1.

NETWORKING CONCEPTS
1.1 Learning objectives
 To know about uses, applications, disadvantages of network
 To elaborate various types of network
 To elaborate various types of topologies
 Discuss switching techniques
1.2 Definition

A computer network is defined as the interconnection of two or more computers. It is done to

enable the computers to communicate and share available resources.

1.3 Applications

 Sharing of resources such as printers

 Sharing of expensive software's and database
 Communication from one computer to another computer
 Exchange of data and information among users via network
 Sharing of information over geographically wide areas.

1.4 Uses of computer networks

 sharing information
 sharing of hardware and software
 Reduced cost
 Improved security
 Centralized software managements
 Electronic mail
 Flexible access
 Increased speed

1.5 Components of computer networks

 Two or more computers

 Cables as links between the computers
 A network interfacing card(NIC) on each computer
 Switches
 Software called operating system(OS)

1.6 Disadvantages of computer networks

 High cost of installation

 Requires time for administration
 Failure of server
1.7 Types of Networks

1.7.1 LAN(Local Area Network)

 LAN is a network which is designed to operate over a small physical area such as an
office, factory or a group of buildings.
 LAN’s are easy to design and troubleshoot
 Exchange of information and sharing of resources becomes easy because of LAN.
 In LAN all machines are connected to a single cable.
 Different types of topologies such as star, tree, bus, ring, etc Can be used
 It is usually a privately owned network.

1.7.2 MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)

 It is in between LAN & WAN technology that covers the entire city.
 It uses similar technology as LAN.
 It can be a single network such as cable TV network, or a measure of connecting a number of
LAN’s o a large network so that resources can be shared LAN to LAN as well as device to
device.
1.7.3 WAN(Wide Area Network)

 When network spans over a large distance or when the computers to be connected to each
other are at widely separated locations a local area network cannot be used. A wide area
network(WAN) is installed.
 The communication between different users of WAN is established using leased
telephone lines, satellite links and similar channels.
 It is cheaper and more efficient to use the phone network for the link.
 Most WAN networks are used to transfer large blocks of data between its users.

1.8 Peer to Peer Network

 In peer to peer network each computer is responsible for making its own resources available
to other computers on the network.
 Each computer is responsible for setting up and maintaining its own security for these
resources.
 Also each computer is responsible for accessing the required network resources from
peer to peer relationships.
 Peer to peer network is useful for a small network containing less than 10 computers on a
single LAN .
 In peer to peer network each computer can function as both client and server.
 Peer to peer networks do not have a central control system. There are no servers in peer
networks.
 Peer networks are amplified into home group.
1.9 Client Server Network
 In client-server network relationships, certain computers act as server and other act as
clients. A server is simply a computer, that available the network resources and provides
service to other computers when they request it. A client is the computer running a program
that requests the service from a server.
 Local area network(LAN) is based on client server network relationship.
 A client-server network is one n which all available network resources such as files,
directories, applications and shared devices, are centrally managed and hosted and then
are accessed by client.
 Client serve network are defined by the presence of servers on a network that provide
security and administration of the network.
1.10 Topologoies

1.10.1 BUS Topology

Bus topology is a network type in which every computer and network device is connected to
single cable. When it has exactly two endpoints, then it is called Linear Bus topology.

Features of Bus Topology

 It transmits data only in one direction.

 Every device is connected to a single cable

Advantages of Bus Topology

 It is cost effective.

 Cable required is least compared to other network topology.

 Used in small networks.

 It is easy to understand.

 Easy to expand joining two cables together.

Disadvantages of Bus Topology

 Cables fails then whole network fails.

 If network traffic is heavy or nodes are more the performance of the network decreases.

 Cable has a limited length.

 It is slower than the ring topology.

1.10.2 RING Topology

It is called ring topology because it forms a ring as each computer is connected to another
computer, with the last one connected to the first. Exactly two neighbours for each device.

Features of Ring Topology

 A number of repeaters are used for Ring topology with large number of nodes, because if

someone wants to send some data to the last node in the ring topology with 100 nodes, then

the data will have to pass through 99 nodes to reach the 100th node. Hence to prevent data

loss repeaters are used in the network.

 The transmission is unidirectional, but it can be made bidirectional by having 2 connections

between each Network Node, it is called Dual Ring Topology.

