Introduction to Computer Networks
Introduction to Networks
The collection of interconnected computers is called a computer network. Two
computers are said to be interconnected if they are capable of sharing and exchanging
information.
Need of Computer Network
Resource Sharing: - Resource Sharing means to make all programs, data and
peripherals available to anyone on the network irrespective of the physical location of
the resources and the user.
Reliability: - Reliability means to keep the copy of a file on two or more different
machines, so if one of them is unavailable (due to some hardware crash or any other)
them its other copy can be used.
Cost Factor: - Cost factor means it greatly reduces the cost since the resources can be
shared.
Application of Computer Networks
1. Sharing of data, services and resources
2. Access to remote database
3. Communication facilities
4. Time saving
Elementary Terminology of Networks:-
1. Nodes (Workstations):- The term nodes refer to the computers that are attached to a
network and are seeking to share the resources.
Server:- A computer that facilitates the sharing of data, software and hardware
resources on the network.
MAC Address: A (Media access Control) address is a hardware identification number
that uniquely identifies each device on a network (assigned to a NIC by the
manufacturer).
IP Address: Each computer on internet is identified by a unique number called IP
Address. E.g: 192.168.1.1
Types of Computer Networks
TYPES OF NETWORKS : Based on geographical area
PAN LAN MAN WAN
(Personal Area (Local Area Network) (Metropolitan Area (Wide Area Network)
Network ) Connects devices in Network) Connects devices,
Interconnecting few limited area, say Extended form of LANs and WANs
personal devices like office, university LAN, within the city. across different parts
laptop, mobile etc. campus etc. Example – CableTV of country or
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Area – 10 meters Area – upto 10 Km network in a town.
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Bluetooth / USB Ethernet Cable, Fibre Area – upto 100 Km different countries or
Optics, Wi-Fi etc continents.
Example – Internet
Difference between LAN and WAN
LAN WAN
1. Diameter is in a few kilometers 1. Span across countries
2. Very low error rate. 2. High error rate as compare to LAN, MAN,
3. Complete ownership by a single PAN
organization 3. Run by multiple organization
4. Speed : 10-100 Mbps 4. Normal speed 1-2 Mbps
Network Devices
MODEM Enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines; Used
(MODulator DEModulator) to convert digital signals into analog signals and vice versa.
External modem , Internal
modem
RJ45 connector Eight-wire connector used to connect computers on LANs,
(Registered Jack - 45) especially Ethernets.
ETHERNET CARD Hardware device that helps in the connection of nodes within a
(NIC – Network Interface network. Physical address of a NIC is known as MAC address.
Card) MAC Address: It refers to the physical address assigned by the
(NIU – Network Interface NIC manufacturer. A MAC address is a 6 byte address with each
Unit ) byte separated by a colon. For Example: 20:B5:03:63:2E: FC
(The first three bytes refer to manufacturer ID and last three
card no.)
GATEWAY Establishes intelligent connection between a local network and
external networks that are completely different.
BRIDGE connects local networks with same standard but having
different types of cables
ROUTER A router is a networking device that forwards data packets from
the source machine to the destination machine by using the
shortest path.
ROUTER v/s BRIDGE
Can handle multiple protocols and works Cannot manage multiple protocols and
using IP addresses works using MAC addresses
REPEATER Used to re-generate received signal and re-transmit towards
destination. It is responsible to extend a network beyond the
segment length of the wire used.
Hub Hub is a hardware device used to connect several computers
together to form a Local Area Network. Hub broadcasts the
message to the entire network.
Passive Hub: This type of does not amplify or boost the
signal. It does not manipulate or view the traffic that crosses
it.
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Active Hub: It amplifies the incoming signal before passing it
to the other ports.
Switch Switch is an intelligent Hub, which is used to segment networks
into different sub network called subnets. Switch is faster and
efficient over Hub due to good traffic management capability.
*When to suggest use of Repeater?
When distance between devices is more than 70 meter
SWITCH v/s HUB
An intelligent device that connects several An electronic device which connects several
nodes for form a network. nodes to form a network.
Sends information only to intended nodes Redirects the information to all the nodes in
broadcast form.
WiFi Card For wireless communication to send and receive signals between
devices
Network Topologies Network topologies refer to the way in which the nodes are
interconnected in a network.
BUS or Linear Topology: In this topology, a single length of the transmission medium is
used on which various nodes are attached. It can transmit data in both directions.
Advantages:
1. Short cable length required
2. Easy to extend the network
Disadvantages:
1. Nodes must be intelligent.
2. Fault diagnosis is very difficult
Star Topology: In star topology each node is directly connected to the central node
(server/hub) by a single path.
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Advantages:
1. Easy to install and Low cost.
2. A single node failure does not affect the entire network.
3. Problem diagnosis is easy due to central control.
Disadvantages:
1. Central node dependency, i.e. in case central node fails, the entire network fails.
2. Long cable is required because each node is directly attached to the server/central
node.
Tree Topology: It is a variation of bus topology and has the shape of an inverted tree.
