BASIC CONCEPTS

OF COMPUTER
NETWORK
INDEX
 Definition & applications of computer network
 Components of computer network
 Network benefits
 Disadvantages of computer network
 Classification by their geographical area
 Network classification by their component
role
 Types of servers
DEFINTION & APPLICATIONS
 DEFINTION:
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.
 APPLICATIONS:
i. Sharing of resources such as printers
ii. Sharing of expensive software's and database
iii. Communication from one computer to
another computer
iv. Exchange of data and information among users via
network
v. Sharing of information over geographically wide
areas.
COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER
NETWORK

 Two or more computers

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

 The network provided to the

users can be divided into two
categories:
i. Sharing
ii. Connectivity
 SHARING RESOURCES

 Types of resources are:

1. Hardware: A network allows users to
share many hardware devices such as
printers, modems, fax machines, CD
ROM, players, etc.
2. Software: sharing software resources reduces
the cost of software installation, saves space
on hard disk.
OTHER BENEFITS OF COMPUTER
NETWORK

o Increased speed
o Reduced cost
o Improved security
o Centralized software
managements
o Electronic mail
o Flexible access
DISDAVATAGES OF NETWORKS

o High cost of installation

o Requires time for
administration
o Failure of server
o Cable faults
CLASSIFICATION OF AREA BY
THEIR GEOGRAPHY
LOCAL AREA NETWORK(LAN)

 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 andtroubleshoot
 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.
WIDE AREA NETWORK(WAN)

 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.
PERSONAL AREA NETWORK(PAN)

 A personal area network is a computer network

organized around an individual person.
 It generally consists of a mobile computer, a cell
phone or personal digital assistant. PAN enables
the communication among these devices.
 It can also be used for communication among
personal devices themselves for connecting to a
digital level network and internet.
 The PANs can be constructed using wireless or
cables.
CAMPUS AREA NETWORK(CAN)

 The campus area network is made up of an

interconnection of LAN with limited
geographical area.
 Network equipments such as switches, routers
and the transmission media i.e. optical fibre
etc are almost entirely owned by the campus
owner.
METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK(MAN)

 It is in between LAN & WAN technology that

covers the entire city.
 It uses similar technology asLAN.
 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 sothat
resources can be shared LAN to LAN as well as
device to device.
 WAN
LAN

PAN

CAN
MAN
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN LAN,WAN,MAN
PARAMETERS LAN WAN MAN
Ownership of
Private Private or public Private or public
network

Geographical
Small Very large Moderate
area covered

Design and
Easy Not easy Not easy
maintenance

Coaxial
Communication PSTN or cables, PSTN,
Coaxial cable
medium satellite optical fibre,
links cables,
wireless

Bandwidth Low High moderate

Data
High Low moderate
rates(speed)
NETWORK CLASSIFICATION BY THEIR
COMPONENT ROLE

LOCAL AREA NETWORK

PEER TO PEER NETWORK CLIENT SERVER NETWORK

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.
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
OF PEER TO PEER NETWORK
Advantages: Disadvantages:
 Use less expensive  Not very secure
computer hardware  No central point of
 Easy to administer storage or file archiving
 No NOS required  Additional load on
 More built in redundancy computer because of
resource sharing
 Easy setup & low cost
 Hard to maintain
version control
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.
ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF CLIENT-
SERVER NETWORK
Advantages: Disadvantages:
 Very secure  requires professional
administration
 Better performance
 More hardware-
 Centralized backup
intensive
 very reliable  More software
intensive
 Expensive dedicated
software
TYPES OFSERVERS
TYPES OFSERVERS

 File server: These servers provide the

services for storing, retrieving and
moving the data. A user can
read, write, exchange and manage the files
with the help of
file servers.
 Printer server: The printer server is used for
controlling and managing printing on the
network. It also offers the fax service to the
network users.
 Application server: The expensive software
and additional computing power can be
shared by the computers in a network with
he help of application servers.
 Message server: It is used to co-ordinate
the interaction between users,
documents and applications. The data
can be used in the for of audio, video,
binary, text or graphics.
 Database server: It is a type of
application server. It allows the uses to
access the centralized strong database.
 Advantages of
Networking Students
Speed

Networks provide a very rapid method for

sharing and transferring files.
Without a network, files are shared by copying
them to floppy disks, then
carrying or sending the disks from one
computer to another. This method of
transferring files in this manner is very time-
consuming.
Cost

The network version of most software

programs are available at considerable
savings when compared to buying individually
licensed copies.

Besides monetary savings, sharing a program

on a network allows for easier upgrading
of the program.
Centralized Software Management

One of the greatest benefits of installing a

network at a school is the fact that all
of the software can be loaded on one
computer (the file server).

This eliminates
that need to spend time and energy installing
updates and tracking files on
independent computers throughout the
building.
Resource Sharing

Sharing resources is another area in which a network

exceeds stand-alone computers.

Most students cannot afford enough laser printers, fax

machines,modems, scanners, and CD-ROM players for
each computer.

However, if these or similar peripherals are added to a

network, they can be shared by many users.
Flexible Access

School networks allow students to access

their files from computers throughout the
school.
Students can begin an assignment in their
classroom to finish their work. Students can
also work cooperatively through the network.
Security

Files and programs on a network can be

designated as "copy inhibit," so that you do
not have to worry about illegal copying of
programs.
Also, passwords can be established for
specific directories to restrict access to
authorized users.
Costs

Although a network will generally save

money over time, the initial costs can
be substantial, and the installation may
require the services of a technician.
Requires Administrative Time

Proper maintenance of a network

requires considerable time and
expertise.

Many students have installed a network,

only to find that they did not budget for
the necessary administrative support.
File Server May Fail

Although a file server is no more susceptible

to failure than any other computer, when the
files server "goes down," the entire network
may come to a halt.

When this happens, the entire school may lose

access to necessary programs and files.
Different Networking
Devices
Network Hub

• Network Hub is a networking device

which is used to connect multiple network
hosts.

• A network hub is also used to do data

transfer. A hub is not so secure and safe.
Moreover, copying the data packets on
all the interfaces or ports makes it slower
and more congested which led to the use
of network switch.
Network Switch

• Like a hub, a switch also works at the layer of

LAN (Local Area Network) but you can say that
a switch is more intelligent than a hub.

• While hub just does the work of data

forwarding, a switch does ‘filter and forwarding’
which is a more intelligent way of dealing with
the data packets.
Modem

• A Modem is somewhat a more interesting

network device in our daily life.

• So if you have noticed around, you get an

internet connection through a wire (there
are different types of wires) to your
house. This wire is used to carry our
internet data outside to the internet world.
Network Router

• A router is a network device which is

responsible for routing traffic from one to
another network.

• These two networks could be a private

company network to a public network. You
can think of a router as a traffic police who
directs different network traffic to different
directions.
Bridge

• If a router connects two different

types of networks, then a bridge
connects two subnetworks as a part
of the same network.
Repeater

• A repeater is an electronic device that

amplifies the signal it receives.
• In other terms, you can think of repeater
as a device which receives a signal and
retransmits it at a higher level or higher
power so that the signal can cover longer
distances.
THANK YOU!