Networking Characteristics

Question 1

What is a peer to peer network?

Answer 1

• Made within a number of computers called peers
• Each computer can act as both a client and a server
• Decentralised network, this means that if one computer were to fail then other devices would still be working
• Easy to set up and suitable for home networks and very small businesses
• Insecure as all users have full admin rights
• Hard to backup data

Question 2

What is a client server?

Answer 2

• You have 2 types of computers:
  Client is the computer that a user is using
  Server is a dedicated computer that gives a service to the client computers.
• If the server fails, all clients will not be able to access it services, this means they will be unable to use email and websites

Question 3

What is a bus topology?

Answer 3

• Single cable joins all of the workstations, printers, file servers, and other components together.
• At each end of the bus is a terminator, this is a piece of hardware that prevents signals bouncing back and fourth (echoes), as it terminates the signal.

Question 4

What is a ring topology?

Answer 4

• This topology is when each node (intersection or a branch on a network) connects to exactly two other nodes, forming a single continuous pathway for signals through each node – making a ring.
• Data travels from node to node, with each node coming into contact with every packet.

Question 5

What is a star topology?

Answer 5

• There is one central node (switch or hub) which connects all other nodes (systems).
• The central node acts as a server to all of the other nodes. ​
• The hardware required for this topology is a hub/switch, which acts as the central node.

Question 6

What is a mesh topology?

Answer 6

• ## It is when each of the network nodes, computers and other devices are interconnected with one another.