Chapter 1

Introduction to Computer
Networks
Eng. Mohamed Abdi Nor
master of computer science and Engineering
at Daffodil International University, Dhaka Bangladesh
 Chapter Outline

• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Networking Topologies
• 1.3 The OSI Model
• 1.4 The Ethernet LAN
• 1.5 Home Networking
• 1.6 Assembling an Office LAN
 Network

• A network is group of system that are connected to allow

sharing resource such as files. printer or any other device
capable of sending and/or receiving data generated by other
nodes on the network.
• A network is made of two or more devices connected to each
other with a physical medium such as a wire that connection
allows the devices to share resources(printers) and exchange
data between them.

Eng.Mohamed Abdi Nor

 Examples of Networks
What are some examples of how you use networks every day?
File sharing
Video chat (Skype)
Instant messaging
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter)
Voice over IP (VoIP)
Which of these require you to be on a different network than the
one you normally connect to?
 Network Components
•Icons representing actual
equipment:
Router
Switch
Hub
Client
Server
 Networks Defined by Geography
• Geography, in this sense, means how close the components are to each
other
LAN: Local-area network
MAN: Metropolitan-area network
WAN: Wide-area network
Local-area network

Scale: Room or building

Distance: Usually 100 meters
or less
Components: PCs, routers,
switches, servers, printers,
wireless access points.
MAN: Metropolitan-Area Network
Scale: City
Distance: Usually a few
miles or less
Components: Routers,
switches, wireless.

WAN: Wide-Area Network

Scale: State, country, global

Distance: A few miles to
thousands of miles
Components: Routers, switches,
satellites, and so on
Chapter 1-2
Network Topologies
 Protocol and Topology
• Local area networks are defined in terms of the
protocol and the topology used for accessing the
network.

• The networking protocol is the set of rules established

for the users to gain control of the network to
exchange information.

• The topology is the network architecture used to

interconnect the networking equipment.
Common Network Topologies

Bus
Ring
Star
mesh
Partial mesh
Token-Ring
Token-Ring (IEEE 802.3)

Features:
Token Passing

Advantage:
Deterministic – meaning
that the networking devices
gain control of the network
at fixed time intervals.
Bus Topology
Bus Topology

Features - network data traffic is carried over a

common data link
Star Topology
 Star Topology
Computers
 Star Topology
Computers

Switch (or Hub)

Multiport Repeater
 Star Topology
Computers

Switch (or Hub)

Multi-port Repeater

Twisted Pair Cable

Star Topology
Features:
1. All networking devices
connect to a central hub
or switch.
2. The networking devices
do not share data
connections to/from the
central hub or switch
3. A hub all data traffic to all
networking devices
connected to its data
ports.
Mesh Topology
Mesh Topology

Features:
1. All networking devices
are heavily
interconnected
2. Redundant data traffic
paths
3. Expensive
Section 1-2 Key Terms

• local area network (LAN)

• Protocol
• Topology
• Token-Ring Topology
• Token Passing
• IEEE
Chapter 1-3
The OSI Model

All people seem to

need data processing
An open systems
interconnection (OSI) reference
model was developed by the
International Organization for
Standardization in 1984 to
enable different types of
networks to be linked together.

The OSI Model

The model contains seven layers,
as shown in Figure 1-6. The
seven layers of the OSI
reference model describe
networking functions from the
physical network interface to the
software applications interfaces.
Table 1-2 A summary of the
OSI Layers
Physical layer - provides the electrical and mechanical connection
to the network. Examples of technologies working in this layer
are related technologies, UTP, fiber, and NICs
Data Link layer - handles error recovery, flow control and
sequencing (which terminals are sending and which are
receiving). It is considered the "media access control layer"
and is where the MAC addressing is defined. The Ethernet
802.3 standard is defined in this area, which is why the MAC
address is sometimes called the Ethernet address.
Network layer - accepts outgoing messages and combines
messages or segments into packets, adding a header that
includes routing information. It acts as the network controller.
Examples are IP and IPX
Transport layer - is concerned with message integrity between the
source and destination. It also segments(the packets) and
handles flow control. Examples are TCP and UDP.
Session layer - provides the control functions necessary to
establish, manage, and terminate the connections as required to
satisfy the user request. Examples are NFS and SQL.
Presentation layer - accepts and structures the messages for the
application. It translates the message from one code to another
if necessary. This layer is responsible for data compression and
encryption.
Application layer - application programs such as word processing,
spreadsheets, and email log the message in, interpret the
request, and determine what information is needed to support
the request.
The Network Administrator and the
OSI Model

