Networks

Created by

gracey poo

Cards (37)

What is a LAN?
Local area network
What is a WAN?
Wide area network
What's quicker; wired or wireless?
wired
What are some advantages of a LAN?
Sharing files is easier
Can share the same hardware (e.g printer)
Internet connection can be shared between every device
Can install and update software on all computers at once
Can communicate with users cheaply and easily
User accounts can be stored centrally so users can log in from any device
Give properties of a LAN.
Small geographical area
All hardware owned by the organisation using it
wired or wireless
Often in businesses, schools or universities
Connects various devices such as PCs, tablets, printers and smart TVs
What does a WAN connect?
LANs
Give properties of a WAN.
Connects LANs in different geographical areas
Organisations hire infrastructure
Connected using fibre or copper telephone lines, satellite links or radio links
expensive
Give an example of a WAN
the internet
What does a NIC do?
Internal piece of hardware that allows a device to connect to a network.
What does a switch do?
Connects devices on a LAN. They receive data and then transmits the data to the device on the network with the correct MAC address.
What does a router do?
Connect two or more networks together.
Routers are used in homes and offices to do what?
Connect the LAN to the internet
Wired ethernet connections are..
fast
reliable
What are the two most common ethernet cables called?
CAT 5e and CAT 6
What kind of cable are CAT 5e and CAT 6?
twisted pair containing four pairs of copper wires
What are coaxial cables made from?
a single copper wire surrounded by a plastic layer for insulation.
What are fibre optic cables made from and how do they work?
They transmit data as light and are high performance cables that are very expensive.
What do wireless networks use to transmit data?
radio waves
Give properties of bluetooth.
direct connection between two devices to share data
short connection range
Low bandwidth compared to wifi
used in mobile or wearable devices
Give properties of wifi
Can be used by multiple devices
Large connection range
high bandwidth compared to bluetooth
Often used in the home
What is needed to set up wifi?
Wireless access point (WAP)
What factors affect performance on networks?
Bandwidth
Wired or wireless
physical obstructions
hardware choice
Give pros of a client-server network
Easier to keep track of files as they are stored centrally
Easier to perform backups
Give cons of a client-server network
Expensive to set up and needs IT specialists to maintain server
Server dependence- if server goes down clients lose connection
Server may become overloaded if there's too many clients at once
What don't peer-to-peer networks use?
a central server
Give pros of peer-to-peer
Easy to maintain
No dependence on a server
Give cons of peer-to-peer networks
No centralised management so updates have to be done individually
Copying files between devices creates duplicates that become outdated
Less reliable
Prone to slow down when other devices access them
What are all devices connected to in a star topology?
A central switch or server in the middle
Give pros of a star topology
If a device fails the rest of the network is unaffected
It's simple to add more devices
Give cons of a star topology
In wired networks every device needs a cable- this becomes expensive
If there's a problem with the switch or the server the whole network is affected
Give two other types of network topologies that isn't star or mesh
bus
ring
In a bus topology all devices are arranged in a line connected to a single backbone cable and data is sent in both directions
In a ring topology, data moves in one direction around the ring, preventing collisions. Only one device can send data data time.
In a mesh topology, all devices are connected to each other
A mesh topology is decentralised
Mesh topologies work by sending data along the fastest route
Mesh topologies are very expensive