Chapter two

Introduction to
Computer Networks
 What is a computer network?
2

A computer network is a system in which a number of

independent computers are linked together to share resources
such as file, folder, printer, disk drive or anything else that
exists on a computer.
Usually, the connections between computers in a network are
made using physical wires or cables and wireless, using radio
waves or infrared signals.
 Applications & Uses of Networks
3

 Marketing and sales:-teleshopping, online reservation for hotels, airlines etc

 Financial services:- credit history searches, foreign exchange and investment
 Manufacturing:- computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM)
 Electronic messaging:- e-mail
 Directory services:-allow lists of files to be stored in a central location
 Information services:-data bank, www
 Electronic data interchange (EDI):-allows business information
to be transferred without using paper.
 Teleconferencing:-allows conferences to occur without the participants
 Cellular telephone
 Cable television
 Advantages of computer networking
4

 Sharing files, video and audio, and email

 Peripherals – printers and modems can also be shared

 Software sharing from a single central server

 administration and support is simplified

 Users can work together on group projects by combining

the power and capabilities of diverse equipment
Disadvantages
Data and information security problem
Distribution of computer viruses
 Network Architecture Characteristics
5

 Network Architecture is the complete framework of an

organization's computer network.
 The diagram of the network architecture provides a full
picture of the established network with detailed view of all
the resources accessible.
 It includes hardware components used for communication,
cabling and device types, network layout and topologies,
physical and wireless connections, implemented areas and
future plans.
 In addition, the software rules and protocols also constitute
to the network architecture.
6
 Types of Networks

 Based on network geographical size: LAN, MAN and WAN

 Based on management method: centralized or distributed (Peer-to-
peer and Client/Server)

 LAN have much higher transmission rates than WAN

 WAN is typically slower and less reliable than a LAN.

1. Depending upon the geographical area covered by a
network,
 Local Area Network (LAN)
 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
 Wide Area Network (WAN)
 Personal Area Network (PAN)
 Local Area Network (LAN)

 A LAN is a network that is used for communicating among

computer devices, usually within an office building or home.
 LAN’s enable the sharing of resources such as files or hardware
devices that may be needed by multiple users
 Is fast, with speeds from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps
 Has lower cost compared to MAN’s or WAN’s
 LAN’s can be either wired or wireless. Twisted pair, coax or
fibre optic cable can be used in wired LAN’s
Nodes in a LAN are linked together with a certain
topology including Bus, Ring, Star
LANs are capable of very high transmission rates
(100s Mb/s to G b/s).
 9

Advantage
 Speed
 Cost
 Security
 E-mail
 Resource Sharing

Disadvantages
 Expensive To Install
 Requires Administrative Time
 File Server May Fail
 Cables May Break
 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

 A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a large

computer network that usually spans a city or a large
campus.
 A MAN is optimized for a larger geographical area than a
LAN, ranging from several blocks of buildings to entire
cities.
 A MAN might be owned and operated by a single
organization, but it usually will be used by many
individuals and organizations.
 A MAN often acts as a high speed network to allow sharing
of regional resources.
 A MAN typically covers an area of between 5 and 50 km
diameter.
MAN
 Wide Area Network (WAN)

 WAN covers a large geographic area such as

country, continent or even whole of the world.
 A WAN is two or more LANs connected together.
The LANs can be many miles apart.
 To cover great distances, WANs may transmit data
over leased high-speed phone lines or wireless links
such as satellites.
 Multiple LANs can be connected together using
devices such as bridges, routers, or gateways, which
enable them to share data.
 The world's most popular WAN is the Internet
WAN
 Personal Area Network (PAN)

A PAN is a network that is used for communicating

among computers and computer devices (including
telephones) in close proximity of around a few meters
within a room
It can be used for communicating between the devices
themselves, or for connecting to a larger network such as
the internet.
PAN’s can be wired or wireless
PAN
 16

2. Based on node relationship(control)

Centralized:-all processes performed on a single CPU
Distributed:- distribution of processes at different machine
 Peer-to-peer networks
 Server-based networks
A. Peer-to-peer networks
 there are no dedicated servers, and there is no hierarchy among the
computers.
 there is no administrator responsible for the entire network
 Users act as their own administrators and plan their own security
 Users share resources, such as printers, but no specialized servers
exist
17
 18

B. Server-based networks
 networks have dedicated servers.
 A dedicated server is one that functions only as a server and is
not used as a client or workstation.
 Server-based data sharing can be centrally administered and
controlled.
 Security is often the primary reason for choosing a server-based
approach to networking
 Backups can be scheduled several times a day or once a week
 A server-based network can support thousands of users.
19
 Network Topologies
20

