By Ms Payal Gupta
Chapter 2-CS
Communication
Networks including the Internet
Networking devices are interconnected devices that allow a fast means of data transmission
within the network.
Networking benefits:
o File sharing - you can easily share data between different interconnected devices
o Resource sharing - using network-connected output devices like printers, or can share the
same software within the network
o Higher storage - can store files in network-connected storage mediums.
LAN(Local Area Network) vs. WAN(Wide Area Network)
LAN WAN
Network that connects devices within a Network that connects devices within a
small geographical area larger geographical area
Only private ownership Private or public ownership
Transmission medium: twisted pair cable, Transmission medium: PSTN or satellite
coaxial cable or Wi-Fi link
Higher data transfer rate Lower data transfer rate
Lesser congestion Higher congestion
Client-server Model
o Server based network: dedicated server provides an application (administration of users,
security and resources) for the client computer to utilize
Client-server Applications
o Printer: manages print jobs from client computers
o File Sharing: the client accesses software and user’s data files stored on the server
o Proxy server
o Email server: for sending, receiving & storing emails
o Database server: manages DBMS
o Domain controller server
Management of user accounts (IDs & passwords)
Client sends login request to server which processes and grants request if user ID &
password recognized
Thin Clients vs. Thick Clients
Thin Clients Thick Clients
A client that solely runs on the resources An independent client that does
provided by the server and has no local storage not require the server to run
By Ms Payal Gupta
Thin Clients Thick Clients
Only provides input and receives output; Thick client processes most of the
processing done by server application
Smaller purchase cost: expensive, demanding Can function even if no server is
hardware is not required connected (works offline)
Improved security: cannot run unauthorized,
No lag related to network problems
harmful software
Peer-to-peer network model (P2P)
o Decentralised network where each connected computer stores data and operates
independently as a ‘peer’, and can act as both a client & server.
o Applications: Internet and Ad hoc networks
Client-server vs. Peer-to-peer models
Client-server Peer-to-peer
Centralized backup Lesser initial setup cost
Lesser network traffic: each peer can
Files & resources centralized in server:
simultaneously receive data from different
prevents illegal resource usage
sources
Improved security: files are stored on Can work even if a device goes down, but
central server which would be regularly Client-server model can’t work if server
scanned for malware goes down
Network Topologies
o Bus
Single line (bus) connecting all devices with terminators at each end.
Other computers can read the data being sent from one to another computer.
Unsuitable for heavy traffic since collisions occur.
o Star
Consists of a central server (‘Switch’) and all other computers connected with a dedicated
connection to each, hence server can send packets to different devices simultaneously and
bi-directionally.
No collisions possible.
o Mesh
Network setup where every device (node) is directly interconnected to the each of the other
devices (nodes)
It is commonly used for wireless networks (such as the Internet), via the mesh connection of
routers
o Hybrid
Combination of two or more topologies.
E.g. when there is a connection between 2 or more LANs of different topologies
By Ms Payal Gupta
Wired Networks: use (copper (twisted-pair cable or coaxial cable) or fibre-optic) cables
connected to an Ethernet port on the network router
Benefits Drawbacks
Less expensive and easier to Doesn’t perform well with
Copper
install. Flexible. Easier to make small charges. Affected by
Cable
terminations electromagnetism
Greater bandwidthImproved security
Fiber-
Lightweight: easy to installLess signal Needs expensive optical
Optic
boosting required; used in long distance transmitters and receivers.
Cables
comm.
Wireless Networks: use radio waves (including WiFi), microwaves, satellites to connect
devices to networks without cables.
