PROGRAM TITLE: NETWORK INFORMATION

UNIT TITLE: NETWORKING

ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 1

ASSIGNMENT NAME: NETWORK INFORMATION

SUBMISSION DATE: 11/2020

DATE RECEIVED: 10/11/2020

TUTORIAL LECTURER: TRAN HOANG BACH

WORD COUNT: 5800

STUDENT NAME: HOANG THI HIEN

STUDENT ID: BKD183006

MOBILE NUMBER: 0388334345

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Internal verification:
Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................3
Contents...............................................................................................3
LO1 Examine networking principles and their protocols.................................................3
P1 Discuss the benefits and constraints of different network types and standards.............3
What is a network?..............................................................................................................3
Computer network...............................................................................................................3
Benefits of networks............................................................................................................3
Drawbacks...........................................................................................................................4
System types:.......................................................................................................................4
Network standards...............................................................................................................6
P2 Explain the impact of network topology, communication and bandwidth requirements.
...........................................................................................................................................11
Network Topologies..........................................................................................................11
What is the best network topology for large businesses?..................................................17
Which network topology is the cheapest?.........................................................................18
What are the bandwidth requirements?.............................................................................18
Protocols............................................................................................................................19
LO2 Explain networking devices and operations.............................................................21
P3 Discuss the operating principles of networking devices and server types...................21
Networking devices:..........................................................................................................21
Server type:........................................................................................................................21
Server structures................................................................................................................23
Server selection:................................................................................................................26
P4 Discuss the interdependence of workstation hardware with relevant networking
software.............................................................................................................................27
Networking software:........................................................................................................27
Workstation:......................................................................................................................28

References..........................................................................................29
 ASSIGNMENT 1

Introduction
In my report, I am going a detailed guide that outlines the principles, models, and network
equipment for network training purposes and outlines the sections of the manual that are
relevant to Gold Star. My main content is inside part II (Contents). I will explain to you on
topics related to the network. Finally, in final part is references that are sources I refer on.

Contents
LO1 Examine networking principles and their protocols
P1 Discuss the benefits and constraints of different network types and
standards

What is a network?
A network is a collection of computer or hardware devices that are connected together, either
physically or logically using special hardware and software to allow them to exchange
information and cooperate.

Computer network
Networking describes the process involved in designing, implementing, upgrading, managing
and otherwise working with networks and network technologies

Benefits of networks
There are various benefits that are achieved in a networked environment they include:

1. Resource sharing: hardware, software and data can effectively be shared and utilized
in a networked environment.
2. Improved communication: via emailing, instant messaging, skype, void (voice over
internet protocol).
 3. Improved work practice through teleworking, telecommuting (is a where employee
does have to travel to their central place of work but remotely work from home)
4. Online collaboration facilitated by mostly video conferencing facilities to enable
organization collaborates on their geographical location.
5. Commercial opportunities business can be conducted through e commerce.
6. Internet access network facilitates the internet
7. Entertainment through online games and YouTube video channels

Drawbacks
1. Costly to set up and maintain
2. Data security concerns through cyber - attacks, hacking
3. Undesirable (unwanted) sharing
4. Illegal and undesirable behaviors
5. Data security concerns

System types:
1. Peer-based network

This is a network where computer work as both workstations and servers. Each
machine can have resources that are shared with any other machine. Every computer
is an equal to the other computer in the network.
 2. Client-server network

This is a network system where a small number of computers are designated as

centralized servers and given the task of providing services to a large number of
workstations called clients.

3. Cloud network

This system is the access of networking resources from a centralized 3rd party
provider (remote located servers) using wide area networking or internet-based
technologies.

4. Cluster network

This basically connected computers that work together in many aspects so that they
can be seen as a single system Each node runs its own instance of operating systems
and uses the same hardware Computer cluster have each node set to perform the same
task controlled and schedule by software. It may also include different local area
network implemented to form a computer cluster. The networked computers
essentially act a single much more powerful machine it this provides much fast-
processing speed, large storage capacity, better data integrity. superior, reliability, etc.

