Introduction of Computer

Networks

Department of Computer Science and Engineering,

Chitkara University, Punjab

Prepared by
Dr. Chetna(CSE)
 Index

1. Network affects our lives

2. Network Components
3. Types of Computer Networks
4. Network Topologies
5. Collision Domain
6. Broadcast Domain
7. Recent Network Trends and Network security
Networks affect our Lives

1 Networks Connect Us
In today’s world, through the use of networks, we are connected like never
before. People with ideas can communicate instantly with others to make those
ideas a reality. News events and discoveries are known worldwide in seconds.
Individuals can even connect and play games with friends separated by oceans
and continents

2 No Boundaries
The creation of online communities for the exchange of ideas and information
has the potential to increase productivity opportunities across the globe. The
creation of the cloud lets us store documents and pictures and access them
anywhere, anytime. So whether we are on a train, in a park, or standing on top
of a mountain, we can seamlessly access our data and applications on any
device.
Network Components

End Devices : PC, Laptop, Mobile

Connecting Devices: Hubs, Switches, Routers
Transmission Media: Wired, Wireless Media
Software: Operating Systems for PCs and Connecting Devices

Figure 1 Shows the network components in detail.

 Network Components
1 Host
To be a part of a global online community, your computer, tablet, or smartphone must first be
connected to a network. That network must be connected to the internet. This topic discusses the
parts of a network.
Host: All computers that are connected to a network and participate directly in network
communication are classified as hosts. Hosts can be called end devices. Some hosts are also called
clients. However, the term hosts specifically refers to devices on the network that are assigned a
number for communication purposes. This number identifies the host within a particular network.
IP: This number is called the Internet Protocol (IP) address. An IP address identifies the host and
the network to which the host is attached.
Server: Servers are computers with software that allow them to provide information, like email or
web pages, to other end devices on the network. Each service requires separate server software. For
example, a server requires web server software to provide web services to the network. A computer
with server software can provide services simultaneously to many different clients.
As mentioned, clients are a type of host. Clients have software for requesting and displaying the
information obtained from the server, as shown in the figure.

Figure 2 Illustrates the Client as host and communicating with the

Server.
Network Components
2 Peer-to-Peer
Client and server software usually run on separate computers, but it is also possible for one computer to
be used for both roles at the same time. In small businesses and homes, many computers function as the
servers and clients on the network. This type of network is called a peer-to-peer network.
In the figure, the print-sharing PC has a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection to the printer and a
network connection, using a network interface card (NIC), to the file-sharing PC.

Figure 3 Shows the peer-to-peer communication .

Table 1 Shows the advantages and disadvantages of a Peer-to-Peer

setup.
Advantages Disadvantages
Easy to set up No centralized administration
Less complex Not a secure
Lower cost as network devices and Not scalable
dedicated servers are not essential
Used for a simple task like transfer files All devices may act as both clients and servers
and sharing printers which can slow their performance.
Network Components

3 End devices
The network devices that people are most familiar with are end devices. To distinguish one
end device from another, each end device on a network has an address. When an end device
initiates communication, it uses the address of the destination end device to specify where to
deliver the message. An end device is either the source or destination of a message
transmitted over the network.

End device

End device

LAN

Internetwork
LAN

Figure 4 shows end devices communication

Network Components
4 Intermediary devices
Intermediary devices connect the individual end devices to the network. They can connect multiple individual networks to form an internetwork.
These intermediary devices provide connectivity and ensure that data flows across the network. Intermediary devices use the destination end
device address, in conjunction with information about the network interconnections, to determine the path that messages should take through the
network. Examples of the more common intermediary devices and a list of functions are shown in the figure.

Functions: Regenerates and retransmits communication signals, Maintain information about what pathways exist through the network and
internetwork, Notify other devices of errors and communication failures, Direct data along alternate pathways when there is a link failure, Classify
and direct messages according to priorities, Permit or deny the flow of data, based on security settings
Note: The ethernet hub is known as a multiport repeater. Repeater Regenerates and retransmits communication signals. Notice all intermediary
devices perform the function of a repeater.

Figure 5 Shows the Intermediary devices used in the network.

Network Components
5 Network Media
Communication transmits across a network of media. The media provides the channel over which
the message travels from source to destination. Modern networks primarily use three types of media
to interconnect devices, as shown in the figure:
• Metal wires within cables - Data is encoded into electrical impulses.
• Glass or plastic fibers within cables (fiber-optic cable) - Data is encoded into pulses of light.
• Wireless transmission - Data is encoded via modulation of specific frequencies of
electromagnetic waves.

