Network Types, Models

and Equipments
Chapter 6
 Introduction
Networks at the internal layer:
• whether analog or digital connect the organization and give it
a cohesive quality

Global
Wide area
Intermediate
Internal

Machine

Model of Network
2
Connectivity
 Local Area Network (LAN)

• is a group of machines connected in a

A LAN: relatively small area, where the uses are
homogeneous.

• network adapter cards

• cables
LANs have • hubs
essential parts: • servers
• operating systems

3
 Local Area Network (LAN)

A LAN:

Provides connectivity over a limited area, often less than one kilometer in
radius and connecting people within an organization, such as:
• a campus, building, department, floor or work group.

Are normally privately owned and are non-regulated.

Can be of any topology.

4
 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A MAN:

Covers a metropolitan-sized area such as a city.

Gives a city a competitive advantage.

Technically oriented organizations looking to locate new operations

consider the availability of Internet access as one of the criteria.

A major form of MAN is the fiber distributed data interface (FDDI).

5
 Wide Area Network (WAN)

A WAN:

covers a wide geographical area.

goes beyond the boundaries of cities and can extend globally.

connects widely dispersed machines, possibly requiring

intermediary machines to make conversion from one standard to
another.

The extreme of a WAN is a Global Network.

6
 The Internet

The Internet:

is a Global WAN.

is a network comprised of networks.

is a TCP/IP protocol packet data network:

provides connectivity from almost anywhere to almost anywhere at a

moderate communication speed.

7
Geographic or Layer Network Concept

LAN MAN

Global
Network WAN

8
 Backbone Network

A backbone • gives structure to dispersed networks

network: and nodes.

• higher speed connectivity between

LANs and major nodes
Provides: • eg: mainframe computers, Internet
access points, teleports

9
 Network Adapter Card

provides an interface between the computer and the network

operating system (NOS).

Network Operating System (NOS)

NOS  to the network.

OS  to the computer.

NOS contains  protocol to determine access & handle collisions.

NOS in some protocols resides on the server.

Microsoft Windows OS contains an

10 NOS.
 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)

•transmit data through the air using radio

Wireless LANs transmission rather than through twisted-pair cable
or fiber-optic cable.

•They are used to connect a series of computers in

WLANs serve the same small local area to each other and to a
the same backbone network.
purpose of •WLANs are usually not totally wireless in that they
are most commonly used to connect a set of
LANs: wireless into a wired network.
 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)

• To allow mobile staff to work at different

locations in the office building or to move
their computers easily from one location to
Wireless LAN another.
enabler: • To allow digital lifestyle among shoppers in a
shopping complex and also in airports
because they enable business travellers to
connect to the Internet from any waiting area.

3 commonly used • are layer 2 protocols that operate at the data

WLAN link layer.
• They too must have physical hardware at
technologies (Wi- layer 1 that meets their requirements and
Fi, WiMAX, and software at layers above them that enables
Bluetooth) application software to use them
 WLAN Components

WLANs use the basic structure as LANs such as:

Wireless network interface card (NIC)

Wireless access
WLAN Components

A wireless access point

connected into an
Ethernet switch
WLAN Components
Omnidirectional antenna

Wireless • A radio transceiver in that it sends and

Network receives radio signals through a short
range (100 meters or 300 feet)
Interface • it is built into a desktop or laptop
Card (NIC) computer.

Directional
• A radio transceiver that plays the same antenna
role as a hub or switch.
Wireless • The wireless access point is usually
access point connected via wired Ethernet into a
LAN or backbone so the WLAN is
connected into the rest of the network.
 Wi-Fi

• the commercial name for a set of standards

developed by the IEEE 802.11 standards
group.
Wi-Fi • A group of vendors selling 802.11 equipment
trademarked the name Wi-Fi because they
believe that consumers are more likely to buy
equipment with a catchier name than 802.11.

• The logical and physical topologies of Wi-Fi

are the same as those of shared Ethernet.
• They are physical star and a logical star.
Topology • There is a central AP to which all computers
direct their transmissions (star), but the radio
frequencies are shared (bus) so that all
computers must take turns transmitting.
 Wireless Metropolitan Area Network
(Wireless MAN)
• is the commercial name for a set of
standards developed by the IEEE 802.16
standard group.
WiMAX • two primary types: fixed and mobile.
• is emerging as an Internet access technology
in competition with cable modems and DSL.
Wireless LAN: INFRARED (IEEE 802.11)

Two Different Configurations

Point-to-Point Diffused
 POINT-TO-POINT INFRARED

Features point-to-point connection between computer or switches.

Point-to-point infrared links create a Token Ring backbone between

switches.
 DIFFUSED INFRARED

Uses a reflecting object. Eg: A ceiling

All transmitters - focused to the ceiling.

The ceiling reflects the infrared signals which can be received by all the
stations in the network.
 Wireless LAN: BLUETOOTH (IEEE 802.15)
• is the commercial name for the IEEE 802.15
standards, which calls it a Wireless Personal
Area Network (WPAN).
• the name Bluetooth is taken from Danish King
Harold Bluetooth.
• It is not intended as a general-purpose network
in competition with 802.11 or 802.16 wireless
LANs or 802.3 wired LANs.
• Its goal is to provide seamless networking of
data and/or voice devices in a very small area
Bluetooth (up to 10 meters or 30 feet)
• It can be used to connect many different types
of devices, such as keyboards to computers and
headsets to mobile phones.
• Its devices are small (about one-third of an inch
square) and inexpensive. Eg: keyboards, mice,
and a telephone handset and base or to link
your PDA to your car so that our door can
unlock and automatically open as you approach.
• It provides a basic data rate of 1 Mbps that can
be divided into several separate voice and data
channels.
 Wireless LAN: BLUETOOTH (IEEE 802.15)

