CSC1050 Week 02 Lecture 2

Flashcards covering packet switches, network issues, client-server model, sockets, and protocols like HTTP and DNS.

Packet Switches

Devices at the core of the internet and networks, acting as routers or switches to forward data packets.

Forwarding (Switching)

A local action on a router or switch, where a packet is taken in on one interface and sent out on another.

Routing

A global action concerned with determining the end-to-end path that a packet will take across a network.

Store and Forward

The process of fully receiving an entire packet before it is transmitted to ensure its integrity.

Packet Transmission Delay

The time taken for a packet to be completely transmitted; smaller with higher bandwidth links.

Queueing (in Networking)

Occurs when packets arrive faster than they can be processed, leading to packets being stored in memory buffers.

Packet Loss

Typically results when a router or switch runs out of memory buffer space and cannot accept more packets.

Network Congestion

A condition where too many packets are present in a network, causing delays and packet loss.

Packet Corruption

When a packet is damaged during transmission due to electromagnetic interference or faulty network interfaces.

Packet Switching

A method where individual packets of data are independently routed through a network.

Circuit Switching

An alternative to packet switching where a dedicated circuit is established end-to-end for communication.

Time Division Multiplexing

A method of allocating specific time slots on a link for different circuits in circuit switching.

Frequency Division Multiplexing

A method allocating different frequency bands on a link for different circuits in circuit switching

Nodal Processing Delay

The time taken by a network device to process a packet, including error checking and routing decisions.

Propagation Delay

The time it takes for a signal to travel a physical distance, limited by the speed of light.

Queueing Delay

The time a packet spends waiting in a queue within a router or switch before being processed.

Traceroute

A network diagnostic tool that records the route and measures delays of packets across an IP network.

Throughput

The actual rate at which data is successfully transmitted through a network, measured in bits per second.

Network Stack (Layers)

A conceptual model dividing network communication into layers, each responsible for specific functions.

Encapsulation

The process of adding headers (and sometimes trailers) to data as it moves down the network stack.

De-encapsulation

The process of removing headers (and sometimes trailers) from data as it moves up the network stack.

Application Layer Protocols

Protocols that define how applications communicate over a network (e.g., HTTP, DNS, SMTP).

Client-Server Architecture

A network architecture where clients initiate connections and request services from always-on servers.

Peer-to-Peer Architecture

A decentralized network architecture where nodes can communicate directly with each other.

Process (in Networking)

A program in execution that is allocated system resources like memory and CPU time.

Socket

An endpoint of a connection across a computer network; acts as an interface for applications to access network services.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol, an asymmetric, request-response, client-server, and stateless protocol used for web communication.

URI/URL

Uniform Resource Identifier/Locator, a string of characters that identifies a resource on the internet.