 In Dual Ring Topology, two ring networks are formed, and data flow is in opposite direction

in them. Also, if one ring fails, the second ring can act as a backup, to keep the network up.
 Data is transferred in a sequential manner that is bit by bit. Data transmitted, has to pass

through each node of the network, till the destination node.

Advantages of Ring Topology

 Transmitting network is not affected by high traffic or by adding more nodes, as only the

nodes having tokens can transmit data.

 Cheap to install and expand

Disadvantages of Ring Topology

 Troubleshooting is difficult in ring topology.

 Adding or deleting the computers disturbs the network activity.

 Failure of one computer disturbs the whole network.

1.10.3 STAR Topology

In this type of topology all the computers are connected to a single hub through a cable. This hub
is the central node and all others nodes are connected to the central node.

Features of Star Topology

 Every node has its own dedicated connection to the hub.

 Hub acts as a repeater for data flow.

 Can be used with twisted pair, Optical Fibre or coaxial cable.

Advantages of Star Topology

 Fast performance with few nodes and low network traffic.

 Hub can be upgraded easily.

 Easy to troubleshoot.

 Easy to setup and modify.

 Only that node is affected which has failed, rest of the nodes can work smoothly.

Disadvantages of Star Topology

 Cost of installation is high.

 Expensive to use.

 If the hub fails then the whole network is stopped because all the nodes depend on the hub.

 Performance is based on the hub that is it depends on its capacity

1.10.4 MESH Topology

It is a point-to-point connection to other nodes or devices. All the network nodes are connected
to each other. Mesh has n(n-1)/2 physical channels to link n devices.

Types of Mesh Topology

1. Partial Mesh Topology : In this topology some of the systems are connected in the same

fashion as mesh topology but some devices are only connected to two or three devices.

2. Full Mesh Topology : Each and every nodes or devices are connected to each other.

Features of Mesh Topology

 Fully connected.

 Robust.

 Not flexible.

Advantages of Mesh Topology

 Each connection can carry its own data load.

 It is robust.

 Fault is diagnosed easily.

 Provides security and privacy.

Disadvantages of Mesh Topology

 Installation and configuration is difficult.

 Cabling cost is more.

 Bulk wiring is required.

1.10.5 TREE Topology

It has a root node and all other nodes are connected to it forming a hierarchy. It is also called
hierarchical topology. It should at least have three levels to the hierarchy.
Features of Tree Topology

 Ideal if workstations are located in groups.

 Used in Wide Area Network.

Advantages of Tree Topology

 Extension of bus and star topologies.

 Expansion of nodes is possible and easy.

 Easily managed and maintained.

 Error detection is easily done.

Disadvantages of Tree Topology

 Heavily cabled.

 Costly.

 If more nodes are added maintenance is difficult.

 Central hub fails, network fails.

1.10.6 HYBRID Topology

It is two different types of topologies which is a mixture of two or more topologies. For example
if in an office in one department ring topology is used and in another star topology is used,
connecting these topologies will result in Hybrid Topology (ring topology and star topology).

Features of Hybrid Topology

 It is a combination of two or topologies

 Inherits the advantages and disadvantages of the topologies included

Advantages of Hybrid Topology

 Reliable as Error detecting and trouble shooting is easy.

 Effective.

 Scalable as size can be increased easily.

 Flexible.

Disadvantages of Hybrid Topology

 Complex in design.

 Costly.
1.11 Switching Techniques

1.11.1 Circuit switching: it is a technique that directly connects the sender and the receiver in
an unbroken path.

• Telephone switching equipment, for example, establishes a path that connects the caller's
telephone to the receiver's telephone by making a physical connection.

• With this type of switching technique, once a connection is established, a dedicated path
exists between both ends until the connection is terminated.

• Routing decisions must be made when the circuit is first established, but there are no decisions
made after that time

• Circuit switching in a network operates almost the same way as the telephone system works.

• A complete end-to-end path must exist before communication can take place.

• The computer initiating the data transfer must ask for a connection to the destination.

• Once the connection has been initiated and completed to the destination device, the destination
device must acknowledge that it is ready and willing to carry on a transfer.

Advantages:

• The communication channel (once established) is dedicated.

Disadvantages:

• Possible long wait to establish a connection, (10 seconds, more on long- distance or
international calls.) during which no data can be transmitted.

• More expensive than any other switching techniques, because a dedicated path is required for
each connection.

