Introduction

• Networks can be categorized using a variety

of features and functions.
BIT 1305 – Computer Networks • These are neither exclusive nor exhaustive,
but they do yield a rich crop of terminology.
• Keep in mind that networking categories and
Topic Three terminology may overlap, complement, or be
independent.
Categories of Computer Networks • For example, one person’s local-area network
(LAN) may be another’s campus-area
network (CAN).
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Criteria of Categorization
– Message Capacity
– Transmission Rates
– Classification by Range Message Capacity
– Types of Nodes
– Relationship Amongst Nodes Categories of Computer Networks
– Classification by Topology
– Access Possibilities
– Classification by Architecture
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Message Capacity Message Capacity

• A network may be able to transmit one or more
• A broadband network can transmit more than
messages at a time.
one message at a time by using a different
• A baseband network can transmit exactly one
frequency range for each message and then
message at a time.
multiplexing these multiple channels.
• Most LANs are baseband networks => Ltd Distance
• A signalling technique in which the signal is
• It employs a signalling technique in which the
modulated by a modem => analog signalling.
signal is transmitted in digital form.
• Broadband is characterized by the use of
• No alteration by modulation.
multiple frequency channels for transmission.
• Twisted-pair wiring is the usual medium for
baseband networks and is Bi-Directional.
• Uni-Directional.
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 Message Capacity
• A carrierband network is a special case of a
baseband network. In this type of network, the
channel’s entire bandwidth is used for a single
transmission, i.e. there is a single data Transmission Rates
transmission channel that does not allow
simultaneous transmission of data, voice and
video. Categories of Computer Networks
• Carrierband differs from broadband in that only
one frequency channel is used for transmission.

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Transmission Rates Transmission Rates

• The earliest networks operated at kilobit per second • The next generations supported transmissions in the
(kbps) speeds, anywhere from fewer than ten to a 100+ Mbps range. This includes FDDI (100 Mbps),
few hundred kilobits per second. ATM (up to 600+ Mbps), and Fast Ethernet (100
Mbps).
• The next generation encompassed the transmission
speeds for the “traditional - legacy” LAN • The next generations of networks support
transmissions at 1+ gigabits per second (Gbps) rates.
architectures: Ethernet, Token Ring, and ARCnet.
These have speeds in the 1 to 20 megabit per • At these speeds, the entire Oxford English Dictionary
second (Mbps) range. could be transmitted several times in a single second.
• 10+ gigabits per second (Gbps) technologies are on
• The traditional speeds were 10 Mbps or slower; the
roll-out
16 Mbps Token Ring and 20 Mbps ARCnet Plus
• Use of WDM might have fibre supporting 200Gbps
were improvements on the original designs.
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Classification by Range
• Networks are distinguished by the range over which the
nodes are distributed. Interestingly, the number of nodes is
not used as a major distinction (except by network software
vendors when they sell packages to end-users).
Classification by Range • The most common categories are LANs, WANs (wide-area
networks), and MANs (metropolitan-area networks), but
GANs/VPN (global-area networks) have become
increasingly popular as multinational corporations connect
Categories of Computer Networks all their operations…. And then there is the Internet.
• LANs generally include only PCs. WANs generally include
some type of remote connection. Enterprise networks
typically require gateways to access the mainframe &
server-based networks.
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 Classification by Range Classification by Range: WLAN
• LAN
– Consists of machines that are connected within a
relatively small geographical radius (for example,
within an office, floor, or a building) and by a
particular type of medium.
– Functionally, a LAN consists of a group of computers
interconnected so that users can share files,
printers, and other resources.
– A LAWN/WLAN (local-area wireless network) is a
special type of LAN that uses microwave, infrared,
or radio transmissions instead of cabling.
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Classification by Range Classification by Range: CAN

• CAN/ Campus Backbones
– Connects nodes (or possibly departmental LANs) from
multiple locations, which may be separated by a
considerable distance.
– Unlike a WAN, however, a campus network does not
require remote communications facilities, such as
modems and telephones.
• DAN & PAN
– A small network, which may connect up to 20 or 30
nodes so that they can share common resources.
– DANs are typically used in government agencies.
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Classification by Range Classification by Range

