Computer Networks

Network Basic / Overview

What is Network?
A network is a collection of interconnected devices and systems
that communicate with each other to share resources,
information, or services.

In the context of computing and telecommunications, a

network typically refers to a group of computers, servers, routers,
switches, and other devices that are connected together to
facilitate data transmission and communication.

Network can be a Local Area Network spanned across an office or

Metro Area Network spanned across a city or Wide Area Network
which can be spanned across cities and provinces.
Why We Use Computer
Networks?
Computer networks are used for various purposes, and they provide numerous

benefits that contribute to the efficiency, productivity, and connectivity of individuals,

organizations, and society as a whole.

Reasons why computer networks are widely used:

1. Resource Sharing (Network printers, network cameras)
2. Communication
3. Data Transfer
4. Remote Access
5. Cost Savings
6. Scalability
7. Improved Productivity
8. Global Connectivity
What is Network?
What’s the Internet: “nuts and bolts”
view
PC
▪ billions of connected mobile network
serve
r
computing devices:
wireles • hosts = end global
s ISP
laptop
smartphone
systems
• running network home
apps
▪ communication network
regional ISP
wireles
links
s
links
• fiber, copper,
wired
links radio, satellite
• transmission
rate: bandwidth
▪ packet switches:
route
r
forward packets institutional
(chunks of data) network
• routers and
switches
What’s the Internet: “nuts and bolts”
view
mobile network
▪ Internet: “network of
networks”
global
• Interconnected ISPs
ISP
▪ protocols control sending,
receiving of messages home
• e.g., TCP, IP, HTTP, Skype, network
regional ISP
802.11
▪ Internet standards
• RFC: Request for comments
• IETF: Internet Engineering
Task Force

institutional
network
What’s the Internet: a service view
▪ infrastructure that mobile network
provides services to
applications: global
ISP
• Web, VoIP, email,
games, e-commerce, home
social nets, … network
regional ISP
▪ provides
programming
interface to apps
• hooks that allow
sending and receiving
app programs to
“connect” to Internet institutional
network
• provides service
options, analogous to
postal service
What’s a protocol?
human protocols: network protocols:
▪ “what’s the time?” ▪ machines rather
▪ “I have a question” than humans
▪ introductions ▪ all communication
activity in Internet
… specific messages governed by
sent protocols
… specific actions
taken when protocols define (i)
messages received, format,
or other events
(ii) order of messages
sent and received
among network entities,
and (iii) actions taken
 What’s a protocol?
a human protocol and a computer network
protocol:

Hi TCP connection
request
Hi TCP connection
response
Got
the Get http://www.awl.com/kurose-ross
time?
2:00
<file>
time

Q: other human
protocols?
Sneakernet

Sneakernet is an informal term for the transfer of

electronic information by physically moving media such
as magnetic tape, floppy disks, optical discs, USB flash
drives or external hard drives between computers, rather
than transmitting it over a computer network.
Sneakernet
Components in computer
network
Server − In computing, a server is a computer program or a
device that provides functionality for other programs or devices,
called "clients".
Components in computer
network
Server
Components in computer
network
Hosts − Hosts can include computers, servers, routers, switches, printers, and any
other network-capable device.
Hosts can both initiate communication (as a client) and respond to communication
requests (as a server), depending on the context of the network interaction.
O
R
Client − A client is a type of
host that initiates
communication requests or
services from other hosts,
typically servers, within a
network.
Clients are often end-user
devices such as computers,
smartphones, tablets, or IoT
devices that request
resources or services from
servers.
Components in computer
network
NIC − A network interface controller (NIC, also known as
a network interface card, network adapter, LAN adapter
or physical network interface, and by similar terms) is a
computer hardware component that connects a
computer to a computer network.
Components in computer
network
NIC
What is a MAC address?
A media access control address (MAC address) is a
unique identifier assigned to a network interface
controller (NIC) for use as a network address in
communications within a network segment.

This use is common in most IEEE 802 networking

technologies, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

MAC addresses are recognizable as six groups of two

hexadecimal digits, separated by hyphens, colons, or
without a separator.
What is a MAC address?
MAC addresses are primarily assigned by device
manufacturers, and are therefore commonly known as the
burned-in address, or as an Ethernet hardware address,
hardware address, and physical address.

