Chapter 10: Local Area Networks

TRUE/FALSE

1. The maximum extent of a local area network is one building.

ANS: F

2. An organization could have several local area networks in the same room.

ANS: T

3. LANs can allow several people to access the same file at the same time.

ANS: T

4. LANs often use "dumb" terminals as workstations.

ANS: F

5. On a circuit-switched network, a data stream has a channel all to itself for the duration of the
connection.

ANS: T

6. A "node" is a workstation or PC connected to a network.

ANS: T

7. In a star network, if one node fails, the entire network goes down.

ANS: F

8. Hubs are, by definition, passive.

ANS: F

9. Token passing can be implemented as a ring or as a bus.

ANS: T

10. A token is used to control access to the network.

ANS: T

11. A token is generated by a node wishing to access the network.

ANS: F

12. On a bus network, all traffic shares a common channel.

ANS: T
13. CSMA networks must deal with "contention".

ANS: T

14. Token-passing networks must deal with "collisions" between two tokens.

ANS: F

15. On a CSMA/CD network, several nodes can try to access the channel simultaneously.

ANS: T

16. A "collision" will take a CSMA network down.

ANS: F

17. Token rings never have collisions.

ANS: T

18. CSMA works best when traffic is relatively light.

ANS: T

19. A token-ring network can be implemented with a bus topology.

ANS: T

20. A MAU will disconnect a defective node from a CSMA network.

ANS: F

21. Token-ring networks usually operate at 100 megabits per second.

ANS: F

22. Most LANs are based on the Ethernet type of network.

ANS: T

23. Ethernet was originated by Microsoft with participation by Intel.

ANS: F

24. IEEE 802.3 is a protocol based on Ethernet.

ANS: T

25. Ethernet-type networks are limited to a maximum speed of 100 Mbits per second.

ANS: F
26. Classic Ethernet is no longer used for new networks.

ANS: T

27. Originally, Ethernet used 10Base2 coaxial cable.

ANS: F

28. 100BaseT cable could be used in a new LAN installation.

ANS: T

29. The "100" in 100BaseT designates the supported bit rate.

ANS: T

30. The "Base" in 100BaseT indicates the cable carries an unmodulated signal.

ANS: T

31. The "T" in 100BaseT indicates the cable is Thick coax.

ANS: F

32. Ethernet uses CSMA/CD.

ANS: T

33. Ethernet type LANs use token passing.

ANS: F

34. In CSMA, a node must "listen" to the channel before trying to use it.

ANS: T

35. 10BaseT cable usually uses RJ-45 connectors.

ANS: T

36. 100BaseT cable requires a BNC connector.

ANS: F

37. Ethernet cannot use fiber-optic cables.

ANS: F

38. Packets on a CSMA/CD network must be equal to or longer than some minimum size.

ANS: T

39. On a CSMA/CD network, there will be fewer collisions if longer packets are used.
 ANS: T

40. Longer packets means more bits must be retransmitted after a collision.

ANS: T

41. On a CSMA/CD network, only one node actually needs to "hear" a collision.

ANS: F

42. A NIC gives a unique address to a node on a network.

ANS: T

43. If coax is used, the ends must be left open to avoid reflections.

ANS: F

44. Typically, a NIC requires a 4-wire cable to connect to a hub.

ANS: T

45. CAT-5 UTP is actually the same as ordinary twisted-pair telephone wire.

ANS: F

46. Standard Manchester line encoding can be used up to 100 Mbits per second.

ANS: F

47. If 10BaseT cabling is used in a multinode LAN, then a hub cannot be used.

ANS: F

48. Compared to a hub, a switch reduces the chances for a collision.

ANS: T

49. "Jabber" is failure mode for a NIC.

ANS: T

50. "Stacking" is a failure mode for a hub.

