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Computer Science > 1.3 - Computer networks, connections and protocols > Flashcards

1.3 - Computer networks, connections and protocols Flashcards

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1
Q

What does LAN stand for?

A

Local Area Network

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2
Q

What is a LAN?

A
  • Covers a small geographical area
  • All hardware is owned by the organisation that uses it
  • Either wired or wireless
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3
Q

Where would you often find LANs?

A
  • Businesses
  • Schools / Universities
  • Homes (connects PCs, TVs, Printers etc)
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4
Q

What are some advantages of using a LAN?

A
  • Sharing files is easier
  • You can share the same hardware
  • Internet connection can be shared between every device that is connected
  • You can install/update software simultaneously rather than one-by-one
  • User accounts can be stored centrally
  • You can communicate w/ LAN users cheaply & easily
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5
Q

What does WAN stand for?

A

Wide Area Network

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6
Q

What is a WAN?

A
  • Connects LANs that are in different geographical locations
    —> A network that is spread over a large geographical area
  • They use third party infrastructure
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7
Q

How are WANs connected?

A

May be connected using fibre or copper telephone lines, satellite links or radio links

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8
Q

Give an example of a WAN:

A

The internet

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9
Q

What are the types of Network connection devices?

A
  • Hubs
  • Switches
  • Wireless access points
  • Routers
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10
Q

What is an NIC?

Where is it found?

A
  • Internal piece of hardware
  • Allows a device to connect to a network
  • Used to be on separate cards but now built into the motherboard
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11
Q

What is the purpose of a Switch?

A

Connects devices on a LAN

They receive data from one device & transmit this data to the device on the network (with the correct MAC address)

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12
Q

In what units do Switches receive data?

A

Frames

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13
Q

What is Routers responsible for?

A

Transmitting data between networks

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14
Q

Where are Routers used & why?

A

In homes & offices to connect the LAN to the internet

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15
Q

What is the role of Routers on the internet?

A

Directing data (packets) to their destination

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16
Q

What are the most common Ethernet cables & what are they?

A

CAT 5e & CAT 6

‘Twisted pair’ cables, contains 4 pairs of copper wires which are twisted together

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17
Q

What is the purpose of the ‘4 pairs of copper wires which are twisted together’ in an Ethernet cable?

A

To reduce internal interference

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18
Q

What are coaxial cables made of?

A

A single copper wire surrounded by a plastic layer and a metallic mesh

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19
Q

What is the purpose of the plastic layer in a Coaxial cable?

A

Insulation

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20
Q

What is the purpose of the metallic mesh in a Coaxial cable?

A

Provides shielding from the outside interference

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21
Q

What is the purpose of a Fibre Optic Cable?

A

To transmit data as light

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22
Q

What are the advantages of a Fibre Optic Cable?

A
  • Greater BANDWIDTH = transfer speeds are faster
  • Can transmit over VERY LARGE DISTANCES without LOSS OF QUALITY
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23
Q

What are the disadvantages of a Fibre Optic Cable?

A
  • Very Expensive
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24
Q

What is Radio waves used for in a wireless network?

A

To transmit data

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25
Q

Name 2 common wireless technologies:

A
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth
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26
Q

How are wireless networks more convenient than wired networks?

A
  • As you can move around while still being connected
  • Cheaper - needs fewer wires
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27
Q

Describe what is Bluetooth?

A
  • Direct connection between 2 devices so data can be shared
  • Low bandwidth compared to Wi-Fi
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28
Q

What is the typical connection range for Bluetooth?

A

Connection range varies but its usually 10 metres

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29
Q

Where is Bluetooth often used?

A

Often used in mobile/ wearable devices (headphones, smartwatches etc)

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30
Q

Describe what is Wi-Fi?

A
  • Can connect multiple devices to a LAN at the same time
  • High bandwidth compared to Bluetooth
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31
Q

What is the typical connection range for Wi-Fi?

A

40 - 100 metres

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32
Q

Where is Wi-Fi often used?

A

Homes (Routers, Desktops, Laptops etc)

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33
Q

What does a WAP stand for?

A

Wireless access point

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34
Q

What is a WAP?

A

A device that connects computers to a network using Wi-Fi.

Similar to a switch

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35
Q

What do devices need to connect to a WIFI?

A

A wireless NIC

Often built into the device

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36
Q

What can you use if you don’t have a NIC?

A

A dongle

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37
Q

What are the types of Dongles?

A
  • USB dongles
  • HDMI dongles
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38
Q

What is the purpose of a USB dongle?

A

Can be plugged into computers to allow them to connect wirelessly to the internet

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39
Q

What is the purpose of a HDMI dongle?

A

Can use wireless networks to stream high-quality video to a TV

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40
Q

What factors affect network performance?

A
  • Number of devices on the network
  • The bandwidth of the
    transmission medium
  • Type of network traffic
  • Network latency
  • The number of transmission errors
  • Network topology
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41
Q

What is Bandwidth?

