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Briefing paper

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Version 2.0 June 2014
Networking fundamentals
Part 1 of 6Connecting computers
Introduction
A typical office environment includes a computer network, where computers and office equipment
are connected by cable or wireless links. A typical office worker uses the network resources to write
documents, share files with colleagues, print reports, and send emails. The facilities of a network are
usually taken for granted by most people, but understanding how it works is not too difficult.
Network communications
You already know that a network includes hardware, such as personal computers (PCs) and printers,
connected by cable or wireless. The purpose of the connection is to allow the transfer of
information or data, to complete a task. The next step is to understand how the data transfer
happenswhat language does a computer speak and how does it talk to other computers? The
answers are 'digital' and 'digital signalling'.
Computers are capable of processing huge amounts of data very quickly. They manipulate the data
digitally, as a series of electrical pulses that are either 'on' or 'off'. If the pulse is 'on' it is represented
by a '1', if it's 'off', by a '0'. The ones and zeroes are known as binary digits, or bits.
Each bit represents a portion of the data. The Central Processing Unit (CPU)the brain of the
computergenerates and reads sets of eight bits ('8-bit') at a time. This system works very well
inside the computer, but when a computer wants to communicate with another computer, it must
move the data outside the CPU, through various intermediaries, until it reaches its destination. To
achieve this data flow, the binary data is carefully encoded into a digital signal that allows it to
travel through different mediums (copper wire, optical fibre, air). When it reaches the target
computer, the digital signal is carefully decoded to extract the original binary data. The target
computer then processes this data in its CPU and completes the task.

Network setups

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Version 2.0 June 2014
Network connections
With a network connection, computers, printers, and other
devices are connected together in a network. This allows
users to share files and equipmentsuch as printerswith
each other.
All devices on a network must be equipped with network
cards. A Network Interface Board (NIB), or Network Interface
Card (NIC), allows computers to be joined together in a
network, typically a Local Area Network (LAN).
Networked computers communicate with each other using a
particular protocol or agreed-upon language for
transmitting data packets between the different devices. The
NIC acts as an interpreter, allowing the device to both send
and receive data on a LAN. There are several ways in which a
network connection can be set up:
Ethernet
Remote workstation
IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)
Bluetooth.
Lets look at each of these in more detail.
Ethernet
Ethernet is currently the most commonly used LAN. Ethernet uses a significant number of data
integrity checks, which ensures data consistency, but this increases transmission times.
Ethernet can run on a variety of media, or cabling, including coaxial cable, shielded and unshielded
twisted pair, and fibre optic cable. The most popular cabling is twisted pair, which uses two copper
wires that are either naked or shielded from electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic
interference (EMI) can cause data loss.
There are three main types of Ethernet:
10Base-T
100Base-T (Fast Ethernet)
1000Base-T (Gigabit Ethernet).
The number 10, 100, or 1000 indicates the speed in megabits per second (Mbps). 1000Base-T is
usually referred to as Gigabit Ethernet, since 1,000 Mbps = 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps).
Base indicates baseband signallingsometimes referred to as narrowband, where only one carrier
frequency is used and all available bandwidth is used for each transmission.
The T indicates twisted-pair cables as the transmission medium.
Ethernet has these advantages:
Economical to implement
Multi-vendor supportinterfaces are available from a wide range of manufacturers
Interoperabilitycan combine different platforms, PC and Macintosh, on one network
Easy to maintain and reliablesince it is hub-based, if a cable breaks or the computer goes
down, only one station is affected.
Cables and connectors

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Version 2.0 June 2014
Remote workstation
A remote workstation is a PC that handles the communication between a device, such as a
multifunction product (MFP), and other computers and devices on the network. The MFP is
connected to the remote workstation via a standalone connection. Other users can use the shared
MFP via the remote workstation. Data travels through the remote workstation, and over the
network to the computers on the LAN.
IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)
Wi-Fi is a Wireless LAN networking technology
that uses radio waves to provide wireless high
speed internet and network connections.
Wi-Fi is not the only form of wireless
networking, but its the industry name for the
IEEE 802.11 family of wireless networking
standards. Wi-Fi can refer to any of the
established standards802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g, and 802.11n. Data transfer speed,
which is related to the distance and type of
equipment used, can range from 1 Mbps to
600 Mbps.
Wi-Fi connections support millions of homes, businesses, and public locations in the world. Any
product that is Wi-Fi certified, are interoperable with each other, even if they are from different
manufacturers.
Bluetooth
This technology was developed to be a low-cost, cross-industry standard. While cheaper than Wi-Fi,
it is also slower and has a shorter range. Bluetooth is therefore ideal for Small office/home office
(SOHO) environments.
Network cables and connectors
Cables and connectors that are used to build networks are manufactured to meet strict industry
standards. Each cable type has a matching connector.
There are several types of Ethernet cables and connectors, to suit the different types of Ethernet.
The most common are Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP). These cables
have matching connectors, known as RJ-45 connectors.

Network Interface Cards

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CONFIDENTIALFOR INTERNAL DISTRIBUTION ONLY. Feedback: knowledge@ricoh.com.au
Version 2.0 June 2014
Network Interface Card
Any computer that operates in a wired network environment uses a Network Interface Card (NIC) to
convert signals processed in a computer, to signals that meet standards for the network. The device
may also have a facility to convert signals from one network standard to another.
The NICs conversion process is straightforward, but the technology is quite complex. In brief, the
sender NIC temporarily stores the computers digital signals, encodes them and then generates the
voltage for transmission on the network. The process operates in reverse at the receiver NIC. The
network cable plugs in to the front panel of the NIC.
Keep in mind that a NIC is also known as a Network Interface Board (NIB), LAN adaptor, LAN card,
LAN board, or Ethernet card. The card is designed to meet the signal transmission rate of the
network. For example, a NIC for a Fast Ethernet network cannot be used in a Gigabit Ethernet
network.


Wireless NICs
A Wireless Network Interface Card (WNIC) is used to connect to radio-based computer networks.
WNICs contain a built-in antenna to communicate through microwaves, and are typically connected
using a computers Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, ExpressCard slot, or USB port.
The term is usually applied to IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) adapters but it may also refer to a WNIC using
other wireless networking standards such as Bluetooth.






Want to know more?
To learn more about networking, read Part 2 of the Networking fundamentals series of briefing
papers, which explains the common network types and equipment. It is available in the Library page
of the Sales Knowledge Centre website.
10Base-T NIC
PCI-based WNIC USB-based WNIC

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