Intro to Networking

What is Data Communication?

The process of exchanging data between two or more devices over a transmission medium.

What are the main communication channels used in data communication?

Cables, fiber optics, and wireless signals.

What are the five key components of data communication?

Message, Sender, Receiver, Transmission Medium, Protocol.

What is a Message in data communication?

The actual data or information being transmitted.

What is the Sender in data communication?

The device that initiates or sends the data.

What is the Receiver in data communication?

The device that receives the data.

What is the Transmission Medium in data communication?

The physical path through which data travels.

What is a Protocol in data communication?

A set of rules governing how data is transmitted and received.

What is a Computer Network?

Two or more connected computers that share resources such as data, printers, internet connections, or applications.

What is the purpose of a computer network?

To allow resource sharing and communication between connected devices.

What is a Personal Area Network (PAN)?

A small network that connects personal devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops within a few meters.

Give examples of PAN connections.

Bluetooth, personal hotspot, USB connection.

What is a Local Area Network (LAN)?

A network restricted to a small geographic area, connecting computers within a home, office, or school.

What are examples of LAN?

Home or office networks.

What is a Campus Area Network (CAN)?

A network covering a campus or business park, connecting multiple LANs in a specific geographic area.

Give examples of CAN.

University network, corporate campus.

What is a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)?

A network spanning a city or metropolitan area, connecting multiple LANs.

Give examples of MAN.

City-wide Wi-Fi, cable TV networks.

What is a Wide Area Network (WAN)?

A network covering large geographic areas, often a country or continent, connecting multiple LANs and MANs.

Give examples of WAN.

The Internet, global corporate networks.

What is Network Topology?

The arrangement or layout of devices and how they are interconnected in a network.

What are the two types of topology?

Physical Topology and Logical Topology.

What is Physical Topology?

The physical layout of devices, cables, and hardware connections.

What is Logical Topology?

How data flows in a network and how access to resources is managed by software.

What is a Bus Topology?

All devices are connected to a single central cable called a bus or backbone.

What are the advantages of a Bus Topology?

Easy to install, requires less cable and fewer devices.

What are the disadvantages of a Bus Topology?

Difficult to troubleshoot, limited scalability, and data collision issues.

What is a Ring Topology?

Each device is connected to two others, forming a circular data path.

What are the advantages of a Ring Topology?

High-speed data transfer and no data collisions.

What are the disadvantages of a Ring Topology?

Single point of failure and maintenance can disrupt the entire network.

What is a Star Topology?

All devices are connected to a central hub or switch.

What are the advantages of a Star Topology?

Easy to install and manage; failure of one device does not affect others.

What are the disadvantages of a Star Topology?

If the hub or switch fails, the entire network goes down.

What is a Tree Topology?

A combination of star and bus topologies, where groups of star networks connect to a central bus backbone.

What are the advantages of a Tree Topology?

Scalable and easy to manage.

What are the disadvantages of a Tree Topology?

If the backbone fails, the entire network is affected.

What is a Mesh Topology?

Every device is connected to every other device.

What are the advantages of a Mesh Topology?

Highly reliable, robust, and secure.

What are the disadvantages of a Mesh Topology?

Expensive and complex to install and maintain.

What is a Hybrid Topology?

A combination of two or more different network topologies.

What are the advantages of a Hybrid Topology?

Flexible, scalable, and combines the benefits of multiple topologies.

What are the disadvantages of a Hybrid Topology?

Complex to design and implement.

Who developed the Internetting Project?

Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn.

What did the Internetting Project introduce?

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for reliable end-to-end packet delivery.

What year was ARPANET created?

1969.

How many nodes did ARPANET originally have?

Four nodes – UCLA, UCSB, SRI, and University of Utah.

What was the significance of ARPANET?

It was the first operational computer network and the foundation of the modern Internet.