ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS:

Question 1 Pointing device is an input device that allows user to control a pointer on the screen. There are various types of pointing devices available in the market. Write short notes for the following pointing devices:

(a) Trackball (b) Touchpad (c) Touchscreen (d) Joystick

[10] [10] [10] [10]

Question 2 A group of physicians is building a new two storey building that is four blocks from the hospital. Their business manager, Gary Sharma, has contacted you about assisting them in selecting a basic network topology and what communication media to use. The plans for the building are not complete, but Gary wants to begin discussion on different options for network that can be used.

(a) On your visit with Gary Sharma, he tells you he would like to know about some
basic network designs. Draw examples of the basic network topologies for Gary. Then, summarize those topologies. [35]

(b) Gary has read about using physical communication media to wire the building. List
different types of physical communication media and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each. [35]

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Notes for the following Pointing Devices:

a) Trackball The trackball is an upside-down mouse that remains stationary on your desk. It is the same principle as the mouse except that the rollers are reversed and the ball is on top. This ball does not need as much attention as the normal mouse because the only thing that touches it is your hand as the normal mouse touches a surface.

b) Touchpad The touchpad has sensors that sense your touch. When they sense your touch they send a signal to the computer to move the mouse pointer to that location on the screen. c) Touchscreen The touch screen lets the user touch the area to be activated by using the finger or hand. d) Joystick The joystick allows the user to move quickly in computer games. A.Summary of Basic Network Topologies:
a) Bus Topology - In such type of topology, long backbone cable is used to link all

the devices in the network. Drop lines and taps are used to connect node to this backbone. A drop line is a connection between the node and the Backbone. A tap is the Connector. As all nodes on the network share a common bus, This topology allows only one device to transmit at a time. Which node is to transmit next is determined by distributed access protocol.

T CONNECTOR TREMINATOR BACK BONE CABLE

Node 1 is transmitting to Node 4, but every other node receives.

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As you can see in the page 2 example, all computers are attached to a continuous cable which connects them in a straight line. The arrows clearly indicate that the packet generated by Node 1 is transmitted to all computers on the network, regardless the destination of this packet. a. Ring Topology - Ring topology is a network topology in which the nodes or the computers are connected in a closed loop. Each node is connected to two other nodes and when the data is sent it travels across all nodes in one particular direction. Ring topology is used when there is heavy flow of data as it has greater capability to handle data and doesnt even require any central workstation to handle the data transmission

Advantages: High performance delivered Token ring technology reduces the need of server or central hub to manage the workstations All nodes have equal opportunity to transmit the data Disadvantages: If one node is disrupted then the whole network goes down It becomes difficult to add/remove nodes If more than one token is generated then it may cause ambiguity in the sending of both kinds.

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b) Star Topology - Every participant is connected by its own cabling to a central point (possibly with multicable). Many integrated home systems use this topology for connecting the consumers (lights, roll-down shutter motors, etc.) to the output modules. There are also many systems that use this topology for connecting voltage-free pushbuttons to an input module.

Module

Module

Module

Module Connection point

Module

Advantage:

When a certain cable is broken the connected module will not work, but the other modules will. The continuity of the installation is thus guaranteed.

Disadvantages:

A lot of cabling is required. There are many connections at the central point.

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c) Tree Topology - The tree topology is a combination of the star and bus topologies. It is also called free topology because the installer is free to make any kind of branch for connecting modules to the bus cable. The only restriction is that closed loops cannot be created. Module Module Module

Module

Module Module Module Module

Module

Module

BUS

Module

Module

Advantages: The installer can make branches anywhere. The flexibility of the installation is increased.

Disadvantage: Here too, a break in the cable can paralyse a substantial part of the installation.
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d) Mesh Topology - The mesh topology incorporates a unique network design in which each computer on the network connects to every other, creating a point-topoint connection between every device on the network. The purpose of the mesh design is to provide a high level of redundancy. If one network cable fails, the data always has an alternative path to get to its destination. Figure 6 shows the mesh topology.

Advantages: Provides redundant paths between devices The network can be expanded without disruotion to current users.

Disadvantages: Requires more cable than the other LAN topologies. Complicated implementation.

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e) Hybrid Topology - It is a combination of different topologies such as star, Ring, Mesh, Bus etc. All the networks of different types (of four departments) can be connected together through a central hub,like star network.

