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OCR GCSE COMPUTING > 1.3 Computer networks, connections and protocols > Flashcards

1.3 Computer networks, connections and protocols Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a LAN (Local Area Network)?


A

A network of computers which covers a small geographical area located on a single site and can be either wired with ethernet cables or wireless using Wi-Fi.

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2
Q

What are the characteristics of a LAN?

A

-Easy to share files as network users can access the same files, work collaboratively on them at the same time and copy files between machines.
-Can share the same hardware on a LAN like printers.
-Internet connection can be shared between every device connected to the LAN.
-Can install and update software on all computers at once.
-Can communicate with LAN users cheaply and easily.
-User accounts can be stored centrally so users can log in from any device on the network.
-Quite secure as you need to be in range.
-High speed of 1000mbps.

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3
Q

What is a WAN (Wide Area Network)?


A

A network of computers that covers a large geographical area and connects LANs that are in different geographical locations.

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4
Q

Who manages WANs?


A

Unlike LANs, organisations hire infrastructure like communication lines from telecommunications companies who own and manage the WAN as WAN is much more expensive to set up than a LAN.

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5
Q

How are WANs connected?

A

-Fibre / copper telephone lines.
-Satellite links.
-Radio links.

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6
Q

What are examples of WANs?

A

-Internet.
-Mobile broadband.

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7
Q

What are examples of LANs?

A

-Home networking.
-School networking.

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8
Q

What are the characteristics of a WAN?

A

-Can share resources between employees and customers.
-Can access data storage and remotely back up data.
-Low speed of 150mbps.
-Less secure as connected via software like internet which can easily be intercepted.

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9
Q

What factors can affect the performance of a network?

A

-Higher bandwidth allows network to perform better.
-Smaller bandwidth may cause congestion and slow the network.
-Wired connections are generally faster and more reliable than wireless.
-Fibre optic cables give better performance than copper cables.
-Wireless performance depends on signal quality.
-Choice of hardware.
-Network topology.

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10
Q

Why can small bandwidth cause congestion and slow the network?


A

Available bandwidth is shared between the devices on a network so too many devices of heavy use can cause these.

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11
Q

What affects the signal quality?

A

-The range of the device.
-The amount of interference from other wireless networks.
-Physical obstructions like thick walls in buildings.

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12
Q

What is a coaxial cable?


A

A transmission media that consists of a central copper wire, surrounded by insulation and a shield of braided wire to minimise interference.

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13
Q

What is a router?


A

Connects together different networks to transmit data between them and forwards data packets along a network.

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14
Q

What is a Wireless Access Point (WAP)?


A

A device that allows other devices to connect to a network using standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

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15
Q

What is a switch?


A

Filters and forwards data packets from one device to another device with the correct MAC address within a single network, creating a direct connection between devices.

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16
Q

What is an NIC?


A

Hardware device internal to a computer that allows a computer to connect to a network.

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17
Q

What is a hub?


A

A piece of hardware used to connect computers on the same network together.

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18
Q

How does a hub work?

A
  1. A hub receives a data packet from a computer.
  2. It immediately copies it and broadcasts it to all connected devices.
  3. The packet includes a destination address so the receiving computer will open it and all other computers discard it.
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19
Q

What are examples of Ethernet cables that Ethernet networks can use to connect devices on a LAN?

A

-Twisted pair cables
-Coaxial cables
-Fibre optic cables

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20
Q

What is a twisted pair cable?


A

Standard, least expensive transmission media that consists of 2 wires that wrap around each other.

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21
Q

What is a fibre optic cable?

A

Transmission media that consists of a bunch of glass / plastic threads.

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22
Q

What is transmission media?


A

Carry data signals from one computer to another and the media can be either wired / wireless.

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23
Q

What is a MAC (Media Access Control) address?


A

-A unique address hardwired into the NIC which identifies the device connected to the network.
-First half of MAC address identifies the device manufacturer / NIC and second half is device serial number.

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24
Q

What hardware is needed to connect stand-alone computers into a LAN?

A

-Wireless Access Points
-Routers
-Switches
-NIC
-Transmission media

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25
Q

What are the characteristics of a twisted pair cable?

A

-Cheap to purchase and install.
-Maximum transmission speed is 10GB per second.
-Maximum distance for reliable communication is 100m.

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26
Q

What are the characteristics of a fibre optic cable?

A

-Expensive to purchase and install.
-Maximum transmission speed is 100GB per second.
-Maximum distance for reliable communication is 2km.

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27
Q

Why are fibre optic cables better than twisted pair cables?

A

They don’t suffer interference and can transmit over very large distances without loss of signal quality.

