TERM - II

CHAPTER - 5
COMPUTER NETWORKS

TOPICS
 5.1 INTRODUCTION TO NETWORKS
 A Computer Network is a collection of interconnected computers and other
devices which are able to communicate with each other and share hardware
and software resources.

(OR)
 The term “Computer Network” means an interconnected of autonomous
computer.

 An autonomous computer means it is not controlled by another computer.

 If one computer can forcibly start/stop another computer then they are not
considered autonomous.
 5.2 ADVANTAGES

 Resource Sharing:
Computers that are on the same network can share
their resources.

 Reliability:
 A file can saved on more than one location in a
network of computers.
 If one of the computer is not working for the
some reason, the file may be accessed from
another computer.
 Fast and Effective medium of communication.
 Cost Efficient.
 5.3 EVOLUTION OF NETWORKING
ARPANET:

 The First Network was “ARPANET”. It was developed by U.S

Department of Defense .

 It stands for “Advanced Research Projects Agency

Network”.

NSFnet:

 In mid 80’s another federal agency called NSF(National

Science Foundation) created new High capacity network called
NSFnet.

 NSFnet strictly used for academic and engineering research.

Internet:

 It stands for “Inter Networking”.

 It means of connecting a computer to any other computer

anywhere in the world via dedicated “Routers and Servers”.


 5.4 SWITCHING AND ITS TECHNIQUES
SWITCHING:
 Switching is used to send data along different routes.
(or)
 It is a process of forwarding packets coming from one port to an
another port.

Types of Switching:
Switching
Techniques

Circuit Message Packet

Switching Switching Switching
 5.4.1 CIRCUIT SWITCHING
 In this technique, first the complete physical connection

between two computers is established and then data are

transmitted from the source to destination.

 It is commonly used in Telephone systems.

 Link of the connection can’t be used to send any other data even

when free.

 More bandwidth is required.

CIRCUIT SWITCHING
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Advantages:

 The communication channel is dedicated.

 Developed for voice communication.

Disadvantages:

 As the connection is dedicated it cannot be used to transmit any

other data even if the channel is free.

 Dedicated channels require more bandwidth.

 5.4.2 MESSAGE SWITCHING
 In this mechanism, There is no dedicate path between two

communication devices.

 It uses the technique of store and forward.

 The data are sent from the source computer to the switching office

and then to the destination computers.

HOW MESSAGE SWITCHING
WORKS?
 5.4.3 PACKET SWITCHING
 In this technique, the messages are split into number of packets

and they are transmitted in store and forward fashion.

 Individual packets take different routes to reach the destination.

 When packets reach their destination node, the node reassembles

them based on their control information.

 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Advantages:

 The main advantage of packet switching is the efficiency of the network.

 packet switching is more faults tolerant.

 High data transmission quality

Disadvantages:

 Packets may be lost on their route, so sequence numbers are required to

identify missing packets.

 Switching nodes for packet switching require large amount of RAM to

handle large quantities of packets.

HOW PACKET SWITCHING WORKS?
 DIFFERNCE BETWEEN CIRCUIT AND PACKET
SWITCHING

CIRCUIT SWITCHING PACKET SWITCHING

1.It is connection oriented. 1. It is connectionless.

2.Initially designed for voice 2.Initially designed for data

communication. transmission.

3. Inflexible, because once path is 3.Flexible, because a route is

set all parts of a transmission created for each packet to reach
follows the same path. the destination.
 5.5 DATA COMMUNICATION TERMINOLOIES

1. Data Channel:

Channel is the medium used to carry information or data from one

point to another.

2. Baud:

It is a unit used to measure the speed of signaling or data transfer ,

equals to the number of pulses or bits per second(bps).
3. Data Transfer Rates:
 The amount of data transferred per second by the
communication channel from one point to another is known
as “Data Transfer Rates". It is measured by bps or Bps or
baud.
 The following are someData Transfer
of the terms used in data
Rates
transfer:
Kbp KBp
bps Bps Mbps MBps Gbps Tbps
s s
(i) bps – It denotes "bits per second".

(ii) Bps – It denotes "Bytes per second" (1Bps =1000 bps)

(iii) Kbps – It denotes "Kilo bits per second" (1Kbps=125

Bps)

(iv) KBps- It denotes "Kilo Bytes per second".

