Unit - V

Basics of Networking

Y Suresh
[email protected]
 Computer Network
A computer network is a collection of two or more
devices connected by communication links so that
they can communicate with each other and share
resources and information.
Network is use for sharing resources; exchange
files, or allow electronic communications.
The computers on a network may be linked
through cables, telephone lines, radio waves,
satellites.
Nodes and links are the basic building blocks in
computer networking. A network node may be
data communication equipment (DCE) such as a
modem, hub or, switch
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 Cont…
A node refers to an entity/device that is
connected to a network and is capable of
receiving, processing, and/or transmitting
data in a network.

A few examples of nodes include

computers, printers, modems, bridges, and
switches.

A link refers to the connection or medium

by which two devices/nodes are connected
3 in a network. The connection link can either
 Cont…

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 Evolution of networking
ARPANET: In 1969, The US govt. formed an
agency named ARPANET (Advanced Research
Projects Agency NET work) to connect computers
at various universities and defense agencies.
NSFNET: The National Science Foundation
Network (NSFNET) was a program of
coordinated, evolving projects sponsored by the
National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1985 to
1995 to promote advanced research and
education networking in the United States.
Internet (INTERconnection NETwork): The
Internet is a worldwide network of computer
networks. It is not owned by anybody.
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 Cont…
The internet has evolved from ARPANET.
The internet is a globally connected
network system.
An interspace is a software that allows
multiple users in a client-server
environment to communicate with each
other to send and receive data of various
types such as data files, video, audio, and
textual data.

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 Types of Network
Following are the different types of networks

Personal Area Network(PAN)

Local Area Network(LAN)

Metropolitan Area Network(MAN)

Wide Area Network(WAN)

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 PAN
Personal Area Network is a network
arranged within an individual person,
typically within a range of 10 meters.
Personal Area Network covers an area of 30
feet.
Personal computer devices that are used to
develop the personal area network are the
laptop, mobile phones, media player.

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 LAN
Local Area Network is a group of computers
connected to each other in a small area
such as building, office.
LAN is used for connecting two or more
personal computers through a
communication medium such as twisted
pair, coaxial cable, etc.
It is less costly as it is built with
inexpensive hardware such as hubs,
network adapters, and Ethernet cables.
The data is transferred at an extremely

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faster rate in Local Area Network.

 Cont…
It is generally privately owned networks
over a distance not more than 5 Km. LAN
runs at a speed of 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps
and has low delays.
A LAN based on WiFi wireless network
technology is called Wireless Local Area
Network (WLAN).

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 MAN
A metropolitan area network is a network that
covers a larger geographic area by
interconnecting a different LAN to form a larger
network.
In MAN, various LANs are connected to each
other.
It has a higher range than Local Area
Network(LAN).
Cable television network is an example of MAN.
The computers in a MAN are connected using
coaxial cables or fiber optic cables.
MAN also connects several LAN spread over a city

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 Cont…

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 WAN
A Wide Area Network is a network that
extends over a large geographical area
such as states or countries.
A Wide Area Network is quite bigger
network than the LAN.
A Wide Area Network is not limited to a
single location, but it spans over a large
geographical area through a telephone line,
fibre optic cable or satellite links.
The internet is one of the biggest WAN in
the world.
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 Cont…

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 Advantages and
Disadvantages
File sharing – you can easily share data between
different users, or access it remotely if you keep
it on other connected devices.
Resource sharing – using network-connected
peripheral devices like printers, scanners, or
sharing software between multiple users to share
anyone on the network and it saves money.
Increasing storage capacity – you can access files
and multimedia, such as images and music,
which you store remotely on other machines or
network-attached storage devices.

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 Cont…
Easy Communication – it is very easy to
communicate through a network. Network
provides a powerful communication
medium people can enjoy benefits of e-
mails, instant messaging, video
conferencing etc.
It comes with the risk of security issues -
Considering the large number of people
using a computer network and sharing files
and resources, your security would
normally be at risk.
Security threats are always problems with
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large networks.
 Data Transmission Media
Transmission media is a pathway that
carries the information from sender to
receiver.
A data channel is the medium used to
carry information or data from one point to
another.
We use different types of cables or waves
to transfer data.
Data is transmitted in the form of electrical
and electromagnetic signals.

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 Cont…
Baud: It is the unit to measure the data transmission
speed. It is equivalent to bps (bits per second).
Bandwidth: -The maximum volume of data that can
be transferred over any communication channel at a
given point of time is known as the bandwidth. In
analog systems, it is measured in hertz (Hz) and in
digital systems; it is measured in bits per second
(bps)
Data transfer rate: -The amount of data
transferred per second by the communication
channel from one point to another is known as the
data transfer rate. It is measured in bits per second
(bps), bytes per second (Bps).

