NET102Lesson1 IntroductiontoNetworks
NET102Lesson1 IntroductiontoNetworks
A network is simply defined as something that connects things together for a specific
purpose. The term network is used in a variety of contexts, including telephone, television,
computer, or even people networks (Balchunas, 2014).
Networks are rapidly transforming our world into a global society. As stated by Cisco
Networking Academy (2016), networks are all around us. They provide us with a way to
communicate and share information and resources with individuals in the same location or around
the world. This requires an extensive array of technologies and procedures that can readily adapt
to varying conditions and requirements.
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Lesson Objectives:
As we observed in this generation, most of the individual, network has become part of
daily occurrence. In addition, Cisco Networking Academy (2016), among all the essentials for
human existence, the need to interact with others ranks just below our need to sustain life.
Communication is almost as important to us as our reliance on air, water, food, and shelter. The
methods that we used to communicate are constantly changing and evolving due to the creation
and interconnection of robust data networks that has had a profound effect on communication,
and has become the new platform on which modern communications occur.
Imagine a world without the Internet. No more Google, YouTube, instant messaging,
Facebook, Wikipedia, online gaming, Netflix, iTunes, and easy access to current information. No
more price-comparison websites, avoiding lines by shopping online, or quickly looking up phone
numbers and map directions to various locations at the click of a mouse. How different would our
lives be without all of this? That was the world we lived in just 15 to 20 years ago. But over the
years, data networks have slowly expanded and been repurposed to improve the quality of life for
people everywhere.
With the help of interconnected networks today, most of the resources are now available
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through the Internet, which helps us to:
post and share your photographs, home videos, and experiences with friends or with
the world
access and submit school work
communicate with friends, family, and peers using email, instant messaging, or
Internet phone calls
watch videos, movies, or television episodes on demand
play online games with friends
decide what to wear using online current weather conditions
find the least congested route to your destination, displaying weather and traffic video
from webcams
check your bank balance and pay bills electronically
As illustrated in Figure 1-1, consider the change that have happened in networks and
Internet over the last 25 years and the next 25 years.
Typically, in fixed computing network environment, if user wants to access or share
resources over the network, the user needs to login on his/her computer account.
With the emergent of mobile phone and electronic gadgets, the fixed computing
environment was transformed into mobile computing environment. In this environment, the user
will use his/her personal devices (such as smartphone, laptop, tablet, and etc.) to connect over
the wireless networks and to access the systems as well as vital information. Mobile computing
environment is also called as bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environment.
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Networking Academy, 2016).
Networks and the Internet have changed everything we do, from the way we learn,
to the way we communicate, to how we work, and even how we play.
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assessments, and feedback as shown in Figure1-2.
Figure 1-2. Networks Support the Way We Learn (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
Networks allows us to easily communicate with individuals from around the world because
it eliminates geographic and time-zone boundaries. Below are some forms of communication
modes results of converged and reliable networks include:
Instant Messaging (IM)/texting: IM and texting both enable instant real-time
communication between two or more people such Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and
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etc.
Social Media: Social media consists of interactive websites where people and
communities create and share user-generated content with friends, family, peers, and the
world such as Facebook, Twitter, and etc.
Collaboration tools: Collaboration tools give people the opportunity to work together on
shared documents such as Google Suite, GitHub, and etc.
Weblogs (blogs): Weblogs are web pages that are easy to update and edit such as
WordPress, Windows Live Writer, and etc.
Wikis: Wikis are web pages that groups of people can edit and view together such as
Wikipedia, MediaWiki, and etc.
Podcasting: Podcasting is an audio-based medium that originally enabled people to
record audio and convert it for use.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing: Peer-to-peer file sharing allows people to share files with
each other without having to store and download them from a central server such Emule,
BitTorrent, uTorrent, and etc.
Networks enable the creation of new forms of entertainment, such as online games.
Players participate in any kind of online competition that game designers can imagine. We
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compete with friends and foes around the world in the same manner as if they were in the same
room such as PUBG, ML, LOL, and etc.
Figure 1-3. Networks Support the Way We Play (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
Networks occur in many sizes and forms to efficiently provide resources to end users.
