INTRODUCTION TO

COMPUTER NETWORK

BY AJAY SINGH MEENA

CLASS : XII-E
ROLL NO. : 04
 COMPUTER NETWORK

A computer network is a collection of interconnected computers and other devices to

share data and other resources.
The communication over network involves exchange of text/picture/audio/video
data through wired or wireless transmission medium.
 ADVANTAGES OF NETWORKING
? Sharing Resources :
 Primary use of network is to share Program, Data and Devices among users irrespective of their
physical location. E.g. Sharing Database, Audio and video files, printers etc.
? Improved Communication :
 A computer network enables fast, reliable and secure communication between users. It saves our
time and offers easy communication methods. E.g. Sending e-mail, SMS and MMS etc.
? Reduced Communication cost :
 Sharing resources also reduces its communication cost. Using today’s public network we can send a
large quantity of data at very low cost. Internet and Mobile network playing very important role in
sending and receiving text, image, audio and video data at low cost.
 DISADVANTAGES OF NETWORKING

? COST OF SET-UP AND MAINTENANCE :

 It is difficult to set-up larger networks as the system on a network are sophisticated and
complex to run. Even cabling and equipment cost can be expensive. In addition to this,
maintenance cost may be very high for larger networks.
? THREAT TO DATA SECURITY :
 Unauthorized access to data leading to data theft or data corruptio, computer virus, worms,
malware, phishing, etc., are some of the threats to network security.
 EVOLUTION   OF NETWORK
 The network did not evolve in a single day; rather it took decades to become more powerful, efficient and reliable.
 ARPANET(Advance Research Project Agency Network) :
 ARPANET, which was jointly designed and named by the Advance Research Agency (ARPA) and US Department
of Defence (DoD), was the first network and came into existence in 1969.
 NSFNET (National Science Federation Network) :
 In the mid-80's, another federal agency, NSFNET, created a new network which was more cpable than ARPNET.
 It's main aim was to use network only for academic research and not for any private business activity.
 INTERNET :
 In the 1990's, internet, which is a network of network came into existence. The internet has evolved from
ARPNET. The computers are connected through World Wide Web that comprises a large network and share a
common communication protocol (Transmisssion Control Protocol-Internet Protocol, TCP/IP). It allows conputers
of different types of exchange information and is known as internet.
 INTERSPACE :
 Interspace is a software that allows multiple users in a client-server environment to communicate with each other
by sending and receiving data of various types such as data files, video, audio and textual data in a 3-D
environment.
 ELEMENTARY TERMINOLOGY OF
NETWORK
 NODES(WORKSTATIONS) : The term node refers to computers that are attached to a network and
are seeking to share resources.
 SERVER : A computer that facilitates sharing of data, software and hardware resources on
the network. Servers tend to have more memory, processing power and storage than
a normal workstation.
 NIU(Network Interface Unit) : A network interface unit is an interpreter that helps in
establishing communication between the server and the client. It is also called network adapter,
LAN adapter or network interface controller.
 IP ADDRESS : Every machine on a TCP/IP Network has a unique identifying number called an IP
Address. It is provided by ISP.
 DOMAIN NAME : It is a way to identify and locate the computers connected to the internet. It
must be unique.
 COMPONENTS OF DATA COMMUNICATION

 A network comprises several components along with their functionalities that contribute to its
smooth functioning, which are describes as follows :
 SENDER : A device or a computer that sends the data.
 RECEIVER : A device or a computer that receives the data.
 MESSAGE : Message is the information to be communicated. It may be text, image, audio or video.
 TRANSMISSION MEDIUM : A transmission medium is physical path through which the
data flows from sender to receiver. A cable or wire or radio waves can be the medium.
 PROTOCOL : A set of rules that governs data transmission. It represents the communication
methods which are to be followed by the sending and receiving devices.
 MODES OF DATA TRANSMISSION
ANALOG OR BROADBAND TRANSMISSION :
The signal is radio frequency signal or analog, I.e., it can consist of continuous electrical waves that are of varying amplitudes.
Requires modem for transmitting data over baseband medium
DIGITAL OR BASEBAND TRANSMISSION :
No special device for conversion of signal to be transmitted over baseband medium.
The signal is a group of discrete electrical units which is transmitted in rapid succession.
PARALLEL COMMUNICATION :
When data is transmitted through multiple wires, with each wire carrying each bit, it is called parallel communication.
SERIAL COMMUNICATION :
When bits are sent one after another in a series along a wire, it is called serial communication.
SYNCHRONOUS OR ASYNCHRONOUS TRANSMISSION :
When sender and receiver synchronize their checks before transmission, I.e., the sender first sends control characters to the
receiver and then sends the actual data, it is called synchromous transmission.
In asynchronous transmission, data is preceded and succeeded bya start bit and stop bit respectivley. No synchronous is required
 SWITCHING TECHNIQUES