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 Cont…
The transmission media can be grouped into
guided media, and unguided media.
In the guided media, the data signals are sent
along a specific path, through a wire or a cable.
Copper wire and optical fibers are the most
commonly used guided media. Copper wire
transmits data as electric signals. Copper wires
offer low resistance to current signal, facilitating
signals to travel longer distances.
In the unguided media, the data signals are not
bounded by a fixed channel to follow. The data
signals are transmitted by air. Radio, microwave,
and satellite transmissions fall into this category.
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 Cont…

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 Twisted Pair Cable
A twisted pair cable consists of four pairs of
copper wires coated with an insulating
material like plastic or Teflon, twisted
together.
The twisting of wires reduces
electromagnetic interference from external
sources.
Twisted pair cabling is often used in data
networks for short and medium length
connections because of its relatively lower
costs compared to optical fiber and coaxial
cable.
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Twisted pair cabling is the most common
 Cont…
Advantages:
 It is easy to install and maintain.
 It is very inexpensive
Disadvantages:
 It is incapable to carry a signal over long
distances without the use of repeaters.
 Due to low bandwidth, these are
unsuitable for broadband applications.

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 Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cable is a two-conductor cable
consisting of a center conductor and an
outer conductor with an insulating spacer
between the two.
TV wire is usually a coaxial cable.
It has a higher frequency as compared to
Twisted pair cable.

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 Cont…
Advantages:
 Data transmission rate is better than
twisted pair cables.
 It provides a cheap means of
transporting multi-channel television
signals around metropolitan areas.
Disadvantages:
 Expensive than twisted pair cables
Difficult to manage and reconfigure.

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 Optical fiber Cable
Optical fibers are being used for
transmission of information over large
distances more cost effectively than the
copper wire connection.
Communication systems are now
unthinkable without fiber optics.
A fiber optic cable can contain a varying
number of glass fibers, from a few up to a
couple hundred. Another glass layer
called cladding surrounds the glass fiber
core.
Optical fiber transmits data as light signals
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instead of electric signals.
 Cont…
Advantages:
 Transmit data over long distance with
high security.
 Optical fibers are ideally suited for
carrying digital information, which is
especially useful in computer networks.
 They are highly secure as they cannot
be tapped and for lack of signal radiation.
 Data transmission speed is high
 Bandwidth is up to 10 Gbps.

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 Cont…
Disadvantages:
 Installing an optical fiber requires special
equipment.
 If a fiber breaks, finding the broken
location is difficult.
 Repairing a broken optical fiber is
difficult and requires special equipment.
 Due to its high installation costs, they
are economical when the bandwidth
utilization is high.

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 Unguided Media
An unguided transmission transmits the
electromagnetic waves without using any
physical medium. Therefore it is also known
as wireless transmission.

In unguided media, air is the media through

which the electromagnetic energy can flow
easily.

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 Radio Wave Transmission
The electromagnetic radio waves that operate at the
radio frequency are also used to transmit computer
data.
This transmission is also known as Radio Frequency
(RF) transmission.
The computers using RF transmission do not require
a direct physical connection like wires or cable.
Each computer attaches to an antenna that can
both send and receive radio transmission.
Examples: standard broadcast radio
and television, cellular telephony, and even remote-
controlled toys

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 Cont…
Advantages:
i. Radio wave transmission offers mobility.
ii. It is cheaper than laying cables and
fibers.
iii. It offers ease of communication over
difficult terrain.
Disadvantages:
i. Radio wave communication is insecure
communication.
ii. Radio wave propagation is susceptible to
weather effects like rains, thunder storms
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etc.
 Micro Wave Transmission
The Microwave transmission is a line-of-
sight transmission.
Microwave signals travel at a higher
frequency than radio waves and are
popularly used for transmitting data over
long distances.
 Examples:Wi-Fi, RADAR, Medical
Equipment, Weapons and Military
Equipment, Ovens .

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 Cont…
 Advantages:
i. It is cheaper than laying cable or fiber.
ii. It has the ability to communicate over oceans.
 Disadvantages:
i. Microwave communication is an insecure
communication.
ii. Signals from antenna may split up and transmitted in
different way to different antenna which leads to reduce
to signal strength.
iii. Microwave propagation is susceptible to weather
effects like rains, thunder storms etc.
iv. Bandwidth allocation is extremely limited in case of
microwaves.