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28
Q

What is a client-server network?


A

A network managed by a server where the devices connected to the server are clients and the files and software are usually stored centrally on the server rather than on the individual client devices.

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29
Q

What is the client-server relationship?


A

Clients send requests to the server like asking for data and the server processes the request and responds.

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30
Q

What does the server store?


A

Stores user profiles, passwords and access information. May request a password before fulfilling certain requests or deny requests to users without the right access level.

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31
Q

What is an example of a client server network?

A

A website as web browsers are client programs which send requests to web servers that provide web pages.

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32
Q

What are the advantages of a client-server network?

A

-Easier to keep track of files as they are stored centrally.
-Easier to perform back-ups.
-Easier to install and update software.
-Easier to manage network security.
-Servers are very reliable and always on.

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33
Q

What are the disadvantages of a client-server network?

A

-Expensive to set up.
-Requires IT specialists to maintain the network and server.
-Server dependence as all clients lose access to their work if the server goes down.
-The server may become overloaded if too many clients are accessing it at once.

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34
Q

What is a peer-to-peer network?


A

All devices are equal, connecting directly to each other without a server and files are stored on individual devices and are shared with others.

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35
Q

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

A

Connecting devices to a printer.

36
Q

What are the advantages of a peer-to-peer network?

A

-Easier and cheaper to maintain.
-No server dependence so if one device fails then the whole network isn’t lost.

37
Q

What are the disadvantages of a peer-to-peer network?

A

-No centralised management so devices need their updates and security installed individually.
-Complicated to perform backups.
-Peer machines are less reliable so if one fails then data may be lost.
-Machines are prone to slow down when other devices access them.

38
Q

What is the internet?


A

A worldwide collection of computer networks.

39
Q

What is a star toplogy?

A

All the devices are connected to a central switch / server that controls the wired / wireless network.

40
Q

What is a central switch?

A

Allows many devices to access the server simultaneously.

41
Q

What are the advantages of a star topology?

A

-If a device fails / a cable is disconnected then the rest of the network is unaffected.
-Easy to add more devices to the network.
-Data goes straight to the central device so all the devices can transmit data at once.

42
Q

What are the disadvantages of a star topology?

A

-Can be expensive as in wired networks, every device needs a cable to connect to the central switch / server.
-The whole network is affected if there’s a problem with the switch / server.

43
Q

What is a mesh topology?

A

A decentralised network where devices are either directly / indirectly connected to every other one without the need for a central switch / server and data is sent along the fastest route from one device to another.

44
Q

What are the advantages of a mesh topology?

A

-If one device fails then data is sent along an alternative route to get to its target so there’s no single point where the network can fail.
-Multiple connections so devices can transmit to and recieve data from more than one device at the same time.

45
Q

What are the disadvantages of a mesh topology?

A

-High number of connections required for a full mesh topology so can be impractical to set up.
-Lots of maintenance required for many connections.

46
Q

What are the advantages of a wireless network?

A

-Simple installation as most wireless devices connect automatically.
-Users can move around freely and still stay connected.
-Low maximum transmission speed of 50MB per second.
-Maximum distance for reliable communication of 50m.

47
Q

What are the disadvantages of a wireless network?

A

-Physical obstructions can cause network interference.
-The more devices connected, the slower the network as WAPs have limited amounts of bandwidth.
-Less secure as no physical connection required to intercept data.

48
Q

What are the advantages of a wired network?

A

-Maximum transmission speed of 1GB per second for Ethernet so faster data transfer than wireless networks.
-Less likely to suffer from interference than wireless networks.
-More secure as a physical connection required to intercept data.

49
Q

What are the disadvantages of a wired network?

A

-Expensive and complicated to install / reconfigure.
-Users can’t instantly move a device from one location to another as there may not be a network connection available.

50
Q

What are the characteristics of Bluetooth?

A

-Data can be shared as there’s usually a direct connection between 2 devices.
-Connection range varies but mobile devices usually 10m.
-Low bandwidth compared to Wi-fi.
-Low maximum transmission speed of 2MB per second.

51
Q

What is Bluetooth?

A

A form of wireless communication that enables different devices to connect.

52
Q

What are the characteristics of Wi-Fi?

A

-Can be used by multiple devices to connect to a LAN at the same time.
-Maximum distance for reliable communication ranges between 40-100m.
-High bandwidth compared to Bluetooth.
-WAP required for setup to allow devices to connect wirelessly.

53
Q

How is data in Wi-Fi networks encrypted?

A

Wireless encryption secures your wireless network with an authentication protocol so a password / network key is required when a user / device tries to connect.