The main goal of networking is the reliable exchange of data or information among several interconnected
nodes. For the delivery of data with accuracy, various types of switching techniques are used, namely :
CIRCUIT SWITCHING :Circuit switching provides end-to-end connection between two computers. It is
established usally in a telephone network where one person is making call and another is receiving a call.
PACKET SWITCHING :In packet switching technique, the entire data is divided into small fragments.
Each packet is of a fixed size and has a source address as well as destination address(IP adress) for being
transmitted. As there is no direct connection established between the sender and the receiver, each
packet follows different routes and, therefore, the packets are delivered in a random order at the destination
address. It is the TCP protocol which then arranges all received packets in a sequential order.
MESSAGE SWITCHING :In message switching, the sender sends the data to a switching office first,
which is then stored in its buffer. It then checks the available link and, if it is free, the data is relayed to
another switching office. This process goes on until the data is sent to the destination(receiver).
 NETWORK DEVICES

• Networking devices are equipments that allow receive or transmit data

or signal and used to make communication channel
 ETHERNET CARD OR NIC OR NIU

A NIC (Network Interface card) is a card that is installed in computer so that it can
be connected to network using coaxial or twisted pair cables. Now days, most of the
PCs and Laptops are equipped with an integrated NIC on its Motherboard. Each
LAN card posses a unique 6 Byte Physical addressassigned by the manufacturer,
called Media Access Control (MAC) Address. This address identifies a node
uniquely over the network.
 SWITCH

Switches are smart hubs that send data directly to the destination rather than
broadcast within network. When the switch receives a packet, it examines the
destination and source address and sends packet to destination node only. Switch can
also used to combine various small network segments to form a big Network. Switch
is faster and efficient over Hub due to good traffic management capability.
 HUB
A Hub is a connecting device which connects multiple computers together to form a
Local Area Network (LAN). Hubs make broadcast type Network and do not manage
traffic over the network. Signal entering any port is broadcast out on all other ports.
It provides various RJ-45 ports to connect Twisted Pair cable in STAR topology,
making them act as a single network segment. Now days, Switch is used in place of
Hubs.
 ROUTER

Router is an inter-networking device which connectsmultiple

independentNetworks to form a Wide Area Network. The basic role of
Routers in a network is to determine the best possible route (shortest
path) for the data packets to be transmitted. In a large network (WAN),
multiple routers work to facilitate speedy delivery of data packets.
 TYPES OF NETWORK

A computer network may be small or big as per number of

computers and other network devices linked together. Thus,
networks vary in size, complexity and geographical area
spread. On the basis of geographical spread, network may be
classified as-
 PAN (PERSONAL AREA NETWORK

The PANs are small network, used to establish communication between

computer and other hand-held devices in small proximity up to 10
meters using wired USB connectivity or wireless system like Bluetooth
or Infrared. PANs are used to connect computers, laptops, Mobiles and
other IT-enabled devices to each others.
 LAN (LOCAL AREA NETWORK)

This system spans on a small area like a small office or home.

