8.

COMPUTER NETWORKS
DEFINITION:
Computer network is a collection of interconnected autonomous computers used for sharing the
information and services..
Or Networking is the sharing of information and services.
ADVANTAGES OF NETWORKS
1. The networking of computers permits the sharing of resources and information.
2. Networking also provides the critical function of backup..
3. The use of networking allows a very flexible working environment.
4. A network provides the means to exchange the data among different organization.
5. It also provides electronic transfer of data.
TRANSMISSION MEDIA
In every computer network the transmission media carry data in the form of signals between
computers.
Different communication media are
1. Twisted pair wiring
2. Coaxial cable
3. Fiber optic cables
4. Microwave signals
5. Satellite Transmission
TYPES OF COMPUTER NETWORKS
Computer networks are commonly classified into 3 types. They are
1. LAN-Local Area Network
2. WAN-Wide Area Network
3. MAN-Metropolitan Area Network
1. LAN-Local Area Network
A local area network (LAN) refers to a combination of computer hardware and transmission
media that is relatively small. LANs normally do not exceed tens of kilometers in size... A LAN
is normally contained within a building or a campus.
Some of the features of LAN are
a. Data transmission rate are much higher when compare to WAN
b. Data Transmission errors are less.
c. LAN is usually owned by single organization
d. Cost of transmission is negligible.
e. Only one type of transmission media is used.
2. WAN-Wide Area Network
A Wide area network (WAN) includes all networks larger than LAN.
That means it includes connection of networks all over the world.
Some of the features of WAN are
a. Data transmission rate is less.
b. Error rate is more.
c. Not owned by single organization.
d. Different types of transmission media are used.
e. Communication cost is more because it makes use telephone lines or leased line or satellite
communication.
3. MAN-Metropolitan Area Network A metropolitan area network (MAN) is some where
between a LAN and a MAN. It connects systems or local area networks within a metropolitan area.
Some of the features of MAN are.
a. MAN can support both data and voice.
b. A MAN can include one or more LANS.
c. Data transmission rate are much higher when compare to WAN.

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NETWORK TOPOLOGIES
A topology is the actual appearance or layout of the network. Some of the most popular topologies
are: 1) Linear Bus
2) Star network
3). Ring Network
4) Mesh
1. Linear Bus: PC PC
The linear bus topology connects all the
computers to a common straight cable. All the computers
on the network share the common bus. This topology is
more reliable since a failure of one or more computers PC PC
does not affect the bus.

2. Star Network :
In a star network, each computer is connected directly to the
pc pc pc
central computer called server. All communications between the
computers have to pass through the central computer; Star networks
allow the network administrator to send messages among different Central PC
computers. The whole star network fails when central computer fails.
pc pc pc
3. Ring Network:
In a ring network all computers are connected to common
cable and the cable starts and ends ate the network server. In
this type of network, communications are always at one pc
direction and data being transmitted is passed through each
computer in the ring. A major disadvantage of this network is
that when a computer fails, it can completely halt all the pc pc
communications on the network.

4. Mesh: pc
A pure mesh network has point-to- connections
between every computer in the network. One problem is that
each device requires an interface for every other device on
the network. Another problem is that amount of cable for a Pc Pc
large network is tremendous.
pc

Pc Pc

9.INTERNET
The internet is a world wide interconnection of many different computers and networks.
The internet allows users to efficiently share information, programs and equipment and to
communicate with each other. More than 100 countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and
opinions.
INTRANET
It is a private network and it can be linked to a miniature, private version of the internet.
It uses the same technologies as the internet and in fact operates much in the same way. The
one big difference between the internet and intranet is that the internet is accessible to every one
where as an intranet is a private network.