Networks come in all sizes that ranges from simple networks consisting of two computers to
networks connecting millions of devices. Figure 1-4 shows four classifications of networks based
on size:
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Figure 1-4. Network Sizes (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
In addition, data networks can also be categorized according to distance and location of
CPUs, and network name as presented in Table 1-1.
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Network Architecture used in Providing Resources
As stated by Balchunas (2014), a host refers to any device that is connected to a network. A
host can also be defined as any device assigned a network address. A host can serve one or
more functions:
A host can request data, often referred to as a client.
A host can provide data, often referred to as a server.
A host can both request and provide data, often referred to as a peer.
Because of these varying functions, multiple network architectures have been developed,
including Peer-to-Peer, Client/Server, and Mainframe/Terminal.
As illustrated in Figure 1-5, a basic peer-to-peer architecture, all hosts on the network can
both request and provide data and services. For example, two workstations with installed
Windows operating system configured to share files would be considered a peer-to-peer network.
The advantages of peer-to-peer networking:
Easy to set up
Less complexity
Lower cost since network devices and dedicated servers may not be required
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Figure 1-5. Peer-to-Peer Network Architecture (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
Note: An ad hoc network connection is a couple of computers connected via a Universal Serial
Bus to transfer files such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth are also example of peer-to-peer network.
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Data processing capability despite the location
Easy maintenance
More secured
Topology diagrams are mandatory for anyone working with a network. They provide a
visual map of how the network is connected. This diagram is usually schematic description of the
arrangement of a network, including its nodes and connecting lines. There are two (2) ways of
defining network geometry: the physical topology and the logical (or signal) topology.
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A physical topology is an actual geometric layout of workstations which identifies the
physical location of intermediary devices, configured ports, and cable installation as shown in
Figure 1-7. On other hand, logical (or signal) topology refers to the nature of the paths the
signals follow from node to node. This identifies devices, ports, and the IP addressing scheme as
illustrated in Figure 1-8.
Network Interface Card (NIC) -- Provides the physical connection to the network at the PC
or other host device. The media connecting the PC to the networking device plugs directly
into the NIC (also known as a LAN adapter).
Physical Port -- A connector or outlet on a networking device where the media is connected
to a host or other networking device.
Interface -- Specialized ports on an internetworking device that connect to individual
networks. Because routers are used to interconnect networks, the ports on a router are
referred to as network interfaces.
Bus topology. Every workstation is connected to a main cable (known as a trunk or bus) that
all systems would connect to (see Figure 1-10).
Ring topology. Every workstation is connected in a closed loop configuration (see Figure 1-
11). Token ring protocol is used in a star or ring topology, the signal travels in only one
direction, carried by a so-called token from node to node.
Star topology. In this topology, a central computer or server is required to which all the
workstations are directly connected. Notice that every workstation is indirectly connected to
every other through the central computer as shown in Figure 1-12.
Hybrid or tree topology. This topology combines bus, ring, and star topologies. Some
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network professionals call this specific hybrid topology a star-bus topology as illustrated in
Figure 1-13.
Mesh topology. This topology employs either of two schemes, called full mesh (see Figure
1-14) and partial mesh.
o Full mesh topology - each workstation is connected directly to each of the others.
o Partial mesh topology - some workstations are connected to all the others, and some are
connected only to those other nodes with which they exchange the most data.
Figure 1-12. A star topology uses a central device such as a switch to connect all systems
(courtesy of Clarke, 2011)
Network infrastructures can be differentiated is various ways. Two of the most common
types of network infrastructures are LANs and WANs as illustrated in Figure 1-15. Network
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infrastructures can vary greatly in terms of:
Size of the area covered,
Number of users connected,
Number and types of services available, and
Area of responsibility.
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Figure 1-16. LANs and WANs (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) – A network infrastructure that spans a physical area
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larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN (e.g., a city). MANs are typically operated by a
single entity such as a large organization.
Wireless LAN (WLAN) – Similar to a LAN but wirelessly interconnects users and end points
in a small geographical area. Also called Local Area Wireless Network (LAWN).
Campus Area Network (CAN): A CAN refers to a series of LANs that are internetworked
between several nearby buildings. This is a common type of network that’s used in
organizations with facilities that are close to one another, such as when there is a pool of
office buildings or a campus. It is larger than a LAN but smaller than a MAN.
Storage Area Network (SAN) – A network infrastructure designed to support file servers and
provide data storage, retrieval, and replication.
