ENUGU STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (ESUT)

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED NATURAL SCIENCE (FANS)

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

ASSIGNMENT ON
COURSE TITLE: COMPUTER NETWORK AND DATA COMMUNICATION
COURSE CODE: CSC455

FOR GROUP 6

TOPIC -Computer Network and Structures

-Decentralized Networks

GROUP MEMBERS
NAME REG NO.
1. ODO KENNETH CHKWUBE ESUT/2014/155225
2. OFFOR LEONARD OBINNA ESUT/2014/155214
3. OKAFFOR LOVETH IFUNANYA ESUT/2014/155216
4. OGOLO IDAH ERNEST ESUT/2014/155217
5. OTUM CYPRIAN MICHEAL ESUT/2014/155218
6. OZOR MURPHY UGOCHUKWU ESUT/2014/155219
7. OKOYE BENITA ONYINYECHUKWU ESUT/2014/155220
8. EZE MICHEAL ONYEDIKACHI ESUT/2014/155221
9. ORJI UGOCHUKWU CHINAAGOROM ESUT/2014/155223
10. EZE EMMANUEL CHISOM ESUT/2014/155224
11. NCHUMA EMMANUEL CHIBUIKE ESUT/2014/155226
12. OKORIE CHARLES OKWUDILI ESUT/2014/155228
13. NWAGU LOVETH CHISOM ESUT/2014/155229

JANUARY, 2018

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 Abstract
A computer network, in general, comprises of numerous computers that are linked together to
communicate with each other. The goal of a computer network is to enable two or more
computers to share and exchange data with one another for various purposes. Users can access
remote resources by either logging into the appropriate remote computer or transfer data from the
remote computer to their own computers. To understand what a network is all about, this
document provides details on topologies, types of network and decentralized network.

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Content
I. Abstract
II. Introduction

III. Computer Network and Structures

What is a computer network?
Network Topologies
IV. Mesh Topology
Background
Advantages and Disadvantage
V. Star Topology
Background
Advantages and Disadvantage
VI. Ring Topology
Background
Advantages and Disadvantage
VII. Bus Topology
Background
Advantages and Disadvantage
VIII. Tree Topology
Background
Advantages and Disadvantage
IX. Network Types
Local Area Network
Metropolitan Area Network
Wide Area Network
Internetworks
Wireless Networking
X. Decentralized Network
What is a decentralized Network?
Decentralized Computing
XI. Conclusion
XII. References

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 Introduction
As individual microchips in high-performance computing systems reach evermore prominent
speed, execution starts to depend less on the rate of processors and more on the framework that
supplies them with information. This framework is the network system, a regularly overlooked
yet essential piece of any complex computer (Osborn 2015). Network system administration is to
a great degree a wide subject in data science which calculates itself regarding profundity and
significance.
Taken just, on the other hand, a network system is close to a framework by which one can handle
components and send data to another. Accordingly, the discriminating parameter of a network
system is to measure the data stream. One essential metric is the transmission capacity or
bandwidth, or the greatest rate at which a system can move data over a line that partitions the
hubs/nodes into two equivalent gatherings. Generally, as essential for firmly coupled
multiprocessing, the time needed to exchange a message between hubs is called the latency. An
extensive and consistent examination exertion devotes itself to enhance these two numbers,
bringing about a tremendous scope of way to deal with network system outline. A network, in
general, is formed by a collection of people, devices, and agents where the agents communicate
with each other to share and gain resources.

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 Computer Network and Structures

A computer network is a set of connected computers. Computers on a network are

called nodes. The connection between computers can be done via cabling, most commonly the
Ethernet cable, or wirelessly through radio waves. Connected computers can share resources,
like access to the Internet, printers, file servers, and others. A network is a multipurpose
connection, which allows a single computer to do more.

There are two possible connection types when it comes to Networks

Point-to-point or Multipoint

Point-to-point connections – provides a dedicated link between two devices.

The entire capacity of the link is reserved for transmission between those two
devices. Most point-to-point connections use an actual length of wire or cable to connect the two
ends, but microwave or satellite links, are also possible.
Changing the T.V with a remote is a point-to-point connection between the remote control and
the television.

Multipoint connections – more than two devices are sharing a link The entire capacity of the
link is either shared spatially or temporally. This means either every computer shares a specific
space of the link or each computer shares the link for a specific time when being used.

All networks have Topology.

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Network Topologies
Topology refers to the shape of the network or in other terms it is the network layout. The way
the computers in a network are physically linked to each other and how they communicate with
each other is determined by the network topology. Topologies are either physical or logical such
as:

(a) Mesh Topology:

The simplest network connecting two computers A and B is an electrical link directly from one
to the other. In a mesh topology, every computer has a connection to every other computer in the
network. Each computer has a network interface card (NIC) with a transmitter and a receiver. A
packet is transmitted by one computer as a sequence of bits and received by the other in the same
order. Depending on the times it takes to transmit one bit, the link has a capacity of bandwidth or
bits per second. Mesh topology is preferred where dedicated connection is required and time is
more important than infrastructure, cost of laying, and maintenance of physical or wireless
media. This type of interconnection enables every computer to have (N − 1) NICs and N(N −
1)/2 total number of links, where N is the number of computers.

