Notes

Network:
A computer network is a collection of interconnected computers and other

devices which are able to communicate with each other and share
hardware and software resources.
Advantages:
i. Resource Sharing
ii. Cost saving
iii. Collaborative user interaction
iv. Time saving
v. Increased storage
Transmission Media- A transmission medium is a medium of data transfer
over a network. It can be wired or wireless.
Wired Media- A number of various types of cables are used to transfer

data over computer networks.
Twisted Pair Cable –
Advantages:
 It is easy to install and maintain.
 It is very inexpensive
Disadvantages:
 It is incapable to carry a signal over long distances without the use of
repeaters.
 Due to low bandwidth, these are unsuitable for broadband
applications.
Co-axial cable (or coax)-

Advantages-
 It can carry data for a larger distance (185m - 500m) at a stretch.
 Less susceptible to electromagnetic fields
Disadvantages-
 Bulkier and less flexible than twisted pair.
 Due to its thickness (1cm diameter) and less flexibility, it is difficult to
install as compared to twisted pair cable.
Optical Fiber cable -

Advantages-
 It can carry data for a very large distance at a stretch.
 Not susceptible to electromagnetic fields
Disadvantages-
 Special skilled persons are required to install optical fiber cables.
 Till date it is the most expensive and at the same time the most
efficient cable available for computer networks.
Wireless Media
Radio Waves - they are widely used for communication, both indoors and
outdoors. Cordless phones, AM and FM radio broadcast, Garage door
openers etc. are examples of radio wave transmission.
ADVANTAGES
 Relatively inexpensive than wired media.
 It offers ease of communication over difficult terrain.
 These waves are Omni-directional, so the transmitting and receiving
antennas need not be aligned.
DISADVANTAGES
 The transmission can be interfered by motors or other electrical
equipment
 Permission from concerned authorities is required for use of radio
wave
 Transmission.
 Less secure mode of transmission
Micro Waves - Microwaves travel in straight lines and cannot penetrate

any solid object. Therefore for long distance microwave communication,
high towers are built and microwave antennas are put on their top.
In the big cities where land is very costly and a lot of formalities have to be
completed to get permission to dig land for cabling, microwave antennas
can be put on top of high rise buildings and communication can be started
in a short time.
ADVANTAGES
 Free from land acquisition rights
 Relatively inexpensive than wired media
 Offers ease of communication over difficult terrain
DISADVANTAGES
 The transmission is in straight lines so the transmitting and receiving
antennas need to be properly aligned (line of sight transmission)
Infrared Waves
These waves are used for short range communication (approx. 5m) in a
variety of wireless communications, monitoring, and control applications.
Home-entertainment remote-control devices, Cordless mouse, and
Intrusion detectors are some of the devices that utilize infrared
communication.
ADVANTAGES
 It is a line of sight transmission; therefore information passed to one

device is not leaked to another device.
 No government license is required for their use
DISADVANTAGES
 It is a line of sight transmission, therefore at a time only two devices

can communicate.
 The waves do not cross any solid object in between
 Performance drops with longer distances
Bluetooth- Bluetooth technology uses radio waves in the frequency range
of 2.402 GHz to 2.480 GHz. This technology is used for short range
communication (approx. 10m) in a variety of devices for wireless
communication. Baby monitors, door openers, and cell phones are some of
the devices that utilize Bluetooth communication.
ADVANTAGES
 Line of sight between communicating devices is not required.

 Bluetooth can connect up to eight devices simultaneously.
DISADVANTAGES
 Slow data transfer rate (up to 1Mbps).
Satellite Link Satellite links are used for very long distance wireless
communication which may range from intercity to intercontinental. The
satellite system is very expensive but its area coverage and fringe benefits
compensate for the expenses.
ADVANTAGES
 Satellites cover large area of earth

 Since communication over very long distances is possible, this
becomes a commercially attractive option.
DISADVANTAGES
 This system is expensive