Figure 6 Various ways of communication transmit across a network of media.

Criteria for choosing: max. distance, environment, amount of data, cost of media, and installation.
Network representation

In addition to these network components, specialized terminology is used to describe

how each of these devices and media connect:
•Network Interface Card (NIC) - A NIC physically connects the end device to the
network.
•Physical Port - A connector or outlet on a networking device where the media
connects to an end device or another networking device.
•Interface - Specialized ports on a networking device that connect to individual
networks. Because routers connect networks, the ports on a router are referred to as
network interfaces.

Note: The terms port and interface are often used interchangeably.
Different Types of Computer Networks

The classification of networks in computers can

be done according to their

i)Size: expressed by the

geographic area and number of computers

ii)Purpose: devices housed in a single room to

millions of devices spread across the world.

Figure 7 Generic computer network

connections
Types of Computer Networks

Figure 8 Types of computer networks

 Personal Area Network

PAN (Personal Area Network) is a

computer network formed around
a person.

Characteristics of PAN
Below are the main characteristics of
PAN:
•It is mostly personal devices network
equipped within a limited area.
•Appliances use for PAN: cordless
mice, keyboards, and Bluetooth
systems.

Figure 9 Shows some of the PAN (Personal Area Network) appliances

 Local Area Network

A group of computer and peripheral

devices which are connected in a
limited area such as school,
laboratory, home, and office
building.

The simplest type of LAN network

is to connect computers and a printer
in someone’s home or office.

Figure 10 The simplest type of LAN network

 Local Area Network

Characteristics of LAN
Here are the important
characteristics of a LAN
network:
•It is a private network, so an
outside regulatory body never
controls it.
•LAN operates at a relatively
higher speed compared to other
WAN systems.
Figure 11 Generic workflow of the simplest type of LAN network
Advantages and Disadvantages of LAN
WAN:Wide Area Network

WAN is another important computer network that which is

spread across a large geographical area.

Figure 12 The simplest type of WAN network

Intranets and Extranets
Two other terms are similar to the term internet: intranet and extranet.

Intranet: It is a term often used to refer to a private connection of LANs and

WANs that belong to an organization. An intranet is designed to be accessible
only by the organization's members, employees, or others with authorization.
Extranet: An organization may use an extranet to provide secure and safe
access to individuals who work for a different organization but require access to
the organization’s data. Here are some examples of extranets:
A company that is providing access to outside suppliers and contractors
A hospital that is providing a booking system to doctors so they can make
appointments for their patients
A local office of education that provides budget and personnel information to the
schools in its district
Intranets and Extranets
The figure illustrates the levels of access that different groups have to a company intranet, a company
extranet, and the internet.
A center circle is labeled Intranet and has company-only access. Surrounding that is another circle labeled
Extranet which is accessible by suppliers, customers, and collaborators. Surrounding that is another circle
labeled the Internet which is accessible by the world.

Figure 13 illustrates the levels of access that different groups have to a company intranet, a company
extranet, and the internet
Topologies

The Physical or Logical layout of a network is known as

Topology of the network.
It can be divided into:
i) Physical Topology
ii)Logical Topology

Figure 14 Various network Topology’s.

Topologies
 Topologies
This example shows the department server, one admin, various classroom that are connected to each other
by routers, ethernet, internet and various addresses. This depict the way data is accessed and transmit
packets is example of logical topology.

Figure 15 Illustrates logical topology.

Mesh Topology

In a mesh topology, every device is connected to

another device via a particular channel.

Every device is connected with another via

dedicated channels. These channels are known as
links.

Figure 16 Illustrates Mesh topology.

Mesh Topology

•Suppose, N number of devices are connected with

each other in a mesh topology, the total number of
ports that are required by each device is N-1.
•In Figure 1, there are 5 devices connected to each
other, hence the total number of ports required by
each device is 4. Total number of ports
required=N*(N-1).
•Suppose, N number of devices are connected with
each other in a mesh topology, then the total number
of dedicated links required to connect them is NC2 i.e.
N(N-1)/2. In Figure 1, there are 5 devices connected
to each other, hence the total number of links required
is 5*4/2 = 10.

Figure 17 Mesh topology with 5 computers connections.

