Network infrastructure and configuration
a) Network infrastructure refers to the hardware and software components that
make up a network, including routers, switches, servers, cables, and other
devices. It is the backbone of any network and provides the foundation for
communication between devices.
b) Network configuration refers to the process of setting up and managing a
network's settings, protocols, and security measures.
This includes configuring IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, DNS servers,
firewalls, and other network settings. Proper configuration ensures that devices
can communicate with each other efficiently and securely.
1. Detail of various elements that make up a typical network infrastructure
A typical network infrastructure consists of the following elements:
Routers and switches
Firewalls
Load balancers
Storage Area Network (SAN)
DNS
Network devices , Network protocols,Network servers, Network
cables,,Network security measures,Network storage devices
Routers and Switches
Routers connect networks of your infrastructure, enabling systems to communicate. You
need to ensure that the routers have spare capacity after the deployment to cope with
projected growth and usage.
Routers or switches running at capacity tend to induce escalating bottlenecks, which
result in significantly longer times for clients to submit messages to servers on different
networks. In such cases, the lack of foresight or expenditure to upgrade the router or
switch could have a personnel productivity impact far greater than the cost.
Firewall Access Control
Firewalls sit between a router and application servers to provide access control.
Firewalls were originally used to protect a trusted network (yours) from the untrusted
network (the Internet). These days, it is becoming more common to protect application
servers on their own (trusted, isolated) network from the untrusted networks (your
network and the Internet).
Domain Name System (DNS)
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and decentralized naming system
that translates domain names, which are easy-to-remember alphanumeric names,
into IP addresses, which are numerical identifiers assigned to every device
connected to the internet.
DNS allows users to access websites and other internet resources using human-
readable domain names instead of having to remember the IP addresses of each
website they want to visit. DNS servers store and distribute this information across
the internet, making it possible for users to access websites from anywhere in the
world.
Network devices: These include routers, switches, hubs, firewalls, and load balancers
that help in managing and directing network traffic.
Network cables: These are used to connect devices in a network. Common types of
cables include Ethernet cables, fiber optic cables, and coaxial cables.
. Network servers: These are computers that provide services to other devices on the
network. Examples include file servers, web servers, email servers, and database servers.
Network storage devices: These are used to store data on the network such as Network
Attached Storage (NAS) or Storage Area Networks (SAN).
Network protocols: These are sets of rules that govern how data is transmitted over a
network. Examples include TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, and SMTP.
Network security measures: These include firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS),
virtual private networks (VPNs), and antivirus software to protect the network from
unauthorized access or attacks.
2.Consider how standards and protocols are used in networking
Standards and protocols are used in networking to ensure that devices from
different manufacturers can communicate with each other effectively.
Standards define the rules and guidelines for how devices should operate, while
protocols define the specific procedures and formats for exchanging data between
devices.
For example, the Ethernet standard defines how data is transmitted over a wired
network, while the Wi-Fi standard defines how data is transmitted over a wireless
network. The TCP/IP protocol suite defines how data is transmitted over the
internet, including addressing, routing, and error handling.
The standards and protocols, devices can communicate with each other
seamlessly, regardless of their manufacturer or location. This allows for
interoperability between different types of devices and networks, making it easier
for businesses and individuals to connect and share information.
3 Examining the elements of a network’s cable infrastructure
Network infrastructure is the physical connecting hardware and structured cabling that
enable network connectivity, communication, operations and management of an
enterprise network. It provides the communications pathways, spaces and transmission
links between users, processes, applications and services.
Examining the elements of a network's cable infrastructure is an important aspect of
network infrastructure and configuration. This involves analyzing the physical
components that make up the network's cabling system, including cables, connectors,
switches, routers, and other networking devices.
By examining these elements, network administrators can identify any potential issues or
weaknesses in the network's infrastructure. For example, they may discover that certain
cables are damaged or improperly installed, which could lead to connectivity problems
or data loss.
Additionally, examining the cable infrastructure can help administrators optimize the
network's performance by identifying areas where upgrades or improvements are needed.
For instance, they may find that certain switches or routers are outdated and need to be
replaced with newer models to support faster data transfer speeds.
Overall, examining the elements of a network's cable infrastructure is crucial for
ensuring that the network operates smoothly and efficiently. It allows administrators to
identify and address any issues before they become major problems and helps them make
informed decisions about upgrades and improvements to enhance performance.
4. Understanding ports, interfaces, and MAC addresses
What is a port?
A port is a virtual point where network connections start and end. Ports are software-
based and managed by a computer's operating system.
Each port is associated with a specific process or service. Ports allow computers to easily
differentiate between different kinds of traffic: emails go to a different port than
webpages, for instance, even though both reach a computer over the same Internet
connection.
What is a port Number?
Ports are standardized across all network-connected devices, with each port assigned a
number. Most ports are reserved for certain protocols
(https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/network-layer/what-is-a-protocol/) — for example,
all Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
(https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ddos/glossary/hypertext-transfer-protocol-http/) messag
es go to port 80. While IP addresses enable messages to go to and from specific devices, port
numbers allow targeting of specific services or applications within those
devices.(https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/glossary/what-is-my-ip-address/) enable
messages to go to and from specific devices, port numbers allow targeting of specific services
or applications within those devices.