 Requires legal permissions
Network Devices
Other than the transmission media many other devices are required to form
computer networks. Some of these devices are:
1. NIC (Network Interface Card): An NIC (Network Interface Card) is a

device that enables a computer to connect to a network and
communicate. Any computer which has to be a part of a computer network
must have an NIC installed in it.
2. HUB: A Hub is an electronic device that connects several nodes to form

a network and redirects the received information to all the connected nodes
in broadcast mode. The computer(s) for which the information is intended
receive(s) this information and accept(s) it. Other computers on the network
simply reject this information.
3. SWITCH: A Switch is an intelligent device that connects several nodes

to form a network and redirects the received information only to the
intended node(s).
The difference between the two is that Hub broadcasts the received
information to all the nodes.
Switch does not broadcast instead sends the information selectively

only to those computers for which it is intended. This makes a switch
more efficient than a hub.
Repeater: A Repeater is a device that is used to regenerate a signal which
is on its way through a communication channel. A repeater regenerates the
received signal and re-transmits it to its destination.
Gateway: A Gateway is a device, which is used to connect different types

of networks.
Network Topologies
A Topology is an arrangement of physical connections among nodes in a

network.
There exist different network topologies:
Bus Topology In bus topology all the nodes are connected to a main cable
called
Backbone.
ADVANTAGES
 It is easy to install.
 It requires less cable length and hence it is cost effective.
 Failure of a node does not affect the network.
DISADVANTAGES
 In case of cable (backbone) or terminator fault, the entire network
breaks down.
 Fault diagnosis is difficult.
 At a time only one node can transmit data.
Star Topology: In star topology each node is directly connected to a

hub/switch.
ADVANTAGES
 It is more efficient topology as compared to bus topology.

 It is easy to install.
 It is easy to diagnose the fault in Star topology.
 It is easy to expand depending on the specifications of central
hub/switch.
DISADVANTAGES
 Failure of hub/switch leads to failure of entire network.

 It requires more cable length as compared to bus topology.
Tree Topology: Tree topology is a combination of bus and star topologies.

It is used to combine multiple star topology networks. It offers easy way of
network expansion. Even if one network (star) fails, the other networks
remain connected and working.
Network Protocols: A network protocol is a set of rules for

communication among networked devices.
Three Protocols are HTTP, TCP/IP and PPP.
HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol): HTTP is used to transfer all files
and other data
(Collectively called resources) from one computer to another on the World
Wide Web.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet

Protocol): Communication between two computers on internet is done
using TCP/IP protocol.
PPP (Point to Point Protocol): It is a protocol for direct communication

between two computers, typically a personal computer connected by phone
line to a server. PPP is used over many types of physical networks
including cellular telephone, serial cable, phone line, trunk line, specialized
radio links, and fiber optic links.
Types of Networks: On the basis of area covered computer networks are

classified as:
PAN - Personal Area Network- a PAN is a network of communicating

devices (Computer, Phone, MP3/MP4 Player, Camera etc.) in the proximity
of an individual. A PAN can be set up using guided media (USB cable) or
unguided media (Bluetooth, Infrared).
LAN - Local Area Network- a LAN is a network of

computing/Communicating devices in a room, building, or campus. It can
cover an area of a few meters to a few kilometers radius.
A LAN can be set up using wired media (UTP cables, Co-axial cables
etc.) or wireless media (Infrared, radio waves). If a LAN is setup using
unguided media, it is known as WLAN (wireless LAN).
MAN - Metropolitan Area Network- A MAN is a network of

computing/communicating devices within a city. It can cover an area of a
few kilometers to a few hundred kilometers radius. A network of schools, or
banks, or Government offices etc., within a city, are examples of MANs. A
good example of a MAN is the interconnected offices of a state
government.
WAN -Wide Area Network- A WAN is a network of

computing/communicating devices crossing the limits of a city, country, or
continent. It can cover an area of over hundreds of kilometer radius. A
network of ATMs, BANKs, National Government Offices, International
Organizations' Offices etc., spread over a country, continent, or covering
many continents are examples of WANs. The best known example of a
WAN is the internet.
Identification of computers and users over a network-
MAC (Media Access Control) address- a machine with an NIC can be

identified uniquely through its NIC’s (Network Interface Card) MAC
address. MAC address of an NIC is permanent and does never change.
For example, in the following MAC address,
00:A0:C9: 14:C8:35
The prefix 00:A0:C9 indicates that the manufacturer is Intel Corporation.