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 Satellite Transmission
The communication across longer distances
can be provided by combining radio
frequency transmission with satellites.
The satellite transmission is also a kind of
line-of-sight transmission that is used to
transmit signals throughout the world.

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 Cont…
Advantages:
i. Area covered is quite large.
ii. No line-of-sight restrictions such as
natural mountains, tall building, towers etc.
Disadvantages:
i. Very expensive as compared to other
transmission mediums.
ii. Installation is extremely complex.
iii. Signals sent to the stations can be
tampered by external interference.

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 Transmission Modes
The direction in which data can be
transmitted between any two linked
devices is of three types
 Simplex: Simplex transmission is
unidirectional data transmission. Of the two
linked devices, only one of them can send
data and the other one can only receive
data.

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 Cont…
 Half-duplex: Half–duplex transmission is
bi-directional data transmission, but the
linked devices cannot send and receive at
the same time. When one device is sending
data the other can only receive.

 Full-duplex, or duplex: Full-duplex

transmission is bi-directional and the linked
devices can send and receive data
simultaneously. The linked devices can
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send data and at the same time receive
data.
 Connection Types
Wired Connection: A wired network uses
cables to connect devices, such as laptop or
desktop computers, to the Internet or another
network.
A wired network has some disadvantages when
compared to a wireless network.
The biggest disadvantage is that your device is
tethered to a router.
The most common wired networks use cables
connected at one end to an Ethernet port on
the network router and at the other end to a
computer or other device.
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 Cont…
Advantages of Wired Network
 The network offer higher data rate and
hence fast transfer of information.
 The wired connection is more secure
unless someone breaks the connection and
tap the signal
 It is simple to configure.
 Cables offer higher bandwidth.
 It offers higher reliability and better
quality of service (QoS).

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 Cont…
Disadvantages of Wired Network
 Installation of wired network is very
difficult. Moreover, it is difficult to
troubleshoot in faulty situation
 It requires devices such as amplifiers,
regenerators, repeaters, hubs and switches
in order to extend the coverage
distance.
 There are more chances of damage to
wired technology products compare to
wireless counterpart
39  Wired connection does not provide
 Cont…
Wireless Connection: A wireless network
allows devices to stay connected to the
network but no need to connect any wires.
Access points, amplify Wi-Fi signals, so a
device can be far from a router but still be
connected to the network.
When you connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot at a
cafe, a hotel, an airport lounge, or another
public place, you're connecting to wireless
network.

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 Cont…
Benefits of a Wi-Fi wireless network
 Convenience: Access your network resources from
any location within your wireless network's coverage
area or from any Wi-Fi hotspot.
 Mobility: You're not tied to your desk, as you are
with a wired connection. You and your employees can
go online in conference room meetings, for example.
 Productivity: Wireless access to the Internet and to
your company's key applications and resources helps
your staff getthe job done and encourages
collaboration.
 Easy setup: You don't have to string cables, so
installation can be quick and cost effective.

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 Cont…
 Expandability: You can easily expand wireless
networks with existing equipment, whereas a wired
network might require additional wiring.
 Security: Advances in wireless networks provide
robust security protections.
 Reduced cost: Because wireless networks
eliminate or reduce wiring expenses, they can cost
less to operate than wired networks.
Disadvantages of Wireless Network
 Speed: Wireless network technology is slower than
wired network technology
 Security: Wireless network is less secured than
wired network
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 Network Topologies
 A Network Topology is the arrangement with which
computer systems or network devices are connected
to each other.
 Network Topology is the way that defines the structure,
and how these components are connected to each
other.
 Network topologies are classified into two types:
physical and logical.
 Physical topology indicates arrangement of different
elements of a network. It reflects physical layout of
devices and cables to a form a connected network.
 Logical Topology reflects arrangement of devices and
their communication. It is the transmission of data
over physical topology.
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 Types of Network Topologies
Point to Point Topology
Bus Topology
Ring Topology
Star Topology
Mesh Topology
Tree Topology
Hybrid Topology

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 Point to Point
Point-to-point networks contains exactly
two nodes such as computer, switches or
routers, servers connected back to back
using a single piece of cable.
The receiving end of one node is connected
to sending end of the other and vice-versa.
Only one cable enough to connect
Data transfer will be high
Less network issues

