Networks Flashcards
What is a computer network?
A collection of connected computers that able to communicate with each other and send data between themselves.
What benefits does a wired network have over a wireless one?
It is more reliable. (More stable connection)
It is generally much faster.
What is bandwidth?
It is the amount of data that can be transferred over a given time.
What is a topology?
How computers in a network are connected to each other.
What 4 factors affect the performance of a network?
Choice of Hardware.
Bandwidth.
Wired or Wireless.
Type of Topology.
What are the two types of network?
Large Area Network (LAN)
Wide Area Network (WAN)
What is a Local Area Network (LAN)?
A collection of computers connected over a small geographical area.
What are some places you would expect to find a LAN?
Homes.
Schools/Universities.
Small Offices.
What is an example of a WAN?
The internet.
What is the Client-Server model?
A networking model where every computer is connected to a centralised server. Where all data requests are sent via the server.
What are the Disadvantages of the Client-Server model?
Hardware is very expensive.
If the central server breaks the entire network breaks.
They are often targeted for cyber attacks.
What are the Advantages of the Client-Server model?
Software updates are easy to share and take less time.
Monitoring client activity is easier as all data is sent via the central server.
A centralised server means clients can access data easily from any computer.
What is the Peer-Peer model?
A networking model where each computer is directly to one another.
This means that there is no central server.
What are the Advantages of the Peer-Peer model?
It is easy to setup.
It is cheaper than client-server.
It is robust (if one peer fails the rest can still continue).
What are the Disadvantages of the Peer-Peer model?
Files have to be duplicated before they are transferred this can lead to out of date files.
No central maintenance meaning each peer is responsible for keeping up to date with the network.
