Networks

Question 1

What is a PAN?

Answer 1

A personal area network. A network that allows for devices within 10 metres of each other to communicate.

Question 2

What is a LAN?

Answer 2

Local area network. Allows devices within the same building or area to communicate with each other.

Question 3

What is a WAN?

Answer 3

Wide area network. Connects separate LANs across the world.

Question 4

What is needed for a device to connect to a network?

Answer 4

A network interface card or a network adapter

Question 6

How does a hub work in a network?

Answer 6

All the computers on the network are plugged into the port. When a message is received from one of the computers the hub transmits it to all the other computers.

Question 7

How does a wireless access point work in a network?

Answer 7

They convert data they receive through cables into a wireless signal and vice versa.

Question 8

How do switches work in a network?

Answer 8

Take in messages from the connected devices, read the address, and only send the data to that device.

Question 9

What does a router in a network do?

Answer 9

Works like a switch, but is able to send information across multiple networks. It is also able to use both cable and wireless communication.

Question 10

What are the advantages of a switch over a hub in a network?

Answer 10

Switches only send the data to the addressed device, so they cut down on unnecessary network traffic. Switches can also send and receive information at the same time, so they are faster than hubs.

Question 11

How is data carried in cables?

Answer 11

Copper wires carry the data as electrical currents. In fibre optic cable they use flashes of light.

Question 12

How is data transmitted wirelessly?

Answer 12

By using microwaves. The frequency of the microwave determines the channel of communication.

Question 13

What are the advantages of using cables for communication?

Answer 13

Much higher bandwidth than wireless.
Much mire secure than wireless, someone has to plug their computer into the network to intercept information.
It is very unlikely there will be any interference.

Question 14

What are the disadvantages of using cables for communication?

Answer 14

It can be very expensive and difficult to set the cables up

Question 15

What are the advantages of using wireless communication?

Answer 15

Very cheap and easy to setup, all that is need is wireless access points.

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of using wireless communication?

Answer 16

Security is poor, a password and encryption is need to keep the data safe.
Walls and other devices can interfere with the communication.

Question 17

How does a client-server network work?

Answer 17

The clients communicate to each other through the server. The clients log onto the network servers to access their data. The network server handles the saving of data.

Question 18

How does a peer to peer network?

Answer 18

The computers communicate to each other directly. The individual computers are responsible for the backing up of their data.

Question 19

What is a star network topology?

Answer 19

Each computer is connect individually to a central server.

Question 20

What are the advantages of a star network topology?

Answer 20

Less network traffic and data collisions
Adding or removing devices is easy
Data packets only have to move between two devices to reach their destination

Question 21

What are the disadvantages of a star network topology?

Answer 21

If the central server goes down the whole network goes down.

Can not handle high volumes of traffic

Question 22

What is a mesh network topology?

Answer 22

Each node in the network is connected to all of the other nodes.

Question 23

What are the advantages of a mesh network topology?

Answer 23

Data can be transmitted from different device simultaneously
It can handle a high volume of traffic.
If one node fails there will be another route for the data to take.

Question 24

What are the disadvantages of a mesh network topology?

Answer 24

Very expensive
Very difficult to manage
Difficult to add new nodes

Question 25

What is a network protocol?

Answer 25

Rule that a computer mist follow when transmitting data over a network.

Question 26

What are the four layers for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol?

Answer 26

Application layer
Transport layer
Internet layer
Data link layer
(In that order)

Question 27

What is the application layer for TCP/IP?

Answer 27

Where requests are made to web servers from applications on a device.

Question 28

What is the transport layer for TCP/IP?

Answer 28

Divides the data received from the application layer into packets of the correct size. It also checks that the packets have arrived safely.

Question 29

What is the internet layer for TCP/IP?

Answer 29

Add ps the source and destination IP address is added to the packets and routs them to the recipient computer.

Question 30

What is the data link layer for TCP/IP?

Answer 30

The data is transmitted through the cables of the local network using the protocols of that network.

Question 31

What is a virtual network?

Answer 31

A network created through software rather than hardware. They are created by subdividing a LAN into a series of virtual LANS.

Question 32

What three bits of information does a data packet consist of?

Answer 32

Header - contains the source and destination of the packet.
Body - contains the data
Footer - informs the receiving device that it has reached the end of the packet.