CS3591 Computer Networks
Important Question Bank
(2021 Regulation)
UNIT-1 INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION LAYER
PART-A
1. What is computer network?
2. What do you mean by data communication?
3. Name the three fundamental characteristics determine the effectiveness of a data communication
system?
4. What do you mean by jitter?
5. Identify the components of a data communication system?
6. What is the protocol (or) why are protocols needed?
7. List the different forms of information?
8. Define the transmission modes?
9. Write the major applications of data communications?
10. Define network?
11. What are the three criteria necessary for an effective and an efficient network?
12. List the metrics that influence the performance of computer network?
13. Write the parameters used to measure network performance?
14. Define topology?
15. List out the four basic network topologies?
16. Define mesh topology?
17. Write the advantage of mesh topology?
18. What is star topology?
19. List the advantages and disadvantages of star topology?
20. For n devices in a network, what is the number of cable links required for a mesh, ring,
bus and star topology?
21. Give an advantages and disadvantages of bus topology?
22. Define ring topology?
23. Define LAN?
24. What do you mean by WAN?
25. What do you mean by switching? (or) What is switched network? (or) Outline the need
for switching?
26. Assume six devices are arranged in a mesh topology. How many cables are needed? How
many ports are needed for each device?
27. What is protocol layering? (or) Give the purpose of layering?
28. What are the key benefits of layered network?
29. What is TCP/IP (or) TCP/IP suite?
30. Name the layers of RCP/IP suite?
31. Mention the supporting protocols used by TCP/IP?
32. List the addresses used by TCP/IP suite?
33. Define physical address?
34. What is port address?
35. What is meant by peer -to-peer network?
36. What is meant by ISO/OSI?
37. Mention the layers of OSI model?
38. List the responsibilities of data link layer? (or) State the important roles of data link
layer?
39. Define encryption and decryption?
40. What is the difference between transport layer and network layer?
41. What are the major duties of network layer?
42. What are the function of application layer?
43. what is the similarity between transport layer and data link layer?
44. Define socket?
45. What do you mean by socket address?
46. A source socket address is a combination of an IP address and a post number. Explain
what each section identifies?
47. What is HTTP?
48. List the features of HTTP?
49. What are the groups of HTTP header?
50. What do you mean by Web cache?
51. Define FTP?
52. Name the components used in e-mail system?
53. What is the function of UA?
54. Write the services of UA?
55. Define SMTP?
56. What is the difference between a user Agent (UA) and a Mail Transfer Agent(MTA)?
57. Define MIME?
58. Why do we need pop3 or IMAP4 for E-mail?
59. State the difference between SMTP and MIME?
60. List the function of pop3?
61. Expand pop3 and IMAP4?
62. What is DNS?
63. State the difference between fully qualified and partially qualified domain name?
64. Write the difference section in domain name space?
65. Define data communication. List out the five components of data communication system.
66. Define the term protocol
67. What are the different network topologies to organize computer networks?
68. Define layer
69. What are the four main properties of HTTP?
70. Write the use of Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
71. What are the transmission modes of FTP?
72. Compare the HTTP & FTP.
73. Mention the application of FTP.
PART-B
1. Discuss in detail about the network performance?
2. With neat sketches, explain about the network types?
3. Explain the layered architecture of a network and explain their role in details?
4. Draw the OSI network architecture and explain the functionalities of each layer in detail?
5. Explain HTTP with an example?
6. Tabulate the various HTTP request operations?
7. Explain the complexities in HTTP with suitable examples?
8. Discuss the working of E-mail in detail?
9. Discuss the protocol used for electronic mail?
10. Explain SMTP in detail?
11. Illustrate the role of pop3 in electronic mail application?
12. Briefly explain the domain name system (DNS) protocol with an example?
13. What is domain name system (DNS)? Explain?
14. Give a detailed note on DNS operation?
UNIT – 2 TRANSPORT LAYER
PART - A
1. What are the services provided by the transport layer protocol?
2. What is meant by socket addresses (or) socket?
3. List the advantage of connection oriented service over connectionless services?
4. Difference between the connections oriented services and connectionless oriented
services?
5. What is UDP(or) Explain the idea of UDP?
6. What is TCP?
7. Draw the header format of TCP?
8. List the different phases used in TCP connection?
9. Differentiate between TCP and UDP?
10. What is three-way handshaking?
11. Define the term congestion?
12. What leads to congestion?
13. Define congestion control? (or) What is the need for congestion control?
14. What do you meant by slow start in TCP congestion? (or) Define slow start?
15. Compare flow control versus congestion control? (or) What is the difference between
flow control and congestion control?
