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1.5 Network Topologies, Protocols And Layers Flashcards

1
Q

What’s a computer network?

A

It’s a 2 or more computers linked together to allow the exchange of resources.

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2
Q

What can networked computers share?

A
  • hardware
  • software
  • data
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3
Q

What’s a star network?

A
  • Each device is connected by an individual cable(generally to a switch).
  • Star networks are usually the network of choice in schools and offices because they tend to be the most reliable of the topologies.
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4
Q

What’s a mesh network?

A
  • where some or all the devices are connected directly to each other.
  • most are usually connected to the node(connection point) that they exchange the most data with.
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5
Q

What are the two different frequencies of Wi-Fi channels?

A

Two frequency bands used for Wi-Fi technology, 2.4GHz and 5GHz

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6
Q

What are the characteristics of the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi frequency band?

A

-been around longer
-unregulated frequency
Adv
-vendors can manufacture 2.4GHz devices less expensively
Dis
-the unregulated factor meant that manufactures used it for everything e.g.microwaves, mobile phones(more interference)

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7
Q

What are the characteristics of the 5GHz Wi-Fi frequency band?

A

-regulated frequency
Adv
-less devices use it because it’s newer and less crowded
Dis
-regulated frequency costs more money for the manufacturers to produce

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8
Q

What’s encryption?

A

A method of scrambling data with a key code which makes no sense

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9
Q

Why is encryption used for Wi-Fi networks?

A
  • on open or public Wi-Fi anyone can join and sniff out packets of data from other users
  • therefore encryption is used if data is intercepted it’ll have no meaning unless it was decrypted using the key
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10
Q

What’s Ethernet?

A

Ethernet is the protocol for data travelling down a cable.

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11
Q

How does Ethernet cables carry data?

A

By electrical signals down copper wires

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12
Q

What are the two categories of Ethernet cables?

A 
Cat-5
-slower
-cheaper
Cat-6
-faster
-more expensive
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13
Q

What’re the characteristics of Ethernet?

A
  • stable connection
  • reduced possibility to be hacked
  • faster traffic speed
  • generally will have a good quality signal
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14
Q

What’s Wi-Fi?

A
  • a communication technology that makes use of radio waves in a LAN
  • widely used to connect to the internet
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15
Q

What are the characteristics of Wi-Fi?

A
  • cheap set up costs
  • user not set in a specific location
  • connect extra devices without needing more hardware
  • signal quality will reduce through obstacles, making it less stable, might ‘drop off’
  • tend to have slow transfer speeds
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16
Q

What’s IP addressing?

A

IP V4, IP V6 as a way of locating routers when going across TCP/IP networks. To be able to send data and know where it’s going.

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17
Q

What’s MAC addressing?

A

Assigning a MAC address to a device and identify a device within a network

  • MAC addresses are assigned to all network-enabled devices
  • MAC addresses are unique to the device and can’t be changed
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18
Q

What does TCP stand for and what is it?

A

TCP-Transmission Control Protocol
Sets the rules for how devices connect to a network, it splits data into packets and reassembles the packets back into the original data, also responsible for checking that data is correctly sent and delivered

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19
Q

What does IP stand for and what is it?

A

IP- Internet Protocol

It’s responsible for packet switching, uses a standard address to identify devices and networks(IP V4, IP V6)

20
Q

What does HTTP stand for and what is it?

A

HTTP-hyper text transfer protocol

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

21
Q

What does HTTPS stand for and what is it?

A

HTTPS-hyper text transfer protocol secure

A more secure version of HTTP, it encrypts all information sent and received

22
Q

What does FTP stand for and what is it?

A

FTP-file transfer protocol
Set of rules that allow the transfer of files to and from a server by a client. Used to access, edit and move files between devices on a network.

23
Q

What does POP stand for and what is it?

A

POP-post office protocol
POP3 is the latest version and it’s used to receive emails from a server, the server holds the email until you downloaded at which point it’s deleted from the server

24
Q

What does IMAP stand for and what is it?

