01 Section 2 - Network types and topologies

Question 1

What is a client-server network?

Answer 1

• networks made up of clients and a server
• it is managed by a server
• devices connected to the server are called clients

Question 2

How are files and software stored on a client server network?

Answer 2

-stored centrally on the server rather than on individual client devices

Question 3

What is the client-server relationship?

Answer 3

• Clients send requests to the server

- the server processes the request and responds

Question 4

What does the server stores on a client-server network?

Answer 4

-user profiles
-passwords
-access information
IT MAY REQUEST A PASSWORD FOR CERTAIN REQUESTS OR DENY REQUESTS TO USERS WITHOUT THE RIGHT ACCESS LEVEL

Question 5

What is an example of where a client-sever network is used?

Answer 5

• most of the Internet work on a client-server relationship

e. g. websites are hosted on web servers, web browsers are client programs which send requests to the web severs

Question 6

What are the pros of client-server networks?

Answer 6

• easier to keep track of files as they are stored centrally
• can perform centralised backups
• can perform centralised installation and updates of software
• easier to manage network security (anti-malware software and user access levels)
• servers are very reliable and are always on

Question 7

What are the cons of client-server networks?

Answer 7

• expensive to set up and needs IT specialists to maintain the network and server
• server dependence, if the server goes down all clients loose access to their work
• servers may become overloaded if too many clients are accessing it at once

Question 8

What are peer-to-peer networks?

Answer 8

Devices are all equal, they connect directly to each other without a server

Question 9

Where are files stored on a peer-to-peer network?

Answer 9

-files are stored on individual devices and share them with others

Question 10

What is an example of where a peer-to-peer network is used?

Answer 10

-at home to share files between devices, or connect devices to a printer

Question 11

What are the pros of peer-to-peer networking?

Answer 11

• easy to maintain, don’t need expertise or expensive hardware
• no dependence on a server, if one device fails the whole network isn’t lost

Question 12

What are the cons of peer-to-peer networking?

Answer 12

• no centralised management (devices need updates and security installed individually)
• copying files between devices creates duplicate files (lose track of what is stored where and what files are up-to-date)
• peer machines are less reliable (data can be lost if one fails)
• machines are prone to slow down if another is accessing it

Question 13

What are examples of peer-to-peer applications on the Internet?

Answer 13

• video calling (e.g. Skype)

- file sharing

Question 14

What is a topology?

Answer 14

The layout of a network

Question 15

What are the different types of network topologies you can have?

Answer 15

• star topology
• bus topology
• ring topology
• mesh topology

Question 16

What is a star topology?

Answer 16

A topology where all devices are connected centrally to a central switch or server that controls the network.

• central switch allows many devices to access the server simultaneously
• can be wired or wireless

Question 17

What are the pros of a star topology network?

Answer 17

• if a device fails or a cable is disconnected, the rest of the network is unaffected
• simple to add more devices to the network
• better performance than other setups (all devices can transmit data at once(unlike ring), very few data collisions(unlike bus))

Question 18

What are the cons of a star topology network?

Answer 18

• in a wired network every device needs a cable to connect centrally - this can be expensive
• if there is a problem with the switch or server the whole network is affected

Question 19

What is a bus topology?

Answer 19

When all devices are arranged in a line, connected to a single backbone cable
-devices send data in both directions, this causes data collisions which slows down the network

Question 20

What is a ring topology?

Answer 20

When data moves in one direction around the ring, preventing collisions

• only one device can send data at a time
• data passes through many devices before reaching its destination

Question 21

What is a mesh topology?

Answer 21

It is a decentralised network design, networking devices are either directly on indirectly connected to every other one (no need for one central switch or server)

Question 22

How do mesh networks work?

Answer 22

By sending data along the fastest route from one device to another

Question 23

What is the advantage of a mesh topology?

Answer 23

-no single point where a network can fail (if one device fails then the data is sent along a different route to get to its target)

Question 24

What is the disadvantages of mesh topology?

Answer 24

-expensive because you need a lot of wires to connect many devices together (now people are using more wireless technology, so it’s more of a practical option)

Question 25

What is a full mesh topology?

Answer 25

A network where every device is connected to every other device

Question 26

What is a partial mesh topology?

Answer 26

A network where not every device is directly connected to every other