Study Guide: Computer Network Concepts

Introduction

Methods of Telecommunication

In years past, we relied on the postal service, telephone, radio, books, or newspapers to send or receive information. The computer has opened a variety of ways to communicate more quickly and effectively. Computer systems that transmit data over communications lines such as telephone lines or cables are called data communications systems. These data communications systems have been evolving since the mid-1960s. A network is a computer system that uses communications devices to connect two or more computers and their resources. Although it may seem to be a simple task to connect several computers together to form a network, it requires serious planning and effort to be effective. Let’s begin our study of networking by examining the components needed to transmit data from one computer to another. In the most basic illustration of sending and receiving information, we will see three elements.

A common example of communication is when one computer sends e-mail to another computer across town. The two computers would probably use phone lines to send their message. Each computer will need one other piece of equipment -- modem. A modem is a device that converts a digital signal to an analog signal and vice versa. Modem is short for modulate/demodulate. A modem is required because computer signals are in a digital format and phone signals are in analog format. The speed of transmission of data using a modem is measured in bits per second (bps). Older standards of speed were 9600, 14,400, 28,800, and 33,600 bps, which are very slow by today’s standard of 56,000 bps. 56K speed only applies for receiving data. One technology used to improve speed is Integrated Services Digital Network, ISDN. An ISDN adapter can move data at 128,000 bps over any modem. ISDN does require two separate phone lines -- one for data transmission and one for normal phone use. The fees for this service are fairly expensive, and this service is not available in some locations.

Networks

There are two types of networks: wide area networks (WAN) and local area networks (LAN). First, let’s discuss wide area networks. A wide area network is a network of geographically distant computers and terminals. Personal computers are very often used in this type of network to communicate with mainframe computers. To communicate with a mainframe, a personal computer must employ terminal emulation software. The mainframe computer in this type of network is called the host computer. When a personal computer or workstation is being used as a network terminal, file transfer software enables a user to download files (retrieve them from another computer and store them) and upload files (send files to another computer). WANs are used in networks that span cities, states, countries, and the world. A local area network (LAN) is usually a network of personal computers that share hardware, software, and data. A LAN, as the name implies, covers short distances, usually within one building or a group of buildings within a small geographic area. The computers or nodes can be connected by a shared network cable or by wireless transmission. A network interface card (NIC) may be inserted into a slot inside the computer to handle sending, receiving, and error checking of transmitted data. There are several important terms relevant to LANs. A bridge is a combination of hardware and software that recognizes the messages on a network and passes on those addressed to nodes in other networks. For example, a manufacturing plant might have separate LANs in each of its departments that need to communicate occasionally. A router is a special computer that directs communications traffic when several networks are connected together. If traffic is clogged on one path, the router can determine an alternative path. More recently, now that many networks have adopted the Internet Protocol (IP), routers are being replaced with IP switches, which are less expensive and faster. A hub is a device that repeats signals and connects a group of computers to a network.

Two ways to organize the resources of LANs are client/server and peer-to-peer. A client/server arrangement involves a server, the computer that controls the network. The server computer has a hard disk that holds shared files and often has a very high-quality printer attached. The other computers on the network are called clients. Under the client/server arrangement, the server usually does the processing and only the results are sent to the client. Since the server does most of the heavy work, less-expensive computers can be used as the clients. In the peer-to-peer arrangement all computers have equal status; no one computer is in control. The main disadvantage of the peer-to-peer is lack of speed.

Electronic Mail

Networking has given the opportunity of sending messages directly from one computer to another -- e-mail. E-mail allows the sender to reach one person or many people with one single message. E-mail does not require both participants to be present at the time of transmission; thus, it is a tremendous asset when sending messages across time zones. E-mail has become an indispensable element of business communication, allowing the opportunity to send or receive multiple messages at a time while also reducing the use of paper. One disadvantage is the abundance of junk mail has proliferated as a result of the ease of sending messages by e-mail. America Online (AOL) is one of the largest e-mail service providers. In January 2001 AOL merged with Time Warner to become one of the largest and most influential corporations in America. As you send more and more messages, you may need to know the term Listserv. Listserv is a widely used automatic mailing manager. It has the great advantage of being able to easily handle enormous mailing lists that contain thousands of members. You put yourself on and off a Listserv mailing list by sending mail to a Listserv machine on which the mailing list resides. To get off the Listserv you simply mail another message requesting to signoff. The Internet is a resource for all computer users and has defined technology in the 21^st century. Many people think the Internet sprang up overnight; however, that is not the case. It began in 1969 when research universities and defense contractors needed a network to communicate. At that time, it was not available to the general public. The Internet is a rapidly growing web of networks from around the world—simply, a network of networks. Internet provides many capabilities including e-mail, The World Wide Web (WWW), information retrieval, electronic commerce, newsgroups, and file transfer protocol (FTP). Let’s begin by saying that the Internet is a term used to describe the entire network of networks; the WWW is only one part of the Internet. The WWW, the graphical part of the Internet, is the largest and most popular part of the Internet. The WWW contains billions of documents called Web pages. The WWW was first called a web because the links of computers are so vast and complicated that they resemble a spider’s web. These Web pages are documents that contain text, graphics, sound, and/or video and have built-in connections called hyperlinks. Web pages are stored on computers all over the world. A Web site is a related collection of Web pages. Each Web page has a unique address on the WWW called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Let’s look at an example:

The domain name is important to note. The domain name for Internet providers in the United States usually ends with three letters (called the zone) that give you a clue to what kind of web site it is. The following chart will provide a quick reference for you.

In order to use the Internet, a user must have a computer, a modem, a browser, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP). A browser is the software on the user’s computer that allows the user to access the Internet via the service provider, using a graphical interface. Internet Explorer is one of the most popular web browsers today. In addition to the browsers themselves, various vendors offer plug-ins, software that enhances the value of a browser by increasing its features. Typical plug-ins can enhance a site’s audio-video experience or improve image viewing. Most plug-ins can be downloaded from their own web sites. An ISP provides the server computer and the software required for you to connect to the Internet. If you wish to access the Internet using your home computer, you might sign up for an online service, such as America Online, which provides both access to the Internet and a browser in one. Newsgroups such as Usenet, are an informal network of computers that allows the posting and reading of messages in newsgroups that focus on specific topics. Newsgroup topics cover almost any subject you could imagine. A newsgroup is like a very large bulletin board marked off by category. A suggested rule is that you observe the newsgroup for a while, lurking, before you jump in.

In addition to accessing files on the Internet, you may want to make your copy of a particular file. In that case, you would need to download a copy of the file. Computers on the Internet have a standard way to transfer copies of files, a program call FTP, for file transfer protocol. Most downloading is done by a method called anonymous FTP. This means that instead of having to identify yourself with a proper account on the remote computer, you can simply call yourself Anonymous. Therefore, you do not need a password, only your e-mail address.

Let’s review this module by completing the End of Concepts Exercises.