COMPUTER NETWORKING

UFP COMPUTING
 Networking Computers

● A single computer is known as a stand-alone computer.

● When we connect stand-alone computers together we create a network.
● Computer network refers to two or more computers that are connected with one
another for the purpose of communicating data electronically and sharing resources
such as printer, internet connection, etc. 2

● The first instance of computers being linked together was in 1969 with the Advanced
Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET).
Advantages & Disadvantages of Computer Networks

Advantages Disadvantages

Users can share their data with other users on the Setting up a larger network can be expensive, especially if the
network. network requires cabling,several servers, switches and wireless
access points. The staffing costs to maintain a network can also
be expensive.

Users can access their data from different Networks can have security risks. Many users’ data may be
computers on the network. accessed if an unauthorised user gains access to a networked
file server.

File servers can be used to store data in a central Viruses could easily spread from one networked computer to
location. This makes it easier to keep the data another, if a network is not sufficiently protected. 3
secure and to create a back-up copy.
Advantages & Disadvantages of computer network

Advantages Disadvantages

Application servers can be used to store software A whole network could fail if one element of the network fails.
in a central location. This can often reduce This will depend on how the network is structured.
software costs as a site licence could be
purchased, if available. A software site licence is
generally cheaper than individual licences. This
also means that software updates would only
need to be run on the server.

Communications can be sent from one A high amount of network traffic may cause a network to run
computer to another. slowly and cause frustrating delays. 4
Advantages & Disadvantages of computer networks

Advantages Disadvantages

Printers can be shared. This means that a number

of users can share resources in a company or
home, rather than requiring their own.

An internet connection can be shared, allowing

each user on the network to access the internet.

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Uses of computer networks include:

• Sharing and storage of resources

• Sharing of peripherals
• Exchange of data
• Access to internet services
• Access to telephony services
• Access to content delivery services such as those used for,
e.g. Video-streaming and software downloads 6
LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN)
Local Area Network (LAN): A local area network is a
computer network that interconnects computers within a small
geographical area such as a residence, school, laboratory,
university campus or office building. It spans a radius of less
than 1 km.
WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN)
Wide Area Network (WAN): This is a computer network that
extends over a large geographical area such as across cities,
states, or even countries. WAN connects different smaller
networks, including local area networks (LANs) and
Metropolitan area networks (MANs). This ensures that
computers and users in one location can communicate with
computers and users in other locations spanning hundreds of
kilometres away.
 COMPARISON OF LAN & WAN
Factors Local Area Network Wide Area Network

Data transfer rates Can have up to 1Gb per second. Often restricted to less than
200Mb per second.

Data transmission errors Fewer errors as data packets are sent Greater chance of error as packets are
over short distances. sent over longer distances.

Connection method Restricted to within a small location. Expanded to a wider location. Copper
Copper wire, fibre optic cable or wire, fibre optic cable or microwaves
radio waves are mostly used. are mostly used. They can often use
public telephone network systems,
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leased lines, transmission towers and
satellite communication.
 COMPARISON OF LAN & WAN

Factors Local Area Network Wide Area Network

Security Comparatively his as security can be Comparatively low as security is

easier to implement over a smaller difficult to implement across a higher
number of devices and connections. number of devices and connections.

Ownership Mostly owned by individuals or Elements of the network often use

individual organisations. communication infrastructures
owned by others.