Bus Trunk

Advantage: Workgroup efficiency and traffic can be customized. Combine the benefits of several different types of topologies.

Disadvantages: Device on one topology cannot be places into another topology with out some hard ware changes.

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. Advantages & Disadvantages of Physical Communication Media: Twisted Pair Cable Advantages It is a thin, flexible cable that is easy to string between walls. More lines can be run through the same wiring ducts. UTP costs less per meter/foot than any other type of LAN cable. Electrical noise going into or coming from the cable can be prevented.[7] Cross-talk is minimized

Disadvantage Twisted pairs susceptibility to electromagnetic interference greatly depends on the pair twisting schemes (usually patented by the manufacturers) staying intact during the installation. As a result, twisted pair cables usually have stringent requirements for maximum pulling tension as well as minimum bend radius. This relative fragility of twisted pair cables makes the installation practices an important part of ensuring the cables performance.

Coaxial Cable Advantages Sufficient frenquency range to support multiple channel,which allows for much greater throughput. lower error rates. because the inner conductor is in a Faraday shield, noise immunity is improved, and coax has a lower error rates and therefore slightly better performance than twisted pair. greater spacing between amplifiers coax's cable shielding reduces noise and crosstalk, which means amplifiers can be spaced farther apart than with twisted pair.

Disadvantage more expensive to install compare to twisted pair cable. the thicker the cable, the more difficult to work with.

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Fiber Optic Cable Advantages System performance Greatly increased bandwidth and capacity Lower signal attenuation(loss) Immunity to electrical noise Immune to noise (electromagnetic inference and radio frequency interference Less restrictive in harsh environments Overall system economy

Disadvantages Fiber optic component are expensive Fiber optic transmitters and receivers are still relarively expensive compared to electrical interfaces. The lack of standardization in the industry has also limited the acceptance of fiber optic.

References: Sarah A. Douglas, and Anant Kartik Mithal The Ergonomics of Computer Pointing Devices (Applied Computing) Author Ramin Hekmat (2006). Ad hoc Networks: Fundamental Properties and Network Topologies. Author Gordon Brebner (1997) Computers in Communication Author, Edinburgh University.

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Table of contents

Topic

Pages

Assignment Questions ... Notes for the following Pointing Devices . 2 Summary of Basic Network Topologies: (a) Bus Topology . 2 (b) Ring Topology 3 (c) Star Topology ....
4

(d) Tree Topology ... 5 (e) Mesh Topology . 6 (f) Hybrid Topology ... Advantages & Disadvantages of Physical Communication Media: (a) Twisted Pair Cable .
6

(b) Coaxial Cable . 7 (c) Fiber Optic Cable .. 8 References: 8

Name of Student Student ID Module Code Criteria Question 1

: Rovil B. Orpilla : 050206129691 : C1001/CS111/CCT101 Base Mark Graded Mark Comments

Pointing device is an input device that allows user to control a pointer on the screen. There are various types of pointing devices available in the market. Write short notes for the following pointing devices: (a)Trackball (b)Touchpad (c)Touchscreen (d)Joystick

10 Marks 10 Marks 10 Marks 10 Marks

Question 2
(a)On your visit with Gary Sharma, he tells you he would like to know about some basic network designs. Draw examples of the basic network topologies for Gary. Then, summarize those topologies (b)Gary has read about using physical communication media to wire the building. List different types of physical communication media and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each.

35 Marks

25 Marks

Total

100 Marks

INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA IN COMPUTING INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA IN NETWORK CYBERSECURITY DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFORMATICS COMPUTER DIPLOMA INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA ININFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA IN ENGINERING & TECHNOLOGY COMPUTER AND INFORMATION PROCESSING (C1001/CS111/CCT101) ASSIGNAMENT TERM 2 2012 Student declaration: I declare that: I understand what is meant by plagiarism The implication of plagiarism has been explained to me by my institution This assignment is all my own work and I have acknowledged any use of the published and unpublished works of other people. Students signature: Total number of pages including this cover page Submission Date Students ID Students Full Name Lecturers Name OFFICIAL USE ONLY Markers comments September 07, 2012 Due Date 050206129691 Class Code Rovil B. Orpilla Mr. Nap Vincent Viray Sept 6, 2012 CP112 Date:

Markers name

Initial marks awarded Penalty on late submission Penalty for plagiarism Final marks awarded

/100

/100