Wired Networks Flashcards
What is a network
When two or more computers are connected
What is a LAN
Local area network
A wired network that connects two or more devices over a limited area
What is a WLAN
A wireless network that links two or more devices over a limited area
What is a WAN
A wide area network. Where the information is not tied to a single location
What is a SD-WAN
Software Defined WAN
Uses a centralised control function to direct traffic in the WAN
What is a Bus topology
Where the nodes are connected by a single channel one after another
Operations of a bus topology
All nodes connect to a backbone cable. Each end of the backbone cable has a terminator or a computer that bounces the signal back
Each node is passive (involved in data transmission but doesn’t change the data)
Data is unidirectional
Only one computer can transmit data at a time
The signal continues until it reaches it destination
What is CSMA
Carrier Sense Multiple Access
Enable nodes to transmit on the same cable
What is a CSMA/CD
A carrier sense multiple access with collision detection
It will detect if two nodes attempt to transmit data simultaneously.
Once detected both nodes will stop and wait a random amount of time before trying again
What is a star topology
A network where a hub or a switch is used as a common point of connection for all other nodes
Difference between a hub and a switch
A hub sends data to all the computers on the network while a switch sends the data only to the intended recipient
What is a NIC
A network interface card
Each NIC contains a MAC address that is a label for a device connected to a network
What is a mesh topology
A network where each computer and devices are connected to each other
Difference in partial mesh and full mesh
A full mesh every single device connects to each other
While partial mesh at least two devices connect to each other
Advantages and Disadvantages of physical mesh topology
Advantages:
Manages high traffic
A failure does not break the network
Adding additional devices doesn’t disrupt data communication
Disadvantages:
High cost to implement
Time consuming to maintain and build
High chance of redundant connections
Advantages and Disadvantages of physical bus topology
Advantages:
Cheap to install
Does not need specialised hardware
Disadvantages:
Network breaks if main cable breaks
Slow performance with high traffic
Security is poor
Advantages and Disadvantages of physical star topology
Advantages:
If a cable fails easy to isolate failure
Easy to add new devices
Consistent performance even with high traffic
No issues with data collisions
System is secure
Disadvantages:
Costly to set up
If central node goes down the network fails
Physical vs logical
Physical is how the devices are physically connected
Logical is how the data is transmitted