The network administrator uses the OSI model for

troubleshooting network problems by verifying
functionality of each layer. In many cases,
troubleshooting the network problem requires that
the network administrator isolate what layer the
network problem occurs.
 The Network Administrator and the
OSI Model
• Assume that a network is having problems accessing an email
server (a layer 7 application).

• The first troubleshooting step for the network administrator is

to ping the IP address of the email server (layer 3 test). A
“ping” to an IP address can be used to quickly check that there
is a network connection. A “reply from” response for the ping
indicates the connection to the server is up. A “request timed
out” response indicates there the network connection is down.

• This could be due to a cabling problem (layer 1) or a problem

with a switch (layer 2), or a router (layer 3), or the server could
be completely down (layer 7).
 The Network Administrator and the
OSI Model
• In the case of “request timed out” the network administrator
will have to go directly to telecommunications closet or the
machine to troubleshoot the problem.

• In this case, the network administrator should first check for

layer 1 (the physical layer) problems. Many times this just
requires that the network administrator verify that a network
cable is connected.

• Remember the concept of checking for a “link light?” Cables

do get knocked loose or break.
Section 1-3 Key Terms

• OSI
• OSI Model
• Physical Layer
• Data Link Layer
• Network Layer
• Transport Layer
• Session Layer
Section 1-3 Key Terms

• Presentation Layer
• Application Layer
Chapter 1-4
The Ethernet LAN
 Ethernet
• The networking protocol used in most modern computer networks is
Ethernet.

• Ethernet is a CSMA/CD LAN protocol.

CS – Carrier Sense
MA – Multiple Access
CD – Collision Detection
 Ethernet frame
• The information in an Ethernet network is exchanged in a frame
form.

• The frame provides grouping of the information for transmission.

The Ethernet frame

Preamble – an alternating pattern of 1’s and

0’s used for synchronization
The Ethernet frame

Start Frame Delimiter – a binary 8-bit

sequence of 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 that indicates the
start of the frame
The Ethernet frame

Destination MAC Address and Source MAC

Address – Each computer has an Ethernet
network interface card (NIC) or network
adapter that has a unique media access
control (MAC) address associated with it.
The MAC address is 6 bytes (12 hex
characters) in length.
The Ethernet frame

This is the data being transferred from the

source to the destination and destination to
the source.
The Ethernet frame

This is the data being transferred from the

source to the destination and destination to
the source.
The Ethernet frame

A field used to bring the total number of

bytes up to the minimum of 46 if the data
field is less than 46 bytes.
A Network Interface Card
The MAC address

Networked devices, such as computers and network

printers each have an electronic hardware interface
to the LAN called a Network Interface Card (NIC)
The NIC contains a unique network address called
the MAC address.
FIGURE 1-26 An example of a small office LAN star topology.

Jeffrey S. Beasley Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Networking, 1e Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
 The MAC address

• The MAC address is 6 bytes (48 bits) in length.

