Chapter Two

Networking Components
 Networking Components
• The components required to operate a network can be
divided into two major categories.
• Hardware
• Software
• The hardware components of a network consist of all
physical parts that we can see and touch. The following
five items are good examples to be mentioned.
• Server
• Workstation/Client
• Transmission media
• Network Interface Cards (NIC)
• A concentrator/network connectivity
devices/internetworking devices, or wiring center
• The software necessary to operate a network
consists of three items
• Network operating system (NOS)
• The operating system of the workstation
• Server software
• Client software
 Hardware network components
The Server
• The server functions as the central repository
resources/services the network provides. Usually
the server is also responsible for controlling
which users on which computers in the network
are granted access to a service.
• File Servers
• A file server stands at the heart of most
networks. It is a very fast computer with a large
amount of RAM and storage space, along with a
fast network interface card. The network
operating system software resides on this
computer, along with any applications software
and data files that need to be shared
• The file server controls the communication of information
between the nodes on a network. For example, it may be
asked to send a word processor program to one
workstation, receive a database file from another
workstation, and store an e-mail message during the same
time period. This requires a computer that can store a lot of
information and share it very quickly. File servers should
have at least the following characteristics:
• 800 megahertz or faster microprocessor (Pentium 3 or 4,
G4 or G5)
• High RAM capacity
• A fast hard drive with at least 120 gigabytes of storage
• A RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) to preserve
data after a disk casualty
• A tape back-up unit (i.e. DAT, JAZ, Zip, or CD-RW drive)
• Numerous expansion slots
• Fast network interface card
 Workstations/Clients
• A place where the services of the server are used.
Usually not as good as the server in one way or
another.
• All of the user computers connected to a network
are called workstations or clients. A typical
workstation is a computer that is configured with
a network interface card, networking software,
and the appropriate cables. Workstations do not
necessarily need floppy disk drives because files
can be saved on the file server. Almost any
computer can serve as a workstation/client
 Transmission media
• Transmission media broadly categorized into two:
• Guided/wired or bounded transmission media and
• Unguided/wireless or unbounded transmission
media.
• Cabling –Guided transmission Medias
• This is what connects the file server and
workstations/clients. Another phrase for cabling is
transmission media. There are various types of
guided transmission media, including coaxial cable
(Thicknet and Thinnet), Twisted-pair cable (shielded
(STP) and unshielded (UTP)), and Fiber-optic.
 What is Network Cabling?
• Cable is the medium through which information
usually moves from one network device to
another. There are several types of cable which
are commonly used with LANs. In some cases, a
network will utilize only one type of cable, other
networks will use a variety of cable types. The
type of cable chosen for a network is related to
the network's topology, protocol, and size.
Understanding the characteristics of different
types of cable and how they relate to other
aspects of a network is necessary for the
development of a successful network.
• The following sections discuss the types of
cable medias used in networks and other
related topics.
• Twisted pair cable
– Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable
– Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable

• Coaxial Cable
• Fiber Optic Cable
 Twisted pair
• In its simplest form, twisted-pair cable consists of two
insulated strands of copper wire twisted around each
other. The two types of twisted-pair cables are:
unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) and shielded twisted-pair
(STP) cable.
• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable
• UTP is the most popular type of twisted-pair cable and
is fast becoming the most popular LAN cabling. It is
cheap and easy to use. However, its performance over
long distances is not as good as coaxial cable. The
maximum cable length segment of UTP is 100 meters.
There are a number of different types (or categories) of
UTP cable, which differ in their
Categories of Unshielded Twisted Pair

Category Use

Category
Voice Only (Telephone Wire)
1
Category
Data to 4 Mbps (Local Talk)
2
Category
Data to 10 Mbps (Ethernet)
3
Category
Data to 20 Mbps (16 Mbps Token Ring)
4
Category
Data to 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet)
5
 Unshielded Twisted Pair Connector