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COMPONENTS WITHIN A
COMPUTER NETWORK
In order for computers within a network to
communicate with each other and share
resources certain components are
required. Such as data packet, switch,
hub, repeater, network interface card
(NIC), bridge, wireless access point,
router, etc.
NETWORK TOPOLOGY
A Network Topology is the arrangement with
which computer systems or network devices
are connected to each other. Topologies may
define both physical and logical aspect of the
network. Both logical and physical topologies
could be same or different in a same
network.
TYPES OF NETWORK TOPOLOGY
Star network topology
Bus network topology
Ring network topology
Mesh network topology
STAR TOPOLOGY
All devices in Star topology are connected to a central device,
known as hub or switch, using a point-to-point connection. That
is, there exists a point to point connection between hosts and
hub. The hub device can be any of the following:
hub or repeater, switch or bridge.
BUS TOPOLOGY
A bus topology is a topology for a Local
Area Network (LAN) in which all the nodes are
connected to a single cable. The cable to which the
nodes connect is called a "backbone". If the
backbone is broken, the entire segment fails.
RING TOPOLOGY
In ring topology, each host machine connects to exactly two
other machines, creating a circular network structure. When
one host tries to communicate or send message to a host which
is not adjacent to it, the data travels through all intermediate
hosts. To connect one more host in the existing structure, the
administrator may need only one more extra cable.
MESH TOPOLOGY
A mesh topology is a network setup where each
computer and network device is interconnected with
one another. This topology setup allows for most
transmissions to be distributed even if one of the
connections goes down.
Bus Topology
ADVANTAGES
It is easy to set up, handle, and implement.
2. It is best-suited for small networks.
3. It costs very less.

DISADVANTAGES
The cable length is limited. This limits the number of network nodes that can be
connected.
This network topology can perform well only for a limited number of nodes. When the
number of devices connected to the bus increases, the efficiency decreases.
It is suitable for networks with low traffic. High traffic increases load on the bus, and the
network efficiency drops.
It is heavily dependent on the central bus. A fault in the bus leads to network failure.
It is not easy to isolate faults in the network nodes.
Each device on the network “sees” all the data being transmitted, thus posing a security
risk.
Ring Topology
ADVANTAGES
A central server is not required for the management of this topology.
The traffic is unidirectional and the data transmission is high-speed.
In comparison to a bus, a ring is better at handling load.
The adding or removing of network nodes is easy, as the process requires changing only
two connections.
The configuration makes it easy to identify faults in network nodes.
In this topology, each node has the opportunity to transmit data. Thus, it is a very
organized network topology.
It is less costly than a star topology.
DISADVANTAGES
Disadvantages of Ring Topology
The failure of a single node in the network can cause the entire network to fail.
The movement or changes made to network nodes affect the entire network’s performance.
Data sent from one node to another has to pass through all the intermediate nodes. This
makes the transmission slower in comparison to that in a star topology. The transmission
speed drops with an increase in the number of nodes.
Star Topology
ADVANTAGES
Due to its centralized nature, the topology offers simplicity of operation.
2. It also achieves isolation of each device in the network.
3. Adding or removing network nodes is easy, and can be done without
affecting the entire network.
4. Due to the centralized nature, it is easy to detect faults in the network
devices.
5. As the analysis of traffic is easy, the topology poses lesser security risk.
6. Data packets do not have to pass through many nodes, like in the case of
a ring network. Thus, with the use of a high-capacity central hub, traffic load can
be handled at fairly decent speeds.
DISADVANTAGES
Network operation depends on the functioning of the central hub. Hence, central
hub failure leads to failure of the entire network.
2. Also, the number of nodes that can be added, depends on the capacity of
the central hub.
3. The setup cost is quite high.
MESH TOPOLOGY
Advantages of Mesh Topology
The arrangement of the network nodes is such that it is possible to transmit
data from one node to many other nodes at the same time.
The failure of a single node does not cause the entire network to fail as there
are alternate paths for data transmission.
It can handle heavy traffic, as there are dedicated paths between any two
network nodes.
Point-to-point contact between every pair of nodes, makes it easy to identify
faults.
Disadvantages of Mesh Topology
1. The arrangement wherein every network node is connected to every
other node of the network, many connections serve no major purpose. This
leads to redundancy of many network connections.
2. A lot of cabling is required. Thus, the costs incurred in setup and
maintenance are high.
3. Owing to its complexity, the administration of a mesh network is
difficult.