And the last three numbers 14:C8:35 are given by the manufacturer (Intel in
this example) to this NIC.
IP Address- Every machine in a network has another unique identifying
number, called its IP Address. An IP address is a group of four bytes (or 32
bits) each of which can be a number from 0 to 255. A typical IP address
looks like this:
59.177.134.72
On a network, IP address of a machine is used to identify it. MAC address

is used only when a specific machine is to be targeted. For example,
suppose we want to block a specific PC to access some network resource.
If we use the PCs IP address, then the PC is not blocked permanently as
its IP address may change when it connects to the network next time.
Instead, we use the PCs MAC address for this purpose.
IP Address vs. MAC Address
 The IP address is assigned by the network administrator or the internet

service provider while the MAC address is assigned by the
manufacturer.
 If a computer is transferred from one network to another, it’s IP address
gets changed whereas the MAC address remains the same.
Domain Name: Whenever we have to communicate with a computer on

internet, we can do so by using its IP address. But it is practically
impossible for a person to remember the IP addresses of all the computers
one may have to communicate with. Therefore, a system has been
developed which assigns names to some computers (web servers) and
maintains a database of these names and corresponding IP addresses.
These names are called Domain Names. Examples of some domain
names are cbse.nic.in, sikkimipr.org, indianrailway.gov.in etc.
Generic Domain Names:
·com - commercial business
·edu - Educational institutions
·gov - Government agencies

·mil - Military
·net - Network organizations
·org - Organizations (nonprofit)
Country Specific Domain Names:
.in - India
·au - Australia
·ca - Canada
.ch - China
.nz - New Zealand
.pk - Pakistan
.jp - Japan
.us - United States of America
Domain Name Resolution is the process of getting corresponding IP

address from a domain name.

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Network:

A computer network is a collection of interconnected computers and other

Wired Media- A number of various types of cables are used to transfer

Twisted Pair Cable –

Co-axial cable (or coax)-

Optical Fiber cable -

Micro Waves - Microwaves travel in straight lines and cannot penetrate

 It is a line of sight transmission; therefore information passed to one

 It is a line of sight transmission, therefore at a time only two devices

 Line of sight between communicating devices is not required.

 Slow data transfer rate (up to 1Mbps).

 Satellites cover large area of earth

 This system is expensive

1. NIC (Network Interface Card): An NIC (Network Interface Card) is a

2. HUB: A Hub is an electronic device that connects several nodes to form

3. SWITCH: A Switch is an intelligent device that connects several nodes

Switch does not broadcast instead sends the information selectively

Gateway: A Gateway is a device, which is used to connect different types

A Topology is an arrangement of physical connections among nodes in a

Star Topology: In star topology each node is directly connected to a

 It is more efficient topology as compared to bus topology.

 Failure of hub/switch leads to failure of entire network.

Tree Topology: Tree topology is a combination of bus and star topologies.

Network Protocols: A network protocol is a set of rules for

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet

PPP (Point to Point Protocol): It is a protocol for direct communication

Types of Networks: On the basis of area covered computer networks are

PAN - Personal Area Network- a PAN is a network of communicating

LAN - Local Area Network- a LAN is a network of

MAN - Metropolitan Area Network- A MAN is a network of

WAN -Wide Area Network- A WAN is a network of

Identification of computers and users over a network-

MAC (Media Access Control) address- a machine with an NIC can be

The prefix 00:A0:C9 indicates that the manufacturer is Intel Corporation.

On a network, IP address of a machine is used to identify it. MAC address

IP Address vs. MAC Address

 The IP address is assigned by the network administrator or the internet

Domain Name: Whenever we have to communicate with a computer on

Generic Domain Names:

·com - commercial business

·edu - Educational institutions

·gov - Government agencies

·net - Network organizations

·org - Organizations (nonprofit)

Country Specific Domain Names:

.nz - New Zealand

.us - United States of America

Domain Name Resolution is the process of getting corresponding IP

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