• The standard connector for unshielded

twisted pair cabling is an RJ-45 connector. This
is a plastic connector that looks like a large
telephone-style connector (See fig. 2).
 UTP connections
• The transmit pin of the source device needs to
ultimately connect to the receiving pin of the
destination device. There are three types of
connections that are used to connect different
devices.
• Straight through cables
• Crossover Cables
• Rollover cables
 Straight through cables
• Are used to connect dissimilar devices
• Switch/Hub to PC
• Switch/Hub to Router
• Straight through cable pin out
 Cross over cable
• The crossover cable can be used to connect
similar devices
• Hub to hub
• Switch to switch
• Hub to switch
• PC to PC
• PC to Router
 Console (Rolled) Cable
• Although rolled cable isn’t used to connect
any Ethernet connections together, you can
use a rolled Ethernet cable to connect a PC to
a router console serial communication (com)
port (used to connect a PC with console port
of a router). If you have a Cisco router or
switch, you would use this cable to connect
your PC running HyperTerminal to the Cisco
hardware.
 Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable
• A disadvantage of UTP is that it may be
susceptible to radio and electrical frequency
interference. Shielded twisted pair (STP) is
suitable for environments with electrical
interference; however, the extra shielding can
make the cables quite bulky. Shielded twisted
pair is often used on networks using Token
Ring topology.
 Coaxial Cable
• Coaxial cabling has a single copper conductor
at its center. A plastic layer provides insulation
between the center conductor and a braided
metal shield (See fig. 3). The metal shield
helps to block any outside interference from
fluorescent lights, motors, and other
computers.
 The two types of coaxial cabling are: Thicknet coaxial and
Thinnet coaxial.

Thicknet coaxial cable

• Thick coaxial cable is also referred to as
thicknet. 10Base5 refers to the specifications
for thick coaxial cable carrying Ethernet
signals. The 5 refers to the maximum segment
length being 500 meters (can carry a signal for
500 meters). Due to this, it is sometimes used
as a backbone to connect several smaller
thinnet-based networks.
 Thinnet coaxial cable
• Thin coaxial cable is also referred to as thinnet.
10Base2 refers to the specifications for thin coaxial
cable carrying Ethernet signals. The 2 refers to the
approximate maximum segment length being 200
meters. In actual fact the maximum segment length
is 185 meters.
 Coaxial Cable Connectors
• The most common type of connector used
with coaxial cables is the Bayone-Neill-
Concelman (BNC) connector (See fig. 4).
Different types of adapters are available for
BNC connectors, including a T-connector,
barrel connector, and terminator.
 Fiber Optic Cable
• In fiber-optic cable, optical fibers carry digital
data signals in the form of modulated pulses of
light. This is a relatively safe way to send data
because, unlike copper-based cables that carry data
in the form of electronic signals, no electrical
impulses are carried over the fiber-optic cable. This
means that fiber-optic cable cannot be tapped, and
its data cannot be stolen.
 Fiber Optic Connector
• The most common connector used with fiber
optic cable is an ST connector. It is barrel
shaped, similar to a BNC connector. A newer
connector, the SC, is becoming more popular.
It has a squared face and is easier to connect
in a confined space.
 Cable Specifications
• The three parameters required for cable
specification are:
• Speed
• Transmission Type – Digital (Baseband) or Analog
(Broadband)
• Max Length – How far can the signal travel before
getting attenuated.
• The following are examples of Ethernet
specifications relate to cable type:
• 10BASE-T = 10Mbps, Baseband, T= twisted pair
• 10BASE5 = 10Mbps, Baseband, <500meters
• 10BASE2 = 10Mbps, Baseband, <200meters
 Wireless Medias – Unguided transmission Medias
• Wireless networks are great for allowing
laptop computers or remote computers to
connect to the LAN. Wireless networks are
also beneficial in older buildings where it may
be difficult or impossible to install cablesThe
two most common types of infrared
communications are line-of-sight and
scattered broadcast. Line-of-sight
communication means that there must be an
unblocked direct line between the workstation
and the transceiver
• Wireless communication is becoming popular.
Some of the wireless standards are
• 802.11 1-2 Mbps
• 802.11b 11Mbps,1,2
• 802.11a 54Mbps preparatory
• 802.11g back ward comp.
• Wireless devices and topologies
• Different types of wireless NICs are used to
communicate signals
• Access points acts as a hub
 Installing Cable - Some Guidelines
• Some common kinds of networking device
• The NIC is located in every workstation on the
LAN as well as in the server. It is a board that
plugs into one of the expansion slots on the
motherboard of a workstation
• The Concentrator – Network connectivity or
Internetworking devices
• Every workstation on the LAN must be
connected to the server across some sort of
transmission media.
Equipment Function
The following is a list of internetworking devices
A Repeater takes the incoming signal and amplifies it so that it may go longer distances. There are two
types of repeaters. Amplifiers simply take the signal and boost it up. They are good in clean networks,
Repeater but in noisy networks will amplify the noise as well. Signal Regenerators examine the signal and
retransmit it the way it was originally sent, avoiding the noise problem but slowing down communication
slightly.

