QUESTION BANK

1. Explain the OSI reference model with functions of each layer.

2. Differentiate between circuit switching and packet switching with a suitable
example.
3. What is piggybacking in data communication? Explain how it improves efficiency in
full-duplex transmission.
4. A host with IP address [Link] wants to find the MAC address of [Link].
Identify the protocol used and describe its working.
5. Compress the IPv6 address [Link]. State
both compression rules applied.

6. Given an IP address [Link]/20, determine the number of hosts per subnet.

7. A client connects to a server at port 80. Identify the application layer protocol and
state the purpose of port 80.
8. Explain TCP's three-way handshake for connection establishment with suitable di 
Compare Bus, Star, Ring, and Mesh topologies with advantages and limitations.
9. Derive and explain transmission delay and propagation delay with examples.
10. Explain the working of Go-Back-N ARQ with a suitable diagram.
11. Analyze the working of Stop-and-Wait protocol and its limitations.
12. A data packet travels from an application on Host A to an application on Host B over
the Internet. Illustrate the complete journey of this packet through all layers of the
OSI model, specifying the unit of data (PDU) at each layer and at least one protocol
per layer.
13. Define transmission media. Compare guided and unguided media with examples.

14. Describe the various types of network topologies (Bus, Star, Ring, Mesh). For each,
state two advantages, and disadvantages, and a real-world use case.
15. Define packet delay and its four components (transmission, propagation, queuing,
processing). Calculate the total transmission delay for a 10 MB file sent over a 1
Mbps link in 1000-byte packets.
16. A sender wants to transmit the data word 1101011011 using the generator
polynomial 10011 (CRC).
17. Compute the CRC remainder and the complete transmitted frame.
18. Analyze how the Go-Back-N ARQ protocol handles the retransmission of lost frames
with a window size of 4. Draw the sender-receiver timeline if frame 2 is lost out of
frames 0 to 5.
19. Construct the Hamming Code for the 4-bit data word 1011. Show all parity bit
positions and verify that the code can detect and correct a single-bit error.
20. Compare Stop-and-Wait ARQ, Go-Back-N ARQ, and Selective Repeat ARQ in terms of
efficiency, bandwidth utilisation, and implementation complexity. Under which
network conditions would each be preferred?

21. An organisation is allocated the IP block [Link]/24. It needs to create 4 equal

subnets for its departments: HR, Finance, IT, and Admin. Design the subnetting
scheme. For each subnet determine: (i) Network address, (ii) Subnet mask (in
dotted decimal and CIDR notation), (iii) Broadcast address, (iv) First and Last valid
host IP, (v) Total usable hosts.
22. Explain the Distance Vector Routing (DVR) algorithm. Four routers A, B, C, D have
the following initial costs: A–B = 3, A–D = 7, B–C = 2, C–D = 4, B–D = ∞, A–C = ∞.
Apply the Bellman-Ford update at router A after receiving distance vectors from B
and D. Show the updated routing table for A with the next-hop and cost to every
destination.
23. A user types [Link] in a browser and the web page loads
successfully. Trace the complete DNS resolution process for the above URL,
distinguishing between recursive and iterative resolution. Identify all DNS server
types involved.
24. Evaluate the role of firewalls in enterprise network security. Differentiate between
packet filtering, stateful inspection, and application-layer firewalls with examples.
25. Compare FTP and HTTP in terms of connection type, data transfer mechanism, state
management, and use case. Which is more suitable for bulk file transfer and why?
26. Explain the concepts of symmetric and asymmetric encryption in cryptography.
Illustrate with an example how HTTPS uses both types to secure web
communication.
27. Differentiate between connection-oriented and connectionless communication with
one example each.
28. What is Quality of Service (QoS)? Why is it important in computer networks?

29. What is piggybacking in network communications. State one advantage and one
limitation of piggybacking technique.

30. Expand and write the full form of the compressed IPv6 address [Link]. State
the decompression rules applied.

31. Examine how ARP supports communication between devices in a local network.

32. Compare BOOTP and DHCP in terms of address allocation mechanism, lease
duration, and use case. Which is preferred in modern networks and why?

33. Explain UDP's connectionless communication model. State two scenarios where
UDP is preferred over TCP.

34. A data packet is sent from Host A to Host B across the Internet. Illustrate the
complete journey of this packet as it passes through all layers of the TCP/IP model.
Specify the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) name and at least one protocol at each layer.

35. Differentiate between guided and unguided transmission media. Give two examples
of each and compare their bandwidth and use cases

36. Compare the following switching techniques: Circuit Switching, Packet Switching,
and Message Switching. Discuss their working, advantages, disadvantages, and real-
world applications.

37. Explain the concept of end-to-end throughput in a network. Calculate the effective
throughput when a 5 MB file is sent over a 2 Mbps link with 10 ms propagation
delay and 1000-byte packets.
38. A sender wants to transmit the data word 10110010 using the generator
polynomial 10101 (CRC). Compute the CRC remainder and the complete transmitted
frame.

39. Analyze how the Selective Repeat ARQ protocol handles out-of-order and lost
frames with a window size of 3. Draw the sender–receiver timeline if frame 1 is lost
out of frames 0 to 4.

40. Construct the Hamming Code for the 4-bit data word 1001. Show all parity bit
positions and verify that the code can detect and correct a single-bit error.

41. Explain the working of Pure ALOHA and Slotted ALOHA protocols. Compare their
efficiency and maximum throughput. Under what conditions is CSMA/CD preferred
over ALOHA?
42. Explain the concept of error detection using CRC with an example.
43. Design a subnetting scheme for a Class C network divided into multiple subnets.
44. Explain Distance Vector Routing and its limitations (count-to-infinity problem).
45. Describe the working of HTTP and HTTPS protocols with key differences.
46. Explain firewall types and their role in network security.

47. An organisation is allocated the IP block [Link]/24. It needs to create 4 equal

subnets for its departments: Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Support. Design the
subnetting scheme. For each subnet determine: (i) Network address, (ii) Subnet
mask (in dotted decimal and CIDR notation), (iii) Broadcast address, (iv) First and
Last valid host IP, (v) Total usable hosts.

48. Explain the Link State Routing (LSR) algorithm. Five routers A, B, C, D, E have the
following link costs: A–B = 4, A–C = 2, B–D = 5, C–D = 1, C–E = 6, D–E = 3, B–E = ∞, A–
D = ∞. Apply Dijkstra's algorithm starting from router A. Show step-by-step
computation of the shortest path to every other router and construct the final
routing table for A.
49. A user types [Link] in a browser and the web page
loads successfully. Trace the complete HTTP request–response cycle for the above
URL. Describe the role of HTTP methods (GET, POST), status codes, and persistent
vs. non-persistent connections.

50. Evaluate the role of SNMP in network management. Distinguish between SNMP Get,
Set, and Trap operations with suitable examples.

51. A user enters a URL in a browser and accesses a secure website? Analyze how DNS
resolves the domain name, differentiating between iterative and recursive queries.

52. Evaluate in detail how firewalls enforce network security policies in enterprise
systems.