(v) Mbps – It denotes "Mega bits per second".

(vi) MBps- It denotes "Mega Bytes per second".

(vii) Gbps – It denotes "Giga bits per second".

(viii) Tbps – It denotes "Tera bits per second“.

 4. Bandwidth

 It measures how much data can be sent over a specific

connection in a given amount of time.

 High bandwidth channels are called broad band channels and Low

bandwidth channels are called narrow band channels.

 In analog system frequency is measured by hertz(Hz) and digital

system it is measured by "bps(bits per second)“. The terms used

in bandwidth.

(i) kHz- A “kilohertz” represents thousand cycles per second.

(ii) MHz – A “Megahertz” represents thousand KHz.

(iii) GHz – A “Gigahertz“ represents thousand MHz.

(iv) THz- A “Terahertz“ represents thousand GHz.

 5.6 TRANSMISSION MEDIA
 It is used to transmits the data from one place to another.
 I.e. It helps to transmits the data to Source to Destination.

Types of Transmission Media:

 5.6.1 GUIDED MEDIA / BOUNDED MEDIA
 Guided media is wired media.
 It is a physical way to transmit the data from one place to another. Also, it is
more secure.
 It is generally divided into three types .

(i) Twisted Pair Cable.

(ii) Co-axial Cable.

(iii) Optical Fiber Cable.

 (i) Twisted Pair Cable
 Twisted Pair cable consists of four insulated pairs of wires twisted
around each other to minimize the electromagnetic interference between
adjacent pairs.
 It invented mainly for voice transmission.
 It is very cheaper than other cables.

 Types: (i) UTP (ii) STP

Advantages of Twisted-pair Cable:

1. This cable is cheaper than the other cables.

2. This cable installation is very easy. It can be easily connected with a plug like RJ

45.

3. This cable provides an easy connection to other cables.

Disadvantages of Twisted pair cable:

1. If the distance of cable is greater than 100 m, high rate error increase in twisted

pair cable.

2. It is a very thin cable so it can be easily broken.

3. This cable has low bandwidth, so it is not suitable for the broadband connection.
 (ii) Co-Axial Cable
 This types of cable consists a solid insulated wire surrounded by wire

mesh, each separated by some kind of foil or insulator.

 The inner core carries the signal and mesh provides the ground. Co-

axial Cable or Coax, is most common in Cable TV transmission.

 (iii) Fibre Optics / Optical Fibre Cable
 A fibre-optic cable is made of glass or plastic.
 It transmits signals in the form of light.
 It is expensive than all the other cables, and its data transfer speed is
also higher than all the other cables.
 In this cable, the transmission of data occurs in the form of light rather than the
electric current, so this cable provides higher data transfer speed.
 5.6.2 UN-GUIDED MEDIA / UN-BOUNDED
MEDIA
 Un-Guided media is wireless media.
 It is another way to transmit the data from one place to another through air.
 The following are some of the Un-Guided Media:

(i) Infrared

(ii) Radio wave

(iii) Micro wave

(iv) Satellite.
 (i) INFRARED
 Infrared light are widely used for short range communication(approx. 5 meters)
using wireless signals.
 It can propagate throughout a room, but will not penetrate walls.
 The Remote control used in TV, Wireless Speakers and automotive garage
doors all use infrared communication.
 (ii) Radio Wave
 Radio waves are the electromagnetic waves that are transmitted in all
the directions of free space.
 Radio waves are omnidirectional, i.e., the signals are propagated in all the
directions.
 Radio waves cover a large area, and they can penetrate the walls, bricks,
woods.
 It provides a higher transmission rate.
 Examples: An FM radio, television, cordless phones.

Disadvantages:
 Radio wave communication is insecure communication.
 It is susceptible to weather effects like rains, thunder storms etc…
Radio Wave
 (iii) Micro Wave
 The microwave transmission is a line of sight transmission.
 Microwave are Uni-Directional I.e. It is a point-to-point, rather than a
broadcast, transmission system.
 Microwaves can be used to transmit signals over large distances if there are no
obstacles between to reflect or absorb the beam.

Advantages:
 It is cheaper than laying cable or fiber.
 It has the ability to communicate over ocean.