Personal Area Network (PAN): A personal area network (PAN) refers to the interconnection
of information technology devices or gadgets within the environment of an individual user
(typically within 10 meters or 33 feet). These interconnected devices might include laptop
computers, PDAs, cellphones, printers, PCs or other wearable computer devices.
VPN (Virtual Private Network): This network allows for information to be securely sent across
a public or unsecure network, such as the Internet. Common uses of a VPN are to connect
branch offices or remote users to a main office.
Most individuals need to communicate with a resource on another network, outside of the
local network within the home, campus, or organization. This is done using the Internet.
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Note: The term internet (with a lower case “i”) is used to describe multiple networks
interconnected. When referring to the global system of interconnected computer networks or the
World Wide Web, the term Internet (with a capital “I”) is used.
Figure 1-18. Collection of Interconnected LANs and WANs (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
Internet is a corporation of networks and is not actually owned by any individual or group
(public). It is world-wide / global system of interconnected computer networks. A special computer
DNS (Domain Name Server) is used to give name to the IP Address so that user can locate a
computer by a name. Unique IP: 98.138.253.109 then DNS equivalent: yahoo.com
Extranet is private network that uses Internet technology and the public
telecommunication system to securely share part of a business's information or operations with
suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses. Extranet requires security and
privacy which include: firewall server management, the issuance and use of digital certificates or
similar means of user authentication, encryption of messages, and the use of virtual private
networks (VPNs) that tunnel through the public network.
Intranet
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Intranet is a term often used to refer to a private connection of LANs and WANs that
belongs to an organization, and is designed to be accessible only by the organization’s members,
employees, or others who have authorization. An intranet is basically an internet that is usually
only accessible from within the organization.
Figure 1-19. Internet, Extranet, and Intranet (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
According to Cisco Networking Academy (2016), the type of connection to the Internet will
depend on the type of network being connected. A business network will usually require a
connection with more bandwidth than a home network.
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geographical location. However, popular choices include broadband cable, broadband digital
subscriber line (DSL), wireless WANs, and mobile services.
Organizations typically require access to other corporate sites and the Internet. Fast
connections are required to support business services including IP phones, video conferencing,
and data center storage.
Business-class interconnections are usually provided by service providers (SP). Popular
business-class services include business DSL, leased lines, and Metro Ethernet (Cisco
Networking Academy, 2016).
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Figure 1-20. Common Internet Connection Options (courtesy of Cisco Press, 2016)
Many homes and small offices are now being connected directly with fiber-optic cables.
This enables an Internet service provider to provide higher bandwidth speeds and support more
services such as Internet, phone, and TV. The choice of connection varies depending on
geographical location and service provider availability (Cisco Network Academy, 2016).
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service delivers the fastest connections available at an economical megabit-per-
second price. Unfortunately, there are still many areas where this service is
unavailable.
Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) - Business DSL is available in various formats. A
popular choice is symmetric digital subscriber lines (SDSL), which are similar to
asymmetric digital subscriber lines (ADSL), but provide the same upload and
download speeds. ADSL is designed to deliver bandwidth at different rates
downstream than upstream. For example, a customer getting Internet access might
have downstream rates that range from 1.5 to 9 Mbps, whereas upstream bandwidth
ranges are from 16 to 640 kbps. ADSL transmissions work at distances up to 18,000
feet (5,488 meters) over a single copper twisted pair.
Satellite - Satellite service can provide a connection when a wired solution is not
available. Satellite dishes require a clear line of sight to the satellite. Equipment and
installation costs can be high, with a moderate monthly fee thereafter. Connections
tend to be slower and less reliable than its terrestrial competition, which makes it less
attractive than other alternatives.
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Summary
Networks and the Internet have changed the way we communicate, learn, work, and even
play.
Networks come in all sizes. They can range from simple networks consisting of two computers
to networks connecting millions of devices.
Topology diagrams are mandatory for anyone working with a network and it comes in two (2)
different types namely: physical and logical or signal topology.
The Internet is the largest network in existence. In fact, the term Internet means a ‘network of
networks.’
The Internet provides the services that enable us to connect and communicate with our
families, friends, work, and interests.
The choice of internet connection varies depending on geographical location and service
provider availability.