Port addressing
Port addressing refers to using the port numbers assigned to every process to exchange
data between them. Now, for processes that send and receive data over the internet, the
following information must be assigned to every process:
The IP address: We use this to uniquely identify the machines that run the processes
over the internet.
The port address (port number): We use this to identify the processes uniquely on a
machine. This number can range from 0–65535.
Collectively, the IP address and port number form a socket address (socket number).
This enables every single process to be uniquely identified over the internet.
Forming the socket address
Socket addressing is sender must provide the receiver's socket address for a packet to
reach its intended destination. The first part of the socket address (the IP address) enables
the packet to reach the receiver's machine. It will then route the packet to the designated
process through the second part of the socket address (the port number).
What Is a Network Interface?
A network interface is the point of interconnection between a computer and a private or
public network.
A network interface is generally a network interface card (NIC), but does not have to
have a physical form. Instead, the network interface can be implemented in software. For
example, the loopback interface (127.0.0.1 for IPv4 and ::1 for IPv6) is not a physical
device but a piece of software simulating a network interface. The loopback interface is
commonly used in test environments.
Network Interface is useful for a multi-homed system, which is a system with multiple
NICs. Using Network Interface, you can specify which NIC to use for a particular
network activity.
For example, assume you have a machine with two configured NICs, and you want to
send data to a server.
What is a MAC Address?
A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a string of characters that identifies a device
on a network. It’s tied to a key connection device in your computer called the network
interface card, or NIC. The NIC is essentially a computer circuit card that makes it
possible for your computer to connect to a network. A NIC turns data into an electrical
signal that can be transmitted over the network.
Every NIC has a hardware address that’s known as a MAC address. Whereas IP
addresses are associated with a networking software called TCP/IP
(https://whatismyipaddress.com/tcpip-simplified), MAC addresses are linked to the
hardware of network adapters.
Manufacturers assign a MAC address to a network adapter when it is produced. It is
hardwired or hard-coded onto your computer’s NIC and is unique to it. Something called
the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) translates an IP address into a MAC address.
Think of the ARP as a passport that takes data from an IP address through an actual piece
of computer hardware.
What is a MAC address used for?
All devices on the same network subnet (https://whatismyipaddress.com/subnet) have
different MAC addresses. MAC addresses are very useful in diagnosing network issues
such as problems with IP addresses.
MAC addresses are useful for network diagnosis because they never change, as opposed
to a dynamic IP address, which can change from time to time. For a network
administrator, that makes a MAC address a more reliable way to identify senders and
receivers of data on the network.
On wireless networks, a process called MAC filtering is a security measure to prevent
unwanted network access by hackers and intruders. In MAC address filtering, the router
is configured to accept traffic only from specific MAC addresses. This way, computers
whose MAC addresses are approved will be able to communicate through the network —
even if they were given a new IP address by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) (https://whatismyipaddress.com/dhcp) process.
How MAC Addresses Get Assigned
Some well-known manufacturers of network adapters or NICs are Dell, Belkin, Nortel,
and Cisco.
These manufacturers all place a special number sequence (called the Organizationally
Unique Identifier or OUI) in the MAC address that identifies them as the manufacturer.
The OUI is typically right at the front of the address.
For example, consider a network adapter with the MAC address “00-14-22-01-23-45.”
The OUI for the manufacture of this router is the first three octets: 00-14-22.
Note that in computer-speak, an octet means a set of 8 bits. Two hexadecimal digits
represent 8 bits and thus one octet.
Difference Between MAC Address and IP Address
The basic difference between an IP address and a MAC address is that an IP address
represents software and a MAC address represents hardware. The MAC address
identifies specific devices within the same local network and the IP address identifies
those devices outside of the local network.
Once again, that’s hardware and software working together, IP addresses and MAC
addresses working together. The MAC address is sometimes referred to as a networking
hardware address, the burned-in address (BIA), or the physical address.An example of a
MAC address for an Ethernet NIC would be: 00:0a:95:9d:68:16.
As you’ve probably noticed, the MAC address itself doesn’t look anything like an IP
address (see yours here (https://whatismyipaddress.com/)). The MAC address is a string
of usually six sets of two-digits or characters, separated by colons.
How to Find MAC Address on Windows
There are two ways to find your MAC address on Windows 10:
with the command prompt and in network settings.
How to find your MAC address on Windows 10 with the command prompt
Type command prompt into the search bar on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
Select Command Prompt from the search results.
When the command prompt window opens, start typing ipconfig/all and press Enter. All of
your network configuration settings will display.
Scroll down to the section with your network adapter and find Physical Address in the list.
The values that appear next to Physical Address are your computer’s MAC address.
How to find your MAC address on Windows 10 in your network settings
Type settings into the search bar on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
Select the Settings app to open your settings.
Select Network & Internet.
Select Properties.
Scroll down to the bottom until you see Physical Address (MAC). The values listed next to
this are your computer’s MAC address.
How to Find MAC Address on macOS (Apple desktop)
Follow these steps to find the MAC address on your Mac computer:
Select the Apple icon in the top left corner.
Select System Preferences.
Select Network.
Select the button in the bottom right corner that says Advanced.
Ensure Hardware is selected at the top and look for MAC Address. The characters that appear
next to this are your MAC address for your computer.
