NETWORKING 1

Identify different types of networks.

Examples include local area network (LAN), virtual local area network (VLAN), wide area network (WAN), storage area
network (SAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), internet, extranet, virtual private network (VPN), personal area
network (PAN), peer-to-peer (P2P). – all ones in red appeared in past questions take note of those in black as well
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virtual local area network (VLAN)
A virtual local area network (VLAN) is a logical group of workstations, servers and network devices that appear to be on the
same LAN despite their geographical distribution.

• A VLAN allows a network of computers and users to communicate in a simulated environment as if they exist in a single LAN.
• VLANs are implemented to achieve scalability, security and ease of network management and can quickly adapt to changes in
network requirements and relocation of workstations and server nodes
VLAN can be used to partition the initial LAN, where every department is connected, into logical separate networks.
Each logical separate network cannot see the computer systems or the shared resources of other such logical separate
networks, without specific set up that allows it to see them.

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storage area network (SAN)

A SAN is a network that is created so that large storage devices can be accessible from servers in a convenient and
easy way.
A storage area network (SAN) is a secure high-speed data transfer network that provides access to consolidated blocklevel
storage.

• An SAN makes a network of storage devices accessible to multiple servers.

• SAN devices appear to servers as attached drives, eliminating traditional network bottlenecks.

• SANs are sometimes also referred to (albeit redundantly) as SAN storage, SAN network, network SAN, etc.
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internet
The internet is a globally connected network system that uses the TCP/IP protocols to transmit data via various types of media.
• The internet is a network of global exchanges – including private, public, business, academic and government networks –
connected by wired, wireless and fibre-optic technologies.

• The terms internet and World Wide Web are often used interchangeably, but they are not exactly the same thing; the
internet refers to the global communication system, including hardware and infrastructure, while the web is one of the services
communicated over the internet.

NETWORKING 2
Outline the importance of standards in the construction of networks.
EXPECTED ANSWER : Standards enable compatibility through a common “language” internationally.
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• Standards play an important role in networking.

• Without standards, manufacturers of networking products have no common ground on which to build their systems.

• Interconnecting products from various vendors would be difficult, if not impossible.

• Without agreed standards, communication would be difficult (if not impossible)

EXPECTED ANSWER : Standards enable compatibility through a common “language” internationally.

NETWORKING 3
Describe how communication over networks is broken down into different layers.
Awareness of the OSI seven layer model is required, but an understanding of the functioning of each layer is not.

List of OSI model(Open Systems Interconnection model)

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 NETWORKING 4
Identify the technologies required to provide a VPN.

It uses the internet to allow people to log into a network remotely and access its resources, but encrypts the
connection to thwart eavesdroppers.
 • If your company sets you up with a VPN, you can access your corporate intranet, file servers or email from home or a
coffee shop – just as if you were using it in your office.

• This makes VPN a popular way to support remote workers, especially in fields where privacy is paramount, such as
health care.

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Evaluate the use of a VPN.

NETWORKING 5
Define the terms: protocol, data packet.
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 NETWORKING 6
Explain why protocols are necessary
Including data integrity, flow control, deadlock, congestion, error checking.

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Essential functions of protocols

• Ensure data integrity

• Manage flow control

• Prevent deadlock

• Manage congestion

• Perform error checking

Data integrity

• Data integrity, in the context of networking, refers to the overall completeness, accuracy and consistency of data.

• Data integrity must be imposed when sending data through a network.

Flow control
 • Flow control is the mechanism that ensures the rate at which a sender is transmitting is in proportion with the
receiver’s receiving capabilities.

• Flow control is utilized especially in cases where the sending device can send data much faster than the receiver can
digest.

Deadlock

• A deadlock is a situation where two nodes or processes are trying to access the same node at exactly the same
moment, causing neither to be able to proceed.

• It is then up to the relevant protocol to stop both, and requeue them so that they can happen sequentially, letting
traffic flow.

Congestion control

• Congestion refers to a network state where a node or link carries so much data that it may deteriorate network
service quality, resulting in queuing delay, frame or data packet loss and the blocking of new connections.

• In modern networks, avoiding congestive collapse involves the application of network congestion avoidance
techniques along with congestion control.

Error checking

• Error checking or detection refers to the techniques used to detect noise or other impairments introduced into data
while it is transmitted from source to destination.

• Error detection often makes use of parity bits, bits at the end of a packet that are calculated to be either a 1 or 0

NETWORKING 7
Explain why the speed of data transmission across a network can vary.
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