UNIT 2

CHAPTER 7
COMPUTER NETWORK

1. What are the basics of computer networking?

ANS. A computer network is an interconnection among two or more computers
or computing devices. Such interconnection allows computers to share data and
resources among each other. Each device in a network that can receive, create,
store or send data to different network routes is called a node. Apart from
computers, networks include networking devices like switch, router, and modem.
Networking devices are used to connect multiple computers in different settings.

2. What are the three main components of a network?

ANS : There are three primary components to understanding networks:
1. Physical Connections;
2. Network Operating System;
3. Application Component.
3. What are the types of computer networks?
ANS. Types of Networks There are various types of computer networks
connected through wired or wireless media. Computer networks are broadly
categorised as LAN, WAN and MAN based on the geographical area covered and
data transfer rate. There are many other types of network such as Wireless Local
Area Network (WLAN), Personal Area Network (PAN), Campus Area Network
(CAN), SAN (storage area network), VPN (virtual private network).
Local Area Network (LAN) :It is a network that connects computing devices such
as computers, laptop, printers and scanners in a limited geographical area such as
home, school, laboratory, office buildings, allowing them to share data and
resources. The connectivity is done by wires such as Ethernet cables, fibre optics,
or wireless Wi-Fi.

PAN (Personal Area Network)It is a network formed by connecting a personal

computing device as shown in Figure 7.4. All these devices lie within an
approximate range of 10 metres. A personal area network may be wired or
wireless. For example, a mobile phone connected to the laptop through USB
forms a wired PAN while two smartphones communicating with each other
through Bluetooth or wi-fi hotspot technology form a wireless PAN or WPAN.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is an
extended form of LAN which covers a larger geographical area like a city or town.
Data transfer rate in MAN also ranges in Mbps, but it is considerably less as
compared to LAN. MAN combines multiple LAN through a networking device
called Bridge. A MAN usually is managed by network provider or local and state
governments. Cable TV network or cable based broadband internet services are
examples of MAN. This kind of network can be extended up to 30-40 km.

Wide Area Network (WAN) Wide Area Network connects computers and other
LANs and MANs, which are spread across large geographic area across the
country or world, using communications channel wired or wireless media. A WAN
can be one large network or can consist of two or more LANs connected together.
The Internet is the world largest WAN that connects billions of computers,
smartphones and millions of LANs from different continents.
 4. Why do we need networking devices?
ANS :
 network devices are the devices that are necessary to build a network
and to keep communication flowing.
 Network devices include hubs, routers, switches, repeaters, and
wireless access points. These devices must be configured, and include
firmware which must be updated.
 Controlling traffic. Large networks need a way to filter and isolate
data traffic.
 Connectivity. These devices can connect different types of networks
using different types of network protocols.
 Hierarchical addressing. Segmenting the network with connectivity
devices provides an actual (physical) example of delivering actual
data to the right destination through the IP address’s network ID and
host ID.

5. What are the main devices of a computer network?

ANS : Here is the common network device list:
 Hub.
 Switch.
 Router.
 Bridge.
 Gateway.
 Modem.
 Repeater.
 Access Point.

6. Give the 3 examples of a computer network?

ANS :
 The World Wide Web. This is a directed network in which nodes represent
Web pages and edges are the hyperlinks between pages. ...
 The Internet. ...
 Powerline and airline networks. ...
 Citation networks. ...
 Language networks. ...
 Food webs. ...
 Economic networks. ...
 Metabolic and protein networks.

7. What is the most common type of computer network?

ANS . INTERNET

8. What is the primary difference between peer-to-peer and client-

server architectures?
ANS : peer-to-peer
It is the simplest form of a network. In peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture, two or
more computers are connected as “peers,” without going through a separate
server computer as shown in Figure 7.23. Each machine has equal power,
privileges and resources. However, each computer can be configured to share
only some of its resources and prevent access to other resources. There is no
centralized management or security. Every computer can communicate directly
with every other computer. Any user who wants access to resources on another
 computer should have an account on that specific computer. This model is used in
very small networks at home or small office.
A peer-to-peer network usually uses a hub so that messages can be
broadcast to all the computers on the network.

Client-server network In a client/server network, there are clients (workstations)

as well as one or more server. A central server or group of servers manage
resources and deliver services to large number of user machines in the network
called clients. The servers are usually powerful computers with more memory,
storage space, and fast network connections. The clients are regular PCs. The
server software runs on server hardware, and client software is used on client
computers that connect to servers. The client request services from the server. A
server controls access to hardware, software, and other resources on the
network. It also provides a centralized storage area for programs and data. The
clients in the network communicate with other clients through the server.

9. Give the examples of network devices?

ANS : Network devices
 Hub.
 Switch.
 Router.
 Bridge.
 Gateway.
 Modem.
 Repeater.
 Access Point.

10. What is MAC address and IP address of device?

ANS : MAC address : The MAC address is engraved on NIC at the time of
manufacturing and thus it is a permanent address and cannot be changed under
any circumstances. The machine, on which the NIC is attached, can be physically
identified on the network using its MAC address. Each MAC address is a 12-digit
hexadecimal numbers (48 bits in length), of which the first six digits (24 bits)
contain the manufacturer‘s ID called Organisational Unique Identifier (OUI) and
the later six digits (24 bits) represents the serial number assigned to the card by
the manufacturer.

IP address : IP address stands for Internet Protocol Address. It is a unique

address which uniquely identifies a device in the network using TCP/IP Protocol to
establish communication. IP address can change if a node is removed from one
network and connected to another network IP address comprises four
hexadecimal numbers of 8 bits field separated by symbol dot ―.‖ Each number
varies from one to three digits and these four number ranges from 0 to 255 bits.
An example of IP address is, 198.134.45.6.

Host – It uniquely identifies a device in the network assigned to each host. It takes
8 bits of the address. The host part will remain the same but the network part of
the IP address will change.

Network – It uniquely identifies the network and its class. It also takes 8 bits of
the address.

Subnetting - Subnetting is a process of dividing a host part of network into smaller

parts for better administration and usage. Without subnetting, all computers work
in a single large network.