1.4 Wired and Wireless Networks Flashcards
local area network definition
- covers small geographic area
- hardware owned by organisation using it
- either wired or wireless using wifi
wide area network definition
- covers large area , connecting lans
- infrastructure between lans is leased from telecommunications companies
- are connected with telephone lines, fibre or satellite
advantages of networks
- users can share files
- users scan share peripherals
- users can access their files from any computer
disadvantages of networks
- security risk
- malware and viruses spread easily
- server fails , computer may not work
network performance effects
number of users error rate transmission rate bandwidth latency
number of users
more users the more bandwidth used so could cause network slowdown
error rate
less reliable connections increase errors , data has to be resent till it’s sent correctly , quality dependant on range and quality
transmission media
wired connections have higher bandwidth than wireless, fibre optic is better than copper
bandwidth
amount of data that can be sent and received successfully in a given time. the amount of data that can be send on the transmission media. Fibre optic better than copper
latency
the delay from transmitting data to recovering it. caused by bottlenecks in the infrastructure of the network. ex not using switches to segment traffic
client server
- server controls access and security to one shared file store
- manages access to the internet
- manages printing jobs
peer to peer
- peer is a singular computer on the network
- each is responsible for its security
- each is responsible for its own backup
advantages of client server
- easier to manage security
- easier to install software updates
- easier to take backups of data
advantages of peer to peer model
- very easy to maintain
- no dependency on a singular machine
- cheaper to set up , no expensive hardware
disadvantages of client server
- can be expensive to set up and maintain
- single point of failure, lose access of the server fails
- requires it specialists to maintain
peer to peer model disadvantages
- users will need to manage their own backups
- can be difficult to maintain a well ordered file store
- network is less secure
vlan advantages
- very scaleable
- quite secure , users can’t access other computers even if there on the same switch
- cheaper as you don’t need frequent upgrades to the network infrastructure
personal area network
usually based of Bluetooth connections between devices like keyboard and headphones , cover short distances but very portable
wireless access point definition
enables other devices to connect to a wireless network and communicate with one another
router definition
device that transfers data from one network to another, is needed to connect to a wan, uses an ip adress on a device to route traffic to other routers
switch defenition
sends data between computers on a lan , uses the nic address to route traffic
network interface card defenition
connects a device to a wired or wireless network connection, uses protocol to ensure successful connection
wireless network connection (points)
- no cables
- portable connection
- bandwidth is lower
- security is a problem
wired network (points)
- connection between desktops with a switch, made with copper cable
- cheap and flexible so easier to install