 Star Topology

In star topology, all the devices are connected to a single networking device through a
cable. This central device may be hub, switch, router and all other nodes are
connected to the central node.

Figure 18 Star topology, Hub at centre and rest all are PC’s
 Star Topology

Advantages of this topology :

•If N devices are connected in a star topology, then
the number of cables required to connect them is N.
So, it is easy to set up.
•Each device requires only 1 port i.e. to connect to
the hub, therefore the total number of ports required
is N.
Problems with this topology :
•If the concentrator (hub) on which the whole
topology relies fails, the whole system will crash
down.
•The cost of installation is high.
•Performance is based on the single concentrator i.e.
hub.
Figure 19 Workflow of Star topology
 Bus Topology

Bus topology is a network type in which every computer and network device is
connected to a single cable. It transmits the data from one end to another in a single
direction. No bi-directional feature is in bus topology.

Figure 20 Workflow of Bus topology

 Bus Topology
Advantages of this topology :
•If N devices are connected in a bus topology,
then the number of cables required to connect
them is 1, which is known as backbone cable,
and N drop lines are required.
•The cost of the cable is less as compared to
other topologies, but it is used to build small
networks.
Problems with this topology :
•If the common cable fails, then the whole
system will crash down.
•If the network traffic is heavy, it increases
collisions in the network. To avoid this, various
protocols are used in the MAC layer known as
Pure Aloha, Slotted Aloha, CSMA/CD, etc.
•Security is very low.
Figure 21 Bus topology connection.
 Ring Topology

In this topology, it forms a ring connecting

devices with exactly two neighboring devices.

Several repeaters are used for Ring topology

with a large number of nodes, because if
someone wants to send some data to the last
node in the ring topology with 100 nodes, then
the data will have to pass through 99 nodes to
reach the 100th node. Hence to prevent data loss
repeaters are used in the network.

The transmission is unidirectional, but it can be

made bidirectional by having 2 connections
between each Network Node, it is called Dual
Ring Topology.
Figure 22 Flow of message in Ring topology.
 Ring Topology

The following operations take place in ring

topology are :

1.One station is known as a monitor station

which takes all the responsibility to perform the
operations.
2.To transmit the data, the station has to hold the
token. After the transmission is done, the token
is to be released for other stations to use.
3.When no station is transmitting the data, then
the token will circulate in the ring.
4.There are two types of token release
techniques: Early token release releases the
token just after transmitting the data and Delay
token release releases the token after the
acknowledgment is received from the receiver. Figure 23 Operations in Ring topology.
 Ring Topology

Advantages of this topology :

•The possibility of collision is minimum in
this type of topology.
•Cheap to install and expand.
Problems with this topology :
•Troubleshooting is difficult in this topology.
•The addition of stations in between or
removal of stations can disturb the whole
topology.
•Less secure.

Figure 24 Operations in Ring topology.

 Tree Topology
This topology is the variation of Star topology. This topology has a hierarchical
flow of data.

Figure 25 Shows Tree topology’s hierarchical flow of data.

 Tree Topology
In this, the various secondary hubs are connected to the central hub which contains
the repeater. In this data flow from top to bottom i.e. from the central hub to
secondary and then to the devices or from bottom to top i.e. devices to the
secondary hub and then to the central hub.

Figure 26 Tree topology connected to the central and secondary hub.

Tree Topology

Figure 27 Tree topology with specific addresses.

Topology

Advantages of this topology :

•It allows more devices to be attached to a single central hub thus it decreases the
distance that is traveled by the signal to come to the devices.

•It allows the network to get isolated and also prioritize from different computers.

Problems with this topology :

•If the central hub gets fails the entire system fails.

•The cost is high because of cabling.

 What is Domain?

• A domain is a type of computer network in which all user computers,

printer accounts, and other devices are registered.
• It is a central database located on single or multiple clusters of central
computers, that is known as domain controllers.

Figure 28 Shows types of Domain

Collision Domain
• Collisions will happen in an Ethernet Network when two devices simultaneously try to send
data on the Shared Media, since Shared Media is half-duplex and sending and receiving are not
supported at the same time.
• Collisions are a normal part of life in an Ethernet network when Ethernet operates in a Half-
duplex and under most circumstances should not be considered a problem.
• A Collision Domain is any network segment in which collisions can happen (usually in
Ethernet networks). In other words, a Collision Domain consists of all the devices connected
using a Shared Media (Bus Topolgy or using Ethernet Hubs) where a Collision can happen
between any device at any time.

