LESSON 1: NETWORKING

CONCEPTS
Computer Network

A computer network can be defined as a group of computers and

other peripheral devices that are linked together for the purpose
of sharing data and hardware resources.
Components of a computer network
Components of a Computer Network

(i) Sender: Sender is a device that sends the data messages through
web browser. It can be a computer, mobile phone or a tablet.
(ii) Receiver: Receiver is a device that receives the data messages. It
can also be a computer, tablet or a mobile phone.
(iii) Message: Message is the information to be communicated. It can
contain text, pictures, audio, video, etc.
(iv) Transmission Medium: It is the physical path through which the
message travels from the sender to the receiver. For eg: Coaxial
cable, fiber-optic cable, radio waves, etc.
(v) Protocols: Protocols are the set of rules that govern the data
communication. Without protocols the data cannot be exchanged
between two communicating devices.
Advantages of Networking

• Efficient use of storage media: The data can be stored

centrally on one big hard disk in the server and shared to
other computers.
• Preserving information: The information can be
preserved by taking regular backups on a central
location.
• Reduction in hardware costs: The hardware devices such
as modems, printers, scanners, etc can be shared.
• Reducing redundancy : The files are shared on the
network and it reduces the need for the hard copies of
all documents.
• Quickest document delivery: The soft copies of the
documents can be delivered from one computer to
another using E-mail facilities.
• Efficiency: Networking brings efficiency and effectiveness
as the upgradation, deletion or modification of the data
is done.
Networking Media

• Networking media is the actual path over which an electrical

signal travels as it moves from one location to another.

• Networking media is broadly classified into two types:-

i. Wired Networking Technology
ii. Wireless Networking Technology
Wired Networking Technology

i. Ethernet Cables

ii. Coaxial Cables

iii. Optical Fiber Cables

Ethernet Cables
• Used to connect various devices such as PCs, routers and
switches within the local area network.
• Similar to phone cable but is larger than phone cable and has
eight wires.
• Have less power consumption.
• Requires an adapter card on the motherboard of the computer
to connect the Ethernet cable.
Types of Ethernet Cables:
There are mainly two types of Ethernet Cables:-

i. Crossover Cable: A crossover cable has different ends.

ii. Straight-through Cable: A straight- through cable has

identical ends.
Coaxial Cables
• Used in the transmission of video, communication signals,
audio and by the cable television industry to connect TVs .
• Consists of central copper wire surrounded by insulation and
then a shield of braided wire.
• Relatively inexpensive.
• Can transmit data at higher rates.
• Resistant to damage and electromagnetic interference because
of the outer conductor.
Types of Coaxial Cables:
i. Baseband Coaxial cables: It transmits single signal at a
time. It is mainly used for LANs.
ii. Broadband Coaxial cables: It transmits multiple signals
at a time .It is used for longer distances.
Optical Fiber Cable
• Also known as fiber optic cable.
• It consists of one or more optical fibers that are used to carry
light.
• Made of thin glass or plastic and transmits signals in the form
of light.
• Unaffected by atmospheric disturbance.
• Provides better data transmission.
Wireless Networking Technology

i. Bluetooth

ii. Infrared Technology

iii. Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
• Uses low power radio waves to connect electronic devices
wirelessly.
• Has a transmission range of upto 240 meters depending upto
the bluetooth version used.
• Allows us to share voice, data, music, photos, videos and
other information between the paired devices.
• Uses Personal Area Network to connect multiple devices.
• Can penetrate solid objects.
Infrared Technology
• Uses infrared waves to connect electronic devices wirelessly.
• Has a transmission range of upto 5 meters.
• Uses Personal Area Network to establish communication
between two devices.
• Requires line-of-sight for transmission.
• Example: TV Remote control
Wi-Fi
• Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity.
• Creates a local area network that uses radio waves to send the
information.
• Used to establish a secure, reliable and fast wireless
connection between the electronic devices and the Internet.
• It is inexpensive.
• It has high power consumption.
• The speed of Internet gets decreased when a number of
devices are connected to the wireless networks.
Different types of Networks

• Personal Area Network (PAN)

• Local Area Network (LAN)

• Cluster Area Network (CAN)

• Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

• Wide Area Network (WAN)

Personal Area Network (PAN)

• The smallest computer network.

• It has a connectivity range of upto 10 meters.
• Personal devices belonging to a single person such as
laptops, mobile phones or smart phones can be
connected to each other using PAN.
• It can either be wired or wireless.
Local Area Network (LAN)

• Systems connected in a small network like in a building or a

small office.
• It is inexpensive.
• Two or more personal computers can be connected through
wires or cables acting as nodes.
• Transfer of data is fast as compared to WAN.
• Examples of LAN are networking in a home, school, library ,
college, office, etc.
Cluster Area Network (CAN)

• CAN is a network comprising a series of small LANs over a

small geographical area.

• This network is bigger than a LAN but smaller than a

MAN.

• CAN is also known as Campus Area Network.