ANS: F

51. Network software is generally independent of the network topology.

ANS: T

52. The same network software can be used on a token-passing network and on an Ethernet LAN.
 ANS: T

53. To a user on the network, a hard drive on the server looks like it is on the workstation.

ANS: T

54. In a client-server network, each node takes a turn at being the server.

ANS: F

55. Software that runs a client-server network must have true multitasking ability.

ANS: T

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. CSMA stands for:

a. Client-Server Multi-Access c. Carrier Server Master Application
b. Carrier Sense Multiple Access d. none of the above
ANS: B

2. The CD in CSMA/CD stands for:

a. Carrier Detection c. Collision Detection
b. Carrier Delay d. Collision Delay
ANS: C

3. The Internet is:

a. a network of networks c. a very large CSMA/CD network
b. a very large client-server network d. not really a network at all
ANS: A

4. Most LANs:
a. are based on Ethernet c. use UTP cable
b. use CSMA/CD d. all of the above
ANS: D

5. Dumb terminals are still used:

a. in token-passing networks
b. in networks requiring central monitoring
c. in networks that cannot provide central monitoring
d. none of the above
ANS: B

6. In a circuit-switched network:
a. communication is half-duplex only
b. each channel carries only one data stream
c. connection is usually done using a bus topology
d. all of the above
ANS: B
 7. Each computer on a network is called a:
a. hub c. node
b. token d. circuit
ANS: C

8. Compared to CSMA/CD systems, token-passing rings are:

a. slower c. not as widely used
b. more expensive d. all of the above
ANS: D

9. The key feature of a star network is that individual workstations are connected to:
a. a central ring c. a node
b. a central bus d. none of the above
ANS: D

10. On networks, long messages are divided into "chunks" called:

a. packets c. carriers
b. nodes d. tokens
ANS: A

11. When two or more PCs try to access a baseband network cable at the same time, it is called:
a. a collision c. excess traffic
b. contention d. multiple access
ANS: B

12. When two PCs send data over a baseband network cable at the same time, it is called:
a. a collision c. excess traffic
b. contention d. multiple access
ANS: A

13. One type of network that never has a collision is:

a. CSMA c. token-passing
b. Ethernet d. all networks have collisions
ANS: C

14. In an Ethernet-based network, a switch can be used to reduce the number of:
a. nodes c. packets
b. users d. collisions
ANS: D

15. The effect of too many collisions is:

a. the network goes down c. the cable overheats
b. the network slows down d. data is lost
ANS: B

16. MAU stands for:

a. Multistation Access Unit c. Multiple Auxiliary Units
 b. Multiple Access Unit d. none of the above
ANS: A

17. The standard that describes Ethernet-type networks is:

a. EIA 232 c. IEEE 802.3
b. IEEE 488.1 d. CCITT ITU-E
ANS: C

18. Ethernet was invented by:

a. IBM c. Xerox
b. INTEL d. Digital Equipment Corporation
ANS: C

19. An Ethernet running at 10 Mbits / second uses:

a. Manchester encoding c. NRZ encoding
b. Three-Level encoding d. AMI encoding
ANS: A

20. A 100BaseT cable uses:

a. fiber-optic cable c. RG-58U coaxial cable
b. twisted-pair copper wires d. 50-ohm coaxial cable
ANS: B

21. The word "Base" in 10BaseT means:

a. the cable carries baseband signals
b. the cable has a base speed of 10 Mbps
c. it can be used as the base for a backbone cable system
d. none of the above
ANS: A

22. The reason a CSMA/CD network has a minimum length for packets is:
a. to increase the data rate
b. to prevent packets from reaching all other nodes during transmission
c. to make sure all other nodes hear a collision in progress
d. all of the above
ANS: C

23. The reason a CSMA/CD network has a maximum length for cables is:
a. to increase the data rate
b. to prevent packets from reaching all other nodes during transmission
c. to make sure all other nodes hear a collision in progress
d. all of the above
ANS: C

24. NIC stands for:

a. Network Interface Card c. Network Interface Code
b. Network Interface Cable d. Network Internal Code
ANS: A
25. 10BaseT cable typically uses:
a. a BNC connector c. an RJ45 connector
b. a T connector d. an RS11 connector
ANS: C

26. UTP stands for:

a. Untwisted-Pair copper wire c. Uninterruptible Terminal Packet
b. Unshielded Twisted-Pair copper wire d. Unicode Text Packet
ANS: B

27. Compared to twisted-pair telephone cables, CAT-5 cables:

a. are cheaper c. allow faster bit rates
b. are easier to crimp connectors onto d. all of the above
ANS: C

