Computer Networks

Basic Concepts

A computer network is a set of independent computers connected by telecommunication links. The individual computers are called nodes, or hosts. The nodes are connected by some method of carrying digitized signals.
Wires Light Microwaves Radio

Waves

Typical Network Uses

Resource sharing - sharing of physical resources (such as printers, files, databases) Information sharing - accessing scientific, legal, medical and commercial data files stored anywhere in the world. Communication
E-mail Chat

Bulletin
Blogs

Boards

Sharing Data
File server contains documents used by other computers.

More Network Uses

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) supports the paperless exchange of goods, information and services. (eg. ATMs, electronic tickets,etc.) Entertainment Digital cable TV, multi-player distributed gaming, on-demand movies
Voice

over IP Phone communication over network wires

More??

Voice Over IP

Organization of a Machine
Data Bus

memory

control unit registers

input/ output
Network Interface Card (NIC)

arithmeticlogic unit

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Outside World

Common Network Types

Local Area Network (LAN)

Contains

printers, servers and computers Systems are close to each other Contained in one office or building Organizations often have several LANS

Common Network Types

Wide Area Networks (WAN)

Two

or more LANs connected Over a large geographic area Typically use public or leased lines
Phone lines Satellite

The

Internet is a WAN

Hybrid Network Types

Campus Area Networks (CAN)

A

LAN in one large geographic area Resources related to the same organization Each department shares the LAN

Hybrid Network Types

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Large

network that connects different organizations Shares regional resources A network provider sells time

Hybrid Network Types

Home Area Network (HAN)

Small

scale network Connects computers and entertainment appliances Found mainly in the home

Hybrid Network Types

Personal Area Network (PAN)

Very

small scale network Range is less than 2 meters Cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players

How Networks Are Structured

Server based network

Node

is any network device Servers control what the node accesses Users gain access by logging in Server is the most important computer

How Networks Are Structured

Client/Server network
Nodes

and servers share data roles Nodes are called clients Servers are used to control access Database software

Access to data controlled by server

Server

is the most important computer

How Networks Are Structured

Peer to peer networks (P2PN)

All

nodes are equal Nodes access resources on other nodes Each node controls its own resources Most modern OS allow P2PN Distributing computing is a form Kazaa

Network Components
Physical Media
Interconnecting Devices Computers

Networking Software
Applications

Network Media
Links that connect nodes Choice impacts

Speed Security Size

Wire Based Media

Twisted-pair cabling
Most

common LAN

cable Called Cat5 or 100BaseT Four pairs of copper cable twisted May be shielded from interference Speeds range from 1 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps

Wire Based Media

Coaxial cable
Similar

to cable TV wire One wire runs through cable Shielded from interference Speeds up to 10 Mbps Nearly obsolete

Wire Based Media

Fiber-optic cable
Data

is transmitted with light pulses Glass strand instead of cable Immune to interference Very secure Hard to work with Speeds up to 100 Gbps

Wireless Media
Data transmitted through the air LANs use radio waves WANs use microwave signals Easy to setup Difficult to secure

Network Topology
The network topology defines the way in which computers, printers, and other devices are connected. A network topology describes the layout of the wire and devices as well as the paths used by data transmissions.

Network Topology
Linear Bus Tree

Star/ (Ring)

Bus Topology
Commonly referred to as a linear bus, all the devices on a bus topology are connected by one single cable. Advantages Easy to setup Small amount of wire Disadvantages Slow Easy to crash

Star & Tree Topology

The star topology is the most commonly used architecture in Ethernet LANs. When installed, the star topology resembles spokes in a bicycle wheel.

Larger networks use the extended star topology also called tree topology. When used with network devices that filter frames or packets, like bridges, switches, and routers, this topology significantly reduces the traffic on the wires by sending packets only to the wires of the destination host.

Network Topologies

Star topology All nodes connect to a hub Packets sent to hub Hub sends packet to destination Advantages Easy to setup One cable can not crash network Disadvantages One hub crashing downs entire network Uses lots of cable Most common topology

Star Topology

Ring Topology
A frame travels around the ring, stopping at each node. If a node wants to transmit data, it adds the data as well as the destination address to the frame. The frame then continues around the ring until it finds the destination node, which takes the data out of the frame.

Single ring All the devices on the network share a single cable
Dual ring The dual ring topology allows data to be sent in both directions.