Benefits Drawbacks
Can travel over large distances since Low frequency so transmits
Radio they have largest range of less data at one [Link]
waves wavelengthRelatively [Link] by radio stations with similar
for TV signals & mobile phone comms. frequency
Emitting towers expensive to
Micro- Larger bandwidth, can transfer more
build Physical obstacles can
waves data at a time
interfere
Cheap with long distanceUsed for
Easy to interfereExpensive set
Satellites Satellite phones, satellite radio
up
broadcast
Ethernet
o Most common wired medium of transmission, that can be used to transfer data between
LANs or WANs
o Usually used in bus topology; since all data travelled on a single wire there is a possibility of
data corruption by the “collision” of signals
o This collision is prevented by the CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision
Detection) method:
Before transmitting, device checks if channel is busy
If busy, device calculates a random wait time and waits that time, after which it begins
transmission
Then during transmission, the device listens for other devices also beginning transmission
If collision, transmission is aborted and both devices wait different random times, then try
again.
Bit Streaming
o Sequence of digital signals (bits) transferred over a communication path at high speeds
o Requires a fast broadband connection and some form of buffers (short-term memory)
o Bits arrive in the same order they are sent
o Bit rate: number of bits transmitted per second
o Two methods of bit streaming:
By Ms Payal Gupta
Real-time On-demand
Existing digital files converted to encoded
Event captured live via video camera that bit-streaming format for broadcasting on
is connected to a computer the internet by uploading to a dedicated
server
A link for encoded video is placed on
Video signal converted to an encoded
website and the user clicks on link to view
streaming video signal
encoded streaming video
Encoded video signal uploaded from The data is streamed to a buffer in user’s
computer to a dedicated streaming server computer and the buffer stops the video
via cables or high-speed wireless internet from being paused as the bits are
connection streamed
Server then sends live images to all users As the buffer is emptied, it’s filled again
requesting it as a real-time video thus providing continuous viewing
Cannot be paused, fast-forwarded, etc. Can be paused, fast-forwarded, etc.
Importance of high broadband speed / bit-rate
o User has to download and display bits at same time
o If media is of higher quality, then higher broadband speed needed since each “frame” is of a
larger size
o Real-time needs faster broadband speeds as compared to on-demand, since there are a
greater number of users simultaneously requesting same data
Cloud Computing
o Refers to the on-demand provision of computing services through the internet
o Services provided include
Infrastructure: Storage capacity and higher processing power
Platform: Software, testing & debugging resources
o Public cloud vs. Private cloud
Public cloud private cloud
3rd-party cloud service provider
A private cloud is owned by one organization
grants access to multiple parties,
and is not shared with any other organization
accessible via a browser
Cloud service provider owns, The private cloud can either be created and
develops and manages the public maintained by the organization itself or it can
cloud through large server farms outsource these tasks to a third-party
Benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing
By Ms Payal Gupta
Benefits Drawback
Relatively less technical knowledge Cannot access the resources/data stored on
required and easy to implement the cloud, if there are bandwidth issues
Poor data privacy, since there may be data
Flexibility: Cloud Can Be Scaled To
leakage in the multi-tenant architecture (public
Match The Organization’s Growth
clouds)
World Wide Web (WWW)
o Collection of web pages stored on websites
o Protocols are used to transmit data across the WWW
Internet (Interconnected network)
o Massive, open network of networks
o Uses TCP/IP protocol, which uses IP addresses to identify devices connected to the internet
o Access provided by Internet Service Provider
o Communication used: wired, radio and satellite
Router in a network
o Connects two networks together which operates under the same protocols
o Allows internal connections between LANs OR allows external connection from the main
LAN to a WAN
o The router acts as a gateway & firewall
o Usually, it will be attached to a server or switch in a LAN
o The router translates private IP addresses to public IP addresses AND vice versa.
