonging to class D ranges from
224.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255.

Class E:

IP addresses belonging to class E are reserved for experimental and research purposes. IP
addresses of class E ranges from 240.0.0.0 – 255.255.255.254. This class doesn’t have any sub-
net mask. The higher order bits of first octet of class E are always set to 1111.

Subneting

Subnetting is the practice of dividing a network into two or more smaller networks. It increases
routing efficiency, enhances the security of the network and reduces the size of the broadcast
domain.

Consider the following example:

In the picture above we have one huge network: 10.0.0.0/24. All hosts on the network are in the
same subnet, which has the following disadvantages:

 A single broadcast domain – all hosts are in the same broadcast domain. A broadcast sent
by any device on the network will be processed by all hosts, creating lots of unnecessary
traffic.
 Network security – each device can reach any other device on the network, which can
present security problems. For example, a server containing sensitive information
shouldn’t be in the same network as user’s workstations.
 Organizational problems – in a large networks, different departments are usually grouped
into different subnets. For example, you can group all devices from the Accounting
department in the same subnet and then give access to sensitive financial data only to
hosts from that subnet.

The network above could be subnetted like this:

Now, two subnets were created for different departments: 10.0.0.0/24 for Accounting and
10.1.0.0/24 for Marketing. Devices in each subnet are now in a different broadcast domain. This
will reduce the amount of traffic flowing on the network and allow us to implement packet
filtering on the router.

Why is subnetting necessary?

It makes it relatively simple for Internet routers to find the right network to route data into.
However, in a Class A network (for instance), there could be millions of connected devices, and
it could take some time for the data to find the right device. This is why subnetting comes in,
subnetting narrows down the IP address to usage within a range of devices.

Because an IP address is limited to indicating the network and the device address, IP addresses
cannot be used to indicate which subnet an IP packet should go to. Routers within a network use
something called a subnet mask to sort data into subnetworks.

What is a subnet?
A subnet, or subnetwork, is a network inside a network. Subnets make networks more efficient.
Through subnetting, network traffic can travel a shorter distance without passing through
unnecessary routers to reach its destination.

Assigning a PC an IP address

Assigning a PC an IP Address in Windows 7, 8, or 10

To change the computer’s IP address in Windows, you’ll need to open the “Network
Connections” window. Hit Windows+R, type “ncpa.cpl” into the Run box, and then hit Enter.

In the “Network Connections” window, right-click the adapter for which you want to set a static
IP address, and then select the “Properties” command.

In the properties window for the adapter, select “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and
then click the “Properties” button.
Select the “Use the following IP address” option, and then type in the IP address, subnet mask,
and default gateway that corresponds with your network setup. Next, type in your preferred and
alternate DNS server addresses. Finally, select the “Validate settings upon exit” option so that
Windows immediately checks your new IP address and corresponding information to ensure that
it works. When you’re ready, click the “OK” button.

And then close out of the network adapter’s properties window.