A

IMAP-Internet message access protocol
Used to retrieve emails from a server, the server holds the email until you actually delete it-you only download a copy, used by most web based email clients

25
What does SMTP stand for and what is it?
SMTP -simple mail transfer protocol | Used to send email, also used to transfer emails between servers
26
What is a layer in computer networking?
- A layer is a group of protocols that serve a similar function. - Layers aren't physical things inside a computer or network, they're just a way of categorising protocols.
27
What are the four main layers in computer networks called?
- application/process layer(4) - transport layer(3) - network/internet layer(2) - physical/data link layer(1)
28
What are characteristics of layers in network protocols?
- layers are self contained(protocols in each layer do their function without knowledge of the other layers) - each layer serves the layer above it
29
What protocols does the application layer cover and what are examples of these protocols?
-turning data into websites and other applications and vice versa E.g. HTTP, FTP, SMTP
30
What protocols does the transport layer cover and what are examples of these protocols?
-controlling data flow e.g. splitting data into packets and checking packets are correctly sent and delivered E.g. TCP
31
What protocols does the network layer cover and what are examples of these protocols?
-making connections between networks, directing data and handling traffic. Used by routers. E.g. IP
32
What protocols does the physical/data link layer cover and what are examples of these protocols?
-passing data over the physical network, responsible for how bits are sent as electrical signals over cables, wireless and other hardware E.g. Ethernet
33
What's the most important protocol and what does it do?
TCP/IP is the most important protocol | -the protocol which dictates how data is sent between networks, made up of two protocols
34
What's a data packet?
-equal sized piece of data sent between networks
35
What does a data packet contain?
- header(contains control information-destination address, source address and packet number) - payload(might be part of an email, document, web page, streamed video) - checksum number(a form of validation to check the data hasn't been corrupted, it calculates a checksum value by performing a function e payload data this value is then checked when the data is received and if they are equal it's job is finished)
36
What's packet switching?
Packet switching is used by routers to direct data packets on the internet and other IP networks.
37
How does packet switching work?
- the sending device splits the data into packets and gives it a packet number - each router reads the packet header and decides which way to send the packet according to the IP address - the way data is sent(routes)changes depending on network traffic,if a router gets too many packets it prioritise some over others - packets can arrive in the wrong order, so packet numbers are used to put them in the right number - sometimes packets go missing so the receiving device checks that all packets have come, if it hasn't within a certain time it sends a timeout message back to the sending device - if all data is received and checksum matches, a receipt confirmation is sent to the sending device
38
Why is packet switching so useful?
Packet switching is an efficient use of the network because there are so many possible routes that data can take - packets can reach their receiving device even if there's heavy traffic.
39
What's static IP addressing?
IP addresses are permanent - used to connect printers on a LAN, and hosting websites on the internet - can be very expensive
40
What's dynamic IP addressing?
Dynamic IP addresses are assigned to the device by a network server, meaning your device may have a different IP address each time you log on to a network -ISPs commonly use dynamic IP addresses because they're cost effective and can be reused
41
What are the pros and cons of a star topology?
Pros -if a device fails or a cable is disconnected the rest of the network is unelected -it's simple to add more devices to the network -good security(all interactions between workstations have to go through the server) Cons -in wired networks every device need a cable to connect to the central switch or server, this can be expensive -if there's a problem with the switch or server then the whole network is affected
42
What's a topology? | What are two types topologies?
Topology-is the shape of the network (how the computers are connected) Star and mesh network topologies
43
What're pros and cons of a mesh topology network?
Advantages -very robust network -no central node to fail -can handle very high data traffic rates Disadvantages -very expensive for a wired network due to cabling and switches needed -needs complex coordination to be effective
44
What's Bluetooth?
Wireless data transfer
45
What's UDP?
UDP -user datagram program | -it's an alternative to TCP, doesn't check for errors so is slightly quicker
46
What's circuit switching?
Connecting two devices using the same network path, which is then reserved until the message is completed

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