Computer Network Viva Questions Guide
Computer Network Viva Questions Guide
IPv6 provides a vastly larger address space than IPv4, using a 128-bit addressing scheme compared to IPv4's 32-bit. This addresses the IPv4 exhaustion issue, allowing for a significantly greater number of devices to connect simultaneously. IPv6 also includes features like improved security with IPsec, better autoconfiguration, and more efficient routing. However, transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6 poses challenges, such as the need for protocol conversion mechanisms and infrastructure updates, as not all devices or networks currently support IPv6 efficiently .
The OSI model provides a more granular framework with seven layers, allowing detailed isolation of network issues, which is beneficial for troubleshooting. Each layer has specific functions and error-checking mechanisms, helping identify precisely where a problem occurs. The TCP/IP model, with its four layers, is more practical and used for real-world networking; it simplifies the process but is less descriptive in troubleshooting specific layers compared to the OSI model's layered approach .
Bandwidth impacts the network's capacity to transmit data, as it is the maximum rate at which data can be transferred over a network, typically measured in bits per second. Higher bandwidth allows more data to be transmitted in a given time, enhancing performance for data-intensive applications. Latency, on the other hand, is the delay in transmitting data between sender and receiver, measured in milliseconds. Lower latency is crucial for applications requiring real-time data processing, such as video conferencing. Both factors are essential for assessing network performance and efficiency .
CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection) allows devices to sense the channel for other transmissions before attempting to send data, minimizing collisions. When a collision is detected, devices stop transmitting and wait before retrying. While effective for traditional Ethernet, CSMA/CD struggles in modern high-speed and full-duplex networks where the probability of collisions is low, and collision detection adds unnecessary overhead, as full-duplex communication enables simultaneous sending and receiving of data without collisions on same channels .
Subnetting enhances network performance by segmenting larger networks into smaller, manageable sub-networks, reducing broadcast domains and narrowing the scope of data traffic, thus optimizing speed and efficiency. This separation improves security by isolating network segments, enabling detailed access control and reducing the spread of potential breaches. Subnetting also facilitates efficient IP address management, preventing shortages and enabling scalability within an organization. Despite these benefits, deploying subnetting requires careful initial planning and ongoing management .
Firewalls act as a barrier between trusted internal networks and untrusted external networks, controlling incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined security rules. They help protect networks from unauthorized access, malware, and DDoS attacks. By filtering packets, blocking potentially harmful traffic, and allowing only legitimate communications, firewalls prevent access to malicious entities while ensuring legitimate data flows are allowed. However, they must be regularly updated and configured correctly to address evolving threats .
Encryption is crucial for securing network communications by converting information into a coded format, preventing unauthorized access even when data is intercepted. It ensures confidentiality and integrity, protecting sensitive data from breaches, theft, and manipulation. In modern digital environments, where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated, encryption provides a foundational layer of security for sensitive transactions, user privacy, and regulatory compliance across electronic communications, cloud storage, and data exchange platforms .
Circuit switching establishes a dedicated communication path between sender and receiver for the duration of a session, ensuring a constant data transfer rate, advantageous for real-time voice communications like traditional telephony, where a consistent connection is essential. Packet switching, used in modern data networks like the internet, breaks data into packets sent independently through various routes, optimizing the use of network resources and reducing costs. This method is more suitable for data-heavy applications that can tolerate variable rates and latencies, like email and web browsing .
Wired transmission media, such as twisted-pair cables and fiber optics, generally offer higher transmission speeds, reliability, and security due to their physical connections, making them ideal for situations where consistent performance is critical. They are less susceptible to interference, ensuring stable data flow. However, they lack the flexibility of wireless solutions. Wireless transmission media offer greater flexibility and mobility, allowing easy expansion and usage in environments where physical cabling is impractical. Yet, they might face issues like interference, security vulnerabilities, and generally lower speeds compared to wired connections, posing a trade-off in network design .
VPNs enhance privacy and security by creating an encrypted tunnel over the internet, ensuring that data transmitted between the user's device and the destination server is secure from interception. This encryption prevents unauthorized access to sensitive information, providing anonymity by masking the user’s IP address with that of the VPN server. VPNs are crucial for maintaining privacy on unsecured networks, like public Wi-Fi, and for bypassing geo-restrictions, safely accessing restricted content .