Networks, Connections and Protocols

Question 1

How does the number of users affect the performance of a network?

Answer 1

If a large number of people are all using the network at once, and they are all performing data hungry tasks such as streaming video, then network speed can slow down.

Question 2

How does the bandwidth affect the performance of a network?

Answer 2

How much data the network is capable of transmitting. If one section of the network, such as the connection between different LANs in a WAN, has a large amount of data being transmitted, then all users may notice a reduction in network speed.

Question 3

What is a client- server network?

Answer 3

When all the nodes are connected to a hub or switch

Question 4

What is a peer- to- peer network?

Answer 4

When all the nodes are connected to each other

Question 5

Network Interface Card (NIC)

Answer 5

Device that can be for connecting via a cable to a wired network, or wirelessly to a wi-fi network.

Question 6

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

Answer 6

Transmits signals from the network so that they can be read by the wireless NIC on the computer system.

Question 7

Domain Name Servers (DNS)

Answer 7

Used to find the IP address of the actual web server that has the web pages that we need.

Question 8

Hosting

Answer 8

The storing of files and data on a web server

Question 9

Star Topology

Answer 9

Connects each computer or device to a central hub or switch

Question 10

Advantages of Star Topology

Answer 10

• Speed is very high
• Most efficient
• High security
• Easy to install and configure

Question 11

Disadvantages of Mesh Topology

Answer 11

• Expensive
• Central device dependency- if the hub/ switch goes down everything goes down.

Question 12

Full Mesh Network

Answer 12

Every computer is connected to every other one. This means that the amount of connections are very large and this can quickly become unpractical and will even start to slow the network down.

Question 13

Half/ Partial Mesh Network

Answer 13

Will have many less connections. Computers will generally be connected to two or more other computers but it is unlikely that any one computer has a direct connection to every other one.

Question 14

Advantages of Mesh Network

Answer 14

• Multiple devices can transmit data at the same time, which may travel via a different route to its destination and means that a mesh network can handle high amounts of traffic.
• If one device on the network fails, the network can still function because alternative connections are available.
• Adding additional devices does not disrupt data transmission between other devices.

Question 15

Disadvantages of Mesh Network

Answer 15

• The cost to implement is higher than other network topologies, making it a less desirable option
• Building and maintaining the topology is difficult and time consuming.
• The chance of redundant connections is high, which adds to the high costs and potential for reduced efficiency.

Question 16

Wired network

Answer 16

Uses cables or fibres to connect the computer systems, switches, hubs and servers.

Question 17

Bluetooth

Answer 17

Wireless technology standard used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances using wireless technology.

Question 18

Advantages of Wired networks

Answer 18

• Faster data transfer speed compared to wireless
• Less likely to suffer from interference
• More difficult for unauthorised users to gain access to the network

Question 19

Disadvantages of Wired networks

Answer 19

• Can be more expensive to install
• Users have to remain in 1 place as they are connected by a cable

Question 20

Advantages of Wireless networks

Answer 20

• It is easy to add new connections without disrupting the rest of the network
• Users can move around freely and still stay connected

Question 21

Disadvantages of Wireless Networks

Answer 21

• Radio signals have a limited range
• Radio signals can suffer from interference
• Each WAP can only support a limited number of users
• Radio signals can be intercepted by unauthorised users, which may be a security risk

Question 22

IP address

Answer 22

When sending data on a network, including the internet

Question 23

Media Access Control Address

Answer 23

Linked to the hardware

Question 24

Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

Answer 24

How data is sent between computers on a network and over the Internet. Data is split into packets, and each packet has some additional information attached in a header. The header contains information such as the IP address of where the data came from, the destination IP address

Question 25

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

Answer 25

Used by web browsers to access websites and communicate with web servers

Question 26

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

Answer 26

More secure version of HTTP, encrypts all information sent and received

Question 27

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Answer 27

Used to access, edit and move files between devices on a network

Question 28

Post Office Protocol v3 (POP3)

Answer 28

Used to retrieve emails from a server. Server holds the email until you download it, then it will delete it from the server

Question 29

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

Answer 29

Used to retrieve emails from a server. Server will hold an email until you delete it from the server. You only download a copy of the message.

Question 30

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

Answer 30

Used to send emails. Used to transfer emails between servers.

Question 31

Application Layer

Answer 31

When applications, or processes, create user data and communicate this data to other applications on another or the same host. Layer in which all application protocols e.g SMTP, FTP, HTTP operate

Question 32

Transport Layer

Answer 32

Performs host-to-host communications on either the local network or remote networks separated by routers. Provides flow-control, connection establishment, and reliable transmission of data.

Question 33

Internet Layer

Answer 33

Exchanges datagrams across network boundaries. It provides a uniform networking interface that hides the actual topology (layout) of the underlying network connections. addressing and routing structures used for the TCP/IP protocol suite.

Question 34

Link Layer

Answer 34

Defines the networking methods within the scope of the local network link on which hosts communicate without intervening routers.