Disadvantages:
 Microwave communication is limited to line of sight mode only, other modes of
communication are not possible.
 Microwave is susceptible to rain, snow, and electromagnetic interference
 5.7 DIFFERENT TYPES OF NETWORKS

 Depending upon the geographical area covered by a network, it is

classified as:
 5.7.1 PAN

 It stands for “Personal Area Network”.

 This network covers a very small area, usually a room.

 This network normally ranges 1meters - 10 meters or 30 feet.

 The best known wireless PAN network technology is Bluetooth and

the most popular wired PAN technology is USB.

 5.7.2 LAN

 It stands for "Local Area Network".

 It covers small geographical areas with in the range 1KM

(I.e. 10Mts – 1000 Mts) such as offices, schools, colleges,

small industries or a cluster of buildings.
 LAN network can be wired or wireless(WLAN).
 5.7.3 MAN

 It stands for “Metropolitan Area Network".

 MAN is larger than LAN but smaller than WAN.

 It is a larger network that usually spans several buildings in the

same city or town.

 I.e. It covers large geographical area upto 10 KM-100 KM.
 5.7.4 WAN

 WAN stands for "Wide Area Network".

 WANs are typically used to connect comparatively large geographical

area such as; a state, a country, a continent, Planet.

 It covers large geographical area upto 100KM – 1000 KM.

London
 5.8 NETWORK DEVICES

 Network devices are used to connect two or more computers/devices to

each other for the purpose of sharing data/resources from a network.

 Ethernet Card (or) NIC.

 WiFi Card..

 HUB.

 Switch.

 Bridge.

 Router.

 Gateway.

 Modem

 Repeater.

 RJ 45. Repeate
r
 5.8.1 Ethernet card or NIC

 Ethernet card is also known as Network Interface Card(NIC).

 It is a circuit board installed in a computer that provides a

dedicated network connection to the computer.

 Most modern computers have these devices built into the
motherboard, but in some computers we have to add an extra
expansion card (small circuit board).
 5.8.2 Wi-Fi Card

 Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) card is used to connect any device to local

network wirelessly.
 5.8.3 HUB
 A HUB is generally used to connect all the computers in network. But,

It is called Dumb device/ Non-intelligent device. Because, it

simply sends the data onto every computer/device on the network.
 This means, that every device on the network will receive the same

data whether they requested it or not.

 5.8.4 SWITCH

 Switch is called an Intelligent device. It will share the

information only to the target computer connected in
network.
 Because, It can remember the MAC address of each computers

connected in the network.

 It is not like hub, it will send and receive information at the same

time.
 5.8.5 BRIDGE

 Bridges can connect two different LAN segments so that they

act as one single LAN and thus can communicate with each other.
 Bridges reads the MAC address of connected devices

For example:
You have two networks. One network connect the computers/devices with cables
and the other connects the computers/devices using wireless. The cabled network
cannot communicate with the wireless network. By using a bridge, all of the
computer/devices can communicate with each other as one single LAN.
 5.8.6 ROUTERS

 Routers can connect two different types of network (I.e. LAN

and WAN).
 It sends the data from one network to another network with the help

of their IP addresses.
 5.8.7 GATEWAY

 Gateways are also called as protocol convertors. It is used to

interconnect two dissimilar networks having different

protocols.
 It is a network point that acts as an entrance to another

network.
 5.8.8 MODEM

 It stands for Modulator and Demodulator.

 Modem is a device that enables a computer to send or receive

data over telephone or cable lines. It is used to convert digital

signal into analog and vice versa.
 The modulator converts digital data into analog data when the

data is being sent by the computer.

 The demodulator converts analog data signals into digital

data when it is being received by the computer.

 5.8.9 REPEATERS

 Repeaters are used to regenerate the signals, when they travel

over a longer distance, so that the strength of the signal remains the
same.
 Repeaters are very useful when computers in network are located far

away from each other. i.e. Repeaters are used for cables which cover
the needs of the 100 meters long cable.
 5.8.10 RJ 450

 It stands for Registered Jack 45.

 RJ 45 connector is an 8 pin jack used by devices, physically

connect to Ethernet based Local Area Networks.