• The address is displayed in 12 hexadecimal codes.
The first 6 hexadecimal codes are used to indicate the
vendor of the network interface, also called the
Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI)
• the last 6 hexadecimal values are unique numbers
assigned by the vendor.
• IEEE is the worldwide source of registered OUIs.
the MAC address

• The MAC address, also called the Ethernet, physical, hardware or

adapter address

• The MAC address can be obtained from computers operating under

Microsoft Windows by typing the ipconfig /all command while in the
command mode.
FIGURE 1-9 The Run window used to enter the command prompt in Windows 7.
The MAC address is listed under the Ethernet adapter Local Area
Connection: heading. The Media State - Media disconnected text
indicates that there is not an active Ethernet device connected to the computer.
The Description lists the manufacturer and model of the network interface
and the Physical Address of 00-10-A4-13-99-2E is the actual MAC address
for the computer.
ipconfig /all demonstration

• Click on Start – Run and enter the

command cmd
• Enter ipconfig /all to display the MAC
address
 IPv4 Addressing

• The IP address is a unique 32 bit address that

identifies on which network the computer is located.
The address is divided into four 8-bit parts. The
format for the IP address is

A . B . C. D

• where the A.B.C.D. values are written as the decimal

equivalent of the 8-bit binary value. The range for
each of the decimal values is 0 to 255.
 IPv4 Addresses

• IP addresses are issued based upon the class of the network. Examples
of the classes of IP networks are provided in Table 1-6 of the text.

Class Description Example IP Numbers

Class A Governments, very large networks 44.* .*.*

Class B Midsize companies, universities, etc. 128.123.*.*
Class C Small networks 192.168.1.*
Class D Reserved for Multicast Groups 224.*.*.*
 IPv4 Addressing
• network number is the portion of the IP address that defines which
network the IP packet is originating from or being delivered to.

• The * entries for each class represent the host number. The host
number is the portion of the IP address that defines the address of the
networking device connected to the network. The host number is also
called the host address.

10.10.20.200
172.16.25.191
192.168.12.5
 IPv4 Addressing
• The network number provides sufficient information for routing the data
to the appropriate destination network.

• The destination network then uses the remaining information (the *

portion) to direct the packet to the destination computer or host.

• The * portion of the address is typically assigned by the local network

system administrator or is dynamically assigned when users need access
outside their local networks.

10.10.20.200
172.16.25.191
192.168.12.5
 IPv4 Addressing - ISP

• your Internet Service Provider (ISP) dynamically assigns an

IP address to your computer when you log on to the
Internet.

• Remember, you can check the IP address assigned to your

computer by your ISP using the ipconfig command in the
command prompt.

10.10.20.200
172.16.25.191
192.168.12.5
IPv4 Private Addresses

Private IP Addresses

10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255
172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255
Private IP Addresses

• Private addresses are IP addresses set aside for use

in private intranets.

• An intranet is an internal network that provides file

and resource sharing.

• Private addresses are not valid addresses for

Internet use because they have been reserved but
can be used within a private LAN to create an IP
network.
 IP Network

• An IP network is one that uses IP addressing for identifying devices

connected to the network and is also the addressing scheme used
in TCP/IP networks.

• TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

and is the protocol suite used for internetworks such as the
Internet.

• The topic of IP addressing will be examined in greater detail

throughout the text. For Chapter 1 the objective is to use the IP
addresses for configuring the address of the computers for
operation in a TCP/IP network.
 Section 1-4 Key Terms

• CSMA/CD
• Frame
• Network Interface Card
• MAC Address
• Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI)
• Ethernet, Physical, Hardware, or Adapter Address
Chapter 1-5
Home Networking
 Introduction

 Setting up a home network is probably one of the

first networks that the student sets up. This is an
exciting opportunity for the student to their
knowledge of computer networks but setting up
the home network can also be quite a challenge.

 One of the first questions often asked is,

“Do I want to set-up a wired or wireless home
network?”
Wired vs. Wireless Networks

 A wired network uses cabling and

connectors to establish the network
connections.

