COMPUTER NETWORKS AND WEB TECHNOLOGIES

Section 2 csec IT

What is a computer network?

A computer network is a group of computing devices that are connected together to share resources

What is a LAN (Local Area Network)?

A local area network is a computer network that interconnects devices across a limited area, such as a school, office, etc.

What does the M in MAN mean?

Metropolitan

What is a Metropolitan Area Network?

A metropolitan area network is a computer network that interconnects devices over a geographic area larger than a LAN, such as across a city/town.

List 3 organisations that use a WAN

Banks (Large Financial Institutions)

Airlines

Government Agencies

National Corporations

What is a WAN?

A wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunications network that covers a broad area, often using leased telecommunication lines to connect multiple LANs across countries, or even globally.

What is meant by the term ‘transmission media’?

Transmission media refers to the means by which computing devices in a network are connected together

Transmission media can be _____ or ________

wired or wireless

How many individual wires would you find in a networking twisted pair?

eight individual copper wires (twisted in pairs)

What is a fibre optic cable?

A fibre optic cable consists of flexible fibres with a glass core. They carry information using light

What is a wireless network?

A wireless network uses RADIO WAVES to connect devices rather than physical media

Give ONE advantage of a wired network when compared to a wireless network

A wired network typically offers higher speeds and more stable connections as data is brought directly to the other point rather than in a wireless network, where data is broadcasted

What is a common carrier?

A provider of communication services to the general public under a set of regulations.

A company that offers communication services to the general public

What is a mobile network?

A radio-based network enabling wireless communication between mobile devices (like phones) and fixed infrastructure (like cell towers).

Briefly describe how a mobile network works?

Each mast has a radio transmitter and receiver, and its signal covers a circular area called a cell. Phones within that cell can connect to the mast. In cities, hundreds of masts are used, with overlapping cells to ensure continuous coverage. These masts are connected in a network, allowing phones to communicate within the same cell or across different cells. Over time, this system has expanded globally, now covering most urban areas.

What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi® is a wireless technology protocol used to connect hardware such as computers, peripherals, tablets and smartphones to local area networks without cables.

Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology/protocol that uses radio waves to provide hardware with wireless high-speed Internet access

What is bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard used for exchanging data over short distances between devices such as mobile phones, headphones, and computers.

A wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from one device to another

What is meant by the term ‘hotspot’?

A hotspot is a physical location where users can access the internet wirelessly, typically through a Wi-Fi connection.

What is meant by the term ‘transmission media’?

Transmission media is the medium through which data is transmitted from one device to another within a network.

List 3 wireless communication/transmission media

Infrared, Satellite, Microwaves

Give one difference between infrared and microwave transmission media (hint:wavelength & frequency)

Microwave transmissions have longer wavelengths and lower frequencies compared to infrared transmissions, enabling them to travel further distances

Infrared which has shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies, making it suitable for short-range communication.

What is a satellite?

A satellite is a communication device orbiting in space that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals to and from remote locations.

What is a ‘hub’?

A multiport device that connects multiple computing devices together, allowing them to communicate with each other.

What is the function of a router?

A router is an intelligent network device that connects two networks together.

State the use of the ROUTER

A hub connects computing devices while a router joins two or more networks.

An ‘Internet Router’ refers to the device that home users and small offices use to connect their LAN to the Internet. (It’s usually a combined hub and router in one device).

A network ______ is a hardware component responsible for relaying data from networks by routing incoming data directly to the specific output port that will take the data towards its intended destination.

switch

What is the function of a modem?

A modem is a device that modulates and demodulates analog signals (converting analog to digital signals and vice versa) to enable digital devices to communicate over telephone lines.

What is a NIC Card/ Network Adapter

A NIC is a computer hardware component installed in a device to enable a computer to connect to a network (using a plugged cable)

A Network Adapter is a converter that adapts/extends a USB port in order for it to function like a NIC/Wireless NIC. It is needed if there is no built in networking component.

What is an extranet?

An extranet is a private network that allows controlled access to external users, typically business partners or clients, while still maintaining a level of security. It extends an intranet's resources to users outside the organization.

Define the term ‘intranet’

An intranet is a private computer network where only authorised persons within an organisation can access resources.

What is the Worldwide Web (WWW)

A graphical easy to use system of inter-linked files on the internet

A ___ ______ is needed to access the worldwide web

web browser

What is a web browser?

A web browser is an application program that allows a user to access or search for webpages on the Worldwide Web

What is HTML?

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, which is the standard language used to create and design documents on the World Wide Web.

What is a hyperlink?

A hyperlink is a reference or link in a digital document that allows users to quickly navigate to another section of the document or to a different document altogether, often used in web pages.

URL stands for

Uniform Resource Locator

What is HTTP?

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, is a protocol used to request and transmit files, especially web pages and web page components, over the Internet or other computer networks. It enables web browsers and servers to communicate.

In the url https://iloveshoes.com/girls/pinkglossylaceshoe what is the Domain name?

iloveshoes.com is the part that specifies the main address of the website, indicating the server hosting the content.

What is a webpage?

An HTML file accessible on the worldwide web

What is a website?

A collection of related web pages under a single domain.

What does HTTPS stand for?

HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure

What is a web server?

A computer that delivers web pages when requested via a web browser

What is FTP?

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the special language two computers use when copying or moving files between them.

Differentiate between uploading and downloading

Uploading is the transferring of files from your personal computer to a remote computer.

Downloading is the transferring of files from a remote computer to your personal computer

What is electronic mail?

Emails refer to messages sent electronically via communication channels

What is e-commerce

The term referring to the buying and selling of goods and services via the internet/online

What is e-learning?

Education provided electronically or online

List two benefits of using mobile networks for education

The main advantages are

Students don’t have to attend a physical location, they can work from anywhere with a mobile phone signal

They can do most of the work at a time that suits them.

For teachers an advantage of this way of working is that many administrative tasks can be automated. - Monitoring activities, conducting tests, which are automatically marked, and updating course resources are all easily automated.

Identify 3 uses of mobile networks in e-commerce

1. Mobile Banking - check balance, pay using smartphone, manage accounts, conduct transfers

2. Buying and selling - shopping can be done using mobile devices via seller’s abb or website

3. Mobile tickets, boarding passes and vouchers

How does the use of mobile networks impact journalism?

The use of mobile networks and smartphones allows a journalist to file a report on the go when a big story breaks.

• Camera applications allow the capture of video and still photographs,

• Word processing apps allow words to be added to the story

• Audio-recording apps allow for the capture of interviews for radio stations and podcasts.

This content is then transmitted back to the editor in the office using mobile network communication.