• WAN
• MAN
– Consists of machines that may be
spread out over larger areas, – Generally defined as a network that covers a radius of
such as across a college campus, up to 50 or 75 miles. These types of networks use fast
an industrial park, a city, or a data transmission rates (over 100Mbps) and are
state. capable of handling voice transmission.
– WANs usually include some type
• GAN
of remote bridges or routers,
which are used to connect groups – GAN (global-area network) Usually an internetwork
of nodes by telephone or other that extends across national boundaries and that may
dedicated lines. connect nodes on opposite sides of the world. As with
 Because of this, the bandwidth for WANs tends to very widely distributed WANs, most GANs are likely to
be considerably smaller than for LANs. A SWAN is be internetworks in disguise.
a satellite-based WAN.
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 Classification by Range Classification by Range: VPNs
• Enterprise/ Corporate
– Connects machines for an entire
corporate operation. The network
may connect very diverse machines
from different parts of the company.
– These machines may be in different
rooms, buildings, cities, or even
countries.
– Enterprise networks are increasingly
likely to cross national boundaries in
this age of multinational corporations.
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Types of Nodes
• PC-based networks
– They are the fastest growing segment of the
networking world. Such networks offer the
Types of Nodes greatest flexibility in where to put servers and
how to divide the services among nodes on the
network. References to “LANs” generally assume
a PC-based network.
Categories of Computer Networks – Most PC-based networks use either Macintoshes
or IBM PC and compatible machines.
Macintoshes come with networking capabilities
built in; PCs require extra hardware (an NIC) to
join a network.
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Types of Nodes Types of Nodes: Minicomputer

• Minicomputer networks
– Networks that include minicomputers or mainframes are
usually located in either business or university
environments. In the business world, such networks are Mini- Computer
generally run by an MIS department.
– Minicomputers, produced by companies such as Digital
Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Wang (and even IBM),
made inroads only slowly in the business world.
– In the early days, minicomputers were used as front-end
processors (FEPs) for mainframes. Mainframe-based
networks generally consist mainly of terminals, which
communicate directly with the mainframe or through
FEPs.
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 Types of Nodes Types of Nodes
• Mainframe-based networks • Mainframe-based networks
– Historically, these network environments have – SNA and SAA provide comprehensive models
been dominated for several decades by IBM (comparable to the seven layer OSI Reference
mainframes. Model) for controlling the details of network
operation and communication at several
– Mainframe-based networks generally use levels. DEC’s alternative to SNA is DNA (Digital
software that complies with IBM’s SNA Network Architecture), which provides a
(Systems Network Architecture) and, if PCs are framework for networks built around
to be included as more than dumb terminals, minicomputers (such as DEC’s VAX machines).
SAA (Systems Applications Architecture).
– DECnet is one example of networking software
based on the DNA framework.
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Types of Nodes: Mainframe Types of Nodes

• Distributed networks
Host Host
– In university settings, distributed networks are quite
Access Method Access Method common. In such networks, there is no centralized
controller. Instead, nodes are more or less comparable,
FEP FEP
except that certain nodes provide the services available
on the network. UNIX environments are particularly
CC CC
likely to use a distributed network architecture.
• Backbone networks
T T T
CC T CC – They are designed with smaller, access networks as
CC CC nodes. Such networks are able to provide the
T T T T advantages of very large, heterogeneous networks
T T T T while also allowing the simplicity of a LAN.
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Relationship Amongst Nodes

• Nodes on a network can be servers or workstations. A
workstation makes requests, and a server fulfils them.
• The “server” actually controls the network by
providing the user at the workstation with only the
Relationship Amongst Nodes resources the server sees fit.
• With the introduction of products such as NetWare
Lite, Personal NetWare, LANTastic, and Microsoft
Categories of Computer Networks
Windows for Workgroups, peer-to-peer networks have
been gaining in popularity.
• The following terms are used to describe the
relationship between nodes in a network:
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 Relationship Amongst Nodes Relationship Amongst Nodes
• Peer-to-peer:
• Distributed:
• Every node can be both
client and server; that is, – A network with no leader; that is, one in
all nodes are equal. Peer- which any node can talk to any other. An
to-peer networks are example of a distributed network is
useful if you need to
connect only a few Usenet, which is popular in the UNIX
machines (generally, community. In a distributed network,
fewer than 10) and if no servers are just that—machines, devices,
one will be running or programs that provide services, as
programs that push
available resources to the
opposed to controlling network activity.
limit.
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Relationship Amongst Nodes Relationship Amongst Nodes

• Client-server:
• Server-based: • A sophisticated version of a
– A network with a dedicated file server. The server-based network. While
server runs the network, granting other workstations in server-based
networks can get access to all
nodes access to resources. Most middle- sorts of resources through the
to large-sized networks are server-based, server, the workstation here
and the most popular PC-based network must do most of the work.
operating systems (Novell’s NetWare, • The server doles out the
resources (downloads files
Microsoft’s LAN Manager, IBM’s LAN and, possibly, applications to
Server, and Banyan’s VINES) assume a the workstation), and then
server-based network. lets the workstation run the
programs.
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Networks Classified by Topology

• There are thousands of ways you can connect
computers into a network. Fortunately, these
possibilities all reduce to a few fundamental types
Networks Classified by • When discussing network layouts, or topologies,
Topology it is useful to distinguish between the physical
and logical layouts.
• The logical topology specifies the flow of
Categories of Computer Networks
information and communication in the network.
• The physical topology specifies the wiring that
links the nodes in the network.