5. Centralized network

This is a network where all users connect to a central server which is the acting agent
for all communications. Most public instant messaging platform uses a centralized
network.

6. Virtualized network

This is a network system that facilitates data communication between 2 or more

virtual machines. It is similar to traditional computer networking but its functions are
mostly software driven

Network standards
Conceptual models: OSI model, TCP/IP model

- OSI model: The OSI stands for Open System Interconnection. It is a conceptual model
used for network communication. It is not implemented entirely, but it is still
referenced today. This OSI model consists of seven layers, and each layer is connected
to each other. The data moves down the OSI model, and each layer adds additional
 information. The data moves down until it reaches the last layer of the OSI model.
When the data is received at the last layer of the OSI model, then the data is
transmitted over the network. Once the data is reached on the other side, then the
process will get reversed.
- TCP/IP model: The TCP model stands for Transmission Control Protocol, whereas IP
stands for Internet Protocol. A number of protocols that make the internet possibly
comes under the TCP/IP model. Nowadays, we do not hear the name of the TCP/IP
model much, we generally hear the name of the IPv4 or IPv6, but it is still valid. This
model consists of 4 layers. Now, we will look at the diagrammatic representation of
the TCP/IP model.

- The following are the similarities between the OSI and TCP/IP model:

+ Both the reference models are based upon layered architecture.

 + The layers in the models are compared with each other. The physical layer and the
data link layer of the OSI model correspond to the link layer of the TCP/IP model. The
network layers and the transport layers are the same in both the models. The session
layer, the presentation layer and the application layer of the OSI model together form
the application layer of the TCP/IP model.

+ In both the models, protocols are defined in a layer-wise manner.

+ In both models, data is divided into packets and each packet may take the individual
route from the source to the destination.

- Differences between OSI and TCP / IP Reference Models:

+ OSI model is a generic model that is based upon functionalities of each layer.
TCP/IP model is a protocol-oriented standard.

+ OSI model distinguishes the three concepts, namely, services, interfaces, and
protocols. TCP/IP does not have a clear distinction between these three.

+ OSI model gives guidelines on how communication needs to be done, while TCP/IP
protocols layout standards on which the Internet was developed. So, TCP/IP is a more
practical model.

+ In OSI, the model was developed first and then the protocols in each layer were
developed. In the TCP/IP suite, the protocols were developed first and then the model
was developed.

+ The OSI has seven layers while the TCP/IP has four layers.

Standards: IEEE 802

IEEE 802 is a collection of networking standards that cover the physical and data-link layer
specifications for technologies such as Ethernet and wireless. These specifications apply to
local area networks (LAN) and metropolitan area networks (MAN). IEEE 802 also aids in
ensuring multi-vendor interoperability by promoting standards for vendors to follow.
Two most common types of networks:

1. Local Area Network (LAN) – spans a small geographic area owned or operated by an
individual or IT department.

Three characteristics of LANs:

 Spans a small geographic area such as a home, school, office building, or

campus.
 Usually administered by a single organization or individual.
 Provides high speed bandwidth to end and intermediary devices within the
network.

Advantages of local area network (LAN):

  Sharing of resources
 Client and server relationship
 Sharing of the internet
 Software program sharing
 Securing of data
 Communication is easy, fast, and time-saving
 Computer identification

Disadvantages of local area network (LAN):

 Data security problem

 Limitation of distance
 Server crashes may affect all computers
 Setting up a LAN is expensive
2. Wide Area Network (WAN) – spans a large geographic area typically involving a
telecommunications service provider.
 Three characteristics of WANs:

 WANs interconnect LANs over wide geographical areas such as between

cities, states, or countries.
 Usually administered by multiple service providers.
 WANs typically provide slower speed links between LANs.

