David Katandi Oburu

Lab 1 Assignment

Part 1

Figure 1 Shows the screenshot of the topology

Figure 2 Illustrates the output of ipconfig /release & ipconfig /renew commands for PC
Figure 3 Shows the result of the Cisco.com server connectivity test from PC using ping
Cisco.com command

Part 2

Question 1

 Home wireless Router

 Cable-Modem-PT
 Laptop-PT
 PC-PT
 Cloud-PT
 Server-PT

Question 2

 Reasons for using copper straight-through cable to connect the computer to the
wireless Router
o Copper straight-through cable is a twisted pair cable which is used in local area
network.
 o copper straight-through cable also serves as an alternative to wireless
connections where one or more computers access a router through a wireless
signal
 Reasons for using Cross-over cable to connect the wireless Router to the Cable Modem
o Since cross-over cable are used for connecting similar devices, it becomes a
better option for connecting a router and a cable modem
o cross-over cable enables communication between devices without the use of
another network device for example a hub or a switch
o The internal wiring of Ethernet Cross-over cables reverses the transmit and
receive signals.
 Reasons for using Coaxial cable to connect the Cable Modem to the internet cloud
o Coaxial cable supports 10 to 100 Mbps and is relatively inexpensive
o Coaxial cable can be over longer distances than twisted-pair cable. For example,
ethernet can run approximately 100 meters using twisted-pair cabling.
 Reasons for using copper-straight cable to connect the internet cloud to the Cisco.com
server
o Internet cloud and Cisco.com server are different elements that is DCE and
DTE respectively. This make makes the copper-straight cable as the better
option since it is used for connecting different devices
 Other connectors for the network which could have been used
o Fiber cable to connect the PC to the wireless router
o Console cable to connect the computer to router
o Serial DCE cable to connect wireless router to the cable modem
o Octal cable to connect Cisco.com server to the internet

Question 3

 DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and is a network protocol used
on IP networks.
 The DHCP server should be enabled when configuring the wireless router due to the
following reasons;
 o DHCP server automatically assigns an IP address and other information to each
host on the network so they can communicate effectively with other endpoints.
Therefore, it simplifies the management of IP addresses
o DHCP further assigns the subnet, default gateway address, domain name server
(DNS) address and other pertinent configuration parameters
o DHCP also reducers IP address conflicts. This is because each connected device
must have an IP address. Therefore, DHCP ensures that each address is only used
once

Question 4

 Ipconfig command reports the following;

o Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refreshes Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings.
o If used without parameters, it displays Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and
(IPv6), subnet mask, and default gateway for all adapters

Question 5

 The use of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and Cable internet as Network Providers, can
be compared as seen below;

DSL Network Provider  Cable Network Provider

 DSL internet speeds are the
slowest and usually max out
around 35 Mbps. This is because
the speeds are reduced
significantly the further away you
live from the main (ISP) hub or
office.
 DSL is not a shared connection.
That is, its connection cannot be
used by more than one subscriber.
 Cable internet speeds are very
fast and can rival fiber’s
download speeds. The Cable
internet speed knows no
(realistic) boundaries.
 Cable internet is a shared
connection. That is, its
connection can be used by
more than one subscriber. For
example, cable can run through
 For ample, DSL uses phone line
which is exclusive to a home or
office.
 DSL is cheaper than the Cable
internet in most cases
entire neighborhoods,
buildings or apartment
complexes
 Cable is quite more expensive
than DSL in most cases

 When it is advisable to either DSL or Cable internet Network Provider

o DSL is a good option for a casual user that does not need that fast of an internet
connection. In most cases it is cheaper than cable internet and has just as fast of
download and upload speeds.
o Cable is good option for a user who wants faster internet and does not want to
deal with being the right distance from the ISP. The user can get internet speeds
of as fast as 105 Mbps, or even 150 Mbps if fiber optics is available in the users’
area
o DSL is the best option for rural customers who otherwise are stuck with satellite
internet
o Above all, it is just very important for the users to first evaluate how they will be
using the connections from either DSL or Cable. This will help them determine
what download and upload speeds are the best fit for the digital needs of their
households. So, once they have found a great bundle offer, they can get more
value time and won’t be worried about the differences between DSL and Cable
anymore.