 A wireless network uses radio signals to

establish the network connection.
 Wired Networks

 The advantages of a wired network includes the

following:
 Faster network data transfer speeds (within the LAN)
 Relatively inexpensive to set-up
 Disadvantages of the wired network include:
 The cable connections typically require the use of
specialized tools
 The cable installation can be labor intensive
 Wireless Home Networks

 A wireless home network is probably the most common

home network configuration in use today. The advantages
of a wireless network are many including the following:
 User mobility

 Simple installations

 No cables

 Disadvantages of a wireless network can include:

 Security issues

 The data transfer speed within the LAN can be slower

than wired networks

 Wireless Networks

 Wireless networks also go by the name Wi-Fi

which is the abbreviated name for the Wi-Fi
Alliance (Wi-Fi stands for wireless fidelity).

 The Wi-Fi Alliance is an organization whose

function is to test and certify wireless
equipment for compliance with the 802.11x
standards.
An example of a wired and wireless
home network
Hub – this is used to
interconnect networking
devices. A drawback to the
hub is that it broadcasts the
data it receives to all devices
connected to its ports. The
hub has been replaced by the
network switch in most modern
networks.

Switch – this is the best choice

for interconnecting networking
devices. It can establish a
direct connection from the
sender to the destination
without passing the data traffic
to other networking devices.
Network Adapter wired and
wireless network adapters are
available. The type of network
adapter used in desktop
computers is called the
Network Interface Card
The PC card adapter connects
to notebook computers and
provides an RJ-45 for
connecting to wired networks.
This device supports
connections to both 10 and
100Mbps networks
The Wireless-N adapter inserts
into a notebook or laptop
computer PC Card.the Wireless-N
technology offers a data transfer
speed that is faster than Wireless-
G and is also compatible with both
Wireless-B and Wireless-G
technologies.

Another option for connecting to

networks is to use a network
adapter that attaches to a USB
port on the computer. This device
has the USB type A connector on
one end and an RJ-45 on the
other. This device will support
connections to both 10 and
100Mbps data networks
Router – a networking device used
to connect two or more networks
(e.g. your LAN and the Internet)
using a single connection to your
Internet Service Provider (ISP). A
modern home networking router
can also contain a switch and a
broadband modem.

Access Point – is used to

interconnect wireless devices and
provide a connection to the wired
LAN. The data transfer speeds, for
access points, are dictated by the
choice of wireless technology for
the clients but this device will
support Wireless-N.
Wireless router – this device uses
RF to connect to the networking
devices. A wireless router
typically contains a router, switch,
and a wireless access point and is
probably the most common way
to interconnect wireless LANs to
the ISP.

Broadband Modem/Gateway –
this describes the device used to
provide high-speed data access
via your cable TV connection or
via a telephone company’s DSL
connection. A gateway combines
a modem and a router into one
network box.
Planning the Home Network
(wired vs. wired)

 data speed
 cost
 ease of implementation
 appearance
 home access
 public access
 Troubleshooting
• Check to make sure the proper lights for your networking device
that connects you to your ISP are properly displayed.

• One of the first steps usually used to fix basic connection problems
to the ISP is to reboot the host computer (the computer connected
to the router) and to re-boot the router. This usually will fix the
problem and the correct lights should be displayed. In some cases,
you might also have to power down/up your broadband modem.
(Note: the broadband modem might in integrated with the router.)
Once again, check to see if the correct lights are being displayed.

• You should always verify your hardware cable or phone connection

is in place and hasn’t been pulled loose.
 Securing the Home Network

Securing the home wireless network is extremely important

because a wireless signal can be intercepted by the wrong
person and they can possibly connect to your network. The
following are some basic steps that can be used to help
protect the home network.
 Securing the Home Network

1. Change the default factory passwords

Wireless equipment is shipped with default passwords

that are set at the factory. These default settings are
known by the public including people who would like
to gain access into your network and possibly change
your settings. It is best that you select your own
password that is a combination of alphanumeric
characters.
 Securing the Home Network

2. Change the default SSID

The SSID is the name that is used to identify your

network and is used by your access point or wireless
router to establish an association. Establishing an
association means that a wireless client can join the
network. The SSID can be up to 32 characters and
should be changed often so hackers who have figured
out your SSID will no longer have access to your
home network.
 Securing the Home Network

3. Turn encryption on

Probably the most important thing to do is turn on the security

features which include the data encryption.