16. What is fast retransmit?(or) How don fast retransmit mechanism of TCP works?
17. What is QOS?(or) What is meant by Quality of service?(or) Define QOS?
18. List the different techniques used to improve QOS?
19. Write the function of leaky bucket algorithm?
20. What attributes can be used to describe a flow of data?
21. What are the services provided by Transport layer protocol
22. What is TCP?
23. What factors govern the rate at which TCP sends segments?
24. What value should TCP use for a retransmission timer?
25. The maximum payload of a TCP segment is 65,495 bytes. Why was such as a strange
number is chosen?
26. List the different phases used in TCP connection.
27. How do fast retransmit mechanism of TCP works?
28. Define congestion control.
29. Suppose TCP operates over a 1-Gbos link, utilizing the full bandwidth continuously.
How long will it take for the sequence numbers to wrap around, completely? Suppose
an added 32-bit timestamp field increments, 1000 times during this wrap around
time, how long will take for the, timestamp filed to wraparound?
30. How does transport layer perform duplication control?
31. What do you mean by slow start in TCP congestion?
32. Why does UDP exist? Would it not have been enough to just let user processes send
raw IP packets?
33. Give some expel of application where UDP is preferred over TCP.
34. What is the frame format used in UDP?
35. Different UDP and TCP.
36. What do you mean by QoS?
37. What is the main goal of QoS?
38. What are the types of QoS tools?
39. List some of the quality of service parameters if transport layer.
PART-B
1. Explain the methods of transport layer protocol?
2. Illustrate and explain UDP and its packet format?
3. Explain the services offered by TCP to process at the application layer?
4. Explain various field of the TCP header and the working of the TCP protocol?
5. Sketch the TCP segment format and discuss it in detail?
6. Explain the segment format for TCP and UDP?
7. Identify and explain the states involved in TCP?
8. With neat sketch, explain in detail the events and transitions about the TCP State-
Transition-Diagram(STD)?
9. Discuss in detail about the TCP flow control, with neat sketches?
10. How is congestion controlled? Explain in detail about congestion control techniques
in transport layer?
11. Write a detailed note on congestion avoidance mechanisms used in TCP?
12. Explain congestion avoidance using random early detection in transport layer with an
example?
13. Explain in detail about TCP congestion avoidance algorithm?
14. Briefly about the approaches used to provide QOS support?
15. Describe the token bucket mechanism for congestion control. With which other
technique is token bucket usually combined to achieve complete flow control? What
problems in the simpler approach are addressed by using a token bucket mechanism?
UNIT - 3 NETWORK LAYER
PART - A
1. Define switch?
2. What is switching?
3. What do you mean by circuit switching?
4. Mention the different type of circuit switching?
5. Name the three phases involved in circuit switching?
6. What is meant by packet switching?
7. List the advantages of packet switching over circuit switching?
8. Mention the two approaches used in packet switching?
9. What is meant by datagram approach?
10. List the advantages of datagram approach?
11. Define virtual circuit approach?
12. What is VCI?
13. Distinguish between packet switching and circuit switching networks?
14. Why fragmentation and reassembly is used in IP?(or) What is fragmentation?
15. What is the major drawback of IPv4 in terms of security? How it is rectified?
16. What is DHCP?
17. What is use of NAT?
18. Find the subnetwork address for the following:
a) IP address: [Link]
Mask: [Link]
b) IP address:[Link]
Mask : [Link]
19. What is the purpose of subnet(or) subnetting?
20. Mention the drawbacks of IPv4(or) Why IPv4 is preferred than IPv4?
21. List the advantages of IPv6 over IPv4? (or) Why is IPv6 transition required?(or) Define
the term IPv6 and its advantages?