Advantages Time to send data is known No data collisions Disadvantages Slow Lots of cable

Mesh Topology
The mesh topology connects all devices (nodes) to each other.
It is used in WANs to interconnect LANs and for mission critical networks like those used by banks and financial institutions. Implementing the mesh topology is expensive and difficult.

Mesh Topology

Network Hardware

Network interface cards

Network

adapter Connects node to the media Unique Machine Access Code (MAC)

Network Hardware

Network linking devices

Connect

nodes in the network Cable runs from node to device Crossover cable connects two computers

Network Hardware

Hubs
Center

of a star network All nodes receive transmitted packets Slow and insecure

Network Hardware

Switches
Replacement

for hubs Only intended node receives transmission Fast and secure

Network Hardware

Bridge
Connects

two or more LANs together Packets sent to remote LAN cross

Other packets do not cross
Segments

the network on MAC addresses

Network Hardware

Router
Connects

two or more LANs together Packets sent to remote LAN cross Network is segmented by IP address Connect internal networks to the Internet Need configured before installation

Network Hardware

Gateway
Connects

two dissimilar networks Connects coax to twisted pair Most gateways contained in other devices

Network Cabling

Cabling specifications
Bandwidth

measures cable speed

Typically measured in Mbps

Maximum

cable length Connector describes the type of plug

Network Cabling

Ethernet
Very

popular cabling technology 10 Base T, 10Base2, 10Base5 Maximum bandwidth 10 Mbps Maximum distances100 to 500 meters

Network Cabling

Fast Ethernet
Newer

version of Ethernet Bandwidth is 100 Mbps Uses Cat5 or greater cable

Sometimes called 100Base T

Requires

a switch

Network Cabling

Gigabit Ethernet
High

bandwidth version of Ethernet 1 to 10 Gbps Cat 5 or fiber optic cable Video applications

Network Cabling

Token ring
Uses

shielded twisted pair cabling Bandwidth between 10 and 25 Mbps Uses a multiple access unit (MAU) Popular in manufacturing and finance

Network Hardware
Repeater Bridge Switch Router

Network Interface Card

Client-Server Model

Very common means of distributing information and services.

Computers: Clients and Servers

In a client/server network arrangement, network services are located in a dedicated computer whose only function is to respond to the requests of clients. The server contains the file, print, application, security, and other services in a central computer that is continuously available to respond to client requests.

Network Protocols

Language of the network

Rules

of communication Error resolution Defines collision and collision recovery Size of packet Naming rules for computers

Networking Protocol: TCP/IP

Network Communication
Communication protocols (or rules)

Ethernet uses contention based transmission

users

compete for the same line and broadcast a message; if two or more send at the same time there is a collision and everyone must back off and wait a random time before resending; control is distributed and each computer makes its own decision.

Token ring - user must obtain a token to send- no collisions, fair but tokens can get lost.

Figure 7.6 An Ethernet LAN Implemented Using a Hub

Data transmission in Local Area Networks LANS & Wide Area Networks WANS

A LAN connects computers that are geographically close- (same building, campus). Each computer has its own network address. A LAN is a private network and owned an operated by the company or institution.

WANs extend across town, country or oceans across public areas and use purchased pointto-point lines. Uses store-and-forward packet- switching technique (unlike LAN which just broadcasts message to all). Unit called a packet hops from one node to another until it reaches its destination. Packet is a fixed size block of information with an address field for its destination.

Internet Addresses

Addressing scheme
32

bit IP address for each computer (for example 192.207.177.133)

Static IP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) 232 possible addresses. Were running out! IPv6 coming soon.

Domain

Name Server -directory of machines within

domain

Each domain is responsible for providing a name server Contains mnemonic address and corresponding numeric Internet address Maps IP address to name of computer e.g. viking.cs.utexas.edu = 128.83.143.1

Packet Transmission

Large amounts of data must be broken into smaller packets. Then it is given its source and destination address. It is transmitted to an adjacent node, whose address is appended and an acknowledgment ( ACK) is sent ( by a router). Routing algorithms try to determine the shortest path. If the ACK does not arrive the packet is resent.

Complete Packet

Packet contains TCP port information, IP addressing information and application data. Imagine sending a novel to a friend by putting each paragraph on a postcard, numbering them, and then sending them in the mail.

They would arrive numbered, but out of order. They would arrive at different times. You may have to call and say Did you mail # 42?

