Networking Fundamentals Flashcards
What is a network
Interconnected devices that communicate and share resources and information
How are networks categorized ?
By their size and structure
What is the main purpose of a network ?
To share resources
Define a host
Deivce or system on a network that uses, provides, or shares resources and services
Generally, any device with an IP address
Host
What is a server ?
Computer or system that provides resources, data, services, or programs to clients
Define a workstation
High-performance comouter designed for technical or scientific applications, often used by one person at a time
Client machine
Computer or device that accesses services, applications, or resources provided by a server
What do network devices allow?
Allows servers, workstations, and clients to connect and share resources
What are some network devices examples ?
Routers, switches, AP, and firewalls
Define a LAN
Small geographic areas like a home, office, or building
Wide area network
Large geographical area often a country or continent
What is the largest WAN ?
The Internet
Metropolitan area network
Larger than a LAN, but smaller than a WAN
Campus area network
Network that interconnects multiple LANs within a limited area
Storage area network
High-speed network that provides access to consolidated data storage
What is the primary use of SANs ?
Store data that requires high throughput and low latency
Examples of a SAN storage device?
Disk arrays, optical jukeboxes, and tape libraries
Personal area network
Covers a small area
Example of a PAN technology?
Bluetooth
What is WLAN ?
Wireless LAN
Two types of network architecture?
Peer-to-peer and client-server
Peer-to-peer networks
Decentralized network architecture where each device can act both as a client and server
Does a P2P need a central server ?
No
Client-server network
Network architecture where multiple client devices connect to a central server
Why would you prefer client-server networks ?
Control the access in the network
What is a network backbone ?
Main infrastructure that interconencts various segments of a computer network
What does a backbone provide ?
Central pathway for data exchange
What is the backbone composed of ?
High-speed, high-capacity links of core routers or switches
What do the core routers or switches handle ?
The bulk of network traffic and ensure efficient data transmission across the network
Network segments
Smaller subnetworks or clusters of devices that connect to the backbone
What network devices can be included on a segment ?
Computers, switches, servers, and other hardware
What do segments rely on ?
The backbone to communicate with other segments and access shared resources and services
What can segments represent ?
Different departments or areas
Network topologies
Layout or arrangements of elements of a computer network
What do the unique configurations and characteristics influence on the network ?
Performance, reliability, and scalability
Point-to-point topology
Direct connection between two networking devices via cable or wireless
What is P2P mainly used for ?
Dedicated connections
Mesh topology
Each host is connected to every other host, no cental connecting point
What does the mesh ensure ?
High availability and redundancy
Pros and cons of mesh ?
Pros-most fault taulerant
Cons- most expensive, complex, and difficult to expand
Star/hub and spoke
All nodes are connected to a central node such as a switch, hub, wireless AP
What does a star/hub and spoke setup ?
Simplifies network management and troubleshooting but creates a single point of failure
Hybrid topology
Combines two or more different topologies
What does a hybrid offer in network design ?
Flexibility to meet specific needs
Three-tier hierarchical model
Structured approach to network design that breaks the network into three distinct layers
Does each layer from the three-tier model server a purpose ? What are the purposes ?
Yes they optimize perfomance, scalability, and maintainability
What are the three main layers of the three-tier model?
Core, distribution, and access
What is the core layer ? What does it handle?
Backbone of the network, handling high-speed packet switching across the entire network
What are the responsibilities of the core layer ?
Speed and realiable routing of data
What characteristics does the core layer need ?
high redundancy and fault tolerance needed to avoid downtime
Distribution layer
Intermediary between access and core layers, managing routing, filtering, and WAN access
Access layer
Networks point of entry for devices and end users, connecting them to the network
What network devices does the access layer include ?
Switches and AP that provide connectivity to other network devices
Spine and leaf
Two-layer network topology
What do the spine and leaf switches server as ?
Spine =backbone
Leaf = access
What do the spine and leaf topologies do to the leaf switches ?
Connect all leaf switches without interconnecting with each other
Collapsed core architecture and its benefits
Merges core and distribution layers, simplifies network design, and reduces hardware costs
Where is collapsed core ideal for ?
Small-to-medium sized networks
What does collapsed core facilitate ? How could it enhance performance ?
Management and maintenance while enhancing performance by reducing latency
Two terms for data flow in networks ?
North-south and east-west
North-south traffic
Flow of network traffic between the data center and the outside world (internet, other data centers)
What network architecture does North-South typically include ?
Client-to-server communication
East-west traffic
Flow of data packets between servers and devices within the data center
What does east-west typically include ?
Server-to-server, server-to-storage, VM-to-VM
What does east-west highlight ?
Importance of internal networking to support high volumes of internal data exchange
Unicast
Sent from one source to one specific destination identified by IP address
What is the most common form of IP communication ?
Unicast
Multicast
From one of more sources to multiple destinations simultaneously
What applications is multicast efficient for ?
Streaming audio or video
What does streaming audio or video with multicast help with ?
Reducing bandwidth consumption
Why is the multicast approach used in IPv4 and IPv6 ?
Optimizes the delivery of packets to multiple destinations
Anycast
Nearest or best destination as determined by the routing protocols
In which applications is anycast used ?
DNS and CDN(content delivery network) services
How can anycast improve network performance ?
Automatically routing requests to the nearest data center
Broadcast
One sender to all potential receivers within a network segment
Is broadcast used in IPv4 and IPv6 ?
IPv4 used to send data to all devices on a LAN
IPv6 does not support it. Multicast instead
What are the resources of a network ?
data, applications, and devices
Are spine and leaf topologies highly scalable and opting to minimizing latency ? T or F
True