22. Clarify the address space of IPv4 and IPv6? (or) Present an outline on IPv6 addressing?
23. Draw the packet format for IPv6?
24. Compare IPv4 and IPv6 addressing?
25. Define ICMPv4?
26. Name the types of ICMP messages?
27. Define ARP?
28. Mention the debugging tools?
29. Draw the general format of ICMP?
30. What is the network address?
31. What is IP addressing?
32. Why is the IP header checksum recalculated at every router?
33. Compare the Ether address with IP address.
34. What are the functions of the IP protocol?
35. What are the salient features of IPv6?
36. Why are IP address hierarchical with Netid and Hosted?
37. What is the time to live filed in IP header?
38. identify the class and default subnet mask of IP address [Link]
39. Find the class of each address
a)00000001 00001011 00001011 11101111
b)[Link]
40. What is the network address in a class A subnet with the IP address of one of the host
as [Link] and mask [Link]
41. Give at least three reasons why NAT is widely used these days.
42. What are the problems arising with NAT? Name two of them.
43. Identify the class/specialty of the following IP address:
[Link] b) [Link]
[Link] d) [Link]
44. Define sub netting.
45. What is the use of CIDR value in IP programming?
46. What is the reason for IPv6 being developed?
47. What are the new broadcast methods included in IPv6?
48. What are the salient features of IPv6?
49. Why is IPv4 to IPv6 transition is required?
50. Highlight the characteristics of datagram networks.
51. Check whether the following IPv6 address notations are correct?
: : OF53:6382:AB00:67DB:BB27:7332
7803:42F2:::88EC-D4BA:B75D:11CD
52. What is need or purpose of ARP?
53. Expand of ICMP and write the function.
54. When is ICMP redirect message used?
55. What are the benefit of DHCP?
PART - B
1. With a neat sketch explain about IP service model, packet format, fragmentation and
reassembly?
2. Explain the working of DHCP protocol with its header format?
3. Explain IPv6 datagram format with suitable diagram?
4. Explain about IPv6? Compare IPv6 and IPv4?
5. Give a detailed note on ARP operation, packet format and the situations when the ARP
services are used?
6. Show the ARP packet format?
7. Discuss in detail about the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) with a neat
diagram?
8. Explain the ICMP message format and error reporting in detail?
UNIT – 4 ROUTING
PART - A
1. Define unicast routing?
2. What do you mean by routing table?
3. Distinguish between the forwarding and routing? (or) Mention the differences
between forwarding table and routing table?
4. List the types of routing table?
5. Define DVR/
6. What is convergence?
7. What is Link State Routing (LSR)?
8. What is mean by flooding?
9. Define BGP4? (or) What is BGP?
10. What are the metrics used by routing protocols?
11. What is multicasting (or) multicast routing?
12. Mention the objectives of multicasting(or) What is the use of multicast routing?
13. Differentiate between multicasting and multiple unicasting?
14. Give the comparison of unicast, multicast and broadcast Routing?
15. Mention the application of multicasting?
16. Define tunneling process?
17. What is source-based tree approach?
18. What is MOSPF?
19. Define DVMRP?
20. Name the strategies used in multicast DVR protocol?
21. Define the terms RPB and RPM?
22. What do you meant by PIM?
23. Define the terms Rendezvous-point tree & Rendezvous router?
24. Name the two approaches used to build a multicast tree?
25. What is DR?
26. Define geographic routing.
27. What is multicasting routing
28. What is multicast? What is the motivation for developing multicast?
29. Mention any four application of multicasting.
30. Describe the different between static and dynamic routing?
31. What are the adaptive routing algorithms?
32. Define source routing.
33. Give the comparison of unicast, multicast and broadcast routing.
34. Differentiate between forwarding table and routing table.
35. What are the benefits of Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol?
36. Give the comparison of unicast,multicast and broadcast routing.
PART - B
1. Discuss in detail about Distance Vector Routing?
2. Explain in detail about the link-state routing with an example?
3. Compare distance vector routing and link state routing?
4. Explain in detail about the working procedure of Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
and also discuss its packet format?
5. Discuss in detail about Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) with neat diagram?
6. Clarify the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) with a neat diagram?
7. Explain few characteristics of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)?
8. Discuss the role of multicast routing and its relative merits?
9. Explain in detail about Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP) with
neat diagram?
