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IGCSE Computer Science > Unit 1.3 > Flashcards

Unit 1.3 Flashcards

1
Q

What are standalone computers?

A

Computers that are not connected to any network

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2
Q

What is a node?

A

A computer connected to a network

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3
Q

What are the advantages for networking?

A
  • Users can share files and peripherals
  • You can access files from any computer on the network
  • Servers can control security, software updates and data backup
  • You can communicate with other people on the network through email
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4
Q

What is a LAN?

A

It is a network that…
covers a small geographical area located on a single site
all of the hardware for a LAN is owned by the organization using it
LANs are wired with UTP cable, fibre optic or wireless

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5
Q

What is a WAN?

A

It is a network that…
covers a huge geographical area, connecting LANs together
Infrastructure between the LANs is leased by telecommunication companies who own and manage it
WANs are connected with telephone lines, fibre optic or satellite links

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6
Q

Which piece of hardware connects computers in a LAN?

A

Switch

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7
Q

Which piece of hardware connects computers in a WAN?

A

Router

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8
Q

What are the disadvantages of networking?

A
  • Increased security risks to data
  • Malware and viruses spread easily between computers
  • If a server fails, connected computers may fail as well
  • The computer may run more slowly if there is a lot of traffic on the network
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9
Q

What is bandwidth?

A

The amount of data that can be sent and received successfully in a given time
Measured in bits/s

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10
Q

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

A

Too many users on the same network can cause the network to slow down if there’s insufficient bandwidth for the data

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11
Q

How can the type of transmission media affect the performance of a network?

A

Wired connections have a higher bandwidth than wireless
Fibre optic cables have a higher bandwidth than copper

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12
Q

How can the error rate affect the performance of a network?

A

Less reliable connections increase the number of errors that occur when data is transferred, so the data has to be resent until correct

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13
Q

What affects the error rate?

A

For wireless connections, the signal quality is dependent on the distance between the devices and WAP and other environmental factors
For wired connections, the signal quality is dependent on the quality of material used that reduces interference as well as the length of the cable

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14
Q

What is latency?

A

Latency is the delay of receiving data after transmitting it

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15
Q

What is a server?

A

It is a special computer on a network that is dedicated to handling various services

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16
Q

What are the advantages of a client-server model?

A
  1. Easier to manage security files
  2. Easier to take backups of all shared data
  3. Easier to install software updates to all computers
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17
Q

What are the disadvantages of a client-server model?

A
  1. Can be expensive to set up and maintain
  2. Requires IT specialists to maintain
  3. The server is a single point of failure
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18
Q

What is a peer computer?

A

It is a computer on a network that is equal to all other peers
They usually have their own printers, are responsible for their own backup and serve their own files to each other

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19
Q

What are the advantages of a P2P network?

A
  1. Very easy to maintain and specialist maintenance is not required
  2. Cheaper to set up and no expensive hardware required
  3. There is no dependency on a single computer
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20
Q

What are the disadvantages of a P2P network?

A
  1. The network is less secure
  2. Users need to manage their own backups
  3. Difficult to maintain a well-ordered file store
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21
Q

What is an NIC?

A

Network Interface Card
Computers need this to connect to a network
They use a protocol to determine how the network should work

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22
Q

What is a WAP?

A

Wireless access point
Allows wireless enabled devices to connect to a wireless network

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23
Q

What is a switch?

A

Sends data between devices on a LAN
They segment the network by forwarding traffic to the correct location

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24
Q

What is an alternative to a switch?

A

A hub
It is slower and less secure as it forwards a copy of received data to all nodes

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25
Q

What is a router?

A

Sends data packets between WAPs
They take the IP address in the packet to determine the best route to transmit the data
Data is transferred from router to router across the internet

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26
Q

What are fibre optic cables?

A

They are very fast but more expensive and fragile
Data is quickly sent across a WAN as pulses of light

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27
Q

What are copper cables?

A

The wires are twisted together to reduce interference.
The grade of copper affect the quality of the cable

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28
Q

What is the Internet?

A

It is a network of computer networks

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29
Q

What is the difference between the Internet and World Wide Web?

A

The WWW is a service on the Internet, whereas the Internet is the hardware

30
Q

What is the Cloud?

A

The storage of data and programs by web servers that can be accessed and used over the Internet

31
Q

What are the advantages of the Cloud?

A
  1. Accessible anytime, anywhere from any device
  2. Large storage capacity
  3. Automatic backup
  4. Easy online collaboration
32
Q

What is a star network topology?

A

The most popular wired type of network
All computers connect into the central switch

33
Q

What are the advantages of a star network topology?

A

If a single cable breaks only that computer is affected
The switch ensures that the traffic belonging to the computer gets only to it

34
Q

What are the disadvantages of a star network topology?

