CHAPTER 01

COMPUTER NETWORK

INTRODUCTION

1. Computer network is a set of computers connected together for

the purpose of sharing resources and to facilitate communication.
When two or more devices are connected to each other with a
physical medium, such as wires or radio signals. The connection
allows those two or more devices to exchange data.

ADVANTAGES OF NETWORKING

2. The following are advantages of Networking:

a) It allows sharing of resources which include data, applications and

peripherals.

b) It allows standardization of applications and software so that

everyone on the network uses the same application and the same
version of the application.

c) It allows online communication eg email communication and video

conference where virtual meetings can take place between users in
different locations.

d) It allows scheduling. Scheduling is the act of setting dates for

events, activities and appointments so that every member of the
organization is made aware of the upcoming events.

THE CONCEPTS OF NETWORK

3. Networks are organized based on their geographical location. All

networking no matter how sophisticated, arose from this simple system.
NETWORK TYPES

4. There are three basic types of networks:

a. Local Area Network (LAN)

b. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

c. Wide Area Network (WAN)

a. Local Area Network (LAN) Is a Network that spans a small

geographical area such as an office, building or a single floor of a building.
They Share a common communication medium such as cabled or wireless
connections and are connected to a central connecting device like a hub,
switch, or router.

b. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): This is a network covering an

entire city by interconnecting multiple LANs within a city. It is larger than a
LAN but smaller to a WAN.

c. Wide Area Network (WAN): This is the network covering a large

geographical area such as across cities, states and continents. Example of
WAN is internet.

NETWORK CATEGORIES

5. Networks can be divided into two main categories which are:

a. Peer-to peer: Peer-to-peer networks require no dedicated servers and

no administrators. There is no hierarchy among the computers. All of the
computers are equal and therefore known as peers. Normally each computer
functions as both a client and a server by accessing shared resources from
other computers on the network as well as sharing its resources with other
computers. These networks are also referred to as workgroups. Peer-to-peer
networks typically have a practical limit of 10 computers. Security in peer-to-
peer is shared, this means that a password is set on each shared resource.
Any user knowing the password can access the resource.

b. Client/Server based: These networks offer greater security as well as

centralized, coherent administration of resources. The network administrator
centrally administers shared resources and network security. The central
administration of security creates consistent security policies that are
applied to each user on the network. Server based networks can
accommodate a large number of computers and users Client computers
access the shared resources from the server.

Servers are usually located in a separate room away from the client
computers. Administrators only and some authorized users have access to
this location. Each user should give authentication information by supplying
a valid username and password combination to connect to the network, this
logon determines access to shared resources

Comparison between peer-to-peer network and client/server

network

Peer-to-peer network Client/server network

Easy to set up. More difficult to set up.
Less expensive to install. More expensive to install.
Can be implemented on a wide range A variety of operating systems can
of operating systems. be supported on the client
computers, but the server need to
run on operating system that
supports network.
More time consuming to maintain the Less time consuming to maintain the
software being used. software being used.
SPECIALIZED SERVERS

6. As the network increases in size and traffic, more than one servers will
be required on the network to accommodate the expanding needs of users.
Some tasks such as e-mail, application serving and database can be
resource-intensive. Each of these tasks often requires its own server to
provide acceptable performance. Spreading the load among many servers
ensures that each task is performed in the most efficient manner possible.
The different types of dedicated servers include the following:

a) File server. Store files, software, or data for access by computers on

a network.
b) Print server. It allows computers that are connected to a network to
control printers on the network.
c) Application server. It provides user access to application programs.
d) Mail server. It manages electronic messaging among network users.

NETWORK TOPOLOGIES

1. Network topologies refers to the physical layout of computers,

peripherals and cable links in a network.

2. There are multiple types of topologies including:

a) Bus topology
b) Star topology
c) Ring topology
d) Mesh topology
 e) Hybrid topology

a. Bus Topology: Is the simplest and most commonly used topology for
networking computers. It is also known as a linear bus because computers
are connected to a single linear cable called a trunk or backbone.
Computers on the bus network communicate by sending packets of data to
each other. A computer will send a packet of data to all computers on the
network (broadcast). Each computer listens and examines every packet on
the wire to determine if the packet is intended for it, and accepts only
packets addressed to it.

b. Star Topology: On this topology, each computer is connected by a

cable to a central device, which can be a hub, switch or repeater. Computers
communicate with each other by passing data through the central hub. If a
computer fails or the cable segment that connects the computer to the hub
is broken, only that link fails is affected, the rest of the network continues to
function normally.

c. Ring Topology: Computers are connected one node to the other by a

single cable forming a circle. Computers on the ring network use a signal
called a token to carry data from one computer to the other. The access
method used by the computers to put data on the communication medium is
called token passing. Each computer on the ring acts as a repeater to
boost the signal and pass it to the next computer until it reaches the
destination computer. The receiving computer strips the data from the token
and returns the token to the sending computer with an acknowledgement.
After verification, the token is regenerated and released for use by any other
computer requiring data transfer. While the token is in use by one computer,
other computers on the ring cannot transmit, because only the computer
with the token can transmit data. This ensures that there are no collisions
and hence no times spend waiting for computers to resend data after a
collision.
d. Mesh Topology: Mesh topology connects each computer to every
other computer on the network (each computer has a point-to-point
connection to every other computer on the network). Mesh uses a
significantly larger amount of network cabling than the other network
topologies, which makes it more expensive. Every computer has multiple
possible connection paths to the other computers on the network for
redundancy. As a result, a single cable break will not stop network
communication between any two computers.

e. Hybrid Topologies: Hybrid topology is a type of network topology

that uses two or more differing network topologies. These topologies include
a mix of bus topology, mesh topology, ring topology, and star topology.