Recent Developments
Gigabit networks (speeds greater than 1 billion bits/second (Gbps). Wireless Communication- using radio,microwave and infrared signals. Mobile computing - delivering data to the user, wherever he or she is.

Problems

- line of sight transmission requires transmitters. Wireless media are affected by environment, weather and are not secure.

The Internet Backbone

Packets move up a hierarchy of ISPs and then back down the branches

World Wide Web (WWW)

Client-Server model
Client

requests a web page from the server by using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) via the TCP and a Universal Resource Locator (URL).

http://www.cnn.com/

Usually

via a web browser. Connectionless protocol. Web pages are encoded in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/rpriebe/cs302_032/index.html

http:// (protocol) www.cs.utexas.edu (name of the computer) /users/rpriebe/cs302_032/ (directory path) index.html (name of the file)

What does this URL mean?

ftp://photo1.si.edu/images/gif89a/

HTML

A tag-based language that is interpreted by a browser.

<html> <head> <title>Test Page</title> </head> <body> <p>Testing!!</p> </body> </html>

What happens when you click the link?

The browser connects to a Domain Name Server and gets the IP address for the web server The browser uses an HTTP request to ask the web server for the page
If the server cant find the page you get the 404 error If the server finds the page, the HTML is returned to your browser and interpreted

The connection is closed If the page has additional elements such as graphics or video, a new HTTP connection is made for each element on the page.

Remember that each part of the page may be hundreds of packets!

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Simple way to transfer files between computers Some common names are SmartFTP or Fetch. Anonymous FTP FTP via login

E-mail

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

More

complicated than HTTP Maintains connection Checks identity of client Commonly used for sending e-mail

Post Office Protocol (POP3)

Common

protocol for internet e-mail clients such as Eudora, Outlook Express, etc. Commonly used for checking e-mail, but not for sending E-mail stored on a mail server and the client either copies the messages from the server or removes them.

Firewall

A firewall is a mechanism used to protect a trusted network from an untrusted network, usually while still allowing traffic between the two. Can be hardware or software
Filters

packets Blocks port scans

Especially important for Broadband cable ISPs. computers on same LAN.

Data Communications

Modem Communications

Plain Old Telephone System (POTS)

Standard

phone line Two-way voice communication Uses analog transmission techniques Data communication is slow

Modem Communications

Modems
Modulator/Demodulator

Modulator converts digital to analog

Speed

measured in bits per second (bps)

Current fastest speed is 56 Kbps Quality of phone lines dictates speed

V.92

is the current modem standard Several modem types

Internal External Voice

Modem Communications

Modem uses
Connection File

to the Internet

transfer

Uploading Downloading

Digital Data Connections

Digital phone lines

Local

telephone companies are upgrading Service will faster and more reliable New phones will be needed Modems will need to be upgraded

Digital Data Connections

Broadband connection
Any

data connection faster than 56 Kbps Common in business Becoming popular in home installations

Digital Data Connections

ISDN lines
Integrated

Services Digital Network Basic rate uses three channels

Two data channels each support 64 Kbps Error correction channel
Primary

rate uses 24 data channels

ISDN Connection

Digital Data Connections

T lines
High-capacity

voice/data lines Used to control phone and data Several variants T1 transmits at 1.544 Mbps T3 transmits at 44.736 Mbps

Digital Data Connections

DSL technologies
Digital

Subscriber Line Popular with home users Speeds range from 100 Kbps to 30 Mbps Asymmetrical DSL (ADSL)

Upload speed slower than download speed

Symmetrical

DSL (SDSL) Requires a DSL modem

Digital Data Connections

Cable modem connections

Popular

with home and office users Speeds between 1 and 3 Mbps Requires a cable modem

Digital Data Connections

ATM
Asynchronous

Transfer Mode Efficient transfer of video and sound Requires a special NIC and hardware

Wireless Networks

Benefits
No

cable to pull Mobile devices access network resources Mobility and flexibility for office workers

Wireless Networks

Wireless 802.11
Also

called Wi-Fi IEEE standard

Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers
Several

versions

802.11b connects up to 11Mbps 802.11g connects up to 56Mbps

Use

the same type of devices

Wireless Networks

Wireless Access Point

Center

of a wireless network WAPS combined cover a larger area Distance to WAP determines bandwidth Range is 50 to 150 meters Extension points can extend range

Wireless Networks

Wireless Adapters
Used

by devices to connect Includes signal strength software