Fundamentals Of Computer Networks

Question 1

What is a network?

Answer 1

Network is an interconnection of computers and other clients to facilitate communication and the sharing of resources

Question 2

What are the 3 types of networks?

Answer 2

PAN - Personal Area Network are devices owned by a single user connected via Bluetooth
LAN - Local Area Network covers a building or campus owned by a single organisation
WAN - Wide Area Network spreads over large geographic area with shared ownership (Internet)

Question 3

Advantages
Wired and Wireless

Answer 3

Wired networks are more secure and less prone to interference.
Wireless networks are easier to add devices and are portable.

Question 4

What medium do wireless networks communicate?

Answer 4

Radio Waves

Question 5

What medium do wired networks communicate?

Answer 5

Optical fibre are used for fast connections for many computers sharing 1 connection.
Copper cabling is cheaper and slower although it is quick enough for most activities.

Question 6

What is a network topology?

Answer 6

A network topology is the pattern in which hardware on a network is structured including connections. The 2 most common are star and bus.

Question 7

What is the star topology?
Advantages & Disadvantages

Answer 7

Star topology is where every device is connected to a switch at the centre of the network.

Very few data collisions; Strong, centralised security

Lots of cabling needed, Adding another device can be difficult

Question 8

What is bus topology?
Advantages & Disadvantages

Answer 8

A central cable called the backbone run between two terminators and connects all devices across the cable.

Uses little cable making it cheaper; Easily adds devices

Collisions can occur; Transmission slow with many devices

Question 9

What is a protocol?

Answer 9

A set of rules that governs how a computer communicates on a network. Computers have protocols necessary for different purposes.

Question 10

What are the 10 protocols?

Answer 10

Ethernet
Wi-Fi
TCP/IP
UDP
HTTP
HTTPS
FTP
SMTP
IMAP

Question 11

What is ethernet?

Answer 11

Family protocols governing how data is formatted in transmission across LAN.

Question 12

Wi-Fi

Answer 12

Rules controlling how data is transmitted on WLAN

Question 13

TCP/IP

Answer 13

Transfer Control Protocol
Internet Protocol

2 protocols breaking up data into packets each of which knows where it started and will end an through what medium

Question 14

UDP

Answer 14

User Datagram Protocol

Protocol transmits packets quickly without checking if each packet has arrived

Question 15

HTTP

Answer 15

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Set of rules governing how hypertext is moved around the internet from device to device

Question 16

HTTPS

Answer 16

HTTP Secure

Encrypts data sent across the internet

Question 17

FTP

Answer 17

File Transfer Protocol

How files are moved from 1 computer to another across the internet

Question 18

SMTP

Answer 18

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

Used to send emails and files from 1 server to another

Question 19

IMAP

Answer 19

Internet Message Access Protocol

Allows multiple devices to access the same email account

Question 20

What is IP address?

Answer 20

A unique number used to identify every device connected to the internet. IP address helps specify where a web page should be delivered

Question 21

How do organisation’s keep data safe?

Answer 21

Authentification, Encryption, Firewalls, MAC Address Filtering

Question 22

What is the TCP/IP model?

Answer 22

A series of protocols that work together to transmit data from 1 computer to another through anything.

Question 23

What are the 4 layers of the TCP/IP layer?

Answer 23

Application Layer
Transport Layer
Internet/Network Layer
Network Interface Layer

Question 24

What is the application layer and what protocols come under it?

Answer 24

Where network applications operate

HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, IMAP

Question 25

Transport Layer

Answer 25

Establishes communication between sender and recipient agreeing how communication will take place

TCP, UDP

Question 26

Internet/Network Layer

Answer 26

Packages data for transmission into packets which are sent across the network

IP

Question 27

Network Interface Layer

Answer 27

Hardware such as the network interface card operate at this level

Ethernet, Wi-Fi