The computer systems are linked with wire/cables or wireless
(Wi-Fi) system. The key purpose of LAN is to sharing the
resources. LAN users can share data, programs, printer, Disk,
modem etc.
 MAN (METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK)

A large computer network that usually spans a city or a large

campus. MAN usually interconnects a number of LANs. It also
shares the computing resources among users.
 WAN (WIDE AREA NETWORK)

This type of network spreads over large geographical area across

countries and continents. WANs are generally used to interconnect
several other types of networks such as LANs, MANs etc. It facilitates
fast and efficient exchange of information at high speed and low cost.
 NETWORK TOPOLOGIES

In order to form a network, computers and other communicating devices (Nodes) must be
interconnected in some layout.The layout of interconnection of devices in a network is
called Topology. The selection of topology for a network depends on the following factors-
COST:- It includes cable/media cost and installation cost depends on the distance between
nodes.
FLEXIBILITY:- Arrangement of furniture and walls in the building may affect the selection
of topology and media.
RELIABILITY:- Fault detection during Network failure also affects the selection of
topology.
 MESH TOPOLOGY

In mesh topology, each computer is connected with the other

computer. There is a point-to-point link between each dedicated
node(workstation).In this type of topology, the link carries
traffic only between the two connected devices.
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES :
Each communicating device carries its own data through its own dedicated link, hence eliminating
traffic problems.
A mesh topology is robust, if one link becomes unusable, it does not effect the entire system.
Expansion and modification in topology can be done without disrupting other nodes.
DISADVANTAGES :
Mesh topology is highly expensive to set up and involves high maintenance costs because of the
amount of cabling and the number of I/O ports available.
The hardware required to connect each link (I/O ports and cable) can be prohibitively expensive.
Set-up and maintenance of this topology is very difficult. Even administration of the network is tough.
 STAR TOPOLOGY

In Star topology, each node is directly connected to a central

device like Hub or Switch. It is most popular topology to form
Local Area Networks (LAN).
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES :
 Easy to setup and expand.
 Easy to locate fault in case of network failure.
 It offers centralized control over the network.
DISADVANTAGES :
 Increases cabling cost since each node is directly connected to the centre node.
 Difficult to expand due to limited connecting points at centre node or device.
 All nodes are dependent on central node. if the central device (Switch) goes down then entire network breaks
down.
 BUS TOPOLOGY

In the bus topology, all devices are connected to a main cable
called backbone channel. It is simple and oldest topology used
in the early days of computer networking.
 ADVANTAGES: & DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES :
Simple layout and requires less cables.
Easy to expand since node may be connected at any point on linear path.
DISADVANTAGES :
Detection of fault is quite difficult.In case of main cable or terminal fault, the entire
networks goes down.
No centralized control over network.
To cover a long distance, Repeater is needed to maintain the signal intensity. Terminator is
required to terminate the signal at both end of the cable.
 RING TOPOLOGY

In a ring topology network, every node has exactly two neighboring nodes. All
messages or data packet travel in the ring in the same direction and passes through
each node. In a ring topology each node is connected to two and only two
neighboring nodes. Data is accepted from one of the neighboring nodes and is
transmitted onwards to another. Thus data travels only one direction. The message is
taken out from the frame by the receiver and the cycle continues.
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES :
Simple layout and requires less cables.
Easy to expand i.e. node may be connected at any point on circular path.
Optical fiber is often used for high speed transmission.
DISADVANTAGES :
Detection of fault is difficult i.e. failure of one node will affect the whole network.
Less reliable i.e. a failure in the cable or any node breaks the loop and entire network
becomes down.
 TREE TOPOLOGY

Tree topology combines Star and Bus topology, in which multiple Star
networks are connected in linear bus. It offers more expandability and
efficiency. Mostly it used to connect multiple small network spread in
different buildings to form a big network.
 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES :
The tree topology is useful in cases where a star or bus cannot be implemented.
Fault identification is easy.
The network can be expanded by the addition of secondary nodes. Thus, scalability is achieved.
DISADVANTAGES :
As multiple segments are connected to a central bus, the network depends heavily on the bus. Its
failure affects the entire network.
Owing to its size and complexity, maintenance is not easy and costs are high. Also, configuration is
difficult in comparison to other topologies.
Though it is scalable, the number of nodes that can be added depends on the capacity of
the central bus and on the cable type.