Introduction to networking Flashcards
What is the difference between a physical topology and a logical topology?
The physical topology refers to hardware and how it fits together to form the physical network.
A logical topology refers to the software and how network access is controlled.
List some examples of a network operating system (NOS)
Windows Server, Ubuntu Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Describe the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Networking Model and its advantages + disadvantages.
P2P: The OS on each computer is responsible for controlling access to resources w/o centralized control.
Advantages: simple to configure, less expensive.
Disadvangtages: Not scalable, less secure, becomes too time consuming to manages network resources as you add additional nodes.
Describe the Client-Server network model and the advantages it has over peer-to-peer networks.
Client-Server: Resources are managed by a Network Operating System (NOS) via a centralized directory database (i.e. Active Directory).
Advantages: User accounts + passwords are stored in one place, you can fix network problems from one location, more scalable.
What is a protocol?
A protocol is a set of rules for communication between two networked devices.
List some popular client-server applications.
Web Service, E-mail service, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Service, Telnet service, remote applications, remote desktop on Windows (uses RDP)
What protocols are used by a web service?
Primary protocol is HTTP (Hypertext transport protocol). It can also be layered on top of an encryption protocol (i.e. SSL, TLS) to form HTTPS (secure HTTP).
What protocols are used by e-mail services?
E-mail clients use SMTP (Simple mail transfer protocol) to send e-mail messages. A recipient’s mail server delivers a message via POP (Post office Protocol) or IMAPv4 (Internet message access protocol, version 4).
What is a “backbone?”
A backbone is a centran conduit that connects segments of a network, sometimes called a “network of networks.”
List the different topologies that exist on LANs.
Star topology - All nodes connect to one centralized device (i.e. a switch).
Mesh topology - each device connects to other multiple devices
Bus topology - multiple switches/routers are daisy-chained together in a single line.
Star-bus topology - combines a bus topology with a star topology. Each switch has nodes connected to it.
Ring Topology - nodes are connected in a ring with one node only connecting to its 2 neighboring ones. Rarely used today.
What is the difference between a host and a node?
A host is any computer on a network that hosts a resource, and a node refers to any computer/device on a network that can be addressed on the local network.
What is the OSI Model?
The OSI model is a seven-layer model that is used to categorize the layers of communication between different networked devices. It is listed in descending order.
Describe the Application layer, and list some of the protocols that use it,
It describes the interface between two applications, each on separate computers. Examples: HTTP, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).
Describe the Presentation layer.
It is responsible for reformatting, compressing, and/or encrypting data in a way that the application on the receiving end can read.
Describe the Session Layer.
It describes how data between applications are synced and recovered if messages do not arrive intact at the receiving application. Example: Skype works with your OS to establish+maintain a session between 2 end points for however long a conference/call is in progress.
