Computer Networks Flashcards
Q: What is a computer network?
A: A group of connected devices that communicate to provide or consume services.
Q: What is the purpose of a network?
A: To enable the sharing of resources, services, and data between devices.
Q: What are end devices (hosts)?
A: Devices like clients and servers that are the source or destination of network messages; they have physical and logical addresses.
Q: What are intermediary (network) devices?
A: Devices like routers and switches that connect hosts and control data flow across the network.
Q: What are peripherals in networking?
A: Devices that rely on connected hosts for communication and don’t have logical addresses (e.g. printers).
Q: What are some examples of intermediary network devices?
A: Routers, L3 switches, L2 switches, bridges, and hubs.
Q: What are the three main types of network media?
A: 1) Metallic (copper) wires – transmit electrical pulses
2) Fiber-optic cables – transmit light pulses
3) Wireless – use electromagnetic waves (e.g., radio, microwave)
Q: What is a key feature of fiber-optic media?
A: High-speed transmission over long distances using light.
Q: What is a Local Area Network (LAN)?
A: A network that spans a small geographic area, managed by a single organization.
Q: What is a Wide Area Network (WAN)?
A: A network that connects geographically distant LANs, often using a telecom service provider (TSP).
Q: What is the Internet?
A: A global mesh of interconnected networks that follow standard protocols.
Q: What are the two classifications of network types based on media?
A: Wired and wireless networks.
Q: What is a communication protocol?
A: A set of rules and formats that govern how devices transmit and receive data.
Q: What is a protocol suite (stack)?
A: A group of protocols that work together at different layers to enable end-to-end communication.
Q: Name the four layers of the TCP/IP protocol stack.
A: 1) Application
2) Transport
3) Internet
4) Network Access
Q: What protocols belong to the Application Layer?
A: HTTP, FTP, DNS, SMTP, DHCP, SSH.
Q: What protocols are found in the Transport Layer?
A: TCP and UDP.
Q: What protocols are found in the Internet Layer?
A: IPv4, IPv6.
Q: What protocols are found in the Network Access Layer?
A: Ethernet, Token Ring, and various WAN protocols.
Q: What are the 7 layers of the OSI model (bottom to top)?
A: 1) Physical, 2) Data Link, 3) Network, 4) Transport, 5) Session, 6) Presentation, 7) Application.
Q: What is the main purpose of the OSI model?
A: To standardize network functions and protocol responsibilities across layers.
Q: How does the TCP/IP model map to the OSI model?
A: - Application ↔ OSI Layers 5-7
- Transport ↔ OSI Layer 4
- Internet ↔ OSI Layer 3
- Network Access ↔ OSI Layers 1-2
Q: What is segmentation in networking?
A: Dividing large data into smaller chunks for transmission.
Q: What is encapsulation?
A: Adding headers and trailers around each data segment at every layer of the network stack.