LAN-supporting hardware
o Switch: Connected to all devices in a LAN and can simultaneously broadcast information to
all devices
o Server: device/software provides specific functions for computers in the network
o Network Interface Card (NIC)
Provides each device (an end-system) in the wired LAN with a unique (MAC) address to
uniquely identify it on the network
Allows each individual device to connect to network
o Wireless Network Interface Card (WNIC): Provides each end-system of a wireless (WiFi)
LAN a unique network address to identify it.
o Wireless Access Points (WAP):
Allows devices to connect to the LAN via WiFi (wireless radio communication) instead of
using a cable
Usually built into router
o Cables: A wired transmission medium that allows communication in wired networks
o Bridge
Connects two LANs which work use the same protocol, which can be two segments of the
same network
Stores network addresses for all devices (end-systems) between the 2 networks
A bridge looks for the receiving device before it sends the message.
o Repeater
Connects two cables
regenerates the sent data signal over the same network before the signal weakens
(attenuation) to prevent it from being corrupted
Internet-supporting hardware
o Modems
Allows a device to connect to the Internet via a telephone line.
A transmitter uses a modem to convert digital signals (from the transmitting device) to
analogue signals sent down the telephone line.
By Ms Payal Gupta
A receiver uses a modem on the other end to convert the analog signals to digital signals so
the receiving device can understand the data.
o PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)
Refers to all telephone networks
Channel used between 2 endpoints for the call duration via circuit switching
Lines active even during a power outage
Bi-directional communication
o Dedicated lines
Telecommunication path between endpoints
Not shared with multiple users; it’s bought/leased
Able to host websites as well as carry phone calls
Allows continuous, uninterrupted access on Web
o Cell phone network
Wireless networks spread over land areas divided into (hexagonal) ‘cells’
Each cell is served by at least one base station (transceiver), which uses a different
frequency range, as compared to adjacent cells, to transmit data
Larger capacity possible since same frequencies can be used, in non-adjacent cells
Radio waves are usually used for transmission
Can be broadcast in all directions over a wide area
Portable transceivers (e.g. mobile phones) are able to communicate and access internet via
base stations
IPv4 vs. IPv6
IPv4 IPv6
32 bit address, split into 4
128 bit address divided into eight 16-bit blocks by “:”.
blocks by “.”
Each block could have a
Each block can have 4 hex values ranging from 0000 to
value between 0 and 255
FFFF
(00 to FF in hex).
IPv6 can be shortened by removing >=2 blocks
E.g.[Link] containing solely
zeroesE.g.2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0070:7334
IPv4 functionality
o each IP address has 2 parts:
Network Identifier (netID)
Identifies the network to which the host (device) is connected to
Host Identifier (hostID): Identifies the host within the network
o ‘Classfull’ addressing used for IPv4 where different bit lengths for identification and impose
restrictions on available address
Subnetting
o Practice of dividing a network into two or more networks
o IP addresses are broken down to 3 parts by not changing the netID but partitioning the host
ID into a subnet ID and host ID
o These subnet ID bits are used to identify each subnet within the network.
o Subnet masks are numbers that hides (masks) the netID of a system's IP address and
leaves only the host part as the machine identifier, allowing data to be routed within the
subnet to the appropriate host.
Public and Private IP address
o Public IP is provided by the ISP while Private IP issued by the LAN’s router
By Ms Payal Gupta
o Public IP is unique and can be across the internet whereas Private IP is only unique within
LAN and hence can only be accessed within LAN
o NAT (Network address translation) required for private IP addresses to access internet
directly.
o Private IP more secure than public IP, since they are not directly accessible on the Internet
and are hidden by NAT
o Range of IP addresses used for private IP addressing can never be assigned to public IP
addresses
Static vs. Dynamic IP addresses
Static Dynamic
IP address will change at regular
IP address never changes.
time periods.
Static IP addresses are useful when websites Dynamic IP address is relatively
need to remember a device for a long time. Eg) more secure, hence used where
VPNs whitelisting data privacy is important
Maintaining cost of dynamic IP
Faster upload/download speeds
address is lesser
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
o Unique reference address for the exact location of an internet resource on the WWW
Protocol: enables browser to know what protocol is used to access info in domain
Hostname: Domain name
Location of server: path
Domain Name Service (DNS)
o naming system used for computers or resources having internet connection
o Consists of a hierarchy of DNS servers which have a URLs database of and their
corresponding IP addresses