Local Area Networks Flashcards
Is the Internet LAN or WAN?
LAN
What is LAN?
Short geographical area, all infrastructure is owned by company.
Does pure LAN provide internet access?
No.
What is a switch?
Central area in a system/
How are computers linked to the switch?
Via ethernet cables.
Are shorter or longer copper cables quicker?
Shorter, the longer the copper cable the slower it will be.
What material is mainly used for long wires?
Fibre Optic
Why are the Fiber Optic Cables better for long distance?
They do not get affected by electromagnetic radiation.
Where do all the cables out of the switch feed in to?
Core switch in server room.
Do star topologies have a central point of failure?
yes, the switch.
What happens if one cable in a star topology fails?
The PC the cable was going to loses connection but the switch still works.
What are the advantages of star topology?
Fast data transfer to the hub as each wire isn’t shared with other computers.
If one cable fails the other ones will not be affected.
Disadvantages of star topology?
Requires additional hardware such as the central switch and network cables.
If the central switch fails the whole network goes down.
With mesh topology, do more connections slow it down?
No, more connections = faster speed.
What are the problems with mesh topology?
A lot of cables used, can be very disorganised.
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What do nodes do?
Act as routers for data in order to relay and propagate data in the network.
Why would you use a partial mesh topology?
to combine with a star topology to create larger networks.
Is partial mesh and mesh topology popular?
Many parts of the internet operate as a partial mesh.
Many LANs that connect to the internet use a star topology although mesh wifi is increasing in popularity.
What is 5Ghz connection speed like?
Faster, but the message degrades very quickly over time.
What are the differences between LAN’s and WAN’s?
LAN’s are Local and located within one location such as a building
WAN’s connect networks at remote locations via leased lines
What are the advantages of networks?
Computers can share resources such as printers.
Files can be accessed through any computer in the network.
Data is easy to back up as it is stored centrally on the server.
Disadvantages of networks?
Purchasing the network hardware is expensive.
Managing a large network is complicated.
Viruses may be able to infiltrate the network and infect every computer.
What is a topology?
How the network is connected.
What is an example of abstraction?
London Underground, distance being shortened and not being accurate.
What is Ethernet protocol?
Ethernet refers to a family of standard local networking protocols.
Describes how devices should format data ready for transmission between computers on the same network.
What is transmission media?
The way communication is sent through the network.
Ethernet is sent through twisted copper cables, typically with 100 meters range or fibre optic cables.
Internet connections to UK houses are typically sent through copper cables or coaxial.
What is transmission media?
The way communication is sent through the network.
Ethernet is sent through twisted copper cables, typically with 100 meters range or fibre optic cables.
Internet connections to UK houses are typically sent through copper cables or coaxial.