A

Measures the amount of data that can transfer through a communications channel over a given period of time

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42
Q

What happens to a network if the bandwidth is high?

A

The network can preform better

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43
Q

What is available bandwidth shared between on a network?

A

The devices on a network

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44
Q

What happens to a network when there are too many devices or heavy use of it?

A

May cause congestion & slow the network

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45
Q

How can you fix network congestion/ heavy use?

A

Limit the bandwidth available to individual users

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46
Q

Wired or wireless?

What type of connection is faster & more reliable?

A

Wired

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47
Q

What type of cable gives better performance?

A

Fibre optic

Rather than copper

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48
Q

What does wireless performance depend on?

A

Signal quality

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49
Q

What is wireless performance affected by?

A
  • Range of the device
  • Amount of interference from other wireless networks
  • Physical obstructions (e.g. Thick walls from buildings)
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50
Q

What manages the client-server network?

A

A server

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51
Q

What are the devices that are connected to the server called?

In a client-server network

A

Clients

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52
Q

What type of organisations would be best suited for client-server networks?

A
  • Organisations with many computers
  • Situations where many computers need access to the same information
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53
Q

Give an example of a type of organisation that would use client-server networks:

A

Schools

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54
Q

What is a server?

A

A computer that manages and stores files

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55
Q

What are the advantages of client-server networks?

A
  • Easy to keep track of files
  • Easier to preform backups
  • Easy to install & update software
  • Easy to manage network security
  • Reliable & always on
56
Q

Why is it ‘easy to keep track of files’ in a client-server networks?

A

They are stored centrally

57
Q

What are the disadvantages of client-server networks?

A
  • Expensive to set up
  • Needs IT specialists to maintain network & server
  • Server dependence
  • May become overloaded if too many people are accessing it at once
58
Q

Why is ‘Server dependence’ a risk in a client-server network?

A

If the server goes down all clients lose access to their work

59
Q

What are the advantages of peer-to-peer networks?

A
  • Easy to maintain
  • No dependence on server
60
Q

Why are peer-to-peer networks easy to maintain?

A

As you don’t need any expertise or expensive hardware

61
Q

Why is server dependence in a peer-to-peer networks an advantage?

A

If one device fails the whole network isn’t lost

62
Q

What are the disadvantages of peer-to-peer networks?

A
  • No centralised management
  • Machines are prone to slow down when other devices access them
  • Less reliable: data may be lost if one fails
  • Copying files between devices creates duplicate files
63
Q

Why is no centralised management in a peer-to-peer networks a disadvantage?

A
  • Devices need updates and security installed individually
  • Backups are more complicated
64
Q

Where might you use a peer-to-peer network?

A

At home to share files between devices or connect devices to a printer

65
Q

Name some server types

A
  • File server
  • Web server
  • Print server
  • Applications server
  • Mail server
66
Q

What is a file server?

A

Hold and maintain user files

67
Q

What is a web server?

A

Hold and share web pages

68
Q

What is a print server?

A

Manage printing across a network

69
Q

What is a mail server?

A

Handle emails between users

70
Q

What is a applications server?

A

Allows programs to be run over a network

71
Q

What is a star topology?

A

A network where each node is connected to a central switch

72
Q

What are some advantages of the star topology?

A
  • If a device fails / cable is disconnected - rest of network unaffected
  • Simple to add more devices to the network
  • Better performance than other setups
73
Q

What are some disadvantages of the star topology?

A
  • Expensive = every device needs a cable to connect to the central switch or server
  • If there is a problem w/ the switch - whole network is affected
74
Q

How does the star topology have better performance than other setups?

A

Data flows in one direction (unlike bus network) & all devices can transmit data @ once (unlike ring network)

75
Q

What is a bus network?

A

All devices are arranged in a line, connected to a single backbone cable

76
Q

What is a disadvantage of the bus network?

A

Devices send data in both directions = causes data collisions

77
Q

What is a ring network?

A

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

78
Q

What is a disadvantage of the ring network?

A

One device can send data at a time & data passes through many devices before its destination

79
Q

What is a mesh topology?

A

All devices are connected to each other

80
Q

How do mesh networks work?

A

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

81
Q

What are some advantages of the mesh topology?

A

No single point where the network can fail

82
Q

Explain how there is No single point where the network can fail in a mesh topology?

A

If one device fails, then the data is sent along a different route to get to its target

83
Q

What are some disadvantages of the mesh topology?

A

Very expensive = needs a lot of wires to connect devices together

84
Q

What’s the difference between a full mesh and a partial mesh topology?

A

Full mesh = Every device is connected to every other device
Partial mesh = Not all devices are fully connected

85
Q

What does HTTP stand for?

A

Hyper text transfer protocol

86
Q

What is HTTP used for?

A

Used by web browsers to access websites and communicate with web servers

87
Q

What does HTTPS stand for?

A

Hyper text transfer protocol - secure

88
Q

What is HTTPS used for?