Advantages of a Mesh topology

 Avoid traffic since each link can carry its own data and none are being shared.
 If one link breaks, the rest of the network is still functional

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  Privacy since only the dedicated device receives the message.
 Easy to detect a problem in the network by discovering which device is having problems
and examining the link that connects to it.

Disadvantages of a Mesh topology

 A lot of cables are needed
 Too many cables too much cost
 Too many cables not enough physical space

(b)Star Topology:
All the devices are connected to a central hub. Nodes communicate across the network by
passing through the hub. To reduce the number of links, every node is connected to one central
node in the star topology. A packet between any two nodes may need two hops via the central
node. If the central node is the source or the destination, only one hop is required. The central
node is a single point whose failure renders the entire network inoperative. In cases, where most
communication is between one server and its clients, the star topology is especially useful.

Advantages of a Star topology

 Less expensive than mesh

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  Easy to install, easy to configure
 If one link fails the network can still function

Disadvantages of a Star topology

 Everything depends on the hub

(c) Ring Topology:

The single point of failure can be avoided using the ring or bus topology. In the ring, every
device is attached to a circular cable, so that each device is connected directly to two other
devices, one on either side of it. As a packet circulates around the ring, every node can receive it.
To avoid packet Fig. 2.1 Different network topologies

Advantages of a Ring topology

 Easy to install
 Easy to reconfigure
 Easy to detect a problem

Disadvantages of a Ring topology

 Break means the whole system is dead

(d)Bus Topology:

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In the bus topology, all nodes are connected to a single cable, called the bus or backbone, with
no active devices. All the nodes in the system are directly connected to that link (the bus), which
may be organized as a straight line. The sites can communicate with each other directly through
this link. Each node is connected to it by a single tap. This can be very reliable and inexpensive.
The failure of one side does not affect communication among the rest of the sites. However, if
the link fails, the network is partitioned completely. The bus is the most popular topology for
local area networks (LAN) due to its simplicity and reliability. Initially, the most widely used
LAN, Ethernet uses the bus topology. Like the ring, the bus also has the broadcast property, i.e.,
as a packet propagates down the bus to its ends, it can be received by every node. In the mesh
and star topologies sending the same packet to every node requires that N − 1 copies of the
packet be separately transmitted.

Advantages of a Bus topology

 Easy to install
 Minimal Cable

Disadvantages of a Bus topology

 Difficult reconnection
 Difficult to find the problem
 Difficult to add new devices
 Break stops all transmission of data

(e) Tree Topology:

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Tree topology can be derived from the star topology. Tree has
a hierarchy of various hubs, like we have branches in a tree. In this case, every
node is connected to some hub or switch.

Network Types
The network computers may be linked through cables, telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, or
infrared light beams. There are three basic types of computer networks:
• Local area networks (LAN)
• Metropolitan area network (MAN)
• Wide area network (WAN)

(a) Local Area Network

A local area network is normally a privately owned network within a single office, building, or
campus covering a distance over a few kilometers. In a typical LAN configuration, one computer
is designated as the file server. It stores all the software that controls the network as well as the
software that can be shared by the computers attached to the network. Computer connected to the

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file server are called as workstations. In most of the LANs, cables are used to connect the NIC in
each computer. Most LANs connect workstations and personal computers. Each node (individual
computer) in a LAN has its own CPU with which it executes programs, but is also able to access
data and devices anywhere on the LAN. The users can share expensive devices such as laser
printers, communicate with each other by sending emails, or engage in chat sessions. The
following characteristics differentiate one LAN from another:

LANs are capable of transmitting data at very fast rates, much faster than data that can be
transmitted over a telephone line, limitation being the number ocomputers attached to a single
LAN. A LAN can be configured either as a client– server LAN or a P2P LAN.

Peer-to-Peer Model: P2P networks are the simplest and least expensive networks to set up. P2P
networks are simple in the sense that the computers are connected directly to each other and
share the same level of access on the network. Computer A will connect directly to computer B
and will share all files with the appropriate security or sharing rights. If many computers are
connected, a hub may be used to connect all these devices.

Client-Server Model: The most common LAN types used by companies today are the “client-
server model,” since they consist of the server (storing the files and running applications) and the
client machines (computers used by the workers). Using a client–server setup can be helpful in
many ways. It can free up disk space by providing a central location for all the files to be stored
ensuring that the most recent file is available to all. A server can act as a mail server (collecting
and sending the mails) or a print server (performing print jobs), thus freeing computing
power on the client machine to continue working.

