Shree Krishna International School, Vapi

Plot No. 12, Charwada Road, Gunjan Road, Vapi-396151 Dist.-Valsad, Gujarat.
Std -12
Chapter -9 (Introduction to Internet and WeComputer Network)
Textual Short Question -Answers
Q. 1 What is a network? What are its goals and applications?
Answer =
A collection of interconnected computers is called network. OR
A network is an interconnected collection of autonomous computers that can share and
exchange information.
Application: -
(i) Resource Sharing: - Through a network, data, software and hardware resources can be shared
irrespective of the physical location of the resources and the user.
(ii) Reliability: - A file can have its copies on two or more computers of the network, so if
one of them is unavailable, the other copies could be used. That makes a
network more reliable.
(iii) Reduced Costs: - Since resources can be shared, it greatly reduces the costs.
(iv) Fast communication. With network, it is possible to exchange information at very fast speed.

• Its goal is to share data, files and resources.

Q.2 Discuss and compare various types of networks?

Answer =
PAN (Personal Area Network.)
 PAN is Wireless like Bluetooth.
 e.g Wifi, Bluetooth

LAN ( Local Area Network )

 LAN need cable like Ethernet
 LAN have high speed
 LAN’s ownership is private.
 e.g School, Office, Hospital

MAN ( Metropolitan Area Network)

 MAN’s ownership can be private or public.
 MAN have average speed.
 e.g Cable TV

WAN (Wide Area Network)

 WAN is spread over a very large area.
 WAN costs higher to set it up.
 WAN is usually a network of many networks.
 e.g Internet, ATM
Q. 3 Explain various mostly used topologies.
Answer =
Mostly used topologies are:-
• Bus or Linear Topology:- In this topology, all devices on network are connected to a single
continuous cable called a bus. Transmission from any station travels the length of the bus in both
directions and can be received by all other stations. The destination device, on identifying the
address on data packet copies the data onto its disk. When the data packet reaches at either end
the terminator on that end absorbs the signal, removing from the bus. This topology can be used
for smaller networks.

• Ring Topology:- A LAN using the ring topology is connected in the closed loop. The data
packets transmitted, circulate along the ring. The destination station copies the packet content
on recognizing its address on the packet. After a packet travels a full circle, it is removed at the
source station.

• Star Topology:- In this topology each workstation is directly linked to a central node. Devices
can be easily plugged or unplugged to the central node, as need dictates. Any communication
between the stations must pass through the central node.

• Tree Topology:- In this topology the network is shaped as an inverted tree with the central root
branching and sub-branching to the extremities of the network. Transmission in this topology
takes place in the same way as in bus topology.

Q. 4.Discuss the factors that govern the selection of a topology for a network.
Answer =
• Cost:- For a network to be cost effective, one would try to minimize installation cost. This may
be achieved by using well understood media and also, to a lesser extent, by minimizing the
distances involved.
• Flexibility:- Because the arrangement of furniture, internal walls etc. in offices is often
subject to change, the topology should allow for easy reconfiguration of the network. This
involves moving existing nodes and adding new ones.
• Reliability:- Failure in a network can take two forms. Firstly, an individual node can
malfunction. This is not nearly as serious as the second type of fault where the network itself
fails to operate. The topology chosen for the network can help by allowing the location of the
fault to be detected and to provide some means of isolating it.

Q. 5 Which of the following is not the network topology: star, Mesh, Tree, Bug, Bus?
Answer = Bug

Q. 6 Compare and contrast

(i) Star and Bus topologies
(ii) Star and Tree topologies
(iii) Bus and Ring topologies
Answer =
(i)
• Star Topology:- In this topology each workstation is directly linked to a central node. Devices
can be easily plugged or unplugged to the central node, as need dictates. Any communication
between the stations must pass through the central node.
• Bus or Linear Topology:- In this topology, all devices on network are connected to a single
continuous cable called a bus. Transmission from any station travels the length of the bus in both
directions and can be received by all other stations. The destination device, on identifying the
address on data packet copies the data onto its disk. When the data packet reaches at either end
the terminator on that end absorbs the signal, removing from the bus. This topology can be used
for smaller networks.
(ii)
• Star Topology:- In this topology each workstation is directly linked to a central node. Devices
can be easily plugged or unplugged to the central node, as need dictates. Any communication
between the stations must pass through the central node.
• Tree Topology:- In this topology the network is shaped as an inverted tree with the central root
branching and sub-branching to the extremities of the network. Transmission in this topology
takes place in the same way as in bus topology.
(iii)
• Bus or Linear Topology:- In this topology, all devices on network are connected to a single
continuous cable called a bus. Transmission from any station travels the length of the bus in both
directions and can be received by all other stations. The destination device, on identifying the
address on data packet copies the data onto its disk. When the data packet reaches at either end
the terminator on that end absorbs the signal, removing from the bus. This topology can be used
for smaller networks.
• Ring Topology:- A LAN using the ring topology is connected in the closed loop. The data packets
transmitted, circulate along the ring. The destination station copies the packet content on
recognizing its address on the packet. After a packet travels a full circle, it is removed at the
source station.