• Inefficient use of the communication channel, because the channel is not used when the
connected systems are not using it.

1.11.2 Packet Switching:

Packet Switching

• Packet switching can be seen as a solution that tries to combine the advantages of message and
circuit switching and to minimize the disadvantages of both.

• There are two methods of packet switching: Datagram and virtual circuit.
• In both packet switching methods, a message is broken into small parts, called packets.

• Each packet is tagged with appropriate source and destination addresses.

• With current technology, packets are generally accepted onto the network on a first-come, first-
served basis. If the network becomes overloaded, packets are delayed or discarded (``dropped'').

• In packet switching, the analog signal from your phone is converted into a digital data stream.
That series of digital bits is then divided into relatively tiny clusters of bits, called packets.

• Datagram packet switching is similar to message switching in that each packet is a self-
contained unit with complete addressing information attached.

• This fact allows packets to take a variety of possible paths through the network.

• So the packets, each with the same destination address, do not follow the same route, and they
may arrive out of sequence at the exit point node (or the destination).

• Reordering is done at the destination point based on the sequence number of the packets.

• It is possible for a packet to be destroyed if one of the nodes on its way is crashed momentarily.
Thus all its queued packets may be lost.

• In the virtual circuit approach, a preplanned route is established before any data packets are
sent.

• A logical connection is established when a sender send a "call request packet" to the receiver
and the receiver send back an acknowledge packet "call accepted packet" to the sender if the
receiver agrees on conversational parameters.

• The conversational parameters can be maximum packet sizes, path to be taken, and other
variables necessary to establish and maintain the conversation.

• Virtual circuits imply acknowledgements, flow control, and error control, so virtual circuits are
reliable. That is, they have the capability to inform upper-protocol layers if a transmission
problem occurs

• In virtual circuit, the route between stations does not mean that this is a dedicated path, as in
circuit switching.

• A packet is still buffered at each node and queued for output over a line.

Advantages:

• Packet switching is cost effective, because switching devices do not need massive amount of
secondary storage.
• Packet switching offers improved delay characteristics, because there are no long messages in
the queue (maximum packet size is fixed).

• Packet can be rerouted if there is any problem, such as, busy or disabled links.

•The advantage of packet switching is that many network users can share the same channel at the
same time. Packet switching can maximize link efficiency by making optimal use of link
bandwidth.

Disadvantages:

• Protocols for packet switching are typically more complex.

• It can add some initial costs in implementation.

• If packet is lost, sender needs to retransmit the data. Another disadvantage is that packet-
switched systems still can’t deliver the same quality as dedicated circuits in applications
requiring very little delay - like voice conversations or moving images.

1.11.3 Message Switching

• With message switching there is no need to establish a dedicated path between two stations.

• When a station sends a message, the destination address is appended to the message.

• The message is then transmitted through the network, in its entirety, from node to node.

• Each node receives the entire message, stores it in its entirety on disk, and then transmits the
message to the next node.

• This type of network is called a store-and-forward network.

A message-switching node is typically a general-purpose computer. The device needs sufficient

secondary-storage capacity to store the incoming messages, which could be long. A time delay is
introduced using this type of scheme due to store- and-forward time, plus the time required to
find the next node in the transmission path.

Advantages:

• Channel efficiency can be greater compared to circuit-switched systems, because more

devices are sharing the channel.

• Traffic congestion can be reduced, because messages may be temporarily stored in route.

• Message priorities can be established due to store-and-forward technique.

• Message broadcasting can be achieved with the use of broadcast address appended in the
message

Disadvantages

• Message switching is not compatible with interactive applications.

• Store-and-forward devices are expensive, because they must have large disks to hold
potentially long messages

VERY SHORT QUESTIONS

1. Define network?
2. What is full form of LAN?
3. Define star topology?
4. What is a server?
5. Name various elements of computer network?
6. What are the 3 phases of circuit switching?
7. Name four network topology?

SHORT QUESTIONS

1. Explain packet switching?

2. What is message switching?
3. Explain tree and star topology?
4. Discuss mesh topology?
5. What are the uses of computer network?
6. What is peer to peer network?
7. What is Ring topology?
8. What do you mean by email?

LONG QUESTIONS

1. Explain various topologies in detail?

2. Explain switching techniques?
3. What is peer to peer and client server model?
4. What is computer network and what are its applications?