(b) Metropolitan Area Network

A metropolitan area network (MAN) covers larger geographical areas such as cities or districts.
A system of LANs connected through telephone lines and radio waves is called as MAN. The
connectivity lies among cities or districts where cities cannot lay a private network all around in
the city.

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Fig. 2.2 Client–server model versus peer-to-peer Model

(c) Wide Area Network

Wide area networks (WANs) are huge compared to a LAN or a MAN and span across cities,
state, country, continent, or even the whole world. WANs connect larger geographical areas such
as India, the United States, or the world. The satellite uplinks may be used to connect this type of
network. A WAN provides long-distance transmission of data, voice, image, and video
information. Using a WAN, people in India can communicate with places like Tokyo in a matter
of minutes, without paying enormous phone bills. WAN technologies use multiplexers to
connect local and metropolitan networks like the Internet.

(d) Internetworks
When two or more networks are connected, they become an Internetwork, ornInternet. Individual
networks are joined into Internetworks by the use of Internetworking devices. These devices
include routers and gateways.

Wireless Networking

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Although the origins of radio frequency-based wireless networking can be traced back to the
University of Hawaii’s ALOHANET research project in the 1970s, the key events that led to
wireless networking becoming one of the fastest growing technologies of the early twenty first
century have been the ratification of the IEEE 802.11 standard in 1997, and the subsequent
development of interoperability certification by the Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly WECA).
DECENTRALIZED NETWORK

A decentralized communication network is type communication network in which all group

members have access to the same number of communication channels, as in a common. Compare
centralized communication network.

Decentralized computing is the allocation of resources, both hardware and software, to each

individual workstation, or office location. In contrast, centralized computing exists when the
majority of functions are carried out, or obtained from a remote centralized location.
Decentralized computing is a trend in modern-day business environments. This is the opposite
of centralized computing, which was prevalent during the early days of computers. A
decentralized computer system has many benefits over a conventional
centralized network. Desktop computers have advanced so rapidly, that their potential
performance far exceeds the requirements of most business applications. 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decentralized_computing

Decentralized Internet can be identified using peer to peer connections rather than using a
single point network access. The major difference between centralized and decentralized Internet
is that the latter connects to different points (peers: other computers, printers, scanners, servers
etc) without having to go through a mandatory point. There is no fixed network topology here. In
fact, none of the network topologies, I learned so far, belong to decentralized Internet.

Decentralized Computing

 There is no single server machine that is solely responsible for all the processing.
 The architecture allows to distribute the workload among multiple compute
nodes (aka machines), and each of them is equally capable of servicing requests.
 The best example that I should definitely mention is Cassandra data store. Data is
stored on multiple nodes, and client requests can come to any node (probably the one
that is geographically nearest to minimize the latency).
 There isn’t really any single point of failure because client machines aren’t relying
on a single server to fulfill all requests. The system comprises of multiple nodes which
might be still available to process user requests.
 We can scale-out the system by adding more nodes (and thus more compute power,
more fault tolerance etc).
 Obviously in such systems we run into the complexities of problems with
distributed systems like — replica management, maintaining consistency across
copies of data across multiple nodes etc etc.

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 So, my understanding is that fundamental concepts of distributed systems should
definitely be understood and internalized before going about designing a
decentralized system.
 We should be aware of the well known challenges in the distributed system space.
In centralized computing, we have simple and sweet mental model since there is
just a single server machine that does all the jobs. If that is gone, we are out of luck.
 But in decentralized computing, mental model is not easy. Since now we have more
machines, we also have more problems to deal with. I would actually call decentralized
computing similar to distributed computing as I really don’t see much of difference.
We typically need to deal with same set of problems and challenges in both spaces.

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 Conclusion
Networks are very necessary for everyday computer usage. In choosing the perfect network
setup, there are a few things that one must consider. Number one is the cost of the topology. If
the user own a small business or; wants a network for their home this could be a major
consideration for them. In addition, for 1arger size businesses that have to network more
computers they have to consider what is the easiest and fault tolerant.
Computer networks have been around for a while and with the always—growing technology
world, the best of networks are yet to come.

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References
1. Buzzle. (2015). Advantages and disadvantages of computer networks.

2. Carlson, M., Davies, E., Nortel, U. K., Wang, Z., & Weiss, W. (1998). An architecture
for
differentiated services.

3. Chen, S., & Nahrsted, K. (1998). An overview of quality of service routing for next-
generation high-speed networks: problems and solutions. Network IEEE, 12(6), 64–79.

4. Crawley, E., Sandick, H., Nair, R., & Rajagopalan, B. (1998). A framework for QoS-
based routing in the internet.

5. Gu, G. Q., & Luo, J. Z. (2006). Some issues on computer networks: Architecture and key
technologies. Journal of Computer Science and technology, 21(5), 708–722.

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