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 Bus Topology
The simplest type of topology is called a
bus topology, in which network
communication takes place over a single
bus or channel.
Each node is either connected to the
backbone cable by drop cable or directly
connected to the backbone cable.
When a node wants to send a message
over the network, it puts a message over
the network. All the stations available in
the network will receive the message
whether it has been addressed or not.
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 Cont…
Benefits of Bus topology
 Easy to install and use.
 Other nodes won't be impacted if one node fails.
 Less wiring is needed.
 Economical to implement.
Bus topology drawbacks:
 Efficiency decreases as nodes increase (strength of
signal decreases).
 A bus failure will result in network failure.
 The bus's limited length means that only a certain
number of nodes can connect to it.
 As messages are broadcast to all nodes, there are more
security concerns and risks.
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 Ring Topology
In ring topology, each node connects to
exactly two other nodes, creating a circular
network structure.
It is like a bus topology, but with connected
ends.
The message passing is circular and
unidirectional
When one node tries to communicate or
send message to a node which is not
adjacent to it, the data travels through all
intermediate nodes.
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The node that receives the message from
 Cont…
The data is passed from one device to
another device until the destination
address matches. Once the token received
by the destination device, then it sends the
acknowledgment to the sender.
Ring network does not have terminated
ends, thus data signals travel in a circle.
The computers or devices are connected to
the ring using twisted pair cables, coaxial
cables or optic fibers.

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 Cont…
Advantages:
 Data is quickly transferred.
 The transmission of data is relatively simple as
packets travel in one direction only
 Easy to install
Disadvantages:
 Data packets must pass through every computer
between the sender and recipient therefore, this
makes it slower.
 If any of the nodes fails then the ring is broken and
data cannot be transferred successfully.
 Fault detection and removal of faulty parts is
difficult
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 Star Topology
In this type of topology all the computers
are connected to a single hub/switch
through a cable.
This hub is the central node and all others
nodes are connected to the central node.
Star topology is the most popular topology
to connect computer and devices in
network.
The data signal is transmitted from the
source computer to the destination
computer via the hub or switch
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 Cont…
Advantages:
 Easy to install and wire.
 Easy to troubleshoot
 A single node failure does not affect the entire
network.
 Fault detection and removal of faulty parts is easier.
Disadvantages:
 Difficult to expand.
 Longer cable is required.
 The cost of the hub and the longer cables makes it
expensive over others.
 In case hub fails, the entire network fails.

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 Mesh Topology
Mesh technology is an arrangement of the
network in which computers are
interconnected with each other through
various redundant connections.
There are multiple paths from one
computer to another computer.
It does not contain the switch, hub or any
central computer which acts as a central
point of communication.

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 Cont…
Mesh topology is mainly used for WAN
implementations where communication failures are
a critical concern.
The Internet is an example of the mesh topology
Mesh topology can be formed by using the formula:
Number of cables = (n*(n-1))/2;
Full Mesh Topology: In a full mesh topology, each
computer is connected to all the computers
available in the network.
Partial Mesh Topology: In a partial mesh
topology, not all but certain computers are
connected to those computers with which they
communicate frequently.
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 Cont…
Advantages:
 Messages can be received more quickly if the
route to the intended recipient is short
 each node can transmit to and receive from
more than one node at the same time
 new nodes can be added without interruption or
interfering with other nodes
Disadvantages:
 Full mesh networks can be impractical to set up
because of the high number of connections
needed
 many connections require a lot of maintenance

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 Tree Topology
It has a root node and all other nodes are
connected to it forming a hierarchy.
 It is also called hierarchical topology.
It should at least have three levels to the
hierarchy.

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 Hybrid Topology
The combination of various different
topologies is known as Hybrid topology.
A Hybrid topology is a connection between
different links and nodes to transfer the
data.
Hybrid structures are most commonly
found in larger companies where individual
departments have personalized network
topologies adapted to suit their needs and
network usage.

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 Network Devices
The cables are used to transmit data in the
form of signals from one computer to
another, but cables cannot transmit signals
beyond a particular distance.
A concentrator is a device having two or
more ports to which the computers and
other devices can be connected. A
concentrator has two main functions
 It amplifies the signal to restore the original strength
of the signal, and
 It provides an interface to connect multiple
computers and devices in a network.

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Repeater, hub, switch, bridge, and gateway
are examples of network connecting
 Cont…
 Modem: Modem is abbreviation for Modulator –
De-modulator. Modems are used for data
transfer from one computer network to another
computer network through telephone lines.
 Modulator converts information from digital
mode to analog mode at the transmitting end
 and de-modulator converts the same from
analog to digital at receiving end.
 The process of converting analog signals of one
computer network into digital signals of another
computer network so they can be processed by a
receiving computer is referred to as digitizing.

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 Cont…
RJ45 connector: The RJ-45(Registered
Jack) connectors are the plug-in devices
used in the networking and
telecommunications applications. They are
used primarily for connecting LANs,
particularly Ethernet.