10. Explain in the steps used by DVMRP router to create a source-based tree?
11. Discuss in detail the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) with neat sketches?
12. Discuss in detail about any two multicast routing with neat sketches?
13. Elaborate on multicast routing protocols?
UNIT – 5 DATA LINK AND PHYSICAL LAYERS
PART - A
1. Which layer implements to node to node channel connection in OSI layer architecture?
2. List the services provided by data-link layer?
3. What is meant by framing?
4. What is flow control?
5. What do you mean by error control?
6. What is congestion control?
7. Compare flow control and congestion control?
8. What is meant by framing?
9. Define frame?
10. Define byte-stuffing?
11. What is meant by bit stuffing? Give an example?
12. Write the mechanism of stop and wait flow control?
13. Define ARQ?
14. What do you mean by stop and wait ARQ?
15. Define Go-back-N ARQ?
16. Mention key advantages and disadvantages of stop and wait ARQ technique?
17. What is piggybacking?
18. Mention the advantages of piggybacking?
19. What is HDLC?
20. What are the three modes available in HDLC for communication?
21. What are types of frames available in HDLC?
22. List the responsibilities of MAC layer?
23. What is meant by pure ALOHA?
24. Define backoff time?
25. What do you mean by time-out period?
26. What is CSMA/CD?
27. Define hidden node problem?
28. What is the purpose of NAV in CSMA/CA?
29. What is polling controlled access?
30. What is FDMA?
31. Define TDMA?
32. What do you mean by CDMA?
33. Differentiate persistent and non-persistent CSMA?
34. List any four IEEE 802 standards with its name?
35. What is the access method used by wireless LAN?
36. Why Ethernet is called as 1-oersistent protocol?
37. State some advantages of WLAN?
38. Define hidden problem?
39. What is exposed station problem?
40. What parameters are used to measure the network performance?
41. Define bandwidth with an example?
42. What is latency? Give its expression?
43. Differentiate guided and unguided transmission medium?
44. What is unguided media?
45. Define sky wave propagation?
46. What are the types of frame available in high level data link control?
47. State the design issues for data link Layer?
48. What is significance of DLL?
49. What is the necessity of flow control?
50. Define flow control and error control?
51. What is the difference between a packet and a frame?
52. Differentiate bit rate and baud rate?
53. State the issues of data link Layer
54. List the services provided by data link Layer
55. What is HDLC
56. Give data transfer modes of HDLC.
57. How many types of frame HDLC uses?
58. State phases involved in the operation of HDLC.
59. What is the function of ACK timer?
60. What is the bit stuffing and why it is needed in HDLC?
61. What are the uses of P/F bit in the HDLC frame?
62. What is the size of smallest Ethernet frame? What determines this size?
63. What is CSMA/CD?
64. Define the term medium access control mechanism.
65. List out any four IEEE 802 standards with its name.
66. What is the difference between p-persistent CSMA and non-persistent CSMA ?
67. What is the function of jam signal on the Ethernet network?
68. Differentiate S-ALOHA and R-ALOHA.
69. What is ALOHA protocol?
70. Define collision.
71. What is multiple access communication?
72. Define throughput.
73. Define channel capacity.
74. Mention advantages of pure ALOHA protocol.
75. What is collision detection?
76. Differentiate between pure ALOHA and slotted ALOHA.
77. Show the Ethernet frame format.
78. How is the minimum size of an Ethernet frame determined?
79. What do you understand by CSMA protocol?
80. Define baseband.
81. What is Bluetooth?
82. Which frequency band is used for Bluetooth?
83. What is scatternet?
84. State performance characteristics of a typical Bluetooth device.
85. List typical Bluetooth application.
86. What is Bluetooth standard?
87. Define 80211.
88. What do you mean by switching?
89. Define the term protocol.
90. List the difference between circuit switching and packet switching.
91. What is meant by Circuit switching?
92. Give the purpose of layering.
93. Define a layer.
94. Write the parameters used to measure network performance.
95. List the advantages of connection oriented services over connectionless services.
96. Define the terms: Bandwidth and Latency.
97. Write down the requirements to build a computer network.
98. List the metrics that influence the performance of Computer networks.
99. Which layer implement the node to node channel connection is OSI layered architecture.
PART - B
1. Discuss the different ways to address the framing problem?
2. Discuss in detail about Selective-Repeat ARQ?
3. Explain in detail:
(i)PPP
(ii)HDLC
4. What are the different modes of operations of HDLC?
5. Show and explain the Ethernet frame format?
6. Explain in detail about the access method and frame format used in Ethernet?
7. Elucidate the principles of Ethernet 802.3 protocol?
8. Discuss the architecture of WLAN?
9. Explain the functions of MAC layer present in IEEE 802.11 with necessary diagram?
10. State some advantages of WLAN?
11. Briefly discuss some of the collision avoidance strategies in CSMA/CA. What is the
purpose of NVA in CSMA/CA?
12. Explain how hidden and exposed station problems are addressed in wireless LANs?
13. Give the comparison between different wireless technologies?