• Examples of CAN are network that covers schools,

colleges, buildings, etc.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

• MAN is a type of computer network that connects

computers over a geographical distance through a
shared communication path over a city, town or
metropolitan area.
• It has a higher range.
• MAN is a larger network than LAN.
• Examples of MAN are cable television, branches of a
local bank in a city, etc.
Wide Area Network (WAN)

• WAN is a type of communication network that connects

two or more computers located at distant places.
• They are linked by communication facilities like
telecommunication or satellite signals.
• The main characteristic of WAN is that, it requires a
public telecommunication media to transfer data.
• Examples of WAN are telecom system, internet, ATM
facility, etc.
Networking Devices

Networking devices are the hardware devices used to

connect computers or other electronic devices like printers
and fax machines together in order to share files or
resources.
MODEM
• Modem stands for Modulator – Demodulator.
• Enables us to connect the computer to the available Internet
connection over the existing telephone lines.
• Modulates digital signal to analogue signal and then
demodulates analogue signal back to digital signal.
• Modems are of two types: Internal Modem and External
Modem.
HUB
• Used to connect multiple computers and computing devices
directly to the network by using cables.
• Each connection is called a port.
• It has 4 – 12 ports.
• When the hub receives data at one of its ports then it
distributes the data to the other connected ports in the
network.
SWITCH
• A switch contains 30 – 50 ports.
• They are similar to hubs but offer greater performance.
• Needed when a network contains a large number of devices in
order to maintain the communication speed between the
devices.
• A switch is aware of the addresses that are assigned to each of
its ports and it sends the incoming data that it receives only to
the intended port.
REPEATER

• A Repeater is a communication device that is used to

generate a signal.
• Repeaters help signals to travel longer distances with the
same strength or even at a higher power.
ROUTER

• A Router is a communication device that is used to connect

two different networks.
• Routers help the data packets to travel from source to
destination over the best route possible.
GATEWAY
• A Gateway is a network point that acts as an entrance to
another network using different protocols.
• It is a shared connection between a LAN and a larger system i.e.
WAN.
• It basically works as the messenger agent that takes data from
one system, interprets it and transfers it to another system.
• It is also called packet converter.
BRIDGE

• A bridge is a repeater with add-on functionality of filtering the

content by reading the addresses of the source and the
destination.
• It prevents unnecessary traffic from entering the network and
reduces congestion.
NETWORKING TERMINOLOGY

• INTERNET: The term internet is derived from two words:

interconnection and networks. The internet is a vast network
that connects computers all over the world.
• INTRANET : Intranet refers to a computer network within an
organization which is used to share files and resources of the
organization securely.
• BANDWIDTH: It is the amount of information that can flow
through a network connection in a given period of time.
Units: Bits/Bytes per second (bps), Kilobytes per second
(Kbps).
• INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER(ISP): Internet Service
Provider (ISP) is a company that provides Internet
connections and services to individuals and
organization. Some common ISPs providing Internet
service in India are BSNL, Reliance Jio, Airtel, etc.
• WEBSITE : A website is a collection of related web pages
stored on a web server. Each website is owned and updated
by an individual’s company or organization.

• WEB PORTAL: A web portal is a web-based platform that

collects information from different sources into a single user
interface and presents users with the most relevant
information for their content. For example: Yahoo, MSN,
Google, etc.
• WEBPAGE: A webpage is a document which is written in HTML
that is viewed in an Internet browser. Each webpage is
identified by a unique web address called Uniform Resource
Locator (URL).

• HOMEPAGE : Homepage is the first page of a website. It

contains the main information about a website along with links
to the other parts of the website.

• LINK : A link is a line or channel that connects two devices.

Data is transmitted between the connected devices through
this channel.
• HYPERLINK : A hyperlink is an image, audio, video, graphics or
text that connects one webpage to another webpage or to
another section within the same page.

• HYPERTEXT: Hypertext is a text with a special feature of linking

to other documents or webpages. It can be easily identified on a
webpage as it appears with an underline and is usually in blue
colour.
• HYPERMEDIA :Hypermedia is a hypertext that includes text,
graphics, sound or video.
• UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR(URL) : The Uniform
Resource Locator denotes the unique address of a
webpage or a website. An example of a website URL is :
http://www.wikipedia.com

• IP ADDRESS: An IP address is a unique address that

identifies a device on the internet or a local network. An
example of IP address is : 205.198.58.164
DOMAIN NAMING SYSTEM
• Domain Name is the unique name given to each website
or resource connected to the Internet.
• Domain names are easier to remember than IP
addresses since the name has a strong correlation with
the website.
• For example: the domain name of Google search engine
is google.co.in and the domain name for Wikipedia is
wikipedia.org
• The Domain Naming System(DNS) is the system in which
domain names are translated into internet protocol(IP)
address.
PROTOCOLS

• Protocols are the set of rules used by computers on a network

to communicate with each other.
• Different types of protocols are:-
 TCP/IP
 HTTP
 FTP
 SMTP
 IMAP and POP
TCP/IP

• TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol and Internet

protocol.
• It is a suite of communication protocols used to connect
various computers on the Internet.
• The data is transmitted across the Internet in the form of small
pieces called packets.
HTTP
• HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
• HTTP is a protocol used to transfer data ( HTML files, text,
image, sound, video) over the web.

FTP
• FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol.
• It is a standard communication protocol used for the transfer of
computer files from a server to a client on a computer network.

SMTP
• SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
• It is the most common protocol used for sending e-mails
between two or more servers.
IMAP and POP
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and Post Office
Protocol (POP) are the two most popular Internet standard
protocols for retrieving e-mails.