Q. 7What is the role of modem in electronic communications?

Answer =
A modem is a computer peripheral that connects a workstation to other work-stations via
telephone lines and facilitates communications. It is short form for Modulation / Demodulation.

• Modem converts digital signals to A/F (Audio Frequency) tones which are in the frequency
range that the telephone lines can transmit and also it can convert transmitted tones back to
digital information.

Q. 8 What are hubs? What are its types?

Answer =
A hub is a hardware device used to connect several computers together.

It mainly two types:-

• Active hubs.
• Passive hubs.
Q. 9 What is the role of a switch in a network?
Answer =
A switch is responsible for filtering i.e., transforming data in a specific way and for forwarding
packets between LAN segments.

Q. 10 Briefly discuss the role of following devices in the context of networking.

(i) Router
(ii) bridge
(iii) gateway

Answer
(i) Router: - A router works like a bridge but can handle different protocols.
(ii) Bridge: - Device that links two networks together.
(iii) Gateway: - Device that connects dissimilar network.

Q. 11What is the importance of router?

Answer =
Router can work like a bridge and can also handle different protocols. A router can locate the
destination required by sending the traffic to another router, if the destination is unknown to
itself.

Q. 12 What is gateway? What does it do?

Answer =
A Gateway is a network device that connects dissimilar networks. It establishes an intelligent
connection between a local network and external networks with completely different structures.

• In enterprises, the gateway node often acts as a proxy server (a machine that is not actually a
server but appears as a server) and a firewall (a system designed to prevent unauthorized access
to or from a private network). The gateway is also associated with both a router, which use
headers and forwarding tables to determine where packets are sent, and a switch, which
provides the actual path for the packet in and out of the gateway.

Q. 13 How is a repeater different from an amplifier?

Answer =
• Repeater takes high input power and provides low output power.
• Repeater is generally used in static (stationary) environment.

While in
• Amplifier takes low input power and provides high output power.
• Amplifier is generally used in Mobile and Remote area network.

Q. 14 How is a LAN different from a MAN?

Answer =
• LAN stands for Local Area Network. Whereas MAN stands for Metropolitan Area Network.
• LAN’s ownership is private. Whereas MAN’s ownership can be private or public.
• LAN have high speed while in MAN have average speed.

Q. 15How is a LAN different from a PAN?

Answer =
• LAN is stand for Local Area Network while in PAN stand for Personal Area Network.
• LAN need cable like Ethernet while in PAN is Wireless like Bluetooth.
• LAN have high speed while in PAN have low speed.

Q. 16 How is a LAN different from a WAN?

Answer =
• LAN is spread over a small area. While WAN is spread over a very large area.
• LAN usually costs less to set it up. While WAN costs higher to set it up.
• LAN is usually a single network. While WAN is usually a network of many networks.

Q. 17 Can you term PAN as a LAN? why/ why not?

Answer =
We cannot term PAN as a LAN because a PAN is a computer network are organised around an
individual person where a small network is formed by connecting various devices of the
individual e.g. a laptop, a printer, a smartphone, digital recorder where LAN interconnects some
stand alone computers within a confined physical area up to a kilometer, e.g. LAN inside
University or a LAN inside a hospital.

Q. 18 compare Mesh with Tree topology

Answer =
Mesh topology Tree topology
1. In Mesh topology, each node is connected 1. In tree topology, the nodes are
to every other node fully through organized in the design of a tree.
dedicated link. 2. Tree topology is less expensive
2. Mesh topology is more expensive than mesh topology
than Tree topology 3. Tree topology has less cabling cost than
3. Mesh topology has high cabling cost. Mesh Topology.

