UNIT —2 COMPUTER NETWORKS 1. Computer Network A computer network is an interconnection among two or more computers or computing devices. 2. Who invented WWW? - Sir Tim Bemners-Lee — a British computer scientist invented the revolutionary World Wide Web in 1990. 3. ARPANET i Stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. ii, Started in 1960s by the U.S. Department of Defence to connect the academic and research institutions located at different places for scientific collaborations. iii, Gradually, more and more organisations joined the ARPANET, and many independent smaller networks were formed which eventually gave birth to the today’s INTERNET. 4. TYPES OF NETWORKS i, PAN (Personal Area Network) ii, LAN (Local Area Network) iii, | MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) iv. WAN (Wide Area Network) 5. PAN i, It is formed by connecting personal devices like computers, laptops, mobile phones, smart phones, printers ete. ii, The devices should be within an approximate range of 10 metres. A personal area network may be wired or wireless. 6. LAN i A network that connects computers, mobile phones, tablet, mouse, printer, ete., placed at a limited distance, viz, a LAN can range from a single room, a floor, an office having one or more buildings in the same premise, laboratory, a school, college, or university campus. ii, LAN may be extended up to 1 km. Data transfer in LAN is quite high, and usually varies from 10 Mbps (called Ethemet) to 1000 Mbps (called Gigabit Ethernet), where Mbps stands for Megabits per second 7. MAN i. It is extended form of LAN which covers a larger geographical area like a city or a town. ii, Data transfer rate in MAN also ranges in Mbps but itis less as compared to LAN. iii, Cable TV network or cable based broadband intemet services are examples of MAN. iv. It can be extended up to 30-40 km,8. Modem- It stands for ‘MOdulatorDEModulator’, is a device used for conversion between electric signals and digital bits. 9, Ethernet card- It is also known as Network Interface Card (NIC card in short), and it is a network adaptor used to set up a wired network. 10. MAC address - It helps in uniquely identifying a computer on a network. = The MAC address is also known as the physical or hardware address, -Itis a unique permanent value associated with a network adapter called a NIC. -Itis used to physically identify a machine on the network. 11, Repeater- It is a device that regenerate or amplifies the signals on a network. 12, Switch It is a networking device used to connect multiple computers or communicating devices, 13, Router- It is a network device that can receive the data, analyse it and transmit it to other networks, 14, Gateway- It serves as the entry and exit point of a network, as all data coming in or going out of a network must first pass through the gateway in order to use routing paths. In other words, A Gateway is a network point that acts as an entrance to another network using different protocols. 15. Topology- The arrangement of computers and other peripherals in a network is called its, topology. The Common network topologies are Mesh, Ring, Bus, Star and Tree. - _ Inmesh topology each communicating device is connected with every other device in the network. - _Inring topology, each node is connected to two other devices, one each on either side. - In bus topology, a single backbone wire called bus is shared among the nodes, which makes it cheaper and easy to maintain, - _Instar topology, each communicating device is connected to a central networking device like a hub or a switch. ~ _Intree or hybrid topology, there are multiple branches and each branch can have one or more basic topologies like star, ring and bus. 16. IP address- It is also known as Internet Protocol address, and it is a unique address that can be used to uniquely identify each node in a network. Unlike MAC address, IP address can change if a node is removed from one network and connected to another network. 17. Protocol-A network protocol is an established set of rules that determine how data is transmitted between different devices in the same network. It allows connected devices to communicate with each other, regardless of any differences in18. 19. 20. 2. 22. 23. 24, 2s. their intemal processes, structure or design. HTML- HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a language which is used to design standardised Web Pages so that the Web contents can be read NOTES 2022-23 COMPUTER NETWORKS 201 and understood from any computer URIURL- URI Uniform Resource Identifier) or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a unique address or path for each resource located on the web. HTTP — The HyperText Transfer Protocol is a set of rules which is used to retrieve linked web pages across the web. The more secure and advanced version is HTTPS. Domain name - Each computer server hosting a website or web resource is given a name against its IP address. These names are called the Domain names or hostnames. Domain name resolution-Conversion of the domain name of each web server to its corresponding IP address is called domain name resolution. It is done through a server called DNS server. Switching- It is the technique by which