Chapter Two

Introduction to Computer
Networks

Mulugeta G.
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Outline
• Computer Network and its Applications
• Computer Network Types
• Computer Network Topologies
• Computer Network Components
• Computer Network Models
• Guided media types
• Unguided media types

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Definition of Computer Networks

• Computer Network is a collection of autonomous

computers interconnected by a single technology.

• Two computers are said to be interconnected if they are

able to exchange information.
– The connection can be via a copper wire; fiber optics, microwaves,
infrared, and communication satellites.

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 Advantages of Networking
• Sharing of peripheral devices: Laser Printers, Hard disk
drives and Scanners are examples of peripheral devices.
Hence, these devices can be shared by many users through a
network.
•  Sharing of Programs and data: by sharing the software and
data the usage of memory can be minimized, thereby
minimizing the expense.
•  Better Communication: a company can eliminate the delays
encountered with standard postal services or with telephone
tag, by using E-Mail services. [minimize time]
•  Security of information: storing information in his or her
desktop computer which was not secured. But today, such
data or information could be backed-up or duplicated on a
network storage device, shared by others. 4
Application of Computer Networks

Business applications
 for resource sharing including programs, equipment, data
(mostly databases on central servers), …
 a communication medium – e-mail, writing a report together
by making changes on an online document
 Video conferencing – to hold meetings by hearing and seeing
each other
 electronic business
 business to business - placing orders, …
 business with consumers, usually called e-commerce –
home shopping
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Home applications
 Access to remote information – newspapers, radio, on-line digital
libraries (ACM, IEEE, …), …
 Person-to-person communication
 e-mail (audio, video, pictures, …)
 newsgroups (not in real time)
 instant messaging (between two people in real time, e.g., Yahoo
Messenger),
 chat room (for a group of people in real time)
 using Internet to carry telephone calls, video phone, and Internet
radio
 Interactive entertainment: video on demand, interactive television,
games (virtual reality – with photographic-quality moving images)
 Electronic commerce – with online manuals

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Types of Network
• Networks may be classified according to a wide
variety of characteristics.
– such as Size, Architecture, Topology, etc.
• Based on size, there are Four types of network: -
 Local Area Network (LAN):
o Its smaller in size usually privately owned and links devices in a
single office, building or campus.
o LAN works under its own local domain and controlled centrally.

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 Wide Area Network (WAN):
o Spans huge geographic area which may span across provinces and
even a whole country, continent
o Covering large geographic area; may utilize public, leased [rented],
or private communications equipment.

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• Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): designed to extend
over an entire city; it may be a single network or
interconnected LANs. covers large geographic area like city

• Personal Area Network (PAN): meant for one person;

oe.g. a wireless network connecting a computer with
its mouse, keyboard and printer
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Inter-Processor Processors Located in
Distance same
1m Square meter
Personal Area Network
10m Room
100m Building Local Area Network
1km Campus
10km City
Metropolitan Area Network
100km Country
1000km Continent
Wide Area Network

10000km Planet The Internet

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• Based on the type of computer in a network (configuration or architecture),
are divided into two broad categories.
– Peer-to-peer
– Client/Server
• Peer-to-peer
– There are no dedicated servers, and there is no hierarchy among the
computers.
– Each node considered as equal in terms of resource sharing and
responsibilities
pros
• Easy to set up
• Less expensive
• Demands moderate level of skill to administer
• User is able to control their own resources
Cons
• Only < 10 nodes
• Very low level security
• Performance suffers when a computer is accessed
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• Peer-to-peer networks are good choices for environments where:
o There are 10 users or fewer
o Users share resources, such as printers, but no specialised servers
exist
o Security is not an issue
o The organization and the network will experience only limited
growth within the foreseeable future

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• Client Server Model
– Consists of a group clients connected to a server.
– Server with more RAM, larger hard disk, more
processing power…

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Advantages of client/server architecture
– Sharing Resources
– Security
– Number of Users - A server-based network can
support thousands of users
Disadvantage of client/server architecture
– More complex to install, configure, and manage
– Expensive

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Network Topology
 Topology refers to the way in which multiple devices are
interconnected via communication links.
 There are two types of topology: physical and logical.
o Physical Topology
 Refers to the arrangement or physical layout of computers,
cables, and other components on the network
 Can be referred as Physical layout, Design, Diagram, Map
o Logical topology
 is bound to network protocols and describe how data is
moved across the network

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• The choice of one topology over another will have an impact on the
o Types of equipment that the network needs
o Growth of the network – scalability
o The Way the network managed
 There are five main network topologies;
A. Bus Topology
B. Ring Topology
C. Mesh Topology
D. Star Topology
E. Hybrid Topology

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A. Bus Topology

• consists of a main run of cable with a terminator

at each end.
• All nodes (file server, workstations, and
peripherals) are connected to the linear cable.