Advantages of local area network (WANs):

 Centralizes IT infrastructure
 Boosts your privacy
 Increases bandwidth
 Eliminates Need for ISDN
 Guaranteed uptime
 Cuts costs, increase profits

Disadvantages of local area network (WANs):

 High setup costs

 Security Concerns
 Maintenance Issues

*Other types of networks:

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Wireless LAN (WLAN)

Storage Area Network (SAN)

P2 Explain the impact of network topology, communication and bandwidth

requirements.
Network Topologies
The volume of data that can be transferred across a network at a given time is called its
bandwidth. An expensive, high bandwidth network is able to transfer data much quicker than
a low bandwidth one. The bandwidth is affected by the types of network cards and modems
used as well as the amount and type of cable used.
Also, the way in which computers are connected together to form a network has a large effect
on its speed and efficiency. There are a number of different ways to connect computers in a
network - but these are the most common:

1. Bus topology

Bus topology is a network type where every device is connected to a single cable that runs
from one end of the network to the other. This type of network topology is often referred to as
line topology. In a bus topology, data is transmitted in one direction only. If the bus topology
has two endpoints then it is referred to as a linear bus topology.

Smaller networks with this type of topology use a coaxial or RJ45 cable to link devices
together. However, the bus topology layout is outdated and you’re unlikely to encounter a
company using a bus topology today.

 Advantages:
+ It is easy to install

+ It is cheap to install, as it doesn't require much cable

 Disadvantages:
+ If the main cable fails or gets damaged the whole network will fail

+ As more workstations are connected the performance of the network will become
slower because of data collisions

+ Every workstation on the network "sees" all of the data on the network – this is a
security risk

2. Ring topology
In this configuration the computers are connected together to form a ring shape so that none
of the computers is more important than any of the others.
In this diagram the printers are attached to one of the computers in the network. This
computer is called the print server and it handles all the printing jobs on the network.

The main disadvantage of the ring topology is that the whole network will be affected if there
is a break anywhere in the network cabling.

3. Dual Ring Topology

As mentioned above, if ring topologies are configured to be bidirectional then they are
referred to as dual ring topologies. Dual ring topologies provide each node with two
connections, one in each direction. Thus, data can flow in a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction.

 Advantages:
With ring topologies, the risk of packet collisions is very low due to the use of token-based
protocols, which only allow one station to transmit data at a given time. This is compounded
by the fact that data can move through network nodes at high speeds which can be expanded
on when more nodes are added.

Dual ring topologies provided an extra layer of protection because they were more resistant to
failures. For instance, if a ring goes down within a node then the other ring can step up and
back it up. Ring topologies were also low cost to install.
  Disadvantages:
One of the reasons why ring topologies were replaced is because they are very vulnerable to
failure. The failure of one node can take the entire network out of operation. This means that
ring topology networks need to be constantly managed to ensure that all network nodes are in
good health. However, even if the nodes were in good health your network could still be
knocked offline by a transmission line failure!

Ring topologies also raised scalability concerns. For instance, bandwidth is shared by all
devices within the network. In addition, the more devices that are added to a network the
more communication delay the network experiences. This means that the number of devices
added to a network topology needed to be monitored carefully to make sure that the network
resources weren’t stretched beyond their limit.

Making changes to a ring topology was also complicated because you need to shut down the
network to make changes to existing nodes or add new nodes. This is far from ideal as you’ll
need to factor in downtime every time you want to make a change to the topological structure!

4. Star Topology

A star topology is a topology where every node in the network is connected to one central
switch. Every device in the network is directly connected to the switch and indirectly
connected to every other node. The relationship between these elements is that the central
network hub is a server and other devices are treated as clients. The central node has the
responsibility of managing data transmissions across the whole network and acts as a repeater.
With star topologies, computers are connected with a coaxial cable, twisted pair, or optical
fiber cable.
  Advantages:
+ It is very reliable – if one cable or device fails then all the others will continue to
work

+ It is high-performing as no data collisions can occur

 Disadvantages:
+ It is expensive to install as this type of network uses the most cable (network cable
is expensive)

+ Extra hardware is required (hubs or switches) which adds to cost

+ If a hub or switch fails, all the devices connected to it will have no network
connection

5. Tree Topology

As the name suggests, a tree topology network is a structure that is shaped like a tree with its
many branches. Tree topologies have a root node that is connected to another node hierarchy.
The hierarchy is parent-child where there is only one mutual connection between two
connected nodes. As a general rule, a tree topology needs to have three levels to the hierarchy
to be classified this way. This form of topology is used within Wide Area Networks to sustain
lots of spread-out devices.