A hub is a center point in a network. Much like an airline hub, a network hub is the center point where all
Hub network traffic passes through on an Ethernet network. If you think about a star network topology, a hub
is always in the middle of the star, and all data transmitted on the network passes through that hub.

A bridge is a method of segmenting networks into two or more sections. Data transmitted on one
segment only passes through to the other segment if the receiving computer is on that other
Bridge
segment. This can speed up networks were the bandwidth is almost complete used by splitting network
traffic into useable chunks.

A router examines the source and destination addresses of network traffic and decides where it should
go. Rather than have the signal transmitted to every node, the router decides which route is best by use
of a Router Table. When several routers are connected together, they can allow communication over
Router inter-networks (large networks made up of smaller networks) without the bandwidth problems of having
one giant network.
A router is a router and a bridge combined. It is used for both network segmentation and routing purposes. Most routers are inherently
routers now, as the two tasks are quite similar.
 Software network components
The Network Operating System
• What is a Network Operating System?
• Unlike operating systems, such as DOS and
Windows that are designed for single users to
control one computer, network operating systems
(NOS) coordinate the activities of multiple
computers across a network. The network
operating system acts as a director to keep the
network running smoothly.
– The network operating system is the software that
resides on the server. The network operating system,
or NOS, controls virtually all the activity on the
network.
 – The NOS manages access to the resource on the
server and handles security of the resource on the
server.
– It provides true multi-user capabilities and is
probably the most important part of the network.
• The two major types of network operating
systems are:
• Peer-to-Peer
• Client/Server
 Peer-to-Peer
• Peer-to-peer network operating systems allow
users to share resources and files located on their
computers and to access shared resources found
on other computers. However, they do not have a
file server or a centralized management source
(See fig. below). In a peer-to-peer network, all
computers are considered equal; they all have
the same abilities to use the resources available
on the network. Peer-to-peer networks are
designed primarily for small to medium local area
networks.
 Advantages of a peer-to-peer network:

• Less initial expense - No need for a dedicated

server.
• Setup - An operating system (such as Windows
XP) already in place may only need to be
reconfigured for peer-to-peer operations.
• Disadvantages of a peer-to-peer network:
• Decentralized - No central repository for files
and applications.
• Security - Does not provide the security
available on a client/server network.
 Client/Server
• Client/server network operating systems allow
the network to centralize functions and
applications in one or more dedicated file
servers The file servers become the heart of
the system, providing access to resources and
providing security. Individual workstations
(clients) have access to the resources available
on the file servers
 Advantages of a client/server network:
• Centralized - Resources and data security are
controlled through the server.
• Scalability - Any or all elements can be
replaced individually as needs increase.
• Flexibility - New technology can be easily
integrated into system.
• Interoperability - All components
(client/network/server) work together.
• Accessibility - Server can be accessed remotely
and across multiple platforms.
 Disadvantages of a client/server
network:
• Expense - Requires initial investment in
dedicated server.
• Maintenance - Large networks will require a
staff to ensure efficient operation.
• Dependence - When server goes down,
operations will cease across the network.
 Examples of network operating systems
• The following list includes some of the more
popular peer-to-peer and client/server network
operating systems
• The server software
• Server software usually loaded on the server. They
provides an interface through the service is given
to clients. Most popular ones are web server, mail
server, print server, file server, database server, etc.
• The client software
• They are software’s that used to access the service
given by the server software on the server. Capable
of interfacing with server software. E.g. web
browsers, e-mail clients etc
 Designing Computer Networks
Choosing a Network Design
• A general network goal that can work for most
organizations can be to install an economical computer
network that will bring up-to-date communication
technology and be flexible enough to allow for future
expansion. Some detailed network goals for a company
are:
• Network the existing computers so that they can share
information and printers.
• Adding additional computers to the network.
• Allow for the possible addition of computers at a later
date.
• Provide an Internet connection for the Product Design
Group.
• Etc.
• The most typical technical goals in an enterprise
LAN/WAN design include scalability, availability,
performance, and security.
• Scalability: Scalability is the ability of a network
to continue to function well as it is changed in
size or volume to meet new enterprise traffic or
application requirements
• Availability: The second most important
technical goal every enterprise network requires
is high availability. This refers to the amount of up
time the network is available to end users
• Performance: In general, network
performance can be specified in very scientific
and precise terms. Parameters such as
capacity utilization, throughput, and delay are
just some of the terms that indicate the health
of an enterprise network
• Security: Among all the technical goals,
security is becoming more important as
enterprises keep connecting their private
internetworks to the Internet as well as their
partners and remote workers.
 Peer-to-Peer or Server-Based?
• The first decision we need to make in designing
new network is whether it should be a peer-to-
peer or a server-based network. The factors we
need to examine include the:
• Size of the network.
• Level of security.
• Type of business.
• Level of administrative support available.
• Amount of network traffic.
• Needs of the network users.
• Network budget.
Selecting a Logical Network Topology
• A topology pictorially describes the configuration
or arrangement of a conceptual network,
including all the network nodes and connecting
lines. During this phase, identify the network
segments and interconnection points between
segments, size and scope of networks, and the
types of required internetworking devices; for
example, hub, switch, or router. You do not have
to decide which devices just yet. One of the best
practices when designing an enterprise LAN/WAN
network is to develop a layered and hierarchical
design model, which is recommended by most
network design experts
• A typical hierarchical network topology
includes the following three layers:
• A core layer consisting of high-end routers
and switches that are optimized for availability
and performance
• A distribution layer of routers and switches
that implement network policies
• An access layer that connects users via hubs,
switches, and other interconnection devices
 Requirements of the Network
• After you have examined the existing facility
and equipment, you need to define the
requirements of your network. You'll then
match these requirements to the existing
hardware, software, and telecommunications
features available and determine what steps
need to be taken to develop the network.
• At a minimum, you should consider the following:
• The size of the facility (located on a single floor vs.
multiple floors)
• The number of users
• Whether the LAN will be extended to several buildings
• The environment (office, manufacturing, out-of-doors)
• The current network media, if any
• The technical competence of users
• The amount of network traffic (initially, and anticipated
for the future)
• The level of security
Documenting Your Design and Making a Final Proposal
• The final step of the design process is to
deliver a final design with all the details to the
client, for example. Don’t ignore the
importance of the proposal. A well-written
and articulated proposal is usually the decisive
factor for a client to approve or disapprove
the whole project. It is not uncommon that
some network designers have excellent design
skills but lack the ability to write them.
Documentation is a must-have skill for any
serious network designer.
• In general, the final design proposal should be
comprehensive enough to cover the following
topics:
• Executive summary
• Project goal
• Project scope
• Design requirements (both business and
technical)
• Current state of the network
• Logical network design
• Physical network design
• Implementation plan
• Project budget