Bus Topology Simple and low-cost Only one computer can send messages at a time Passive topology - computer only listen for, not regenerate data Star Topology Each computer has a cable connected to a single point More cabling, hence higher cost All signals transmission through the hub; if down, entire network down Depending on the intelligence of hub, two or more computers may send message at the same time Ring Topology Every computer serves as a repeater to boost signals Disadvantages Difficult to add computers More expensive If one computer fails, whole network fails
Mesh Topology Full mesh topology- each node is connected directly to each of the others Partial mesh topology- some nodes are connected to all the others, but some of them are only connected to nodes with which they exchange the most data Full Mesh Topology Every node has a circuit connecting it to every other node in the network Yields greatest redundancy Usually reserved for backbone networks since it is very expensive Hierarchical Topology Tree topology Linear bus and star topologies Allow expansion of an existing network Advantages: Point to point wiring Widely supported Disadvantages: Segment length limited by cable type Backbone failure entire goes down Difficult configurations and wiring
Network Devices Functions of network devices Separating (connecting) networks or expanding network e.g. repeaters, hubs, bridges, routers, brouters, switches, gateways Remote access e.g. 56K Modems and ADSL modems
Computers within a LAN are often connected using a hub LAN to LAN connections are often performed with a bridge. Segments of a LAN are usually connected using a switch. LAN to WAN connections are usually performed with a router.
Collision domain defines the set of devices for which their frames could collide. A broadcast domain is a set of NICs for which a broadcast frame sent by one NIC will be received by all other NICs in the broadcast domain.
Repeaters or hubs - OSI physical layer -regenerate the networks signal and resend them to other segments - multiport repeater Bridges - one input and one output - isolate network traffic and computers - Media Access Control Sub-layer of the OSI model Remote Bridges - used in large networks that have widely dispersed segments - connect remote segments via data-grade telephone line
Repeaters -physical layer -regenerate data at the signal level -does not reduce network traffic Bridges -data link layer - regenerate data at packet level - reduce network traffic
Switches -Data Link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model -Can interpret address information - multiport bridges Advantages of Switches Reduce the possibility of collision Each channel has its own network capacity Suitable for real-time applications, e.g. video conferencing Since isolated, hence secure Data will only go to the destination, but not others Limitations of Switches Device cannot detect collision when buffer full CSMA/CD scheme will not work since the data channels are isolated, not the case as in Ethernet Some higher level protocols do not detect error E.g. UDP Those data packets are continuously pumped to the switch and introduce more problems
Method of Switching - Cut Through Mode -Read the first 14 bytes of each packet, then transmit -Much faster -Cannot detect corrupt packets -Can propagate the corrupt packets to the network -Best suited to small workgroups
Method of Switching - Store and Forward Mode -Read the whole packet before transmit -Slower than the cut-through mode -More accurate since corrupt packets can be detected using the FCS -More suit to large LAN since they will not propagate error packets -Facilitate data transfer between segments of different speed
Switches can logically group together some ports to form a virtual local area network (VLAN)
Routers - OSI layer 3 (network layer) - useslogical address Routing Protocol Example - RIP for IP Routing RIP (Routing Information Protocol) the oldest one Routing Protocol Example - OSPF for IP OSPF - Open Shortest Path First
Static and Dynamic Routers Static always use the same route, more secure Dynamic can select the best route, need manual configuration to improve security
Bridges forward everything they dont recognize Routers select the best path Routers are layer 3 devices which recognize network address Bridges are layer 2 devices which look at the MAC sublayer node address Repeaters are the least expensive way to expand a network, but they are limited to connecting two segments Bridges function similar to repeaters, but can understand the node addresses Switches can be considered as multiport bridges, can divide a network into some logical channels Routers interconnect networks and provide filtering functions. They can determine the best route
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
7 - Application Layer -Provides an interface Function: Support for file transfers Ability to print on a network Electronic mail Electronic messaging Browsing the World Wide Web
6 - Presentation Layer - formats the data to be sent out onto the network. -Encodes the data being sent or received into a generic format that will be understood by both devices. -basically allows an application to read (or understand) the message. Example: JPEG, MPEG, ASCII, EBCDIC, HTML.
5 - Session Layer -Begins, ends and manages the sessions between devices. -allows applications functioning on devices to establish, manage, and terminate a dialog through a network Example: SQL, ASP(Appletalk Session Protocol)
4 Transport Layer -Offers end-to-end communication between end devices through a network. -Handles flow of control. -Ensuring data integrity. -Most common transport layer protocol is TCP and UDP.
3 Network Layer -Provides an end-to-end logical addressing system so that a packet of data can be routed across the networks. -referred as logical addresses or known as the IP Addresses. -Covers router devices that includes some basic protocols RIP, OSPF, IGRP. example Fragmentation process Subnetting process
2 Data Link Layer -Provides physical addressing services allowing a device to dictate the source and destination address used for local communication network. -Referred as a MAC Address or Physical address. Example: Network interface cards Ethernet and Token Ring switches Bridges
1 Physical Layer -connector and interface specifications, as well as the medium (cable) requirements. Examples: RJ45, RS232, etc.