 Advantages:
The main reason why tree topologies are used is to extend bus and star topologies. Under this
hierarchical format, it is easy to add more nodes to the network when your organization grows
in size. This format also lends itself well to finding errors and troubleshooting because you
can check for network performance issues systematically throughout the tree.
  Disadvantages:
The most significant weakness of tree topology is the root node. If the root node fails then all
of its subtrees become partitioned. There will still be partial connectivity within the network
amongst other devices such as the failed node’s parent.

Maintaining the network system is not simple either because the more nodes you add, the
more difficult it becomes to manage the network. Another disadvantage of a tree topology is
the number of cables you need. Cables are required to connect every device throughout the
hierarchy which makes the network layout more complex when compared to a simpler
topology.

6. Mesh Topology

A mesh topology is a point-to-point connection where nodes are interconnected. In this form
of topology, data is transmitted via two methods: routing and flooding. Routing is where
nodes use routing logic to work out the shortest distance to the packet’s destination. In
contrast, flooding is where data is sent to all nodes within the network. Flooding doesn’t
require any form of routing logic to work.

There are two forms of mesh topology: partial mesh topology and full mesh topology. With
partial mesh topology, most nodes are interconnected but there are a few which are only
connected to two or three other nodes. A full mesh topology is where every node is
interconnected.

 Advantages
Mesh topologies are used first and foremost because they are reliable. The interconnectivity
of nodes makes them extremely resistant to failures. There is no single machine failure that
could bring down the entire network. The absence of a single point of failure is one of the
reasons why this is a popular topology choice. This setup is also secure from being
compromised.

 Disadvantages
However, mesh topologies are far from perfect. They require an immense amount of
configuration once they are deployed. The topological layout is more complex than many
other topologies and this is reflected by how long it takes to set up. You’ll need to
accommodate a whole host of new wiring which can add up to be quite expensive.

7. Hybrid Topology

When a topology is composed of two or more different topologies it is referred to as a hybrid

topology. Hybrid topologies are most-commonly encountered in larger enterprises where
individual departments have network topologies that different from another topology in the
organization. Connecting these topologies together will result in a hybrid topology. As a
consequence, the capabilities and vulnerabilities depend on the types of topology that are tied
together.

 Advantages
There are many reasons why hybrid topologies are used but they all have one thing in
common: flexibility. There are few constraints on the network structure that a hybrid topology
cannot accommodate, and you can incorporate multiple topologies into one hybrid setup. As a
consequence, hybrid topologies are very scalable. The scalability of hybrid setups makes them
well-suited to larger networks.

 Disadvantages
Unfortunately, hybrid topologies can be quite complex, depending on the topologies that you
decide to use. Each topology that is part of your hybrid topology will have to be managed
according to its unique network requirements. This makes administrators’ jobs more difficult
because they are going to have to attempt to manage multiple topologies rather than a single
one. In addition, setting up a hybrid topology can end up being quite costly.

What is the best network topology for large businesses?

The best cabled network topology for large businesses is the star topology. This is because it
is easier to control from a central console as the management software just needs to
communicate with the switch to get full traffic management features. A hybrid topology is
sometimes encountered as a temporary solution to connect together departments while a new
unified system is being planned.

Which network topology is the cheapest?

For small businesses, the bus topology is the cheapest and most reliable topology because it
can be run without buying specialist network equipment and doesn’t rely on each node being
active.

What are the bandwidth requirements?

In computing, bandwidth is the maximum rate of data transfer across a given path. Bandwidth
may be characterized as network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth

Circuit uses bandwidth very efficiently for voice, video, and data. The typical bandwidth
consumption per user on your network should be as follows:

 Audio – Variable. Limited to 64 Kbps

 Video – Variable. Limited to 512 Kbps
 Screen share – Variable. Limited to 512 Kbps (static content uses less)

 Minimum bandwidth (inbound and outbound) – 512 Kbps

 Recommended bandwidth (inbound and outbound) – 1 Mbps

For group video calls with more than two participants, there is always one audio stream that
requires 64 Kbps of bandwidth. Since the number of video streams is equal to the number of
participants, the bandwidth requirement is as follows:

512 Kbps * N + 64 Kbps (where N = the number of participants)

On average, a group video call with 4 participants has a bandwidth usage of approximately 2
Mbps.

