Basic Network Concepts Flashcards
Worldwide, amorphous network of interconnected computer, but it still a network
Internet
A network confined to a small area such as a building or group of buildings
LAN or local area network
Is a network that encompasses a large geographical area. Might be two or more LANs
WAN or Wide Area Network
Is a network that encompasses a defined geographic area, such as a college campus
CAN or Campus Area Network
Is a network that encompasses a city or town
MAN or metropolitan area network
Clients or workstation computers rely on the server to run a program or access data.
- Server is located in a remote setting
Client-server architecture
Each computer operates as a standalone but can exhange files with other computers on that network
Peer to Peer architecture
What type of architecture do we use to access the electronic medical record?
Client-server architecture
Types of Network
- Intranet
- Extranet
- Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Private network within an organization, which allows users of an organization to share information
Intranet
Is an extension of an intranet with added security features
- Provides accessibility to the intranet to a specific group of outsiders, often business partners
- Acess require username and password
Extranet
Allows users in an organization to communicate confidentiality
- Transmits file using an encrypted tunnel blocking view of the file by others irrespective of the device used to send the file
- An intranet with an extra layer of security that operates as an extranet
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
How are VPNs used in healthcare?
- Provides access to patient data to authorized users who are not physically present in the healthcare setting
- Used for patient portals or places where patients can renew prescriptions, make appointments & send messages
Why avoid using the free VPNs available in Android & Apple devices
Some of the free VPNs are fake
- Cybercriminals use the fake VPNs to collect and sell your information
Network Connections
- Hardwired
- Wireless (WiFi)
- Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
- POTS (Plain old telephone service
Computers wired together
Hardwired
Limited to distance, so they do not compete with other radio traffic
Wireless (WiFi)
Why is wireless less secured than wired?
Signal is available for use by anyone in range
Standard for home & work computer networks
- Authentication code
Network Authentication
Applies to many different types of network connections & refers to the bandwith or how much data the connection can transmit at the same time
Broad Band
Pros and Cons of Fiber-optic cable
PROs-
- Supports high-speed data transfer
- Excellent Reliability
CONs
- More fragile than wire
- More expensive than DSL
Pros and Cons of DSLs
PROs
- Faster than dial-up
- Uses a regular phone line ( use phone & internet connection at the same time)
- easy to install
CONs
- Available only when there is phone service
- Connection speed slowed by longer distances
Makes it possible for each computer on the internet to be electronically located.
- Four sets of numbers separated by periods or dots
IP Address
Two Types of IP Addresses
- Static IP Address
- Dynamic IP Address
Two Types of IP Addresses
The same time each time the computer connects to the internet.
Static IP Address
Two Types of IP Addresses
Changes each time a user connects to the internet
Dynamic IP Address
Is a nonprofit organization that was established to keep the Internet “secure, stable, and interoperable”
- works with individual government advisory organizations to determine domain names
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)
Describes the domain suffix name
Top-level domain
Is a network within the internet that allows hypertext documents to be accessed using software known as web browser
World Wide Web
This organization governs and maintaines the world wide web and tries to enforce compatibility & agreement among industry members in the adoption of new standards defined by the W3C
World Wide Web