Question 6

 Static and DHCP IP are different in the following ways

Static IP
 They are assigned manually by the
user and the IP address must be
unique to avoid IP conflict which
would result into devices not to
access internet
DHCP IP or Dynamic IP
 A device gets an IP address
automatically from the a DHCP
server and it changes periodically.
The DHCP server assigns IP
addresses to the device for

 It is permanently assigned to the
users’ network by their ISP and it
does not change even if the user
reboots his or her device for
example a computer.
 It is a proper option for dedicated
services such mail, FTP, VPN and
many more.
 It is quite challenging to assign
Static IP
 Static IP has limited security
 Static IP does not change once it
is assigned to the device
example a computer on network
from its scope
 It is temporarily attached to a
device or a node when it connects
to a network
 It is suitable for an extensive
network because it requires
internet access to all devices
 It is very easy to assign DHCP IP
to the devices
 DHCIP IP is more secured
 The user must do settings each
time the device connects to the
network

Question 7
 Gateway
o It is a networking device that links or connects two networks using different
protocols together.
o It may also be a router, firewall, server or other devices that enables traffic to flow
in and out of the network
o It also serves as an entry and exit point for a network as all data must pass through
or communicate with the Gateway prior to being routed.
o They are also a key mechanism of any telephony communications. That is, it
offers bridge between telephone network and internet
o It supervises its client devices, collect their data and execute other tasks. The
Gateway devices allow net client to access a variety of computer networks
o It controls the processing of information across the network which contains
information about to set up the actual end to end call. This is possible for real time
 communication Gateway supporting audio conversion and carry out extinction
and call setup
o They are the best options to achieve the multimedia communications between
dissimilar networks because every network has different protocol and
characteristics
 Router
o It is used to connect two or more networks having different network addresses.
Therefore, Router is essentially a gateway of a network.
o They are used to divide a big network into multiple small networks
o They forward and receive data from one network to another
o They segment large networks into logical segments called subnets and this is
based on the layer 3 addressing system
o Router also does a filtering function which is used a dumping (disposition) for a
specific network.
o They protect against outside traffic entering an internal network
o It allows several users to share resources including printers, faxes, scanners and
file folders on remote drives.
 Switch
o It receives information from any source connected to it and dispatch that
information to the appropriate destination only.
o It connects multiple hosts. This is because it provides many ports for cable
connections and therefore allowing for star topology routing.
o It forwards a message to a specific host. A switch uses the same forwarding or
filtering logic on each port just like a bridge.
o It also helps in managing traffic. That is, a network switch can manage traffic
coming into or exiting the network and can connect devices like computers and
access points with ease
o A Switch can also increase LAN bandwidth. That is, a switch divides a LAN into
collision domains with independent broadband and therefore increasing the LAN
bandwidth
 o It also helps in keeping electrical signal undistorted. That is, when a switch
forwards a frame, it regenerates an undistorted square electrical signal
 Firewall
o They are designed to protect network traffic and connections. Therefore, the
firewalls do not authenticate individual users when determining who can access a
computer or network
o It separates the users’ local network from the rest of the internet. This is because
outside on the internet, there is always going to be hackers and malicious traffic
that may to penetrate a private network to cause harm
o It is cable of inspecting application level protocols. Therefore, this requires the
firewall to understand certain specific application protocols
o It also does packet filtering. That is the IP headers of all the packets that enter or
exit the network firewall are inspected by the firewall.
 Domain Name System (DNS)
o It translates domain names into IP addresses which computers can understand.
o It also provides a list of mail servers which accepts Emails for each domain name.
o It also converts websites name into the nameserver of the web hosting provider

References
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Why do we use a cross over cable to connect a router to a PC and not a straight through cable? -
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