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INTERNET APPLICATIONS
Some of the applications of internet are
1. Chat: Chat provides some basic functionality as phone, being a text based communication
system which connects computers together. It is a way for people to communicate live with
each other by typing text messages.
2. Voice mail: You can send messages by speaking them into the telephone rather than
typing them. It requires a computer with an ability to store the audio messages in digital
form and then convert them back to an audio form.
3. Telnet:
Permits your computer to log onto another computer and use it as if you were there.
4. Bulletin Boards
This is a technology which pre-dated the internet and provided a text based dial up facility.
5. News groups
It is often called discussion forums are a place for online discussion of topics of interest.
6. Video conferencing
Business travel is time consuming and expensive. To reduce travel to a minimum, many
companies are now using video conferencing. Cameras at more than one location
transmit videos of participants to the other locations so that they can interact.
7. FTP(File Transfer Protocol)
It allows your computer to rapidly retrieve complex files from a remote computer and view
or save them on your computer.
8. Electronic Mail:
E-mail stands for an electronic mail. It is an electronic message sent from one computer to
another.
It allows you to send and receive messages to and from anywhere with an e-mail
address. You can also send electronic pictures, computer documents and computer
programs with your message. E-mail is most popular use of internet. Messages travel
around world quickly and great way to make contact in education, keep up personal
friendship and support business relationship.
Your e-mail address consists of your user ID, the @ symbol and the name of your free e-
mail service plus domain name.
For example
yourname@email.com
kprao@yahoo.com
kalpana@rediffmail.com
Advantages of E-mail:
1. Messages can be sent at whatever time of day suits the user.
2. No need to speak to the recipient person.
3. Messages will be in the recipient’s mailbox within minutes.
4. Delivery of messages can be confirmed.
5. Messages can be read at user’s convenience.
6. Incoming messages can be saved
7. E-mail reduces the volume of paper that is to be processed.
Disadvantages of Email:
1. Recipients must also be electronic mail users.
2. Until the mail box is checked there is no way of knowing that a message is arrived.
3. The user must have access to a modem and a phone line.
Some of the definitions
1. Browser (Web browser): It is a piece of software that acts as an interface between the
user and inner-working of the internet.
Examples: Netscape Navigator, Microsoft internet explorer, Mosaicc, opera, Hot Java etc.
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 2. Domain name: The unique name of the website.
3. HTML: It stands for Hypertext Mark-up Language and it is used to create WWW pages.
4. TCP/IP: It stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.
5. HTTP: It stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
6. WWW: It stands for World Wide Web and it is portion of internet.
7. Web page: It is document on the World Wide Web.
SEARCH ENGINES
A web search engine is an interactive tool to help people locate information available through the
WWW. Search engines are actually database, submitting question and getting answers or required
information for that particular questions.
There are many search engines available on the web. Some of the most popular search engines are
 AltaVista
 Excite
 Lycos
 Yahoo
 Google

MULTIMEDIA
Multimedia a the field concerned with the computer-controlled integration of text, graphics,
still and moving images(video),animation, audio and any other media where every type of
information can be represented, stored and transmitted and processed digitally. Multimedia also
refers to computer media.
Applications of multimedia:
1. Multimedia in Education:
In education, multimedia is used to produce computer-based training courses and reference
books like encyclopedias.
2. Multimedia in Entertainment
Multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry, especially to develop special
effects in movies and animation for cartoon characters. Multimedia games are a popular pastime
and are software programs available either as CD-ROMs or online. Some video games are also use
multimedia features.
3. Multimedia in Engineering:
Especially, in mechanical and automobile engineering multimedia is primarily used for
designing a machine or an automobile. This lets an engineer view a product from various
perspectives, do other manipulations, zoom in or zoom out before actually producing it.
4. Multimedia in medicine:
In medicine, doctors can get trained by looking a virtual surgery or they can simulate how
human body is affected by diseases spread by viruses and bacteria and then develop techniques
to prevent the same.
5. Multimedia in Science.
In Mathematical and Scientific Research, multimedia mainly used for modeling and
simulation.
6.Multimedia in Arts :
In the arts there are multimedia artist whose minds are able to blend techniques using
different media.
7.Hypermedia
Hypertext is a text which contains links to other texts. Hypermedia also contains other
media including text-based e.g., graphics, images sound and video. The World Wide Web is
the best example of hypermedia applications.