COMPUTER NETWORKS
EXLT 6
LAN VS WAN
▪ Most enterprise computer networks can be separated into two general types of
technology: local-area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN). LANs
typically connect nearby devices: devices in the same room, in the same building,
or in a campus of buildings. In contrast, WANs connect devices that are typically
relatively far apart. Together, LANs and WANs create a complete enterprise
computer network, working together to do the job of a computer network:
delivering data from one device to another.
LOCAL-AREA NETWORKS (LAN)
▪ Many types of LANs have existed over the years, but today’s networks use two
general types of LANs: Ethernet LANs and wireless LANs. Ethernet LANs happen
to use cables for the links between nodes, and because many types of cables use
copper wires, Ethernet LANs are often called wired LANs. In comparison, wireless
LANs do not use wires or cables, instead using radio waves for the links between
nodes.
AN OVERVIEW OF LANS
▪ The term Ethernet refers to a family of LAN
standards that together define the physical and data
link layers of the world’s most popular wired LAN
technology. The standards, defined by the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
define the cabling, the connectors on the ends of the
cables, the protocol rules, and everything else
required to create an Ethernet LAN.
LAN SWITCH
▪ To begin, first think about a small office/home office
(SOHO) LAN today, specifically a LAN that uses only
Ethernet LAN technology. First, the LAN needs a
device called an Ethernet LAN switch, which
provides many physical ports into which cables can
be connected.
▪ An Ethernet uses Ethernet cables, which is a general
reference to any cable that conforms to any of
several Ethernet standards. The LAN uses Ethernet
cables to connect different Ethernet devices or
nodes to one of the switch’s Ethernet ports.
SOHO SETUP
TYPICAL SOHO
▪ Ethernet LAN, many SOHO Ethernet LANs today
combine the router and switch into a single
device. Vendors sell consumer-grade integrated
networking devices that work as a router and
Ethernet switch, as well as doing other functions.
These devices typically have “router” on the
packaging, but many models also have four-port
or eight-port Ethernet LAN switch ports built in to
the device.
TYPICAL SOHO
▪ Typical SOHO LANs today also support wireless LAN
connections. Ethernet defines wired LAN technology
only; in other words, Ethernet LANs use cables. However,
you can build one LAN that uses both Ethernet LAN
technology as well as wireless LAN technology, which is
also defined by the IEEE. Wireless LANs, defined by the
IEEE using standards that begin with 802.11, use radio
waves to send the bits from one node to the next.
TYPICAL SOHO
▪ Most wireless LANs rely on yet
another networking device: a
wireless LAN access point (AP). The
AP acts somewhat like an Ethernet
switch, in that all the wireless LAN
nodes communicate with the
Ethernet switch by sending and
receiving data with the wireless AP.
Of course, as a wireless device, the
AP does not need Ethernet ports for
cables, other than for a single
Ethernet link to connect the AP to
the Ethernet LAN
THE VARIETY OF ETHERNET PHYSICAL
LAYER STANDARDS
▪ The term Ethernet refers to an entire family of standards. Some standards define
the specifics of how to send data over a particular type of cabling, and at a
particular speed. Other standards define protocols, or rules, that the Ethernet
nodes must follow to be a part of an Ethernet LAN. All these Ethernet standards
come from the IEEE and include the number 802.3 as the beginning part of the
standard name. Ethernet supports a large variety of options for physical Ethernet
links given its long history over the last 40 or so years. Today, Ethernet includes
many standards for different kinds of optical and copper cabling, and for speeds
from 10 megabits per second (Mbps) up to 100 gigabits per second (Gbps). The
standards also differ as far as the types of cabling and the allowed length of the
cabling.
THE VARIETY OF ETHERNET PHYSICAL
LAYER STANDARDS
▪ The most fundamental cabling choice has to do with the materials used inside the
cable for the physical transmission of bits: either copper wires or glass fibers. The
use of unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling saves money compared to optical
fibers, with Ethernet nodes using the wires inside the cable to send data over
electrical circuits. Fiber-optic cabling, the more expensive alternative, allows
Ethernet nodes to send light over glass fibers in the center of the cable. Although
more expensive, optical cables typically allow longer cabling distances between
nodes.
THE VARIETY OF ETHERNET PHYSICAL
LAYER STANDARDS
▪ The most fundamental cabling choice has to do with the materials used inside the
cable for the physical transmission of bits: either copper wires or glass fibers. The
use of unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling saves money compared to optical
fibers, with Ethernet nodes using the wires inside the cable to send data over
electrical circuits. Fiber-optic cabling, the more expensive alternative, allows
Ethernet nodes to send light over glass fibers in the center of the cable. Although
more expensive, optical cables typically allow longer cabling distances between
nodes.
RJ-45
▪ Many Ethernet UTP cables use an RJ-45 connector
on both ends. The RJ-45 connector has eight
physical locations into which the eight wires in the
cable can be inserted, called pin positions, or
simply pins. These pins create a place where the
ends of the copper wires can touch the electronics
inside the nodes at the end of the physical link so
that electricity can flow.
RJ-45
▪ To complete the physical link, the
nodes each need an RJ-45 Ethernet
port that matches the RJ-45
connectors on the cable so that the
connectors on the ends of the cable
can connect to each node. PCs often
include this RJ-45 Ethernet port as
part of a network interface card
(NIC), which can be an expansion
card on the PC or can be built in to
the system itself. Switches typically
have many RJ-45 ports because
switches give user devices a place
to connect to the Ethernet LAN.
STRAIGHT-THROUGH CABLE PINOUT
▪ 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T use two pairs of wires in a UTP cable, one for each
direction.
▪ connects a PC and a LAN switch
▪ For correct transmission over the link, the wires in the UTP cable must be
connected to the correct pin positions in the RJ-45 connectors.
STRAIGHT-THROUGH CABLE PINOUT
STRAIGHT-THROUGH CABLE PINOUT
CROSS-OVER CABLE
▪ A straight-through cable works correctly when the nodes use opposite pairs for
transmitting data. However, when two like devices connect to an Ethernet link, they
both transmit on the same pins.
▪ In that case, you then need another type of cabling pinout called a cross-over
cable.
▪ The crossover cable pinout crosses the pair at the transmit pins on each device to
the receive pins on the opposite device.
CROSS-OVER CABLE
CROSS-OVER CABLE
▪ The figure shows what happens on a
link between two switches. The two
switches both transmit on the pair at
pins 3 and 6, and they both receive on
the pair at pins 1 and 2. So, the cable
must connect a pair at pins 3 and 6 on
each side to pins 1 and 2 on the other
side, connecting to the other node’s
receiver logic.