 This RJ 45 connector generally used with Twisted pair cable. Such

as CAT5 cable.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NETWORK DEVICES
 5.9 NETWORK TOPOLOGIES
 The term topology refers to physical or logical arrangement of a

network.
 The topologies are divided into the following categories depends on

their structure:

i. Star Topology.

ii. Bus Topology.

iii. Tree Topology.

iv. Mesh Topology.

v. Ring Topology.

vi. Hybrid Topology.

 5.9.1 STAR TOPOLOGY
 In a star topology each node (computer) is directly connected to

a central device like HUB or Switch.

 So, data are passes through Hub or switch before reaching

destination.
 It is a most popular technology to form Local Area Network (LAN).
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF STAR TOPOLOGY
Advantages:
 Easy to add another computer to the network.
 If one computer on the network fails, the rest of the network continues to
function normally.

Disadvantages:
 Central node dependency.
 If the central computer, hub, or switch fails, the entire network goes down and
all computers are disconnected from the network.
 5.9.2 BUS TOPOLOGY
 In Bus topology, every computer and network device is connected to a
single cable.
 The main cable acts as a back bone for the network.
 Every bus topology has terminator, a data is send in one direction as soon as
reaches the extreme ends the terminator removes the data from the channel.

Terminator Terminator

Back bone cable.

i.e Centre cable
 5.9.3 TREE TOPOLOGY
 In Bus topology, every computer and network device is connected to a
single cable.
 The main cable acts as a back bone for the network.
 Every bus topology has terminator, a data is send in one direction as soon as
reaches the extreme ends the terminator removes the data from the channel.
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF
TREE TOPOLOGY
ADVANTAGES:
 It simulates hierarchical flow of data.

 Easy to extend.

DISADVANTAGES:
 Long cable length required.

 If the backbone line breaks, the entire segment goes down.

 Root dependency.
 5.10 NETWORK PROTOCOLS
 "Protocol is a set of rules that govern data communication."

 When one computer wants to communicate with another computer on

the network they follow a set of rules. These set of rules are called
protocols.
 TYPES OF NETWORK PROTOCOLS
 Some of the protocols are:

(i) HTTP/HTTPS
(ii) FTP
(iii) TCP/IP
(iv) SMTP
(v) POP3
(vi) IMAP
(vii) Telnet/SSH
(viii) VoIP
(ix) IRC
(x) Video Conferencing.
Note:
Other Protocols: SLIP,PPP
 5.10.1 HTTP/HTTPS
 It stands for "Hyper Text Transfer Protocol"(or) "Hyper Text

Transfer Protocol Secure". It is used for viewing web pages.

 Also, it is used to transfer hyper text based documents from

one computer to another.

 If address of the site begins with http:// is insecure website.

 If address of the site begins with https:// is secure website.

Because, It transmits the data with encrypted form.

Note: Every https:// sites needs to obtain

SSL(Secure Socket Layer) certificate.

 5.10.2 FTP
 It stands for "File Transfer Protocol(FTP)".

 It is used to transfer files between computers and servers

over a network.
 Like uploading of file from one local machine to web server using FTP

client.
 ftp://www.filezilla.com
 5.10.3 TCP/IP
TCP:
 TCP stands for "Transmission Control Protocol".

 TCP is connection oriented protocol. It is responsible for verifying

correct delivery of data from one computer to another.

 Data Can’t be lost in the intermediate network.
IP:
 IP is responsible for moving packet of data from one computer to

another computer.
 It contains a four part number separated by ‘.’(Dot).

For example: 192.168.1.125

 IP does not guarantee delivery of data, To overcome this problem the

TCP was invented.

 5.10.4 SMTP
 SMTP is an E-mail Protocol. It stands for "Simple Mail Transfer

Protocol".
 It is used to transfer emails from client’s computer to an E-Mail Server.

Client’s Mail Receiver’s

Server Mail Server
 5.10.5 POP3
 POP 3 is an E-mail protocol. It stands for “Post Office Protocol" .