These options include the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA2.

WPA2 is a product certification issued by the WiFi Alliance. It

uses a stronger encryption than WPA and is also backward
compatible with WPA adapters.
 Securing the Home Network
4. Turn off the SSID broadcast

Wireless systems broadcast the SSID so that the

network can be easily identified as an available
network.
Hackers can use this information to possibly gain
access to your network so it is a good idea to turn off
the SSID broadcast.
The exception to this is in hotspots where public
access is available. Please note, hotspots make it
easy for the user to gain wireless access but hackers
can also be on the same network so it is very
important to have encryption turned on.
 Securing the Home Network

5. Enable MAC address filtering

All computer devices use a unique MAC address for

identifying the device. This can be used to select
what devices can be allowed access to the network.
When MAC address filtering is turned on, only wireless
devices that have specific MAC addresses will be
allowed access to the network.
 Limiting Outside Access
1. Network Address Translation
The outsider only sees the router IP address since the
IP addresses of the internal networking device is not
provided on the Internet.
Only the IP address of the router is provided. The
home network typically uses a private address that is
not routable on the Internet. (Private IP address are
blocked by the ISP).
 Limiting Outside Access
2. A common practice is to turn on the firewall
protection.

The purpose of a firewall is to prevent unauthorized access to

your network. Firewall protection is available in both the
Windows and MAC operating environments.
A type of firewall protection is Stateful Packet Inspection
(SPI). This type of firewall inspects incoming data packets
to make sure they correspond to an outgoing request.
For example, you may be exchanging information with a web
site. Data packets that are not requested are rejected.
 Limiting Outside Access
3. Establish a VPN connection when transferring
sensitive information.
A VPN – Virtual Private Networking establishes a secure
network connection and is a way to protect your LANs data
from being observed by outsiders.

The VPN connection capability is available with Windows

Vista, XP, and MAC OSX.
A VPN connection enables a remote or mobile user to access
the network as if they were actually physically at the
network.
Additionally, the VPN connection is encrypted providing
privacy for the data packets being transmitted.
 IP Addressing in the Home
Network
A common question asked about home networks is, how is IP
addressing handled for all of the computers connected to the
Internet?

The answer is that IP addressing for the home network is

managed by the router or wireless router that connects to
the ISP.

The ISP will issue an IP address to the router from an

available pool of IP addresses managed by the ISP.

The computers in the home network are issued private IP

addresses (see Table 1-7) using a technique called NAT –
Network Address Translation.
IP Addressing in the Home
Network
A routable public IP
address is issued by
the ISP for the
wireless router. The
public IP address
enables all computers
in the home network
access to the
Internet. The
wireless router issues
private addresses to
all computers
connected to the
network.
NAT Translation using PAT
 Section 1-5 Key Terms

• Home Networking
• Wired and Wireless Networks
• Firewall Protection
• VPN – Virtual Private Network
• NAT – Network Address Translation
• PAT – Port Address Translation
• overloading
 Chapter 1-6
Assembling an Office LAN
Features: Ethernet CAT5 twisted-pair cable
Switch
LAN Documentation

• Remember, each NIC contains a unique MAC

address and the IP addresses are locally assigned by
the network administrator.

• The MAC addresses were obtained by entering the

ipconfig /all command from the command prompt
in Windows XP.

• Document all IP addresses of the devices used in

this office LAN.
LAN Documentation

• Note: In this class and this text, you will function as

the network administrator. The network
administrator must know how to obtain all IP and
MAC address information for devices connected to
the network. This requires that the network
administrator keep good documentation of the
network.
Table 1-9 The MAC and assigned IP address for
the devices in the office LAN.

