Chapter 3 Hardware: Unit 3.4: Network Hardware

Question 1

Define NIC

Answer 1

Network Interface Card - Needed to allow a device to connect to a network. Usually part of the device hardware and contains the MAC address generated at the manufacturing stage.

Question 2

Define MAC address

Answer 2

Media Access Control address - made up of 48 bits which are shown as six groups of hexadecimal digits with the general format:

NN-NN-NN-DD-DD-DD

Question 3

What are the 2 types of MAC addresses?

Answer 3

Universally Administered MAC address (UAA)
Locally Administered MAC address (LAA)

Question 4

Define UAA

Answer 4

Universally Administered MAC address - most common type of MAC address; the one set by the manufacturer at the factory. Rare for the user to want to change this address.

Question 5

What would need to happen if a user or organisation wants to change their UAA?

Answer 5

The address would have to be unique, otherwise it would cause major problems in the network.

Question 6

Why must MAC addresses be changed using LAA?

Answer 6

1. Certain software used on mainframe systems need all the MAC addresses of devices to fall into a strict format; because of this, it may be necessary to change the MAC address of some devices to ensure they follow the correct format
2. It may be necessary to bypass a MAC address filter on a router or a firewall; only MAC addresses with a certain format are allowed through, otherwise the devices will be blocked if their MAC address doesn’t adhere to the correct format
3. To get past certain types of network restrictions it may be necessary to emulate unrestricted MAC addresses; hence it may require the MAC address to be changed on certain devices connected to the network.

Question 7

Define private IP address

Answer 7

Private Internet Protocol Address - Address given to a device that is unique to the network it connects to.

Question 8

Define public IP address

Answer 8

Public Internet Protocol Address - when a router connects to the network, it it given a public IP address. Usually given by the ISP - internet service provider. No other device on the network can have the same public IP address.

Question 9

Define protocol

Answer 9

The rules that must be agreed by senders and receivers of data communicating through the internet.

Question 10

What are the 2 versions of IP?

Answer 10

IPv4 and IPv6

Question 11

Define IPv4

Answer 11

Based on 32 bits and the address is written as four groups of eight bits (shown in denary format)

Question 12

Define IPv6

Answer 12

Uses 128-bit addresses that are in the form of eight groups of hex digits

Question 13

What are the advantages of IPv6 over IPv4?

Answer 13

Removes the risk of IP address collisions
Has built-in authentication checks
Allows for more efficient packet routes

Question 14

What are the features of MAC addresses?

Answer 14

Identifies the physical address of a device on the network
Unique for device on the network
Assigned by the manufacturer of the device and is part of the NIC
They can be universal or local
When a packet of data is sent and received, the MAC address is used to identify the sender’s and recipient’s devices
Use 48 bits
Can be UAA or LAA

Question 15

What are the features of IP addresses?

Answer 15

Identifies the global address on the internet
May not necessarily be unique
Dynamic IP addresses are assigned by the ISP using DHCP each time the device connects to the internet
Using in routing operations as they specifically identify where the device is connected to the internet
Use either 32 bits (IPv4) or 128 bits (IPv6)
Can be static or dynamic

Question 16

Define static IP address

Answer 16

Permanently assigned to the device by the ISP; they don’t change each time a device logs onto the internet

Usually assigned to:

Remote servers which are hosting a website
An online database
A File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server. FTP servers are used when files need to be transferred to various computers throughout the network.

Question 17

Define dynamic IP address

Answer 17

Are assigned by the ISP each time a device logs onto the internet. This is done using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). A computer on the internet, configured as a DHCP server, is used by the ISP to automatically assign an IP address to a device. IP address can be different every time a device connects to the internet.

Question 18

How does a router work?

Answer 18

Enable data packets to be routed between networks. The router takes data transmitted in one format from a network and converts the data to a protocol and format understood by another network, thereby allowing them to communicate.