28. A hub:
a. sends incoming packets out to all other terminals connected to it
b. sends incoming packets out to specific ports
c. cannot be used in an Ethernet-type network
d. are more common in token-passing networks
ANS: A

29. A switch:
a. sends incoming packets out to all other terminals connected to it
b. sends incoming packets out to specific ports
c. cannot be used in an Ethernet-type network
d. are more common in token-passing networks
ANS: B

30. An advantage of using a switch instead of a hub is:

a. it is cheaper when used in large networks
b. it is faster when used in large networks
c. it reduces the number of collisions in large networks
d. all of the above
ANS: C

31. Broadband LANs:

a. modulate the data onto a carrier
b. use coaxial cables
c. are provided by cable TV companies for Internet access
d. all of the above
ANS: D

32. Using one node in the network to hold all the application software is done in:
a. peer-to-peer networks c. both a and b
b. client-server networks d. none of the above
ANS: B
33. Record locking is used to:
a. store records securely on a server
b. prevent multiple users from looking at a document simultaneously
c. prevent one user from reading a record that another user is writing to
d. none of the above
ANS: C

34. The software that runs a client-server network must be:

a. UNIX-based c. multitasking
b. WINDOWS-based d. Novell certified
ANS: C

35. A "thin" client is:

a. basically, a PC with no disk drives c. same as a "dumb" terminal
b. a node that rarely sends data d. all of the above
ANS: A

COMPLETION

1. A LAN is a ____________________ Area Network.

ANS: Local

2. The Internet is a network of ____________________.

ANS: networks

3. In a ____________________ network, all nodes are connected to a central computer.

ANS: star

4. In a ____________________-switched network, users have a dedicated channel for the duration

of communications.

ANS: circuit

5. The ____________________ of a network describes how it is physically connected together.

ANS: topology

6. Ring networks often use ____________________-passing.

ANS: token

7. A ____________________ is a short section of a message in digital form.

ANS: packet

8. ____________________ is when two nodes try to seize the same cable at the same time.
 ANS: Contention

9. A ____________________ occurs when two nodes transmit simultaneously on the same

baseband cable.

ANS: collision

10. In CSMA/CD networks, all collisions must be ____________________.

ANS: detected

11. Carrier-Sense means that a node "listens" for the cable to be ____________________ before
using it.

ANS:
quiet
free
unused
available

12. A "____________________" cable links clusters of computers together.

ANS: backbone

13. 100BaseT cables can reliably carry up to ____________________ bits per second.

ANS: 100 mega

14. In CSMA/CD, packets must have a ____________________ length to ensure that collisions are
detected.

ANS: minimum

15. In CSMA/CD, the ____________________ of a cable is limited to ensure that collisions are
detected.

ANS: length

16. A unique numerical address is provided to a node by its ____________________.

ANS: NIC

17. A 100BaseTX cable is a ____________________ cable.

ANS: fiber-optic

18. Hubs can be ____________________ to form, in effect, one big hub.

ANS: stacked

19. A switch looks at the ____________________ of each incoming packet.

ANS: address
20. The effect of a switch is to greatly reduce ____________________.

ANS: contention

SHORT ANSWER

1. Explain how a network can be a physical bus but a logical ring.

ANS:
A token-passing network sends the token from node to node in a prescribed order. So it doesn't
matter how the physical connection is made. It still works like a token-passing ring.

2. What is the key difference between a hub and a switch?

ANS:
A hub sends incoming packets out to all other ports on the hub. A switch sends a packet to a
specific port based on the address in the packet.

3. What is the advantage of a CSMA/CD network over a basic star network?

ANS:
If the central computer in a star network fails, the entire network is inoperative. If a node fails in
a CSMA/CD network, it can be disconnected and the network still functions.

4. Why do CSMA/CD packets have a minimum size limit?

ANS:
If a packet is too short, nodes at either end of a cable could get on, send a packet, and get off
before the packets travel far enough to collide. The collision would not be detected.

5. What is a NIC address, and why is it unique?

ANS:
The address is a long binary number "burned" into a NIC's memory chip at the factory. Each
factory uses a different sequence of numbers, so the chances of two NICs on the same network
having the same address is extremely small.