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Network and Devices

The document discusses different types of networking devices and concepts including network interface cards, switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points and more. It covers topics like VLANs, spanning tree protocol, routing protocols, ports, cabling and other essential networking components and technologies.

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Reeya Chumbar
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8 views

Network and Devices

The document discusses different types of networking devices and concepts including network interface cards, switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points and more. It covers topics like VLANs, spanning tree protocol, routing protocols, ports, cabling and other essential networking components and technologies.

Uploaded by

Reeya Chumbar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Network and devices

Types of network traffic:

ARP(Address Resolution Protocol)


Layer 2 networking protocol used to map an IP address to a physical MAC address in a local
network.
When a device needs to communicate with another on the same network, ARP is employed
to discover the corresponding MAC address associated with the target IP address, facilitating
the transmission of data within the local network.
Network devices
Network interface cards(NICs):
Hardware components that allow devices to connect to a network. They provide the physical
or wireless connection between a device and the network medium, such as Ethernet or Wi-
Fi.
Cabling and connectors:
Common types of network cabling include “Ethernet” category cables (e.g Cat 5e, Cat 6),
fibre-optic cables, twinax and coaxial cables.
NAS(Network Attached Storage):
Device dedicated to serve as a network-connected storage device. It acts the same as a hard
drive connected directly to your computer.
Can be used as a backup solution for redundancy. You can also use technologies like RAID for
further redundancy and disaster recovery.
Repeater:
Operates at the physical layer of the OSI model. It is an electronic device that receives a
signal and restransmits it at a higher level/power (amplifies).
Usually used to combat attenuation (cover large distances) or overcome signal obstructions.
Hub (Active or Passive):
Operates at the physical layer of the OSI model, serving as a simple networking device that
retransmits incoming data to all connected devices within a local area network(LAN). Lacks
the ability to distinguish between devices and broadcasts data to all connected ports.
Can lead to increased network traffic and reduced efficiency compared to more
sophisticated networking solutions.

Switch:
Network switches take advantage of a MAC address table to learn and remember what
devices are connected to which port.
Typical switches sit at Layer 2 of the OSI model, and do not care about IP addresses. They
only care about source and destination MAC addresses. But you can buy Layer 3 switches
which include some functionality at the Layer 3 level.

Backplane switching capacity:


Switches are only designed to handle so much traffic. This is usually a generous amount,
however there will be a theoretical limit depending on the type and size of the switch.
A backplane should be able to handle your estimated workload.

Managed vs Unmanaged:
You will encounter two types of switches.
Unmanaged switches are plug-n-play. You cannot figure them in any way. You cannot run
commands or access a web interface.
They are made to be simple.
Managed switches give you complete control over the switch. This can either be through a
terminal (CLI) by way of executing commands or it could be a web interface (GUI) which you
access using a web browser.
Managed switches are usually more expensive than unmanaged switches.

Ports:
Network switches come in a variety of different sizes. You can buy a switch as small as 3
ports, or as big as 48 ports.
You will often find two different types of ports on the front of a switch. They are Ethernet
and SFP.
Switch ports also come as either full-duplex or half-duplex (Legacy), or with the ability to
switch between the two automatically.
You can configure each port to your needs, or let it run using default options.
When buying a switch, think about how many ports you need.

Uplinks:
Used to connect a switch to other switches. Usually come in the form of an SFP+ port on
modern switches. Faster than the rest of the ports and designed to handle the traffic.

VLANs (Virtual LANs):


Allows us to physically divide up a network switch into separate virtual LANs or logical
switches.
Without configuration, there is no easy way for these virtual LANs to talk to each other.
Essentially, they act as two completely separate networks.
Loop Detection/Prevention:
Switches rely on certain core behaviors and protocols to work properly, such as ARP. These
take advantage of things like LAN broadcasts to find devices.
There is one critical flaw which is if we connect a switch, or multiple switches together in a
loop, broadcasts can cause problems.
We invented protocols to mitigate and prevent this from happening. The most popular is STP
which is a Layer 2 Protocol.
Switches use STP to communicate with each other and detect a loop. Once a loop is
detected, through a series of events, they shut it down to prevent a network disaster.
Spanning Tree Protocol is also a routing protocol that helps find the best path through a
network when we use redundant paths.
PoE (Power over Ethernet):
PoE is a technology that was invented to allow us to transmit power over Ethernet to power
small network devices.
Allows us to use a single cable for data and power.
Fast Ethernet only used two pairs of wires for data, giving us the ability to use the other two
for power.
Gigabit Ethernet uses all four pairs to transmit data, so we use phantom power.
You can buy switches which provide PoE from the ports, or you can buy PoE injectors that
add PoE power to a standard Ethernet cable.
Wireless Access Points (WLAN):
Allows devices to connect to a network using 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. Lots of different
WiFi(802.11) generations have been invented which have each time improved speed,
throughput and efficiency.
We use encryption standards to encrypt traffic and ensure safe communication between
stations and hosts.
Firewalls:
Security devices or software that control incoming and outgoing network traffic.
They help protect a network by filtering and blocking unauthorized access and potentially
harmful data.
Usually determine decisions based on transport port numbers or destination/source IP
addresses.
UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply):
Device that safeguards electronic equipment from power interruptions and fluctuations.
Provides temporary battery backup during outages, allowing users to save data and ensure
uninterrupted operation of critical devices.
Commonly used for computers and networking equipment, a UPS is essential for
maintaining stable power in various settings.
Routers:
Operate at the network layer (Layer 3) and are responsible for routing data between
different networks.
Each data packet contains address information that a router can use to determine if the
source and destination are on the same network, or if the data packet must be transferred
from one network to another.
Determines the best path for data to travel between networks, often using routing tables
and other metrics like distance or link states.

Routing table:
Static routing:
You can manually configure a router with all the possible route data could take through it.
Static routing is only useful for smaller networks where the list of all possible routes is quite
small.
With larger networks, it gets harder and harder to maintain.

Dynamic routing:
Dynamic routing protocols are what we use mostly today.
Devices using dynamic routing automatically discover the devices it is connected to, and
based on certain metrics, determines the best path between two networks.

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