B2 – Network Components

Question 1

Switches

Answer 1

👉 – creates a local area network by connecting devices, such as servers, personal computers & printers, via ethernet cable. It manages the flow of data through the network redirecting data packets to the correct destination.

Question 2

Routers

Answer 2

connect to two or more networks, in most home solutions routers are connected to an outside WAN (in this case the internet provided by an ISP) as well as an internal LAN (the home network). Routers, in general, are located between networks (as a gateway that connects a home network to the internet), allowing data packets to be sent across them.

Question 3

Access Points

Answer 3

👉 creates a wireless local area network by connecting devices through WiFi. The access point itself will be connected to the switch or router but will then allow devices to connect to the network wirelessly.

Question 4

Multi-Functional Devices

Answer 4

👉 network components that have more than one function. For example, home routers may also include the functionality of switches, access points, modems & firewalls.

Question 5

USB Hubs

Answer 5

👉 connects multiple USB devices. This is traditionally used connected to an end-user device to allow for additional peripherals to connect. There are USB hubs with Ethernet connectivity to allow USB devices to be shared over a network.

Question 6

Modems

Answer 6

👉 allows communication over different connection media such as Ethernet, telephone lines, or satellite connection. We use this to connect to the internet via the ISP, usually through a phone line. Your router can then connect your LAN to the modem to provide all your home devices with the internet.

Question 7

Connection Media

Answer 7

👉 Connection media is a method of connecting nodes in a network for the purpose of creating interconnectivity. These connections can be wired or wireless.

👉 wired connections offer greater speeds, range & security than wireless connections. However, wireless has proven to be very convenient for many businesses,

Question 8

Ethernet cables and fiber optics (Wired)

Answer 8

👉 Ethernet cables - are a form of UTP/STP and usually come in two types. These are Cat5e and Cat6. Cat6 has greater transfer speeds over shorter distances (10x faster for up to 164ft) as well as other benefits such as reduced crosstalk. However, it is more expensive to Cat5e.

👉 fibre optic cables - This cable is made of tiny reflective fibres than transmit data as pulses of light. Fibre is most commonly used in a WAN and in the centre of our telecommunications network. They’re also used in Storage Area Networks.

Question 9

Bluetooth (Wireless)

Answer 9

👉 used in networking, though due to it’s small range & slow transfer speeds, only in personal area networks, often for connecting wireless peripherals.

Question 10

Infrared (Wireless)

Answer 10

👉 Infrared transmits data through infrared light (as opposed to the previous two wireless technologies which use radio waves). It is a wireless technology that is very limited in range, requires line of sight & has a slow transfer speed. It is used for similar reasons to Bluetooth but is less common for the mentioned reasons.

Question 11

Li-Fi (Wireless)

Answer 11

👉 uses light from LED light bulbs to transmit data by turning the light on and off (it happens at such a fast speed it is imperceivably to the human eye). This offers many potential benefits, including incredible speeds of up to 224Gbps. However, it is still an experimental emerging technology that you won’t see used in practice.

Question 12

Optical media (External Media and Storage)

Answer 12

CDs, DVDs & Blu-ray were a popular method of transmitting this data

Advantages

👉 Most desktop computers will have a rewritable optical disk drive in order to save and load the data

👉 They were easily portable due to their small size.

Question 13

USB flash storage (External Media and Storage)

Answer 13

Most portable devices like laptops & tablets no longer have an optical disk drive, but all devices are likely to have a USB port.

Advantages

👉 USB will usually offer greater storage capacity
👉 Smaller sizes
👉 Better resistance to damage
👉 Faster read/write speeds

Question 14

General External Media and Storage Drawback

Answer 14

Whichever is chosen for external storage, they are a great cause of vulnerability to business IT systems.

Disadvantages

👉 They can bring files into a network, they’re an easy way to infect a computer with malware that can spread throughout the network.
👉 They’re also an easy way of stealing confidential data from an organization.

Question 15

Device Operating System

Answer 15

A device operating system is an operating system that is installed on client devices in a network.
It is the software that allows us to interact with the computer system as it controls the operation of the computer. It provides a variety of services to you, including:

👉 Memory management & multitasking, so programs are assigned memory & processing
👉 Security features, such as user authentication & access controls
👉Managing device drivers, so that software can interact with different hardware
👉Providing a user interface that will simplify interaction between the user & pc

Question 16

Network Operating System

Answer 16

Most network operating systems will provide the same services as a device operating system. However, it will also come with a range of different services such as:

👉 Network support for a wide range of protocols & handling network traffic
👉 User management features for account administration
File and print sharing

Question 17

Performance Monitor

Answer 17

👉this monitors key data on network performance such as thenumber of connections, upload/down speeds, latency, jitter & packet loss. This helps to evaluate performance & identify issues with the network.

Question 18

Event/Logs Viewer

Answer 18

👉 allows you to see the events logs that show important hardware & software events that have occurred. For example, this might be a service that hasn’t loaded correctly, or it could be failed login attempt. This can help with security, such as identifying multiple failed login attempts

Question 19

Vulnerability Scanner

Answer 19

👉 identifies weaknesses in a computer system, network or application that could be exploited. This is used by organisations to identify weaknesses in their security, so they can correct them. However, it can also be used by a hacker to find an attack vector

Question 20

Packet Sniffer

Answer 20

👉 intercepts data packets as they are transmitted across a network. The packet sniffer allows a computer to view data that isn’t addressed to it. This is used to identify the cause of transmission errors. However, it can be used by an attacker to access private data.

Question 21

Database Applications

Answer 21

👉 these store data in a structured manner on a server so that data can be accessed over the network by clients. A common example of this would be a website comment form. When a user writes a comment, this will be saved to a database on the server. The comment can then be loaded from the database and displayed to other website users.

Question 22

Document Management

Answer 22

👉 allows us to create, distribute, store & search documents so that they can be easily accessed over a network. This can improve the efficiency & security in handling documents by businesses

Question 23

Network Discovery Tools

Answer 23

👉 scans networks to discover all devices connected to the network and gathers information on those devices, such as their IP address, computer name & operating system. This is used for network auditing by IT departments. However, it can also be used to detect vulnerabilities by hackers.