Chapter -7

Computer Networking

Computer Network is a link between two or more computers that are connected
for the purpose of sharing information and resources.

Each computer in a network is called a Node.

Need of computer Network

1. It allows sharing of information.
2. It allows sharing of hardware as well as software resources.
3. It allows rapid communication.
4. It allows us to store information in one centralized location.
5. It reduces the cost.

Advantages
1. The information can easily be shared.
2. It reduces the cost of hardware.
3. It helps us to take back up of the data.
4. It saves time and money in passing information.

Components of Network
1. Sender: A computer that sends information to other computer is called
sender.
2. Receiver: A computer that receives information from sender computer is
called receiver computer.
3. Transmission Medium: It is a communication channel through which
information is transferred from one computer to other computer.
4. Message: A message is the information or data which needs to be
transferred.
5. Protocol: It is a set of rules used for communication.

Network Terminology:
1. Server: A server is the host computer, which provides centralized storage
area for data and information.
Various kinds of servers are:
a) Dedicated Server: It performs specific task.
b) Print Server: It manages the printers and the documents to be printed.
c) Database Server: It stores and provides access to database.
d) Network Server : It manages the network traffic.
e) Web Server: It manages the web pages and web sites.

2. Client: It is a computer which depends on server for all resources.

3. Internet: It is a global network of millions of computers and computer
networks all over the world.
4. Intranet: A computer network which can be used within an organization.
5. URL: It stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It identifies the location of the
website or web pages on the internet.
6. ISP: It stands for Internet Service Provider. It is a company that provides
internet access on monthly payment basis. For e.g. Airtel, Idea, BSNL etc.
7. IP Address: An Internet Protocol address is unique address assigned to the
computer connected to a network.
8. DNS: It stands for Domain Name System. DNS is a service that translates the
domain name into IP addresses.
9. Web Page: A web page is a document of information that can be accessed
and viewed through web browser. It contains information in the form of
text, images, pictures sound, audio, video etc.
10.Web Site: A website is a collection of one or more web pages. It is a
location on the web server where an individual or any organization uploads
its information on the web.
11.Web Portal: It is a specifically designed website to provide single point of
access for various information or services.
12.Hypertext: The text that is linked to some other web page is called
Hypertext.
13. Hyperlink: It is the link which is connected to URL of some other web page.
It is often underlined and blue in colour.
14. Bandwidth: The capacity of a transmission medium to transmit the
maximum amount of data from one computer to another in a given amount
of time. It is measured in bits per second, bytes per second, kilobytes per
second, Megabytes per second. Various kind of bandwidth is network
bandwidth, data bandwidth or digital bandwidth.

Devices Required for a Network

Network Interface Card
NIC joins a computer to a network and allows it to communicate with other
computers on the network.

Hub
A hub is a networking device that allows us to connect multiple computers to a
single network. Hub takes the data from one of the ports and broadcasts the data
to all other ports connected to the network.

Switch
A switch is a networking device that allows us to connect multiple computers to a
single network. Switch takes the data from one of the ports and passes the data
to the particular port only.

Route
A Router is used when multiple devices need to connect to the internet using
same IP.

Modem
A modem is a device which is used to transmit data over a network. It converts
digital signals to analog signals and vice versa.

Networking Cable
It is also known as Ethernet Cable. It is a transmission medium that allows
transporting information from one computer to other. For e.g. Twisted Pair cable,
Coaxial Cable, optical fiber cable.

Gateway
A gateway allows flow of data between two different networks, which may be
with different protocols.

Types of Network
LAN (Local Area Network)
It is a network system that interconnects a large number of computers and other
peripheral devices within a radius if 1 KM. It can be used to connect computers in
two buildings.
MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
It is a network system that interconnects a large number of computers and other
peripheral devices within a radius if 10 to 100 KM. It can be used to connect
computers in several buildings in a city.

WAN (Wide Area Network)

WAN covers a wide geographical area. It links computers from different
metropolitans and countries. For e.g. Internet.

PAN (Personal Area Network)

It is a privately owned network. It is used to connect computers within range of
20 to 30 feet. It can be wired or wireless.

CAN (Campus Area Network)(Corporate Area Network)(Controller Area Network)

It is called Cluster Area Network. It connects two or more LANs. For e.g. College
Campus.

Topology
Topology refers to the geometric arrangement of computers in a network.
Various kinds of topologies:
1. Bus Topology
In this topology all the nodes are connected to a single common path.
Additional nodes can be connected anywhere along the path. The fault
detection in this topology is very difficult in this topology.
2. Ring Topology
In this topology, all the nodes are connected in a circular path. The message
can travel in clockwise or anticlockwise direction. Any damage to cable can
result in breakdown of whole network.
3. Star Topology
In this topology all the nodes are attached to a central Hub. If hub fails to
operate, the entire network is operable.
4. Tree Topology
In this topology, nodes are connected as branches of a tree where hub acts
as a root node. If root node fails to operate, the entire network is operable.
5. Mesh Topology
In this topology, every single node in a network is connected to all the
other nodes in the network. It require more wire to connect all nodes.
Network Architecture
It is defined as overall design of the computer network. There are two types of
network architecture.
1. Peer to Peer Network
In this network all the nodes are equal and can share their resources. These
nodes are also called peers. There is no dedicated server in this network.
2. Client Server Network
This network consists of two parts, Server and Client. It is the most efficient
network. The client can request the server and server can respond to the
client as per the request.