 Refers to the arrangement or physical layout of computers,

cables, and other components on the network.
 Topology defines the structure of the network
 physical topology :-is the actual layout of the physical
components such as computer, media etc.
 logical topology:- is how the media is accessed by the hosts, how
data is transmitted between nodes or how the network message is
travel from one node to another.
 The choice of one topology over another will have an impact on:
 Type of equipment that the network needs
 Capabilities of the network
 Growth of the network
 Way the network is managed
 Types of topology
21

Bus topology
Star topology/tree
Ring topology
Mesh topology
 Bus Topology

22

 Advantages
 Works well for small networks

 Relatively inexpensive to implement

 Easy to add to it

 Failure of one station does not affect others

 Disadvantages
 Management costs can be high
 Performance degrades as additional computers are added

 Potential for congestion with network traffic

 Star/tree Topology
23
 Cable segments from each computer are connected to

a centralized component called a hub

 Signals are transmitted from the sending computer

through the hub to all computers on the network

 …
24
 Advantages
 Good option for modern networks
 Easy to manage
 Offers opportunities for expansion
 Most popular topology in use; wide variety of equipment available
 Compared to Bus topology it gives far much better performance
 Centralized management. It helps in monitoring the network
 Failure of one node or link doesn’t affect the rest of network
 Disadvantages
 Hub is a single point of failure
 Requires more cable than the bus

 More expensive than bus topology

 C. Ring topology
25

 connects computers on a single circle of cable.

 Each node is connected to the two nearest nodes so the entire network
forms a circle.
 Unlike the bus topology, there are no terminated ends. The signals
travel around the loop in one direction and pass through each
computer, which can act as a repeater to boost the signal and send it on
to the next computer.
 The failure of one computer can have an impact on the entire network
 well-suited for transmitting signals over long distances by handling
high-volume network traffic on a LAN
 26

 Advantage
• Easier to manage;
• easier to locate a defective node or cable problem
• Well-suited for transmitting signals over long distances on a LAN
• Handles high-volume network traffic
• Enables reliable communication
 Disadvantage
• Expensive
• Requires more cable and network equipment at the start
• Not used as widely as bus topology
• Fewer equipment options
• Fewer options for expansion to high-speed
communication
 D. Mesh topology
27

 A mesh topology network offers superior redundancy and reliability.

 In a mesh topology, each computer is connected to every other
computer by separate cabling
 This configuration provides redundant paths throughout the network
so that if one cable fails, another will take over the traffic.
 there will be (x × (x–1)) ÷ 2 cables in the network.
 Communication is possible between any two nodes on the network
either directly or by passing through.
Hybrid topologies
 Star bus topology
 Star ring topology
 Network Models
28

Networking is a complicated task.

It involves software, firmware, chip level
engineering, hardware and even electric pulses.
To ease network engineering, the whole networking
concept is divided into multiple layers.
The different classification of network into layers
using different standards is referred to as Modelling.
 Layered tasks
29

In layered architecture of Network Models, one

whole network process is divided into small tasks.
Each small task is then assigned to a particular layer
which works dedicatedly to process the task only.
Every layer does only specific work.
In layered communication system, one layer of a
host deals with the task done by or to be done by its
peer layer at the same level on the remote host.
 30

A layered Task
 Basic Network Models
31

Different network models exists.

The two different internationally accepted network
models:
 The OSI model
The internet model chapter five
 Network components
32
hardware components
software
 Physical parts that we can see and

touch components
Server Network operating
 File server
 Data server
system (NOS)
 Mail server The operating
Workstation/Client
system of the
Transmission media workstation
Network Interface Cards (NIC) Server software
A concentrator/network connectivity
Client software
devices:( hub, switch, router…)
 A. Server
33

The server functions as the central repository

resources/services the network provides.
A server commonly has multiple processors, large
hard drives, and large amounts of RAM.
A server provides centralized management of
resources, security, and expanded access to
networked resources in a network.

Server
34
 1. File server
35

Heart of most networks

Large RAM and storage
Fast NIC
The network operating system software resides on this
computer, along with any applications software and data files
that need to be shared.
controls the communication of information between the
nodes on a network
Fast microprocessor and hard drivers
Tape backup
Many explanation slots
Discus other server types??
 B. workstation/ clients
36
A workstation or client is a device on a computer
network that requests services or resources from a
server.
A workstation is a computer that operates
independently of the network
It manages its own files and processing
Less than server in capacity and speed
Almost any computer can serve as a
workstation/client such as printer, scanner…

Workstation
 Transmission media
37
A transmission medium is the physical path
between the networked resources.