Terminator

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Advantages of Linear Bus Topology

• Easy to connect a computer or peripheral to a

linear bus.
• Requires less cable length than a star topology.
• Failure of a single node does not terminate the
network
• If a cable that connect the nodes with the
backbone fails, the network does not fail

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Disadvantage of linear bus topology

• Entire network shuts down if there is a break in the main

cable (backbone).
• Terminators are required at both ends of the backbone
cable.
• Difficult to identify the problem if the entire network shuts
down.

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B. Star Topology

• designed with each node connected directly to a

central network hub or concentrator .
• Data passes through the hub or concentrator
before continuing to its destination.
• The hub or concentrator manages and controls all
functions of the network.
• It also acts as a repeater for the data flow.

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Advantages of star topology

• Easy to install and wire.

• No disruptions to the network when
connecting or removing devices.
• Easy to detect faults and to remove parts.
• Easily scalable, i.e., you can add a node easily
• Failure of a single computer/cable does not
affect the rest of the network

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Disadvantages of star topology

• Requires more cable length than a linear

topology.
• If the hub or concentrator fails, all nodes
attached are disabled.
• More expensive than linear bus topologies
because of the cost of the concentrators and
extra cost of the hub.

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C. Ring Topology
• All microcomputers and other communication devices are
connected in a continuous loop.
• Electronic messages are passed around the ring in one
direction, with each node serving as the repeater, until
they reach the right destination.
• Since, all messages are flowing in only one direction;
failure of a single node can compromise the entire
computer
network.
computer computer

computer computer 23
Advantages of a Ring Topology

• There is less signal attenuation because each

computer in the network is used as a repeater.
• More than one computer can send data at a time.

Disadvantages of a Ring Topology

• Difficult to setup
• If any computer/cable in the ring fails, the whole
network goes down.

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D. Mesh Topology

• each of the network node, computer and other

devices, are interconnected with one another.
• Every node not only sends its own signals but also
relays data from other nodes.
• This type of topology is very expensive as there
are many redundant connections, thus it is not
mostly used in computer networks. It is
commonly used in wireless networks. Flooding or
routing technique is used in mesh topology.

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Advantages of Mesh topology
• Data can be transmitted from different devices
simultaneously.
• This topology can withstand high traffic.
• Even if one of the components fails there is always
an alternative present. So data transfer doesn’t
get affected.
Disadvantages of Mesh topology
• high chances of redundancy
• Costly
• Set-up and maintenance of this topology is very
difficult.
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E. Hybrid/Tree Topology
• A tree topology combines characteristics of linear bus
and star topologies.
• It consists of groups of star-configured workstations
connected to a linear bus backbone cable.
• Tree topologies allow for the expansion of an existing
network.
• Enable schools to configure a network to meet their
needs.

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Group discussion [5”]

• If Computer Science department asks you to

configure network to all the offices and laboratory
class
– which topology do you prefer and why?

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Computer Network Components

• Computer network components are the major parts which

are needed to install the software.
• Some important network components are 
– NIC 
– Switch  
– Cable

– Hub
– Router and modem.

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Computer Network Models

• Computer network models are responsible for establishing a

connection among the sender and receiver and transmitting
the data in a smooth manner respectively.
• There are two computer network models
– OSI Model and 
– TCP/IP Model 

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Categories of Transmission Media
• Two basic categories of transmission Media:
– Guided
– Unguided
Guided – uses a cabling system that guides the signals along
a specific path.
– Also known as bound media
• E.g. Fiber Optics, Twisted Pair, Coaxial Cable etc…

Unguided – consists of a means for the data signals to travel

but nothing to guide them along a specific path - wireless
– Also called unbound media
• Example: Radio wave, Satellite, etc.
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Categories of Transmission Media

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Types of cables
• Twisted pair, Coaxial and Fiber optic
– Twisted pair cabling comes in two varieties:
• Shielded and Unshielded Twisted pair cable
– Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) is the most popular
and is generally the best option for school networks
– The cable has four pairs of wires inside the jacket.
– Each pair is twisted with a different number of
twists per inch to help eliminate interference from
adjacent pairs and other electrical devices.
– The tighter the twisting, the higher the supported
transmission rate and the greater the cost per foot.
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Categories of Unshielded Twisted Pair

