Assignment N0.

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Q.1what are computer networks? mention important benefits of computer networks ? what are
the main categories based on which applications of computer networks can categorized?
A computer network is a system of interconnected devices that can communicate and share
information and resources. Some of the important benefits of computer networks are:

 They enable faster and easier communication, collaboration, data transfer, and resource
sharing among the network users.
 They allow distributed processing and parallel computing, which can improve the
performance and efficiency of complex tasks and applications.
 They provide access to remote services and resources, such as cloud computing, online
databases, web servers, etc.
 They enhance security and reliability by using encryption, authentication, backup, and
redundancy techniques.
 They reduce the cost and complexity of hardware and software maintenance by using
centralized management and administration.

The main categories of computer networks are based on their size, distance, and structure. There are
mainly five types of computer networks:

 PAN (Personal Area Network): The smallest computer network that connects devices within
a personal or individual workspace, such as a laptop, a smartphone, a printer, etc. It uses
Bluetooth, infrared, or USB technology and has a range of up to 10 meters.
 LAN (Local Area Network): A computer network that connects devices within a limited
area, such as a home, an office, a school, etc. It uses Ethernet or Wi-Fi technology and has a
range of up to 2 kilometers. It is fast, inexpensive, and easy to maintain.
 CAN (Campus Area Network): A computer network that connects devices within a campus
or a group of buildings, such as a university, a hospital, a military base, etc. It uses Ethernet or
fiber-optic technology and has a range of up to 5 kilometers. It is moderately fast, costly, and
difficult to maintain.
 MAN (Metropolitan Area Network): A computer network that connects devices within a
metropolitan area or a city, such as a cable TV network, a public transportation system, etc. It
uses FDDI, ATM, or DSL technology and has a range of up to 50 kilometers. It is relatively
slow, expensive, and complex to maintain.
 WAN (Wide Area Network): A computer network that connects devices across a large
geographical area or the world, such as the internet, a satellite network, etc. It uses various
technologies and protocols depending on the distance and speed requirements. It is the
slowest, most costly, and most difficult to maintain type of computer network.

The applications of computer networks can be categorized based on their purpose, functionality, and
scope. There are many types of applications that use computer networks for different purposes. Some
of the common types of applications are:

 Communication Applications: These are applications that enable users to exchange

messages, voice calls, video calls, emails, etc. over the network. Examples are WhatsApp,
Skype, Gmail, etc.
 Information Retrieval Applications: These are applications that enable users to search and
access information from various sources over the network. Examples are Google, Bing,
Wikipedia, etc.
 Entertainment Applications: These are applications that enable users to enjoy various forms
of media over the network. Examples are YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, etc.
  E-commerce Applications: These are applications that enable users to buy and sell goods
and services over the network. Examples are Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm, etc.
 Education Applications: These are applications that enable users to learn and teach over the
network. Examples are Coursera, Khan Academy, Duolingo, etc.
 Social Networking Applications: These are applications that enable users to create and
maintain social relationships over the network. Examples are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
etc.

Q-N0.2 which technology of this age had led to the emergence of computer network?

The technologies that have led to the emergence of computer network are:

 Computer technology: This refers to the development of hardware and software that enable
computers to process, store, and communicate data. Examples of computer technology are
microprocessors, memory chips, operating systems, programming languages, etc.
 Communication technology: This refers to the development of devices and protocols that
enable computers to transmit and receive data over various media. Examples of
communication technology are modems, routers, switches, cables, wireless networks, TCP/IP,
etc.
 VLSI technology: This refers to the development of integrated circuits that contain millions
of transistors on a single chip. This enables computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, and
more powerful. Examples of VLSI technology are CPUs, GPUs, RAMs, etc.

Q.N0.3What are the two broad classifications under which network can be divided?

There are different criteria that can be used to classify networks, such as geographical spread,
topology, ownership, etc. However, one of the most common and basic ways to divide networks is
based on their transmission technology and scale.

Transmission technology refers to how the nodes in a network communicate with each other, whether
they share a common communication media or have dedicated links between them. Scale refers to
how large the network is, how many nodes it has, and how far they are from each other.

Based on these two criteria, networks can be broadly classified into two types: LANs (Local Area
Networks) and WANs (Wide Area Networks).

LANs are networks that cover a small geographical area, such as a room, a building, or a campus.
They usually use a single communication media, such as a coaxial cable, a twisted pair, or a wireless
channel. LANs are typically owned and managed by a single organization or individual. They allow
users to share resources, such as printers, files, applications, etc. LANs are fast, reliable, and secure.

WANs are networks that span a large geographical area, such as a city, a country, or the world. They
usually use multiple communication media, such as telephone lines, satellite links, or fiber optic
cables. WANs are typically composed of many LANs and MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks) that
are interconnected by routers or switches. WANs are often owned and managed by multiple
organizations or service providers. They allow users to access remote resources, such as databases,
web servers, email servers, etc. WANs are slower, less reliable, and less secure than LANs.
Q.N0.4 mention different categories of computer network on the basis of scale and distinguish
one from the other.

Different categories of computer network on the basis of scale are:

 LAN (Local Area Network): A network that covers a small geographical area, such as a room,
a building, or a campus. LANs usually use a single communication media, such as a coaxial
cable, a twisted pair, or a wireless channel. LANs are fast, reliable, secure, and less costly.
LANs allow users to share resources, such as printers, files, applications, etc. Examples of LAN
are networking in a home, school, library, laboratory, college, office, etc12
 PAN (Personal Area Network): A network that covers a very small area, such as an individual’s
workspace or body. PANs usually use wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, IrDA, or
Zigbee. PANs are very high-speed, easy to maintain, and very low-cost. PANs allow users to
connect personal devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, media players, etc. Examples of
PAN are USB, computer, phone, tablet, printer, PDA, etc2
 MAN (Metropolitan Area Network): A network that covers a larger geographical area than a
LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city or a town. MANs usually use multiple
communication media, such as telephone lines, satellite links, or fiber optic cables. MANs are
often composed of many LANs and CANs (Campus Area Networks) that are interconnected
by routers or switches. MANs are moderate-speed, difficult to maintain, and high-cost. MANs
allow users to access remote resources, such as databases, web servers, email servers, etc.
Examples of MAN are networking in towns, cities, a single large city, a large area within
multiple buildings, etc123
 WAN (Wide Area Network): A network that covers the largest geographical area of all
networks, such as a country or the world. WANs usually use multiple communication media
and technologies that are owned and managed by multiple organizations or service
providers. WANs are composed of many LANs and MANs that are interconnected by routers
or gateways. WANs are slow-speed,

Q.N0.5What are the two types of transmission technologies, basis on which computer networks
can be categorized ?

The two types of transmission technologies, based on which computer networks can be categorized,
are:

 Broadcast networks: These are networks that use a single communication channel that is
shared by all the machines on the network. Short messages called packets sent by any
machine are received by all the others. Broadcast networks can support broadcasting
(sending a message to all the machines) or multicasting (sending a message to a subset of
the machines). Examples of broadcast networks are radio, television, or wireless LANs12
 Point-to-point networks: These are networks that consist of many connections between
individual pairs of machines. To go from the source to the destination, a packet on these
networks may have to go through intermediate computers before they reach the desired
computer. Point-to-point networks use routing algorithms to determine the best path for
each packet. Examples of point-to-point networks are telephone lines, fiber optic cables, or
satellite links123