A

The switch is still a serious point of failure

35
Q

What is a full mesh network topology?

A

A topology where every device is connected to every other device

36
Q

What are the advantages of a full mesh network topology?

A

If you get a break in any of the connections you can still route your traffic via another route

37
Q

What are the disadvantages of a full mesh network topology?

A

Lots of cabling and switch hardware required, adding to the cost for large networks

38
Q

What is a possible compromise for a full mesh network topology?

A

A partial mesh network topology
Multiple routes exist between different routers but not every device is connected to every other device
This lowers the amount of hardware required
Example: The Internet

39
Q

Name a wired mode of connection.

A

Ethernet

40
Q

Name a wireless mode of connection

A

Bluetooth

41
Q

What is Ethernet?

A

A standard for networking technologies
Used for communicating on a wired LAN
Includes a number of protocols

42
Q

What is the advantage of Ethernet?

A

Provides error free, fast communication between 2 points

43
Q

What are the disadvantages of Ethernet?

A

A user’s location is limited by the need for a physical wired connection.
High cost due to expensive setup of Ethernet

44
Q

What are the the advantages of wireless connection?

A

Ideal as running lots of cabling is undesirable
Portable network connection

45
Q

What are the disadvantages of wireless connection?

A

Less bandwidth than wired connections
Limited range
Lower network security

46
Q

What is the need for encryption?

A

Wireless networks broadcast data, so it must be encrypted to be secure.

47
Q

How is encryption carried out?

A

The data is scrambled into cipher text using a “master key” created from the SSID of the network and password

48
Q

What is a MAC address?

A

Media Access Control address
It routes frames on LANs
It is a unique hexadecimal number (12 digits/48 hex) assigned to each NIC inside a networked device

49
Q

What is an IP address?

A

Internet Protocol Address
A unique number which is used to address a host computer which communicates over IP on the Internet

50
Q

Describe the IPv4 format

A

Written as four groups of bits as binary in the range of 1-255, separated by periods.

51
Q

How many possible addresses are there for IPv4 format?

A

around 4 billion

52
Q

What does the IPv4 address consist of?

A

Two parts: Network identifier (3 bytes) and host identifier (1 byte)

53
Q

What does the network identifier in an IP address do?

A

It is used to identify the network the traffic needs to go to

54
Q

What does the host identifier in an IP address do?

A

It is used to identify the specific host device within that network the traffic needs to go to

55
Q

Describe the IPv6 format

A

Written as 8 groups of hexadecimal values separated by colons. Each group is made up of 4 hex values, representing 16 bits

56
Q

Why do we need IPv6 as an alternative to IPv4?

A

Because IPv4 only has 4 billion possible addresses, which is not enough for the 8 billion people in the world, so IPv6 offers a lot more possible addresses

57
Q

What are networking standards?

A

Networking standards are rules that allow computer systems to communicate across networks.

58
Q

What is a protocol?

A

A set of rules that allow 2 devices to communicate

59
Q

What does
1. TCP/IP
2. HTTP/HTTPS
3. FTP
4. POP
5. IMAP
6. SMTP
stand for?

A
  1. Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol
  2. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure)
  3. File Transfer Protocol
  4. Post Office Protocol
  5. Internet Message Access Protocol
  6. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
60
Q

What is the purpose of each of the following protocols:
1. TCP/IP
2. HTTP/HTTPS
3. FTP
4. POP/ IMAP/ SMTP

A
  1. Communicating over LANs and WANs
  2. Webpage requests
  3. File transfers
  4. Email
61
Q

What does TCP do?

A

Provides an error-free transmission between two routers

62
Q

What does IP do?

A

Routes packets across WANs

63
Q

What does HTTP(S) do?

A

It is a way for client and server to send and receive requests and deliver web pages
HTTPS is effectively the same thing but encryption and authentication is added

64
Q

What does FTP do?

A

Used for sending files between computers on a WAN

65
Q

What does SMTP do?

A

transfers emails from one server to another

66
Q

What does POP do?

A

Retrieves emails from a mail server, removes it from server and transfers it to device

67
Q

What does IMAP do?

A

Retrieves emails from a mail server, keeps it on server and transfers it to device. This allows synchronicity between devices

68
Q

What is the need for layering?

A

It is a challenging process to transfer data between 2 points on a LAN/WAN so layers are a way to simplify this process

69
Q

What is the concept of layers?

A

The concept of layers is dividing the complex task of networking into smaller, simpler tasks that work with each other, where each layer provides a service to the one above it.

70
Q

What are the advantages of layers?

A

Reduces the complexity of the problem into manageable sub-problems

IGCSE Computer Science (3 decks)

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