WHAT IS NETWORK?

Network is a group of computers joined with each other to share data and
information to perform a particular predefined task.

AIMS OF COMPUTER NETWORK ARE:

1. DATA SHARING:-
Sharing of data files stored in local disk of one computer. This data can be
accessed from other computer present on either same network or different
network.

2. Resource sharing:
By this resources on network like PRINTER can be accessed from other
computer for taking printouts to which that printer is not physical connected
means printer is connected to other computer on network and is shared on the
network this features reduces the cost of making the resources physical available
on every

3. NETWORK SECURITY:-
Main feature of network is to restrict the unauthorized access of the resources on
the computer.

CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER NETWORKK:-

LAN:-

• Covers a small area such as a building or a cluster of buildings

• Consists of computers that are connected to each other using cables
• Suits business organizations situated in a single location
• Also called a cabled network
• Bandwidth is inexpensive (typically 10/100MBPS)

MAN:-

• Covers an area of a city

• Connects two or more LANs
• Suits business organizations having offices distributed over different
parts of a city
• Bandwidth is more expensive than LAN
• Microwave or OFC is typically used as transmission media

WAN:-

• Connects computer networks located in different countries or

 continents
• The transmission media is typically hired from third party
service provider
• Offices are connected typically through satellite or undersea OFC
• Bandwidth is much more expensive than LAN or MAN

TRANSMISSION MEDIA:

A transmission medium can be broadly defined as anything that can carry information
from a source to a destination.

In telecommunications, transmission media can be divided into two broad categories:

1) GUIDED MEDIA
2) UNGUIDED MEDIA

TYPES OF GUIDED MEDIA:-

1) Twisted Pair
2) Coaxial Cable
3) Fibre Optics

TWISTED PAIR

# A twisted pair consists of two conductors, each with its own plastic insulators, twisted
together.
# One wire is used to carry signal and other is used as ground reference.
# There wires are twisted to overcome inference.

COAXIAL CABLE
Coaxial Cable has a central core conductor of solid or standard wire enclosed in an
insulating sheath, which is in turn enclosed in an insulating sheath and the whole cable is
protected by a plastic cover.

OPTICAL FIBRE
A Fibre optic is made of glass or plastic and transmits signals in the form of light.

Types Of Propagation of light in Optical Fibre

# Single mode
#Multimode mode
#Step index mode
#Graded index mode
 UNGUIDED MEDIA

There are three types of unguided media....

1) Radio wave
2) Micro wave
3) Infra-red wave

RADIO WAVES
Electromagnetic waves ranging in frequencies between 3Khz and in 1 Ghz are
normally called radio waves. When an antenna transmits radio waves, they are
propagated in all directions.

MICRO WAVES
Electromagnetic waves having frequencies between 1 and 300 ghz are called
microwaves. They are unidirectional, when an antenna transmits microwaves, they
are narrowly focused.

INFRARED WAVES
Infrared rays are used in short range communication in a closed area such as wireless
keyboards, pc's and printers etc. They are also used in mobile phones.

Networking Hardware

This includes all computers, peripherals, interface cards and other equipment
needed to perform data processing and communications within the network.

These are network components:-

File Servers
Workstations
Network Interface Cards
Concentrators/Hubs
Repeaters
Bridges
Routers

File Server

The heart of most network is the file server. They are fast computers large RAM
and storage space with a fast network interface card. Network operating
system software, application software and data files resides on this server. The
file server controls the communication of information between the nodes on a
network. Sends and receive data from the workstations and store an e-mail
message during the same time period. This requires a computer that can store
a lot of information and share it very quickly.

Workstations

PCs or Mac configured with the network interface card, network software
connected to the file server with appropriate cable.

Network Interface Card(NIC)

Provides the physical connection between the network and the computer
workstation.
NIC are major factor in determining the speed and performance of a network.

Token Ring Cards

Similar to Ethernet cards but different with the type of connector on the back
end of the card.
SWITCH
Switch provides a central connection point for cables from workstations,
servers, and peripherals. In a star topology, twisted-pair wire is run from each
workstation to a central concentrator.

HUBS

Hubs are multislot concentrators into which can be plugged a number of multi-
port cards to provide additional access as the network grows in size. Some
concentrators are passive, that is, they allow the signal to pass from one
computer to another without any change.

REPEATERS

Boost signal strength that is it weakens along a cable during transmission from
one point to another by electrically amplifying the signal it receives and
rebroadcasts it. Repeaters can be separate devices or they can be incorporated
into a concentrator. They are used when the total length of your network cable
exceeds the standards set for the type of cable being used.

BRIDGES

A bridge is a device used to segment a large network into two smaller, more
efficient networks.

FIREWALL
Firewall is a barrier that protects your network from uninvited intruders,
unauthorized users, and hackers. It provides a filter that incoming or outgoing
packets must pass through. Every private network that is going to be connected
to the Internet needs an appropriate firewall, being some combination of
hardware, software, and procedures, to protect it.

ROUTERS

A router translates information from one network to another to prevent head-

on collisions, and is smart enough to know when to direct traffic along back
roads and shortcuts. For Internet connection a router is used as a translater.