• is called a piconet and consists of no

more than eight devices, but can be
linked to other piconets to form a larger
network.
• One device is considered the master and
all other devices are slaves.
A Bluetooth • The master controls the piconet,
selecting frequencies and access
network control used by the master and the
slaves.
• All messages are sent from a slave to
the master and from the master to a
slave.
• The slaves do not communicate directly.
 BLUETOOTH TOPOLOGY

All devices share the same frequency ranges so the network

behaves in the same manner as s shared bus topology.
 VIRTUAL LAN (VLAN)

• A subnetwork/segment of a LAN
configured by software, not by
physical wiring.
• VLANs group stations belonging
to one/more physical LANs into
VLAN broadcast domains.
• The stations in VLAN
communicate with each other
and with the stations outside the
VLAN as though they belong to a
physical segment.
 VIRTUAL LAN (VLAN)

• Port Numbers
Membership • MAC Addresses
Characteristics • IP Addresses
• Combination

• Cost and Time Reduction

Advantages • Creating Virtual Workgroups
• Security
 LAN MODEL: CLIENT-SERVER

In the client-server model, many clients can be served by one

server, either one at a time or concurrently.

A client runs for a specific period of time, the server runs

continuously.

There are specific servers and normally one general-purpose

server.
 LAN MODEL: CLIENT-SERVER

• More efficient because of distributed

processing.
Advantages • Allow hardware and software from
different vendors to be used together.

• Difficulty in getting software from

different vendors to work together
Disadvantages smoothly.
• May require Middleware, a third
category of software.
 LAN MODEL: PEER-TO-PEER (P2P)

2 forms of P2P:

• Each computer gets information from

other computers in the network.
Napster Model
• Data reside on individual computers,
not on central servers.

• The central node sends tasks to

SETI and United individual nodes.
Devices Model • Processed results are returned to the
central node.
28
 LAN MODEL: PEER-TO-PEER (P2P)

A central • sends tasks to connected nodes to

mainframe/ work in parallel instead of
server: processing them itself in series.

P2P and Grid • takes advantage of otherwise idle

Computing: processing resources.

29
 Connecting Devices

• physically connects cables.

• is usually the center or central node of
Hub a star topology.
• Sometimes referred to as
concentrators.

• is used to extend coverage of a network by

extending the length of any segment.
• the simplest type of hardware that can be
Repeater used to connect network segments.
• receives a signal and regenerates it.
• operates at the physical layer of OSI model.
• transparent to data flow.
30
 Connecting Devices

• reads data frame addresses.

• uses the information to perform
transmitting or translation functions.
Bridge • Operates at the data link layer of OSI Model.
• More powerful than repeaters, but slower
and more expensive to use.

• a device that chooses the best possible

path for data frame transmission.
• uses software control to prevent traffic
congestion.
Router • operates at the network layer of OSI Model.
• multi-protocol routers provide address
translation for networks with different
operating systems.
31
 Connecting Devices

• hybrid device that performs bridging and routing

functions.
• examines frame and checks the destination
Brouter address.
• if a frame is going to a LAN using a different
protocol, the frame is bridged.
• generally slower than bridges and routers.

• uses software to connect networks with different

architectures by performing protocol conversion.
• most complex device that will connect networks.
• operates at all seven layers of OSI model.
Gateway • can provide terminal emulation for workstations
wanting to emulate dumb terminals.
• provides for file-sharing and peer-to-peer
communications between LAN and host.
• Provide error detection and monitor traffic flow.

32
 Comparison of Linkage Alternatives
Connect Function OSI Model Speed Cost
Repeater Similar Regenerates Layer 1 Fastest Least
segments signal expensive
Extends
network
length

Hub Nodes Connection Layer 1 Slow/medium Least

expensive

Bridge – LANs with Filters signal Layer 2 Loses speed More

Transparent similar Decodes if because extra expensive
protocols, signal should layer is added
similar data be repeated
link layers or forwarded

33
 Comparison of Linkage Alternatives

Connect Function OSI Model Speed Cost

Bridge – LANs with Filters signal Layer 2 Loses speed More
Translating similar Forwards because expensive
protocols, signal or extra layer is
different data translates added
link layers
Router LANs with Chooses best Layers 1-3 Loses speed More
similar path because of expensive as
protocols, Flow control third layer level of
similar data Segments that was complexity
and network frame, added increases
layers transmit, and
(unless multi- reassembles
protocol
routers are
used)

34
 Comparison of Linkage Alternatives
Connect Function OSI Model Speed Cost

Brouter LANs with Performs Examines More

similar both routing protocols at expensive
protocols, and layers 2-3 as level of
similar or bridging Performs complexity
different functions bridging at increases
data link Layer 2
layers

Gateway Networks Protocol Layers 1-7 slowest Most

with conversion expensive
different
protocols

35
 Characteristics of Hubs

Links Function Pros Cons

Modular Hubs Multiple Physically Can mix FDDI, Must physically
protocol connects Ethernet, etc. change
cables connections at
the wiring
closet
Stackable Single Physically Able to fit more When
Hubs protocol connects units in wiring connecting the
cables, can add closet because of stackables
units by smaller size together,
stacking interference
sometimes
occurs
Cannot mix
different
network
segments

36
 Characteristics of Hubs
Links Function Pros Cons
Switchable Multiple Uses software Do not have to More expensive
Hubs protocols control to physically than modular
reassign ports change or stackable
Segments connections in hubs.
network into wiring closet.
individual Allows
segments individuals to
have full
network speed.

ATM LAN-to-ATM New products Allows full More

technology allow ATM to be performance of expensive, ATM
utilized more ATM to be requires extra
efficiently realized devices to
utilize full
potential
37