Each address can be stored in hardware, such as the

card's read only memory, or by a firmware mechanism.
Many network interfaces, however, support changing
their MAC address.
What is a MAC address?
Components in computer
network
Hub − A hub is a multiport repeater and it is used to
connect hosts in a LAN segment. Because of low
throughputs hubs are now rarely used. Hub works on
Layer-1 (Physical Layer) of OSI Model.
Components in computer
network
Hub
 Components in computer
network

A will send frame to C and every device will receive it except A whereas, B and D will drop the
frames because the destination is C.
Components in computer
network
Switch − A Switch is a multiport bridge and is used to
connect hosts in a LAN segment. Switches are much
faster than Hubs and operate on wire speed. Switch
works on Layer-2 (Data Link Layer), but Layer-3
(Network Layer) switches are also available.
Components in computer
network
Switch:

▪ Layer 2
▪ MAC Address table
▪ Separate collision domain
▪ Single broadcast domain
▪ Application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)
▪ No degradation performance between two devices
▪ Can move traffic at wire speed
Components in computer
network
Switch:
 Components in computer
network
Layer 3 Switch

Some switches can also forward data at the network layer (layer 3)
by additionally incorporating routing functionality. Such switches are
commonly known as layer-3 switches or multilayer switches.

Cisco 3550 – Supports Routing

Console Cable
Components in computer
network
Router − A router is Layer-3 (Network Layer) device
which makes routing decisions for the data/information
sent for some remote destination.
A router is connected to two or more data lines from different IP networks.
When a data packet comes in on one of the lines, the router reads the
network address information in the packet header to determine the ultimate
destination. Then, using information in its routing table or routing policy, it
directs the packet to the next network on its journey.
Components in computer
network
Router
s
Components in computer
network
Router
s
Components in computer
network
LAN − A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that
interconnects computers within a limited area such as a
residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building.
Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two most common technologies in use
for local area networks.
Components in computer
network
WAN − A wide area network (WAN) It is a type of computer
network that covers a broad area, allowing communication
between devices over long distances.
 Difference between LAN-WAN
LAN WAN
Limited to a small geographic area WAN spans a city, country, or even
such as home, school, and office the entire world
LANs use technologies like Ethernet
Leased lines are required for WAN
and Wi-Fi
WAN transmission speed is generally
High transmission speed in LANs
low
WAN costs more and High
A LAN costs less than WAN
maintenance cost
LAN can be created with simple
WAN needs devices like router and
network devices such as switches and
gateway
hubs
Problems are easier to understand in Problems in WAN are more difficult to
LAN understand than in LAN
Components in computer
network
CAN − Campus Area Network
Components in computer
network
SAN − Storage Area Network
 Components in computer
network
Firewall − Software or combination of software and hardware, used to
protect users data from unintended recipients on the network/internet.
 Components in computer
network
Firewall − In computing, a firewall is a network security
system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing
network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
A firewall typically establishes a barrier between a trusted
internal network and untrusted external network, such as the
Internet.
 Components in computer
network
Firewall − Firewalls are often categorized as either network
firewalls or host-based firewalls.

Network firewalls filter traffic between two or more

networks and run on network hardware.

Host-based firewalls run on host computers and control

network traffic in and out of those machines.
Components in computer
network
IDS − An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a device or
software application that monitors a network or systems
for malicious activity or policy violations.

Any intrusion activity or violation is typically reported

either to an administrator or collected centrally
using a security information and event management
(SIEM) system.
 Components in computer
network
IPS − Intrusion prevention systems (IPS), also known as intrusion
detection and prevention systems (IDPS), are network security
appliances that monitor network or system activities for malicious
activity.

The main functions of intrusion prevention systems are to identify

malicious activity, log information about this activity, report it and
attempt to block or stop it.
Network Diagram
 Topologies
Physical topology

The physical topology is what the network looks like and

how all the cables and devices are connected to each other.

Logical topology
The logical topology is the path our data signals take through
the physical topology.
Components in computer
network
Full and Half Duplex:
 Bus topology
A bus network is a network topology in which nodes are directly
connected to a common half-duplex link called a bus.

A host on a bus network is called a station. In a bus network,

every station will receive all network traffic, and the traffic
generated by each station has equal transmission priority.

A bus network forms a single network segment and collision

domain. In order for nodes to share the bus, they use a medium
access control technology such as carrier-sense multiple
access (CSMA) or a bus master.
Bus topology
 Ring topology
All computers and network devices are connected on a cable
and the last two devices are connected to each other to form
a “ring”.
 Star topology
All our end devices (computers) are connected to a central
device creating a star model with switch called local area
networks (LAN). The physical connections we normally use is
UTP (Unshielded twisted pair) cable.
 Mesh topology
A single link failure will not bring our network down and it is
very expensive because multiple links between the sites and
each router are needed. This is what we call full-mesh.
 Mesh topology
Here you can see router New York has a connection to all other
routers, Boston is only connected to New York And Paris.
Amsterdam has a connection to New York and Paris. This is a
trade-off between fault tolerance and cost. We call this
partial-Mesh.
 Mesh topology
Number of mesh links (w) = n * (n - 1) / 2
where w is the number of WAN (wide area network) links and n
is the number of sites, can be used to determine the number of
necessary WAN connections.
Thank you