 It is used to receive emails from E-mail server to client’s

computer.
 In POP3 Mail server, after downloading, the original mail is removed

from the server and hence we can’t access it from another computer.
 5.10.6 IMAP
 IMAP is an E-mail protocol. It stands for "Internet Message Access Protocol"
.
 It is also used to receive emails from E-mail server to client’s computer.
 It is more suitable when we going to access our e-mail from different locations
or if our messages are managed by multiple users.
 5.10.7 TelNet and SSH
 TelNet is a Remote Login/Remote computer protocol. It stands for

"TerminalNetwork".
 It is used to communicate remote devices or server through

commands. But, communication between telnet client and remote

telnet server in the form of Plain text. So, it is insecure.
 So, that they developed SSH(Secure SHell) to provide strong
authentication and secured communication.
 5.10.8 VoIP
 It stands for "Voice Over Internet Protocol".

 VoIP is a technology that allows us to make a voice calls using

a broadband internet connection instead of regular phone

line.
 5.10.9 IRC
 IRC is a chat protocol.

 It stands for "Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Protocol".

 It is used for Chatting is a online textual talk in real time.

 5.10.10 Video Conferencing
 A two-way videophone conversation among multiple participants is

called "Video conferencing".

 There are two protocols are used for video conferencing they are:

(i) H.323
// Very Important 1 Mark Question
(ii) SIP(Session Initiation Protocol)
 5.11 INTRODUCTION TO WEB SERVICES
 It is a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to –

machine interaction over a network.

 The following are some terms used in web services:

(i) WWW (ii) Website and Web Page (iii) Web Hosting/Web Server

(v) URL (vi) DNS (vii) HTML (viii) DHTML (ix) XML
 5.11.1 WWW
 It stands for "World Wide Web".

 It was invented by Tim Bereners-Lee in 1989.

 Before WWW internet was mainly used for obtaining textual

information. But after WWW, it supports graphic and textual
information.
 5.11.2 WEBSITE and WEBPAGE
Website:

A collection of interconnected webpages are called "Website“.

Web Page:

A document that uses HTTP/HTTPS is called a "Web Page".

Home Page:
It is the top level web page of a web site. When a web site is opened
its home page is displayed.
 5.11.3 WEB HOSTING / WEB SERVER
Web Hosting:
 It is an online service that enables you to publish your website

or web application on the internet.

 It is basically rent some space on a physical server where we can store

all the files and data necessary for our website to work properly.
 Some popular web hosting companies are:

(i) GoDaddy (ii) HostGator (iii) Bluehost etc…

Web Server:
 The computer system providing the web-hosting is known as
"Webserver or Web host".
 5.11.3 WEB HOSTING / WEB SERVER
Web Hosting:
 It is an online service that enables you to publish your website

or web application on the internet.

 It is basically rent some space on a physical server where we can store

all the files and data necessary for our website to work properly.
 Some popular web hosting companies are:

(i) GoDaddy (ii) HostGator (iii) Bluehost etc…

Web Server:
 The computer system providing the web-hosting is known as
"Webserver or Web host".
 5.11.4 URL
 URL stands for “Uniform Resource Locator”.

 It is a complete address of a website.

 All the URLs for the web pages are unique.

 URL Look Like this: type://address//path

Example:

https://
codescracker.co/exam/signup.php
m

typ Domain name Path

e
 5.11.5 DNS/DOMAIN NAMES
 It stands for "Domain Name System".

 It is used to map the domain name(URL) with IP address.

 In order to match the name we type in with the number, our request

needs to go to a DNS server, which maintains a list of IP addresses

mapped to names.

https://
codescracker.co/exam/signup.php
m

Domain name
 5.11.6 HTML
 It stands for “Hyper Text Markup Language”.

 HTML is used to create websites, which consists of several tags in it.

Each tags perform some certain operations on website.

 All the html files have .html extensions.

Disadvantages:

1. It can create only static and plain pages so if we need dynamic pages
then HTML is not useful.

2. Need to write lot of code for making simple webpage.

3. Security features are not good in HTML.

 5.11.7 DHTML
 DHTML stands for “Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language”.

 It is a combination of Web development technologies used to create

dynamically changing websites.

 Web pages may include animation, dynamic menus and text effects.

 The technologies used include a combination of HTML, JavaScript or

VB Script.
 5.11.8 XML
 XML stands for “eXtensible Markup Language”.

 XML was designed to store and transport data.

 There is no predefined tags are available in XML. We can define our

own tags.

Difference Between HTML,DHTML and XML:

THE END