Device MAC address IP address

(Host Name)
Computer 1 00-10-A4-13-99-2E 10.10.10.1
Computer 2 00-10-A4-13-6C-6E 10.10.10.2
Computer 3 00-B0-D0-25-BF-48 10.10.10.3
Laser Jet Printer 00-10-83-0B-A6-2F 10.10.10.20
RJ45 Cable
Cable used to
interconnect
the networking
devices.

CAT5 CAT5e
CAT6
 RJ45 Cable
Cable used to
interconnect
the networking
devices.

CAT5 CAT5e
CAT6

RJ-45 – 8 pin modular connector use

with CAT5, 5e, and 6 cable.
Numerics

• A numerical representation use to describe the data rates and media

10BaseT – 10 Mbps Baseband Twisted Pair

100BaseT – 100 Mbps Baseband Twisted Pair

1000BaseT – 1000 Mbps Baseband Twisted Pair

 Step 2

Connect all of
the networking
devices together
using the star
topology shown
in Figure 1- 26.

Switch
Switch
Switch

RJ-45 Jack
Switch

Ports – the interface for the networking

devices
Switch

Cross-connected (x)
Transmit and receive signal pairs
are crossed to properly align
each for data communication
Cross-connected / Straight-through

(a) Cross-connected (b) Straight-through

Cross-connected

Cross-connected
Devices requiring the cross-connected input port are
computers, printers, and routers.
Uplink Port

Straight-through port
A straight-through port is also called an uplink port.
The uplink port allows for the connection of a hub to a
hub or hub to a switch without having to use a special
cable. Devices requiring a straight-through connection
are uplink connections to other hubs or switches.
Link Light
Link Light The Ethernet protocol uses the Link Integrity Test
to verify that a communication link between two Ethernet devices
has been established. The link light remains lit once
communication is established and remains lit as long as there is a
periodic exchange of link pulses from the attached devices.
Link pulses are sent by each of the connected devices via the
twisted-pair cables to indicate that the link is up, but the link
pulses are not part of the Ethernet packet and are randomly sent
when data is not being transmitted.
Configure the IP Addresses

• Step 3
Configure the IP address settings on each computer
according to the list prepared by the network
administrator

Computer 1 00-10-A4-13-99-2E
10.10.10.1
Computer 2 00-10-A4-13-6C-6E
10.10.10.2
Computer 3 00-B0-D0-25-BF-48
10.10.10.3
Jeffrey S. Beasley Copyright ©2004 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Networking, 1e Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
 Section 1-6 Key Terms

• CAT6/5e
• RJ-45
• Mbps
• Numerics
• Ports
• Cross-connected
• Straight-through
 Chapter 1-7
Testing and Troubleshooting
a LAN
Verify the Connection

• Once the network configurations on the computers

are completed and the cable connections are in
place you will need to test and possibly
troubleshoot the network.

• First, verify that the computers are properly

connected on the network. Do this by verifying that
you have link lights on each hub port that is
connected to a computer. Link verification will
typically appear as a lit link light.
Ping

• Once you have verified that the networking devices

are physically connected together, use the ping
command to verify that the networking devices are
communicating.

• Ping stands for Packet Internet Groper which is a

tool within the ICMP (Internet Control Message
Protocol) used to test that a device on the network
is reachable.
Ping - examples
• ping 10.10.10.1 is used to ping the IP address for computer 1. The IP
address 10.10.10.1 is the destination address.

• Another example would be the ping destination IP address for computer

3, in this case ping 10.10.10.3 would be used.
 Displaying your computer’s IP
Address
• At times you may want to verify the IP address of the
computer you are working on.

• Remember, a method of obtaining the IP address is to

enter the command ipconfig at the command prompt.

• It is not necessary to include the /all after the ipconfig

command unless you also want the MAC address
information displayed.
ipconfig

Note that the /all is not used to display only

the computer’s IP address