nodes control or switch data to transmit it between, specific points on a network. There are 3 common switching techniques: Circuit Switching, Packet Switching, Circuit switching- In this technique, first a physical path is obtained and dedicated to a single connection between two endpoints in the network for the duration of a dedicated connection, and thereafter communication takes place, Ordinary voice phone service uses circuit switching, Traditional telephone systems (landlines) are examples of a technology that uses circuit switching. Message switching- In this technique, end-users communicate by sending and receiving messages wherein, the sender and receiver are not directly connected. There are a number of intermediate nodes that transfer data and ensure that the message reaches its destination. It works on store and forward technique. Mobile sms is an example for it.ick ty the 26. Packet switching- In this transfer of small pieces of data across various networks takes place These data chunks or “packets” allow for faster, more efficient data transfer Examples: Frame Relay, IP, and X. 25 27. Difference between Packet and message switching techniques Message Switching ‘acket Switching A complete message is passed across a network, is broken into smaller units Packets. In this, computer language used is ASCII In message switching there is no limit on block size. Here, binary type is used. Packet switching places a tight upper limit on block size.Message exist only in one location in the | Parts i.e. packets of the message exist in network, ‘many places in the network. Physical links are allocated dynamically. | Virtual links are made simultaneously. Access time is reduced due to increase in performance as packets are stored in disk. | Packets are stored in main memory. 28, Hacker- A computer enthusiast, who uses his computer programming skill to intentionally access a computer without authorization is known as hacker. A hacker accesses the computer without the intention of destroying data or maliciously harming the computer 29. Transmission media-Transmission media isa communication channel that carries the information from the sender to the receiver 30. Types of Transmission Media In data communication terminology, a transmission medium is a physical path between the transmitter and the receiver i.e. it is the channel through which data is sent from one place to another, Transmission Media is broadly classified into the following types: a-Guided Media: It is also referred to as Wired or Bounded transmission media. Signals being transmitted are directed and confined in a narrow pathway by using physical links Features: High Speed Secure Used for comparatively shorter distances b- Unguided media — By means of waves. Examples: Infrared, Radiowave, Microwave and Satellite There are 3 major types of Guided Medi (i) Twisted Pair Cable — It consists of 2 separately i such pairs are bundled together in a protective sheath. They are the most widely used ‘Transmis Media. Twisted Pair is of two types: Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP): UTP consists of two insulated copper wires twisted around one another. This type of cable has the ability to block interference and does not depend on a physical shield for this purpose. It is used for telephonic applications. ulated conductor wires wound about each other. Generally, several ‘ionCC eS oe EE ‘ERch-speed capacity Receptible to external interference ’Bwer capacity and performance in comparison to STP SRort distance transmission due to attenuation Shielded Twisted Pair (STP): This type of cable consists of a special jacket (a copper braid covering or a foil shield) to block external interference. It is used in fast-data-rate Ethernet and in voice and data channels of telephone lines. Advantages: ‘Better performance at a higher data rate in comparison to UTP EPiminates crosstalk Zmparatively faster ‘@mparatively difficult to install and manufacture ‘More expensive and Bulky (ii) Coaxial Cable It has an outer plastic covering containing an insulation layer made of PVC or Teflon and 2 parallel conductors cach having a separate insulated protection cover. The coaxial cable transmits information in two modes: Baseband mode(dedicated cable bandwidth) and Broadband mode(cable bandwidth is split into separate ranges). Cable TVs and analog television networks widely use Coaxial cables.Cte Advantages: (47> High Bandwidth Befteesroise finttnmtityors amt Easy to install and expand Inexpensive Disadvantages: Single cable failure can disrupt the entire network (iti) Optical Fiber Cable . It uses the concept of refraction of light through a core made up of glass or plastic. The core is surrounded by a less dense glass or plastic covering called the cladding, It is used for the transmission of large volumes of data The cable can be unidirectional or bidirectional. The WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexer) supports two modes, namely unidirectional and bidirectional mode. Advantages: Increased capacity and bandwidth Lightweight Less signal attenuation Immunity to electromagnetic interference Resistance to corrosive materials Disadvantages: Difficult to install and maintain High cost Fragile