Computer Networking

Chapter 1 Computer Networks and the Internet

The internet is a computer network that interconnects computing devices. End systems/Hosts are connected with communication links and packet switches. Communication links are different types of physical media. Packets are blocks of information. Other description of the internet: An infrastructure that provides services to applications.

Protocol: A protocol defines the format and the order of messages exchanged between two or more communicating entities, as well as the actions taken on the transmission and/or receipt of a message or other event. Host = end system A host exists out of a client and a server, internet applications are distributed applications. (they run on 2 computers)

Access networks: Dial up: Very slow, via phone line. DSL: Normal speed, same line as the phone but on a different frequentation. Streams are asymmetric, download speed is faster as upload speed.

Cable: Via television cable. Fiber to the home (FTTH): Fibre cable, works with optic signals, is very fast. Ethernet: Access via LAN. WiFi: Access via Wireless LAN, devices connect with an access point, which connects with a base station. Works for 10s of meters Wide Area Wireless Access: Third generation wireless (3G), works over 10s of kms. WiMAX: Wide Area Wireless Access but then faster. Physical media: Guided media: Waves in a solid medium. Unguided media: Waves in the atmosphere.

Twisted pair copper wire Coaxial cable Fiber optics Terrestrial Radio Channels Satellite radio channels

Circuit Switching Reserved Line is reserved for a period of time, no other package can use it.

Packet Switching Not reserved. Packet loss: when a queue is full the packet is dropped. Store-forward delay and queue delay. Better sharing of bandwidth. Simpler, more efficient and less costly.

Forwarding table: a table in a router that maps destination addresses. The internet is a network of networks. A tier 2 ISP is the customer of the tier 1 ISP, the provider. When 2 ISP directly connect with each other, they peer with each other.

Points of presence (POPs): Points where the ISP connects with other ISPs. Types of delay: Processing delay: The time to read the header and to determine the direction. Queuing delay: The time the packet has to wait to be transmitted onto the link. Transmission delay: The time it takes to push the packet onto the link. Propagation delay: The time it takes to propagate trough the link. (Distance/speed)

d nodal = d proc + d queue + d trans + d prop Traffic intensity: La/R (Bits/Sec / transmission rate) Arrival is random, and do not follow any pattern. La/R is not sufficient.

Throughput: The transmission rate of the bottleneck link (the slowest) Layers: provide service by performing certain actions within the layer and provide service by using the services of the layer directly below it. Protocols are organized in layers. The layer n protocol is distributed among the various places in the network. (distribution)

Protocols of the various layers: protocol stack. Layers: Application layer Application layer protocol, using the protocol to exchange packets of information. A packet of information in the application layer is called a message. Transport layer TCP, UDP protocols. Transports application layer messages between application endpoints. Network layer Passes datagrams from host to host. IP protocol. Contains routing protocols that define the route of the datagrams. (IP is the glue of the internet) Link layer Moves the packet from one node to the next. Uses different protocols for different links. Packets are referred to as frames. Physical layer Moves the individual bits over the transmission medium, protocol depends on the medium.

OSI model: adds 2 more layers, in the normal layer model these layers are in the application if they are needed. Encapsulation: Every layer ads its own Header to the payload field. Malware: Viruses, worms and Trojan horses. (Cause damage to a computer) Denial of service (DoS) attacks: renders a unusable infrastructure. Vulnerability attack: sequence of packets send to a vulnerable application. Bandwidth flooding: Sends deluge of packets to target host, prevents legitimate packets from arriving. Connection flooding: Opens a lot of half open or open TCP connections, stops accepting legitimate connections.

Distributed DoS attack (DDos): Attack from multiple sources (harder to block). Packet sniffer: keeps copy of every packet that passes. (in a LAN) IP spoofing: Sending packets into the internet using a false IP address. Man in the middle attacks: Bad router in the link.