1.3 Networks, Connections And Protocols

Question 1

LAN

Answer 1

A Local Area Network covers a small geographical area. All the hardware for the LAN is owned by the organisation that uses it.

Question 2

WAN

Answer 2

A Wide Area Network is a network that connects LANs. Organisations hire infrastructure from telecommunications companies.

Question 3

NIC

Answer 3

A Network Interface Controller is an internal piece of hardware that allows a device to connect to a network.

Question 4

Switch

Answer 4

Switches connect devices on a LAN. Switches receive frames of data from devices and transmit this data using the MAC address.

Question 5

Router

Answer 5

Routers are used to transfer data packets between networks. Routers receive data packets and use the IP address in the packet to determine the best route to transmit the data. Data is transferred from router to router across the internet towards its destination.

Question 6

Ethernet cable

Answer 6

An ethernet cable connects your device to a network. Ethernet cables are ‘twisted pair’ cables containing four pairs of copper wires.

Question 7

Coaxial cable

Answer 7

Coaxial cables are made of a single copper wire surrounded by a plastic layer or insulation and a metallic mesh which provides shielding.

Question 8

Fibre optic cable

Answer 8

These cables transmit data as light. They are high performance cables and therefore expensive. They can transmit data over very large distances.

Question 9

Bluetooth

Answer 9

Bluetooth provides a direct connection between two devices so that the data can be shared. It has a low bandwidth and the range is typically 10 metres.

Question 10

WI-FI

Answer 10

Wi-Fi can be used by multiple devices to connect to LANs at the same time. It has high bandwidth compared to Bluetooth. It has a range of between 40-100 metres.

Question 11

WAP

Answer 11

A Wireless Access Point is a hardware device that allows wireless capable devices to connect to a wired network.

Question 12

Client-Server

Answer 12

A client-server network is managed by a server. The devices connected to it are clients. Files and software are stored centrally. Clients sends requests to the server.

Question 13

Peer-to-peer

Answer 13

In P2P networks all devices are equal, connecting directly to each other without a server. Files are stored on individual devices and can be shared with others.

Question 14

Star topology

Answer 14

In star topology all devices are connected to a central switch or server. The central switch allows many devices to access the server simultaneously.

Question 15

Mesh topology

Answer 15

In a mesh topology there is no central connection point. Instead, each node is connected to at least one other node and usually more than one.

Question 16

Network protocol

Answer 16

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

Question 17

MAC Address

Answer 17

Each device needs a unique identifier so it can be found on a network. MAC address are assigned to all network devices by the manufacturer.

Question 18

IP address

Answer 18

IP addresses are used when sending data between networks. IP addresses are assigned either manually or automatically before the device can access the network.

Question 19

TCP/ IP

Answer 19

TCP sets rules about how devices connect. It splits data into packets and reassembles the packets back to the original data. The IP directs packets to their destination.

Question 20

HTTP/ HTTPS

Answer 20

Used by web browsers to access websites and communicate with web servers. HTTPS is more secure as all data is encrypted.

Question 21

FTP

Answer 21

File Transfer Protocol used to access, edit and move files between devices on networks.

Question 22

POP

Answer 22

Post Office Protocol used to retrieve emails from a server. The server holds the email until you download it, it is then deleted from the server.

Question 23

IMAP

Answer 23

Internet Message Access Protocol used to retrieve emails from the server. The server holds the email until you delete it - you can only download a copy.

Question 24

SMTP

Answer 24

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol used to send emails. It is also used to transfer emails between servers.

Question 25

Layers

Answer 25

A layer is a group of protocols which have the same function. Layers are self-contained - protocols don’t need to know what is happening in other layers.

Question 26

Internet

Answer 26

The internet is a network of networks. It is a WAN which is based on the TCP/IP protocol. It connects devices and networks across the world.

Question 27

Worldwide Web

Answer 27

The WWW is a collection of websites that are hosted on web servers and accessed using the HTTP protocol.

Question 28

Domain Name Server

Answer 28

DNS translates a website’s domain name onto its IP address. The internet has a network of domain name servers so you don’t need to remember IP addresses.

Question 29

Cloud

Answer 29

The cloud refers to software and services that run on the Internet, instead of locally on your computer.

Question 30

Hosting

Answer 30

In order to let other people see your website, it will be hosted on a web server. This is known as hosting. The web server is referred to as the host.

Question 31

HTTP

Answer 31

HyperText Transfer Protocol is used for sending and receiving web pages

Question 32

HTTPS

Answer 32

HyperText Transfer Protocol-Secure is used for secure sending and receiving of web pages where data is encrypted

Question 33

FTP

Answer 33

File Transfer Protocol is used to transfer files between a client and server

Question 34

POP

Answer 34

Post Office Protocol is used to receive emails. They are deleted off the server once downloaded

Question 35

IMAP

Answer 35

Internet Message Access Protocol is used to receive emails. They are kept on the server and not deleted.

Question 36

SMTP

Answer 36

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is used for sending emails, including between servers.

Question 37

TCP

Answer 37

Transmission Control Protocol divides data into smaller data packets and adds a sequence number and error correction. To receive data, the packets are examined for errors, the error is fixed or a request is sent for the packet to be resent, the data is reassembled.

Question 38

IP

Answer 38

Internet Protocol adds a destination address as well as its own address so it accepts data with its own address and ignores data packets that do not contain its own address.