Q. 19 compare Tree and Star topology

Answer =
Star topology Tree topology
1. The central node is connected directly to every 1. If the backbone line breaks, the
other node in the network means that faults are entire segment goes down.
easily detected and isolated. 2. Installation cost is more than
2. Installation cost is less other topologies.
3. It has easy access for service or reconfiguration of 3. It is more difficult to
the network. configure and wire than other
topologies.
Q. 20 Write two advantages and two dis-advantages for STAR topology.
Answer =
Advantages of the Star Topology:-
• Ease of service:- The star topology has a number of concentration points (where connections
are joined). These provide easy access for service or reconfiguration of the network.
• One device per connection:- Connection points in any network are inherently prone to failure.
In the star topology, failure of a single connection typically involves disconnecting one node from
an otherwise fully functional network.
• Centralized control/problem diagnosis:- The fact that the central node is connected directly to
every other node in the network means that faults are easily detected and isolated. It is a simple
matter to disconnect failing nodes from the system.
• Simple access protocols:- Any given connection in a star network involves only the central
node. In this situation, contention for who has control of the medium for the transmission
purposes is easily solved. Thus in a star network, access protocols are very simple.

Disadvantages of the Star Topology:-

• Long cable length:- Because each node is directly connected to the center, the star topology
necessitates a large quantity of cable. Whilst the cost of cable is often small, congestion in cable
ducts and maintenance and installation problems can increase cost considerably.
• Difficult to expand:- The addition of a new node to a star network involves a connection all the
way to the central node.
• Central node dependency:- If the central node in a star network fails, the entire network is
rendered inoperable. This introduces heavy reliability and redundancy constraints on this node.

Q. 21
(a) Write advantages and disadvantages of bus topology.
(b) Write advantages and disadvantages of tree topology.
(c) Write advantages and disadvantages of mesh topology.
Answer =
(a) Bus/Linear Topology
Advantages
• Short cable length and simple wiring layout:- Because there is a single common
data path connecting all nodes, the linear topology allows a very short cable length
to be used. This decreases the installation cost, and also leads to a simple, easy to
maintain wiring layout.
• Resilient Architecture:- The LINEAR architecture has an inherent simplicity that
makes it very reliable from a hardware point of view. There is a single cable through
which all the data propagates and to which all nodes are connected.
• Easy to extend:- Additional nodes can be connected to an existing bus network at
any point along its length. More extensive additions can be achieved by adding extra
segments connected by a type of signal amplifier known as repeater.
 Disadvantages
• Fault diagnosis is difficult:- Although simplicity of the bus topology means that
there is very little to go wrong, fault detection is not a simple matter. Control of the
network is not centralized in any particular node. This means that detection of a
fault may have to be performed from many points in the network.
• Fault isolation is difficult:- In the star topology, a defective node can easily be
isolated from the network by removing its connection at the center. If a node is
faulty on the bus, it must be rectified at the point where the node is connected to
the network.
• Repeater configuration:- When BUS type network has its backbone extended
using repeaters, reconfiguration may be necessary.
• Nodes must be intelligent:- Each node on the network is directly connected to the
central bus. This means that some way of deciding who can use the network at any
given time must be performed in each node.
(b) Tree Topology
Advantages
• It uses point-to-point wiring for individual segments.
• It is supported by several hardware and software venders.

Disadvantages
• Overall length of each segment is limited by the type of cabling used.
• If the backbone line breaks, the entire segment goes down.
• It is more difficult to configure and wire than other topologies.
(c) Mesh Topology
Advantages
• Each connection can carry its own data load.
• It is robust and provides security and privacy.
• In this topology, fault diagnosis is easy.

Disadvantages
• Its installation and configuration is difficult.
• Cabling cost is more for mesh topology.
• Bulk wiring is required for mesh topology.
Q. 22 Write the functions of the following pieces of network hardware
Answer =
1. Modem
Modem converts digital signals to A/F(Audio Frequency) tones which are in the frequency
range that the telephone lines can transmit and also it can convert transmitted tones back
to Digital information.
2. Switch
To insulate the transmission from the other ports, the switch establishes a temporary
connection between the source and destination, and then terminates the connection once
the conversation is done.