CS310

Lab 1 Tutorial Questions

1. What is the difference between a host and an end system? List several different
types of end systems. Is a Web server an end system?

There is no difference. Examples of end systems are PCs, workstations, web servers,
mail servers, interconnected game consoles, PDAs.

2. What is a protocol? Why are standards important for protocols? Discuss by example.

Protocols are the language computers use to talk to each other. Protocols are needed so
that computers interact with each other for internet access, sending and receiving files/
emails and so forth. Standards are important so that people can create networking
systems and products that interoperate. An example of standards would be 802 standards
for ethernet,3GPP for mobile communication etc. An example of protocol would be http,
TCP.

3. List six access technologies. Classify each one as home access, enterprise access,
or wide-area wireless access.

i. Dial Up Modem - Home

ii. DSL over telephone line - Home/ Small office
iii. Cable to HFC - Home
iv. 100 Mbps switched Ethernet - Enterprise
v. Wifi - Home/Enterprise
vi. 3G/4G- Wide area wireless

4. Is HFC transmission rate dedicated or shared among users? Are collisions possible
in a downstream HFC channel? Why or why not?

HFC - hybrid fiber coaxial network

It is shared among users. In downstream channel all packets originate from a single
source therefore there is no collision.

5. Dial-up modems, HFC and DSL are all used for residential access. For each of
these access technologies, provide a range of transmission rates and comment on
whether the transmission rate is shared or dedicated.

Dial up modems - 56Kbps/ dedicated

HFC - 42.8 Mbps downstream and 30.7Mbps upstream/ shared
DSL - 24 Mbps downstream and 2.5 Mbps upstream/ dedicated
 6. Describe the most popular wireless Internet access technologies today. Compare
and contrast them.

Wifi and 3G/4G wide area wireless network

Wifi
 Covers a radius of a few meters
 It is connected to a wired network
and provides users with wireless
access
 Transmit and receive packets from
the base station(wireless access
point)
3G/4G
 Covers a radius of tens of kilometers
 Managed by a telecommunications
provider
 packets are transmitted over the
same wireless infrastructure used
for cellular telephony

Homework
List the available residential access technologies in your city. For each type of
access, provide the advertised downstream rate, upstream rate, and monthly
price.

Dial up
DSL
Fiber to the home
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