Ethernet Card or Network Interface

card : It is a hardware device that helps in
connection of nodes within a network.
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 Cont…
Hub: It is like a repeater with multiple
ports. But, hub does not amplify the
incoming signal.
A hub is a hardware device used to connect
several computers together.
Hubs are used to connect multiple
segments of the same network.
Hubs are also used to connect computers
to network that use Star topology.

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 Cont…
Switch: Like hub, switch also connects
multiple computers in a network or
different segments of the same network.
A switch (switching hub) is a network
device which is used to interconnect
computers or devices on a network.
The main difference between hub and
switch is that hub replicates what it
receives on one port onto all the other
ports while switch keeps a record of the
MAC addresses of the devices attached to
it.
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 Cont…
Gateway: A gateway is a device that
connects dissimilar networks and performs
the necessary translation so that the
connected networks can communicate
properly.

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 Cont…
Repeater: A repeater is a network device
that amplifies and restores signals for long
distance transmission.
When the data is transmitted over a
network for long distances, the data signal
gets weak due to attenuation.
A repeater regenerates the received signal
and re-transmits it to its destination.
 They are useful when computers in a
network are located far away from each
other.
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 Cont…
Router: Router is a network device used to
establish connection between two similar
networks.
They can connect networks with different
architectures such as Token Ring and
Ethernet.
 A router can connect two LANs, a LAN and
a WAN, or two WANs.

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 Network Types Based on
Architecture
Network architectures are often classified
into two broad categories:
 Peer-to-Peer architectures
 Client-server architectures
Peer-to-Peer Network: The Peer-to-Peer
network is also called P2P or computer-to-
computer network. 'Peers‘ are the nodes or
computer system which is connected to
each other.
In this kind of network, each node is
connected to each other node in the
66 network.
 Cont…
The nodes can share printers and allow
other devices to read or write to its hard
disk, allowing to sharing of files, access to its
internet connection, and other resources
 In a peer-to-peer network, each node can
work as either a server as well as a client.
A peer-to-peer network can be configured as
both wired as well as a wireless network.
It is most commonly used in the Local Area
Network, especially in small offices, or within
a single department of a large organization.
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 Cont…
 Advantages:
 Easy to implement and manage.
 Nodes or workstations are independent of one another.
Also, no access permissions are needed.
 The network is reliable in nature. If a peer fails, it will not
affect the working of others.
 There is no need for any professional software in such kind
of networks.
 The cost of implementation of such networks is very less.
Disadvantages:
 Storage is decentralized, and also not so efficiently
managed.
 No data backup options are available in peer-to-peer
networks.
 These kinds of networks are not so secure.
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 Cont…
Clint/Server based Networks: A Server-
Based network can also be termed as a
Client-Server network.
A server is a node that acts as a service
provider for clients. They wait for client
requests and then respond to them
The server is located elsewhere on the
network it controls the level of access that
users have to share resource In other
words, a server provides functionality and
serve other programs called clients.
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 Cont…
There is various kind of servers depending
upon their use, they can be a web server
(which servers HTTP requests), Database
servers(which runs DBMS), File
server(which provides files to clients), Mail
server, print server, Game server,
Application server, and so on. A server can
contain web resources, host web
applications, store user and program data,
etc
A client is a machine or program requesting
services from a server. Clients are often
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situated at workstations or on personal
 Cont…
Clint-Server Applications
 Centralization: The server administers the whole set-up in
the network. Access rights and resource allocations are also
done by the server.
 Proper Management: Due to centralized storage, it
becomes easy to find a file or some other resource.
 Backup and Recovery: A centralized server makes data
backup and recovery possible in a convenient manner.
 Upgradation and Scalability: Changes in the network can
be made very easily by just upgrading the server. Also, the
network is easily scalable.
 Accessibility: Servers can be accessed remotely from
various platforms in the network.
 Security: Rules defining security and access rights can be
defined at the time of the set-up of the server.

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 Cont…
Advantages:
 It facilitates a Centralized storage system.
 Centralization makes administration easy.
 Data can be easily backed in such networks.
 The network is easy to scale.
 Data sharing speed is high.
 Servers can serve multiple clients at a time.
Disadvantages:
 Dependency is more on a centralized server.
 If the server's data is corrupted, all nodes will be
affected.
 A network administrator is required.
 The cost of the server and network software is very high.

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 Network Applications
 A network application is any application running
on one host providing communication to another
application running on a different host.
 Network applications allow network operators to
easily manage and monitor network traffic as well
as analyze data that can be used to improve
network systems
 File sharing
 Printer sharing
 Communication and collaboration
 Remote access
 Data protection
 Centralized support and administration

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