54
Q

What is a DNS (Domain Name Service)?


A

Used to translate website domain names into IP addresses as these services use a network of Domain Name Servers so you don’t need to remember IP addresses to access websites.

55
Q

What are Domain Name Servers?


A

Store IP addresses and matching domain names.

56
Q

What is a URL?


A

Addresses used to access web servers and resources on them.

57
Q

What is hosting?


A

When a business uses its servers to store files of another organisation.

58
Q

What is an example of hosting?

A

The hosting of websites on web servers.

59
Q

What is the cloud?


A

Storage / software that can remotely be accessed from a server connected to the internet.

60
Q

What are advantages of the Cloud?

A

-Users can access files and applications from any connected device.
-Easy to increase how much storage available.
-Don’t need to buy expensive hardware to store data / run complex applications.
-Don’t need to pay for hardware management.
-Cloud host provides security and backups.
-Cloud software updates automatically.

61
Q

What are disadvantages of the Cloud?

A

-Need connection to the internet to access files / applications.
-Dependent on host for security and backups.
-Data stored in the cloud can be vulnerable to hackers.
-Unclear who has ownership over cloud data.
-Subscription fees may be expensive for using cloud storage and software.

62
Q

What is an IP address?


A

-Gives the location of a device on the internet as a unique address is assigned to every device manually / automatically by their network hardware before the device can access the network.
-They aren’t fixed and can change.

63
Q

When is an IP address used?


A

When sending data , for example between TCP/IP networks, over the internet.

64
Q

What are the 2 versions of IP addresses?

A

-IPv4 (uses 32 bits).
-IPv6 (uses 128 bits).

65
Q

Why was IPv6 created?


A

An increasing number of devices need unique IP addresses.

66
Q

What is IPv4?

A

Has 232 IP addresses which are split into 8-bit chunks and given as denary numbers.

67
Q

What is IPv6?

A

Has 2128 IP addresses which are split into 16-bit chunks and given as hexadecimal numbers.

68
Q

What is a network standard?


A

A set of agreed requirements for hardware and software.

69
Q

Why are network standards important?

A

Allow manufacturers to create products and programs that will be compatible with products and programs from other manufacturers.

70
Q

What is a network protocol?


A

A set of rules for how devices communicate and how data is transmitted across a network.

71
Q

What do communication protocols specify?

A

-How communication between 2 devices must start and end.
-How data must be organised.
-What devices must do if data goes missing.

72
Q

Where are MAC addresses mainly used?

A

By the Ethernet protocol on LANs where the LAN switches read the MAC addresses and use them to direct data to the right device.

73
Q

What is TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)?

A

Made up of 2 protocols and dictates how data is sent between networks.

74
Q

What is the TCP part of the TCP/IP protocol?


A

Sets the rules for how devices connect on the network: in charge of splitting the data into packets and reassembling the packets into the original data once they reach the receiving device and also responsible for checking the data is correctly sent and delivered.

75
Q

What is the IP part of the TCP/IP protocol?

A

Responsible for directing packets to their destination across the network.

76
Q

What is HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)?

A

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

77
Q

What is HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure)?

A

A more secure version of HTTP which encrypts all information sent and received.

78
Q

What is FTP (File Transfer Protocol)?

A

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

79
Q

What is POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3)?

A

Used to retrieve emails from a server where the server holds the email until you download it and then deletes it from server.

80
Q

What is IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)?

A

Used to retrieve emails from a server where the server holds the email until you delete it as you only download a copy.

81
Q

What is SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)?


A

Used to send emails and also transfer emails between servers.

82
Q

What is a layer?

A

A group of protocols which have similar functions.

83
Q

Why are layers self contained?


A

Protocols in each layer don’t need to know what’s happening in other layers.

84
Q

How do layers interact with each other?


A

Each layer serves the layer above it, doing the hidden work needed for an action on the layer above.

85
Q

How does the 4 layer TCP/IP model work?

A
  1. Protocols in layer 4 turn data into websites and other applications and vice versa.
  2. Protocols in layer 3 split data into packets and check data is sent and delivered.
  3. Protocols in layer 2 make connections between networks and directing data.
  4. Protocols in layer 1 pass data as electrical signals over the physical network.
86
Q

What are advantages of using layers?

A

-Breaks down network communication into manageable pieces which helps developers concentrate on a single area of the network and not worry about others.
-Layers are self contained so can be changed without other layers being affected.
-Having standards for each layer forces companies to make compatible, universal hardware and software therefore different brands will work with each other and always in the same way.

OCR GCSE COMPUTING (11 decks)

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