Figure 29 Shows collision domain in detail with connection .

Broadcast Domain
• Broadcast is a type of communication, where the sending device send a single
copy of data and that copy of data will be delivered to every device in the network
segment. Broadcast is a required type of communication and we cannot avoid
Broadcasts, because many protocols (Example: ARP and DHCP) and applications
are dependent on Broadcast to function.
• A Broadcast Domain consists of all the devices that will receive any broadcast
packet originating from any device within the network segment.
• In Mention picture, "Computer A" is sending a broadcast and switch will forward it
to every ports and all the switchs will get a copy of broadcast packet. Every
switch will flood the broadcast packet to all the ports. Router also will get a copy
of broadcast packet, but the Router will not forward the packet to the next
network segment.
• As the number of devices in the Broadcast Domain increases, number of
Broadcasts also increases and the quality of the network will come down.

Figure 30 Shows broadcast domain in detail with the connection .

Difference Between Collision and
Broadcast Domain

Collision Domain Broadcast Domain

The Collision domain is a network section that A Broadcast domain is a type of Domain
allows traffic to flow forward and backward. wherein traffic flows all over the network.
Broadcast domain refers to a logical set of
The Collision domain refers to a set of devices
reachable computer systems without using a
in which packet collision could occur.
router.
Broadcast Domain is never limited to the
The devices might include the devices of other
specific IP subnetwork for all types of IP
IP subnetworks.
broadcasts.
The broadcast domain mostly uses a switched
Packet collision occurs as multiple devices
environment to broadcast, so no collision
transmit data on a single wire link.
occurs.
Switches will never break in the broadcast
Switches will break in the collision domain.
domain.
In, collision domain, every port on a router are All ports on a switch or a hub likely to be in
in the separate broadcast domains. the same broadcast domain.
Recent Network Trends
Several networking trends affect organizations and consumers:
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): BYOD enables end users the freedom to use personal tools to
access information and communicate across a business or campus network. These include laptops,
notebooks, tablets, smartphones, and e-readers. These may be purchased by the company or school,
purchased by the individual, or both.
• Online collaboration: Collaboration is defined as “the act of working with another or others on a joint
project.” Collaboration tools, like Cisco WebEx give employees, students, teachers, customers, and
partners a way to instantly connect, interact, and achieve their objectives. Collaboration is also a
priority in education. Students need to collaborate to assist each other in learning, to develop the team
skills used in the workforce, and work together on team-based projects.
• Video communications: Video conferencing is a powerful tool for communicating with others, both
locally and globally. Video is becoming a critical requirement for effective collaboration as
organizations extend across geographic and cultural boundaries.
• Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is one of the ways that we access and store data. Cloud
computing allows us to store personal files, even backup an entire drive on servers over the internet.
Applications such as word processing and photo editing can be accessed using the cloud.

Network security:
Network security is an integral part of computer networking. Some common security threats are
Viruses, worms, Trojan horses, Spyware and adware, Zero-day attacks, Threat actor attacks, Denial of
service attacks, Identity theft, etc. Further, security solutions can be Antivirus and antispyware,
Firewall filtering, etc.
Cisco Packet Tracer
Cisco packet Tracer
Simulation, Visualization, Collaboration

simulate IOS commands

visualize network traffic

collaborate on multiuser activities

Supports Homework and Pre-Lab Prep
Questions

1.During a routine inspection, a technician discovered that software that was installed on a computer was secretly
collecting data about websites that were visited by users of the computer. Which type of threat is affecting this
computer?
identity theft
Spyware*
zero-day attack
DoS attack​

2.Which term refers to a network that provides secure access to the corporate offices by suppliers, customers and
collaborators?
Internet
Extranet*
extendednet
Intranet

3.A large corporation has modified its network to allow users to access network resources from their personal
laptops and smart phones. Which networking trend does this describe?
Bring your own device*
video conferencing
cloud computing
online collaboration
Questions

4.What is an ISP?
It is a standards body that develops cabling and wiring standards for networking.
It is a networking device that combines the functionality of several different networking devices in one.
It is a protocol that establishes how computers within a local network communicate.
It is an organization that enables individuals and businesses to connect to the Internet.*

5.In which scenario would the use of a WISP be recommended?

an Internet cafe in a city
a farm in a rural area without wired broadband access*
an apartment in a building with cable access to the Internet
any home with multiple wireless devices
Computer Networks Dr. Vidhu Baggan