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 Networks Classified by Topology Networks Classified by Topology
• Logical Topologies
• Logical Topologies
– In a ring topology, information is passed from
– The two main logical topologies are bus and node to node in a ring.
ring. – Each node gets information from exactly one node
– In a bus topology, information is broadcast and transmits it to exactly one node.
along a single cable, called the trunk cable. – Nodes gain access to the message sequentially (in
– All nodes attached to the network can hear a predetermined sequence), generally based on
the information, and at roughly the same time. network addresses.
– Only nodes for whom the information is – As with all networks, a node is expected to
intended actually read and process the process only those packets with the node as a
transmitted packets. destination.
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Networks Classified by Topology Networks Classified by Topology

• Physical Topologies • Although there are dozens of ways to label network wiring
– Whereas the logical topology controls how information moves schemes, most of these fall into the following major groups:
across a network, the physical topology, or wiring scheme,
controls how electrical signals move across the network.
– This has consequences for the status of a network if a node
 Bus: A central cable forms the backbone of
breaks down. For example, a bus wiring scheme requires the network, and individual nodes are
minimal cable, but can make troubleshooting more difficult attached to this bus, either directly or by
than with, for example, a star wiring scheme. means of a shorter piece of cable. Signals
– If a node attached to the bus over a drop cable goes down, travel along the bus, and each node
there may be no way for the server to know this until the eavesdrops on all messages, reading only
server tries to send the node a message and gets no response. those addressed to the node. Ethernet and
In contrast, a star wiring scheme uses lots of cable, since each certain versions of ARCnet use a bus
node may be a considerable distance from the central node or topology. Variants on a bus topology include
hub, but it is easy to determine when a node goes down tree and branching tree.
because the central node can communicate directly with each
node.
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Networks Classified by Topology Networks Classified by Topology

• Ring: • Star-wired ring/ Collapsed ring:
– The nodes are arranged in a (more or less imaginary) circle.
– All nodes are attached to a wiring center in a star
Each node is connected to the node immediately before and
immediately after it. Messages are passed around the ring (more topology, but the nodes are accessed as if they were in a
or less) in sequence. Again, a node takes the message if the node ring. Some IBM Token Ring networks actually use a star-
is the recipient, and passes the message on otherwise. FDDI and wired ring topology.
IBM Token Ring networks use a ring topology. Variants on the
basic ring wiring scheme include slotted-ring, backbone, and • Mesh topology:
multiple-ring topologies. – A node may be connected to one or more other nodes.
• Star: In the extreme case, every node is connected directly to
– All nodes are connected to a central machine or to a wiring every other node. The advantage of direct access to
center (such as a hub). Messages can be sent directly to their each node is more than offset by the wires that will be
destinations from the center. Some versions of ARCnet use a
star topology. A distributed star network is a variant in which running everywhere and by the fact that each node will
several hubs, each of which forms a star, are connected to need a port for connecting to every other node.
each other.
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 Access Possibilities
• Shared-media
– In standard, shared-media network architectures (such as
Ethernet or Token Ring), only one node can transmit at a time.
That is, access to the network medium is exclusive. How a
Access Possibilities node gets access to the medium depends on the access
method used (for example, CSMA/CD versus token passing
versus polling).
• Switched
Categories of Computer Networks – Switched networks, in contrast, establish temporary
connections as needed between parties. Such networks use
multiplexing to enable multiple nodes to transmit at the same
time. The basis used for the switching distinguishes such
networks. Networks can be packet-switched, circuit-switched,
or message-switched.
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Networks Classified by Architecture

• Depending on the scope of the discussion, a
network architecture may refer to a model that
encompasses an entire computing environment
Networks Classified by or to one that specifies just low level features
Architecture (cabling, packet structure, and media access) of
a network.
Categories of Computer Networks • Encompassing examples include:
– IBM’s SNA (Systems Network Architecture)
– DEC’s DNA (Network Architecture), and the
– ISO’s OSI Reference Model.
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Networks Classified by Architecture

• Network architectures differ in the cabling used
(coaxial, twisted-pair, fiber-optic), the methods used to
access the network (CSMA/CD, token passing, polling),
the format of data packets sent across the network,
and the network topology.
• These low-level examples include:
The End
– LocalTalk (230 kbps), Ethernet (10 Mbps), Token
Ring (16 Mbps), and ARCnet (2.5 Mbps). These are
exclusively copper-based. Categories of Computer Networks
– FDDI (100 Mbps), ATM (155 Mbps and higher), and
high-speed versions of first-generation
architectures, such as 100 Mbps Ethernet and 20
Mbps ARCnet Plus.
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