Grouped in to two
 Guided/wired or bounded transmission media and
 Coaxial cable
 Unshielded Twisted Pair
 Fiber Optics

 Unguided/wireless or unbounded transmission media

 Software Network Components
 Network operating systems
38 (NOS)
 Coordinate the activities of multiple computers across a network
 Acts as a director to keep the network running smoothly
 Software that resides on the server
 Controls virtually all the activity on the network
 Manages access to the resource on the server and handles security of
the resource on the server
 Provides true multi-user capabilities and is probably the most
important part of the network
 types

 Peer to Peer NOS
39
 Allow users to share resources and files located on their
computers and to access shared resources found on other
computers.
 All computers are considered equal; they all have the

same abilities to use the resources available on the

network
 Example: AppleShare and Windows for Workgroups
 Client/Server NOS
40

 Allow the network to centralize functions and

applications in one or more dedicated file servers.
 Provides the mechanism to integrate all the
components of the network and allow multiple users to
simultaneously share the same resources Irrespective of
physical location
 Example: Novell Netware and Windows 2000 Server
 41
Server software

 E.g. web server, mail server, print server, file

server, database server
Client software

 E.g. web browsers, e-mail clients

 Computer network design and management
42

Network Design
 Whenever we start to design a network for an organization, we
should clearly identify the organizational objective and the
goal of the network to be developed.
 The most typical technical goals in an enterprise LAN/WAN
design include:
 scalability
 Availability: amount of up time the network is available to end users.
 performance: measured in parameters as long as the users have no complaints
 Security: should be carefully integrated into every step of the network design and
planning.
 …
43

The factors we need to examine include the:

 Size of the network.
 Level of security.
 Type of business.
 Level of administrative support available.
 Amount of network traffic.
 Needs of the network users.
 Network budget.
 Selecting a Logical Network Topology
44

 A typical hierarchical network topology includes three layers:

 A core layer consisting of high-end routers and switches that are
optimized for availability and performance
 A distribution layer of routers and switches that implement network
policies
 An access layer that connects users via hubs, switches, and other
interconnection devices
45
 The core layer design
46

 referred as “the backbone” of the network. This is because

it is always a high-speed switching backbone.
 This layer should not perform any packet manipulation,
such as access list filtering that slows down packet
switching.
 neither servers nor end-user machines should be attached
to the core layer.
 The distribution layer design
47

 This layer is the demarcation point between the access and core
layers and helps define and differentiate the core layer. Its
purpose is to provide boundary definition.
 it is where packet manipulation can take place.
include the following functions into the distribution layer
when you design LAN or WAN
 Address or area aggregation
 Departmental or workgroup access
 Broadcast/multicast domain definition
 VLAN routing
 Any media transitions that need to occur
 Security policies
 The access layer design
48

 The access layer is the point where local end users are
connected directly into the network.
 access layers can be designed to have the following
functions:
 Shared bandwidth
 Switched bandwidth
 MAC layer filtering
 Micro segmentation
can give remote sites access to the corporate network via
wide-area technology
 Requirements of the Network
49

 After you have examined the existing facility and equipment,

you need to define the requirements of your network.
 consider the following requirements
 The size of the facility (located on a single floor vs. multiple floors)
 The number of users
 Whether the LAN will be extended to several buildings
 The environment (office, manufacturing, out-of-doors)
 The current network media, if any
 The technical competence of users
 The amount of network traffic (initially, and anticipated for the future)
 The level of security
 Network Management

50

 Network administrators need tools to monitor the

functionality of the network devices, the connections
between them, and the services they provide.
 Simple network Management Protocol (SNMP) has become
the de facto standard for use in network management
solutions .
 Each managed device in the network has several variables
that quantify the state of the device.
Network Management Architecture
51

Network management system (NMS): A system that

executes applications that monitor and control managed devices.
Network management protocol: A protocol that
facilitates the exchange of management information between the
NMS and managed devices
Managed devices: A device (such as a router) managed by
an NMS.
Management agents: Software, on managed devices, that
collects and stores management information
Management information: Data that is of interest to a
device’s management, usually stored in MIBs.
 Protocols and Standards
52

 Several protocols are used within the network management

architecture.
 The most common types of network management protocols include
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP).
SNMP
 SNMP is the simplest network management protocol.
 SNMP is a simple solution that requires little code to implement,
which enables vendors to easily build SNMP agents for their
products.
 is often the foundation of the network management architecture.
 SNMP defines how management information is exchanged between
network management applications and management agents.
 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
53

 ICMP is a network monitoring protocol that’s designed

specifically for error reporting.
 Network devices rely on ICMP to transmit error messages.
 it’s often used by network admins and analysts to
troubleshoot internet connections within diagnostic
utilities such as traceroute or ping.
 Read assignment
54

Other protocols
 RMON(RMON1 and RMON2)
 NetFlow
 CDP
 Syslog
 MIB