Network Types and Performance

• Network


  Connections between nodes to share resources
• Node


  A device
• Purpose of networks


  • To share resources like printers and data between computers/nodes
  • Leaves you more open to security risks as there are more access points
• Types of networks by size

  • Personal Area Network (PAN)
  • Local Area Network (LAN)
  • Wide Area Network (WAN)
• Personal Area Network (PAN)


  Network within the range of an individual person, usually around 10 meters
• Local Area Network (LAN)


  Network that connects devices close to each other, usually in the same building, house or school
• Wide Area Network (WAN)


  Network over a much larger area, usually in several locations, with infrastructure often owned by someone else like an Internet Service Provider
• Internet


  A wide area network made up of many individual LANs
• Types of networks by behaviour


  • Client-server networks
  • Peer-to-peer networks
• Client-server network


  Devices are either clients requesting resources or servers providing resources
• Peer-to-peer network


  Devices can switch between being clients and servers, with equal responsibility
• Factors affecting network performance

  • Latency
  • Bandwidth
  • Error rate
• Latency


  Delay or response time between requesting and receiving data
• Bandwidth


  Maximum rate of data transfer, measured in bits per second
• Error rate


  Rate of data corruption requiring retransmission
• Wired connections


  Generally faster than wireless connections
• Wireless connections


  Can have higher bandwidth than wired, but bandwidth is shared across the network and can become congested
• Wireless signal


  Degrades quickly and can be blocked by obstacles
• Interference can affect both wired and wireless connections, leading to data collisions
• Network topologies can also affect error rates, with bus topologies having higher rates of data collisions