Type Use
Category 1 Voice Only (Telephone Wire)

Category 2 Data to 4 Mbps (LocalTalk)

Category 3 Data to 10 Mbps (Ethernet)

Category 4 Data to 20 Mbps (16 Mbps Token Ring)

Category 5 Data to 100 Mbps (Fast Ethernet)

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Unshielded Twisted Pair Connector

• The standard connector for unshielded twisted

pair cabling is an RJ-45 connector.
• RJ stands for Registered Jack, implying that the
connector follows a standard borrowed from the
telephone industry.

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Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Cable

• A disadvantage of UTP is that it may be susceptible to

radio and electrical frequency interference.
• Shielded twisted pair (STP) is suitable for environments
with electrical interference;
• however, the extra shielding can make the cables quite
bulky.
• Shielded twisted pair is often used on networks using
Token Ring topology.
– Susceptible means disposed, vulnerable

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Coaxial Cable

• Coaxial cabling has a single copper conductor at its center.

• is difficult to install, it is highly resistant to signal
interference.
• it can support greater cable lengths between network
devices than twisted pair cable.
• The two types of coaxial cabling: Thick coaxial and Thin
coaxial.
• Read About: Thick coaxial and Thin coaxial.

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Coaxial Cable Connectors

• The most common type of connector used with

coaxial cables is the Bayone-Neill-Concelman
(BNC) connector .
• Different types of adapters are available for
BNC connectors, including a T-connector,
barrel connector, and terminator.

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Fiber Optic Cable

• consists of a center glass core surrounded by

several layers of protective materials.
• It transmits light rather than electronic signals
eliminating the problem of electrical interference.
• It has also made it the standard for connecting
networks between buildings, due to its immunity
to the effects of moisture and lighting.

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• Fiber optic cable has the ability to transmit
signals over much longer distances than coaxial
and twisted pair.
• It also has the capability to carry information at
vastly greater speeds.
• This capacity broadens communication
possibilities to include services such as video
conferencing and interactive services.
• The cost of fiber optic cabling is comparable to
copper cabling; however, it is more difficult to
install and modify.
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Fiber Optic Connector

• The most common connector used with fiber

optic cable is an ST connector(Straight Tip).
• It is barrel shaped, similar to a BNC connector.
Specification Cable Type Maximum length

10BaseT Unshielded Twisted Pair 100 meters

10Base2 Thin Coaxial 185 meters

10Base5 Thick Coaxial 500 meters

10BaseF Fiber Optic 2000 meters

100BaseTX Shielded Twisted Pair 220 meters

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Radio Waves
• Radio waves are the electromagnetic waves that are transmitted in all the
directions of free space.
• Radio waves are omnidirectional, i.e., the signals are propagated in all the
directions.
• The range in frequencies of radio waves is from 3Khz to 1 Ghz.
• In the case of radio waves, the sending and receiving antenna are not
aligned, i.e., the wave sent by the sending antenna can be received by any
receiving antenna.
• Useful for multicasting when there is one sender and many receivers.
• Can penetrate through walls
• Example: FM radio, police radio and Television
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Microwaves

• Range form 1GHZ to 300 GHz

• Useful for unicast communication like Telephone, Satellite

networks and Wireless LAN.
• Cannot penetrate walls
• Uses directional antennas (point to point communication)
• Microwaves are of two types:
– Terrestrial microwave
– Satellite microwave

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Microwave

Terrestrial Microwave
– is a technology that transmits the focused beam of a radio
signal from one ground-based microwave transmission
antenna to another.

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Microwaves

Satellite Microwaves
– A satellite is a physical object that revolves around the earth at a
known height.
– Satellite communication is more reliable nowadays as it offers more
flexibility than cable and fiber optic systems.
– We can communicate with any point on the globe by using satellite
communication.
– The satellite accepts the signal that is transmitted from the earth
station, and it amplifies the signal.
– The amplified signal is retransmitted to another earth station. 45
Infrared Waves

• The communication rage is limited

• Short range communication in a closed area using line of sight
propagation
• It cannot penetrate the walls

• Due to short range, its considered to be most secured

transmission media
• Example: Tv remote, car remote, AC remote, wireless speaker

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Thank You

?
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