YEAR 1 CO1 WEEK 22 CIRCUIT/PACKET SWITCHING AND CLIENT/PEER TO PEER SERVER

Question 1

Define switching.

Answer 1

Switching sends data along appropriate path and prevents all data being sent to all parts of the network.

Question 2

Describe Circuit Switching.

Answer 2

Connection made between two nodes. Path reserved between two computers for duration of the transmission.
No other data can use any part of this circuit until transmission is complete.
Data divided equal sized parts sent down circuit in correct order.

Question 3

Advantages of circuit switching.

Answer 3

Communications occur any time without waiting for connection delay.
Data arrives in same order it is sent.

Question 4

Disadvantages of circuit switching.

Answer 4

Bandwidth wasted if no communication.
Only connects devices with same transfer rate.

Question 5

Describe packet switching

Answer 5

Data split into equal sized blocks.
Each packet has header of info.
Each packet placed on network each travelling different route.
At each node the destination address is read and best route is found.
Packets to be reordered at destination.

Question 6

Advantages of packet switching

Answer 6

Makes efficient use of network.
Easy avoid broken bits of the network.
As number of users increase network only has to expand slowly compared to circuit switching.

Question 7

Disadvantages of packet switching

Answer 7

Sometimes packets can get lost.
Takes long time to put data back together in right order. Known as ‘latency’.

Question 8

Define Client Server Network.

Answer 8

A network which has a central server at their core. Main role of the server is to store and serve files to users which request it.

Larger networks may have multiple servers which which dedicated to performing certain tasks.

Question 9

Describe a Peer To Peer Server.

Answer 9

All devices have equal status and no central server.
Anything that is running off unavailable user cannot be accessed or used by other users.
Only security is whether user knows password to file.

Question 10

Give comparison between client server and Peer to Peer.

Answer 10

Backups are central so all data backed up each time.
Backups done for each workstation.
All files stored centrally so workers can access their files from any computer.
Files stored individually on each workstation hard disk.
Expensive to set up and maintain as well as needing specialist staff to maintain them.
Less expensive and easier to maintain.