2.1.1- Networks intro Flashcards
What is a network?
A collection of connected computers.
What are the three reasons why networks may be used?
data exchange- data can be shared between computers without needing external storage
Managing computers- a network manager can manage other computers over a network.e.g to updating software, reset passwords, helping users and fixing problems.
Resource sharing- resources can be shared e.g printers, scanners and internet connections
What factors effect the performance of a network?
BENT
Bandwidth, topology, wired vs wireless (transmission media), choice of hardware, number of users and error rate.
What is bandwidth and explain its impact on the network?
Bandwidth is the quantity of data that is able to be transferred in a set amount of time.
Bandwidth is shared with all active users, so performance can decrease if there are too many users.
The bandwidth can only transfer a certain amount of data at the same time and so when that limit is reached then this will cause the data to take longer to be transferred.
What is topology?
How the computers are laid out and connected to each other.
The topology of a network can have a huge impact on the network performance.
Explain wired vs wireless
Wired networks are usually, faster and reliable.
Wireless speeds depends on how quickly the computer can pick up the signal.
There are times when devices try to communicate but the signals collide with each other and the signal fails. The more networks that are at work the greater the chance of collision which decreases the performance of the network.
Explain choice of hardware.
The choice of cabling and other networking hardware can have a big impact on the speed of the network.
What is error rate?
The proportion of responses that are incorrect.
How does error rate effect the network? (data being transferred)
This will decrease the performance of the network as the network has to deal with the errors that have occurred which affects the rate at which the data is being transferred. For example, when taking a typing test that measures errors.