Wireless Network Technology

In this technology no wires or physical media is used for connecting computers. It
uses electromagnetic waves like infrared, microwave and radio waves for
transmission of the data. There are two types of wireless technology:
1. Wi-Fi – It refers to wireless fidelity, which lets you connect to the internet
without any wired connection from your PC, laptop, smart phones etc. To connect
to the Wi-Fi network a hotspot is required. (The hotspot acts as a gateway to the
internet.)
2. Bluetooth – It is a technology that enables wireless communication between
low power consumption devices like mobile phones, laptops, printers etc. within a
short range of 1 to 10 meters. The latest version of Bluetooth is 5.0 which provide
data transfer speed up to 2 Mbps.

Protocol
Protocol is a set of rules that governs the communication between the computers
on the network.
Different types of protocols:
1. HTTP – (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), It defines how the web pages transfer
information between computer over internet.
2. HTTPS – (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure), It is a secure version of HTTP.
3. FTP – (File Transfer Protocol), It allows file uploading and downloading from
other computers over internet.
4. TCP/IP – (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol),It is a network
protocol that defines how the information or messages are routed from one end
of a network to the other.
5. POP3 – (Post Office Protocol version 3), It allows an e-mail client to retrieve e-
mail messages from an e-mail server.

6. IMAP – (Internet Message Access Protocol), It is an email protocol that stores e-

mail messages on a mail server and allows the user to view, access and
manipulate the messages on the mail server from their computer.

7. SMTP – (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), It is an email protocol for sending e-

mail messages across the Internet.

Full Forms:
1. HTTP – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
2. HTTPS – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure
3. FTP – File Transfer Protocol
4. TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol
5. POP3 – Post Office Protocol version 3
6. IMAP – Internet Message Access Protocol
7. SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
8. Wi-Fi - Wireless Fidelity
9. URL – Uniform Resource Locator
10. ISP – Internet Service Provider
11. IP – Internet Protocol
12. DNS – Domain Name System
13. bps – bits per second
14. Bps – Bytes per second
15. Kbps – Kilo bytes per second
16. Mbps – Mega bytes per second
17. NIC – Network Interface Card
18. Modem – Modulator Demodulator
19. LAN – Local Area Network
20. MAN – Metropolitan Area Network
21. WAN – Wide Area Network
22. PAN – Personal Area Network
23. CAN – Campus Area Network/ Corporate Area Network/ Controller Area
Network

Exercise
Section – A
A. Tick the correct option
1. (a) Node
2. (b) MAN
3. (b) Intranet
4. (a) IP
5. (a) Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

B. Fill in the blanks

1. Modem
2. Bus Topology
3. Protocol
4. MAN
5. LAN

C. True/ False
1. True
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. True

D. Match the following

1. (c) nodes are connected in a circular path
2. (d) nodes are connected to a single common path
3. (e) nodes are connected to all the other nodes
4. (b) nodes are connected to central node
5. (a) nodes are connected as branches of a tree

Section B
A. Short Answer questions
1. What is network?
Ans1. Network refers to an inter-connected group of people, object, companies,
computers etc. For e.g. Telephone network

2. Define Client and Server.

Ans2. Client: It is a computer which depends on server for all resources.
Server: A server is the host computer, which provides centralized storage area for
data and information.

3. What is topology?
Ans3. Topology refers to the geometric arrangement of computers in a network.

4. What are the different components of a computer network?

Ans4. Components of Network
1. Sender: A computer that sends information to other computer is called
sender.
2. Receiver: A computer that receives information from sender computer is
called receiver computer.
3. Transmission Medium: It is a communication channel through which
information is transferred from one computer to other computer.
4. Message: A message is the information or data which needs to be
transferred.
5. Protocol: It is a set of rules used for communication.

B. Long answer questions

1. What is computer network? Write its advantages.
Ans1. Computer Network is a link between two or more computers that are
connected for the purpose of sharing information and resources.
Advantages
1. The information can easily be shared.
2. It reduces the cost of hardware.
3. It helps us to take back up of the data.
4. It saves time and money in passing information.

2. Why do we need a computer network?

Ans2. Need of computer Network
1. It allows sharing of information.
2. It allows sharing of hardware as well as software resources.
3. It allows rapid communication.
4. It allows us to store information in one centralized location.
5. It reduces the cost.

3. Explain any three types of topology.

An3. Topology refers to the geometric arrangement of computers in a network.
Various kinds of topologies:
1. Bus Topology
In this topology all the nodes are connected to a single common path.
Additional nodes can be connected anywhere along the path. The fault
detection in this topology is very difficult in this topology.
2. Ring Topology
In this topology, all the nodes are connected in a circular path. The message
can travel in clockwise or anticlockwise direction. Any damage to cable can
result in breakdown of whole network.
3. Star Topology
In this topology all the nodes are attached to a central Hub. If hub fails to
operate, the entire network is operable.

4. Define LAN and MAN.

Ans4. LAN (Local Area Network)
It is a network system that interconnects a large number of computers and other
peripheral devices within a radius if 1 KM. It can be used to connect computers in
two buildings.

MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

It is a network system that interconnects a large number of computers and other
peripheral devices within a radius if 10 to 100 KM. It can be used to connect
computers in several buildings in a city.

5. What is difference between a web page and a website?

Ans5. Web Page: A web page is a document of information that can be accessed
and viewed through web browser. It contains information in the form of text,
images, pictures sound, audio, video etc.
Web Site: A website is a collection of one or more web pages. It is a location on
the web server where an individual or any organization uploads its information on
the web.

C. Application based questions

1. Ring Topology
2. Network Server