Advantages:
1. It is most suitable in networking multiple departments of a university where each
unit works separately.
2. Fault identification is easy.
Disadvantages
1. As multiple segments are connected to a central hub, if central hub fails, it affects
the entire network
2. Maintenance cost is high
Mesh Topology: Mesh topology is a group of nodes which are all connected to each other
and many types of connections are possible in a mesh topology.
Advantages
1. The arrangement of the network nodes is such that it is possible to transmit data
from one node to many other nodes at the same time.
2. Fault is diagnosed easily.
Disadvantages
1. Installation and configuration is difficult.
2. Cabling cost is more.
3. Bulk wiring is required.
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Introduction to Internet
The Internet is a massive network of networks. It connects millions of computers
together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with
another computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet.
EVOLUTION OF • Research project of US Department of Defence to connect
INTERNET academic and research institutes - called ARPANET
(Advanced Research Project Agency Network).
• In 1980s high capacity network setup by NSF (National
Science Foundation / Federation) to connect more
institutes.
• Early 1990s, ARPANET and NSF Net along with some other
networks joined to form the INTERNET
URL: - URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It is an address of a resource on the
Web or address of a website. The URL is an address that matches users to a specific
resource online, such as webpage.
Example- http://www.python.org
WWW: The World Wide WEB (WWW) or ‘Web’ is a collection of Webpages found over the
internet. Web browser uses the internet to access the ‘Web’.
Applications of Internet
Web 2.0 :
The term web 2.0 is used to refer to a new generation of websites that are supposed to
let people to publish and share information online. It aims to encourage the sharing of
information and views, creativity that can be consume by the other users. E.g: YouTube
The Main characteristics of web 2.0 are:
1. Makes web more interactive through online social media web-based forums,
communities, social networking sites.
2. It is a website design and development world which aim to encourage sharing of
information and views, creativity and user interactivity between the users.
3. Video sharing possible in the websites
Web 3.0:
Web 3.0 supports semantic web which improves web technologies to create, connect
and share content through the intelligent search and the analysis based on the meaning
of the words, instead of on the keywords and numbers.
E-mail: Email is defined as the transmission of messages over communication
networks. Typically the messages are notes entered from keyboard and sent over
internet using computer or mobile.
Chat: Chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet that offers a real-
time transmission of text messages from sender to receiver.
Chat messages are generally short in order to enable other participants to respond
quickly.
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VoIP: - Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you to make
voice/video calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog)
phone line. VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the
Internet.
VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer. Examples of VoIP:-
WhatsApp, Skype, Google Chat etc.
Website: - A website is a group of web pages, containing text, images and all types of
multimedia files.
Difference between Website and Webpage
Website Webpage
A collection of web pages which are A document which can be displayed in a
grouped together often called a "web site" web browser such as Firefox, Google
or simply a "site." Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Internet
Explorer etc.
Has content about various entity. Has content about single entity.
More development time is required. Less development time is required.
Website address does not depend on Webpage address depends on Website
Webpage address. address.
Difference between Static and Dynamic webpage
Static Webpage Dynamic Webpage
The static web pages display the same In the dynamic Web pages, the page
content each time when someone visits it. content changes according to the user.
It takes less time to load over internet. Dynamic web pages take more time while
loading.
No Database used. A database is used in at the server end in
a dynamic web page.
Changes rarely. Changes frequently.
Web Server: - A web server is a computer that stores web server software and a website's
component files (e.g. HTML documents, images, CSS style sheets, and JavaScript files).
When client sends request for a web page, the web server search for the requested page
if requested page is found then it will send it to client with an HTTP response. If the
requested web page is not found, web server will the send an HTTP response: Error
404 Not found.
Web Hosting:- Web hosting is an online service that enables you to publish your website
or web application on the internet. When you sign up for a hosting service, you basically
rent some space on a server on which you can store all the files and data necessary for
your website to work properly.
A server is a physical computer that runs without any interruption so that your website
is available all the time for anyone who wants to see it.
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Web Browser: - A web browser, or “browser," is an application used to access and view
websites. Common web browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome,
and Mozilla Firefox.
Plug-ins: - a plug-in (or plugin, add-in, add-on) is a software component that adds a
specific feature to an existing computer program. When a program supports plug-ins, it
enables customization. Plug-ins are commonly used in Internet browsers but also can
be utilized in numerous other types of applications.
Add-ons( in terms of H/W): An Add-on is either a hardware unit that can be added to
a computer to increase the capabilities or a program unit that enhances primary
program. Some manufacturers and software developers use the term add-on.
Examples of add-ons for a computer include card for sound, graphic acceleration,
modem capability and memory. Software add- ons are common for games, word-
processing and accounting programs.
Cookies:- cookies are small files which are stored on a user’s computer and contains
information like which Web pages visited in the past, logging details Password etc. They
are designed to hold a modest amount of data specific to a particular client and website
and can be accessed by the web server or the client computer.
Cookies are stored in Hard-drive and are referenced by web browser.
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