A
  • More secure version of HTTP
  • Encrypts all information send and received
89
Q

What does FTP stand for?

A

File transfer protocol

90
Q

What is FTP used for?

A

Used to access, edit & move files between devices on a network

91
Q

What does POP3 stand for?

A

Post office protocol (version 3)

92
Q

What is POP3 used for?

A

Used to retrieve emails from a server
—> Holds email until YOU download it (then it is deleted)

93
Q

What does IMAP stand for?

A

Internet message access protocol

94
Q

What is IMAP used for?

A

Used to retrieve emails from a server
—> Holds emails until YOU delete it (you only download a copy)

95
Q

Which protocol is used by most web-based email clients?

A

IMAP

96
Q

What does SMTP stand for?

A

Simple mail transfer protocol

97
Q

What is SMTP used for?

A
  • Used to send emails
  • Also used to transfer emails between servers
98
Q

What does TCP stand for?

A

Transmission control protocol

99
Q

What’s TCP used for?

A
  • Sets the rules for how devices connect on a network
  • Splits data into packets & reassembles at the destination
  • Checks data is correctly sent & delivered
100
Q

What does IP stand for?

A

Internet protocol

101
Q

What’s IP used for?

A

Directing packets to their destination across a network

102
Q

What is a layer?

A

A group of protocols which have similar functions

A division of network functionality

103
Q

Give some characteristics of layers

A
  • Self-contained
  • Each layer serves the layer above it
  • Data can only be passed through adjacent layers
104
Q

What are the advantages of layers?

A
  • Breaks network communication into manageable pieces
  • Self contained
  • There are standards for each layer
105
Q

How is having standards for layers an advantage?

A

Forces companies to make compatible, universal hard/software - different brand will work w/ each other

106
Q

How is breaks network communications into manageable pieces an advantage for layers ?

A

Helps developers to concentrate only on 1 area without having to worry about the others

107
Q

How is layer’s being self contained an advantage?

A

They can be changed without the other layers being affected

108
Q

What is Hosting?

A

When a business uses servers to store files of another organisation

109
Q

What is cloud computing?

A

When clients access data storage, software & processing power remotely over the internet

110
Q

What are the advantages of the cloud?

A
  • Users can access files & applications from any connected device
  • Easy to increase how much storage is available
  • Automatic updates
  • No need to but expensive hardware
111
Q

What are the disadvantages of the cloud?

A
  • Needs connection to the internet
  • Dependant on the host for security & backups
  • Subscription fees for using cloud storage & software can be expensive
  • Data can be vulnerable to hackers
112
Q

What are URLs?

A

Addresses used to access web servers & resources on them

113
Q

What is a DNS used for?

A

To translate website domain names into IP addresses

114
Q

What does a DNS server store?

A

A list of domain names & a list of corresponding IP addresses where the website is stored

115
Q

Describe the steps taken to display a webpage

A

1) Domain name is typed into the address bar of the browser

2) A query is sent to the local DNS server for the corresponding IP address if that domain name

3) Local DNS server will check if it holds that info. If it does, it’ll pass the IP address to the browser

4) Browser connects to the IP address of the server & accesses the website

116
Q

What will happen if the local DNS server does not hold the IP address?

A

The query is passed to another DNS server at a higher level until the IP address is resolved

117
Q

What is the internet?

A

A global network of interconnected networks

118
Q

What is the purpose of a web server?

A

Processes the client request to prepare the webpage & return it so the web browser can display it to the user

119
Q

What is a domain registrar?

A

A company that checks the domain name is valid and not already taken

120
Q

What are networking standards?

A

Rules that allow computer systems to communicate across networks

121
Q

Why have networking standards been created?

A

To ensure devices can exchange data & work together

122
Q

What is the TCP/IP model used for?

A

To visualise the different parts of a network as each layer has specific roles

123
Q

How many layers are there in the TCP/IP model?

A

4

124
Q

Why is splitting a network design into layers beneficial?

A

As it simplifies design - making it easier to modify & use

125
Q

What is the purpose of the data link layer?

A

Handles the transmission errors & passes data to the physical layer

126
Q

What layer number is the data link layer?

A

1

127
Q

Which protocols are in the data link layer?

A

Ethernet

128
Q

What is the purpose of the internet layer?

A

Finds the optimal route for the data to take is calculated

129
Q

What layer number is the internet layer?

A

2

130
Q

Which protocols are in the internet layer?

A

IP

131
Q

What is the purpose of the transport layer?

A

Makes sure the data is sent & received in the correct order & reassembled at the destination without errors

132
Q

What layer number is the transport layer?

A

3

133
Q

Which protocols are in the transport layer?

A

TCP

134
Q

What is the purpose of the application layer?

A

Allows humans & software applications to use the network

135
Q

What layer number is the application layer?

A

4

136
Q

Which protocols are in the application layer?

A
  • HTTP
  • HTTPs
  • SMTP
  • FTP

Computer Science (13 decks)

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