NETWORKING

What is it?
 Networking is the practice of
linking two or more computing
devices together for the purpose of
sharing data.
Networks are built with a mix of
computer hardware and computer
software.
 HISTORY:

Before the advent of computer networks that were

based upon some type of telecommunications
system, communication between calculations and
early computers was performed by human users by
carrying instructions between them.
George Stibitz :
- in 1940, he used teletype machine
to send instructions for a problem set
from his Model K to his Complex
Number Calculator and received results
back by the same means.
 In 1964, researchers of Dartmouth
College developed the Dartmouth
Time Sharing System for distributed
users of large computers.

General Electric and Bell Labs

supported a research group using a
computer (DEC’s PDP-8) to route and
manage telephone connections in the
same year.
Leonard Kleinrock, Paul Baran and
Donald Davies
they independently conceptualized and
developed network systems which used
datagrams or packets that could be used in
a packet switched network between
computer systems throughout 1960’s.
Thomas Merill and Lawrence G.
Roberts
They created the first wide area network
(WAN) in 1965.
The first widely used PSTN (Public Switched
Telephone Network) switch that used true
computer control was the Western Electric
1ESS switch introduced in the same year.
Today, computer networks are the core
of modern communication.
 For example, all modern aspects of the
PSTN are computer controlled and
telepony increasingly runs over the Internet
Protocol.
 The scope of communication has increased
significantly in the past decade and this
boom in communications would not have
been possible without the progressively
advancing computer networks.
NETWORK
 Network or communication
network, is a system of interconnected
computer, telephones or other
communication devices that can
communicate with one another and
share applications and data.
 TYPES OF
NETWORKS:
 Wide Area Network (WAN)
 Is a communications network that covers a wide
geographic area, such as country or the world.
 A WAN may be use a combination of satellites,
fiber-optic cable, microwave, and copper wire
connections and link a variety of computers, from
mainframes to terminals.
 WANs are used to connect local area network
(LAN) together and may be privately owned or
rented .
 The best example of a WAN is the internet.
Metropolitan area network (MAN)
 is a computer network that connects two or more
local area networks or campus area networks
(CAN) together but does not extend beyond the
boundaries covering a city/town or a suburb.
 The purpose of a MAN is often to bypass local
telephone companies when accessing long-
distance services.
 Many cellphone systems are MAN’s.
Local area network (LAN)
 Is a computer network that connects computers
and devices in a limited geographic area, such as
one office, school, airport, one building, or group
of buildings close together (for instance, a college
campus).
 Current wired LANs are most likely to be based
on Ethernet technology.
 For ex., a library may have a wired or wireless
LAN for users to interconnect local devices (e.g.,
printers or servers) and to connect to the internet.
TYPES OF LANs
1.) Client/Server LANs
 A client/server LAN consists of clients,
which are microcomputers that request
data, and server, which are computers
used to supply data.
 Different servers that manages shared
devices, such as lasers printers are used in
different tasks.
They are:
 File servers – is a computer that acts like a disk
drive, storing the programs and data files shared
by users on a LAN.
 Database servers- is a computer in a LAN that
stores data but doesn’t store programs.
 Print servers- controls one or more printers and
stores the print-image output from all the micro-
computers on the system.
 Web servers- contain web pages that can be
viewed using a browser.
 Mail servers- manage emails.
2.)Peer-to-peer LANs
 In Peer-to-peer LAN- all microcomputers on
the network communicate directly with one
another without relying on a server.
 Peer-to-peer networks are less expensive
than client / server networks and work
effectively for up to 25 computers. Beyond
that, they slow down under heavy use.
They are appropriate for small networks.
Components of a LAN
 Connection or cabling system
 Microcomputers with network interface
cards
 Network operating system
 Other shared devices
 Routers, bridges, gateways, and hubs
Campus area network (CAN)
 Is a computer network made up of an
interconnection of local area networks
(LANs) within a limited geographical area. It
can be considered one form of a
metropolitan area network, specific to an
academic setting.
 The main aim of CAN is to facilitate
students accessing internet university
resources.
 This is a network that connects two or more
LANs but that is limited to a specific and
contiguous geographical area such as a
college campus, industrial complex, office
building or a military base.
Global area networks (GAN)
 In general, GAN is a model for supporting
mobile communications across an arbitrary
number of wireless LANs, satellite
coverage areas, etc.
Virtual private network (VPN)
 Is a computer network in which some of the
links between nodes are carried by open
connections or virtual circuits in some large
network (e.g., the Internet) instead of by
physical wires.
 VPNs, for ex., can be used to separate the
traffic of different user communities over an
underlying network with strong security
features.
Internetworking
 Involves connecting two or more distinct
computer networks or network segments
via a common routine technology. The
result is called an internetwork ( often
shortened to internet).
 Any interconnection among or between
public, private, commercial, industrial, or
govermental networks may also be defined
as internetwork.
There are at least three variant of
internetwork, depending on who
administers and who participates in
them:

1. INTRANET
2. EXTRANET
3. FIREWALLS
INTRANET
 For internal use only: is an organization’s
internal private network that uses the
infrastructure and standards of the internet
and the web.
 When a corporation creates an internet, it
enables employees to have quicker access
to internal information and to share
knowledge so that they can do their jobs
better.
 Information exchanged on intranets may
include employee email adresses and
telephone numbers, product information,
sales data, employee benefit information,
and lists of jobs available within the
organization.
EXTRANETS
 For certain outsiders: are private intranets
that connect not internet personnel but also
selected suppliers and other strategic
artists.
 Extranets have become popular for
standard transactions such as purchasing,
supports sales and servicing of cars , with
the aim of improving service to company
customers (e.g., Ford Company).
FIREWALLS
 To keep out unauthorized users:- is a system of
hardware and software that blocks unauthorized
users inside and outside the organization from
entering the intranet.
 The firewall software monitors monitors all
internet and other network activity looking for
suspicious data and preventing unauthorized
users.
 Cable modem, DSL, as well as WiFi devices are
advised to install a firewall.
PARTS OF A FIREWALL
 1. CHOKE- forces all data packets flowing
between the internet and the intranet to
pass through a gate.
 2. GATE- regulates the flow between the
two networks. It identifies authorized users,
searches for viruses and implements other
security measures.
BENEFITS OF NETWORKS
People and organization use networks for
the following reasons, the most important
of which is the sharing of resources.

 Sharing of peripheral devices

 Sharing of programs and data
 Better communications
 Security of information
 Access to databases