 Outbound from the participant in all situations = 2.6 Mbps

 Inbound to the participant with 5 participants = 3.2 Mbps
 Inbound to the participant with 10 participants = 4.5 Mbps
If you are using mobile internet connectivity, ensure that you are in a zone with coverage that
is using a 3G or 4G connection.

Protocols
Purpose of protocols

The programs on a computing device pass data to the TCP/IP protocols when the data needs
to be transmitted across a network connection. The data is accepted by the application layer,
before being passed to the transport, Internet and network access layers. Each layer adds
additional information called a header in a process called encapsulation. The header provides
additional information that allows the encapsulating protocol to perform its required
functions. The addition of header information creates a Protocol Data Unit (PDU), and each
layer has an identifiable PDU:
+ transport (TCP): segment

+ transport (UDP): datagram

+ Internet: packet

+ network access: frame.

Routed protocols: is used to deliver application traffic. It provides appropriate addressing

information in its internet layer or network layer to allow a packet to be forwarded from one
network to another. Examples of routed protocols are the Internet Protocol (IP)
and Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX).

E.g.: IPv4, IPv6, IPv6 addressing, Global unicast, Multicast, Link local, Unique local, EUI
64, Auto configuration, FTP, HTTP, SMTP, POP3, SSL

Management of protocols for addressing

Any form of communication requires rules. These determine how the communication is
actually made and manage key factors like transmission speed, error checking and methods of
addressing, for example, how to locate another node on the network. Rules that govern
communication are known as protocols. Many types of protocol exist, but the ones that
govern addressing are:
- Internet Protocol (IP) addressing: When connected to a network each device is given a
unique IP address. This address consists of four sets of up to three digits, each with a
maximum value of 255, which are separated by dots. An example is:  192.168.1.1

- Media access control (MAC) addressing: A MAC address is a unique serial number

assigned to each network interface controller (NIC). This allows a network to uniquely
identify any device, even when a dynamic IP address is assigned using DHCP, each
time the device connects to a network. The device’s IP address changes depending on
the network and the MAC address is unique to the device. A MAC address consists of
a string of hexadecimal numbers. An example is: 02:9B:B0:CB:AA:FC
LO2 Explain networking devices and operations
P3 Discuss the operating principles of networking devices and server types.
Networking devices:
Server type:
There are many types of servers that all perform different functions. Many networks contain
one or more of the common server types:

File servers

File servers store and distribute files. Multiple clients or users may share files stored on a
server. In addition, centrally storing files offers easier backup or fault tolerance solutions than
attempting to provide security and integrity for files on every device in an organization. File
server hardware can be designed to maximize read and write speeds to improve performance.

Print servers

Print servers allow for the management and distribution of printing functionality. Rather than
attaching a printer to every workstation, a single print server can respond to printing requests
from numerous clients. Today, some larger and higher-end printers come with their own built-
in print server, which removes the need for an additional computer-based print server. This
internal print server also functions by responding to print requests from a client.

Application servers

Application servers run applications in lieu of client computers running applications locally.
Application servers often run resource-intensive applications that are shared by a large
number of users. Doing so removes the need for each client to have sufficient resources to run
the applications. It also removes the need to install and maintain software on many machines
as opposed to only one.
DNS servers

Domain Name System (DNS) servers are application servers that provide name resolution to
client computers by converting names easily understood by humans into machine-readable IP
addresses. The DNS system is a widely distributed database of names and other DNS servers,
each of which can be used to request an otherwise unknown computer name. When a client
needs the address of a system, it sends a DNS request with the name of the desired resource to
a DNS server. The DNS server responds with the necessary IP address from its table of
names.

Mail servers
Mail servers are a very common type of application server. Mail servers receive emails sent to
a user and store them until requested by a client on behalf of said user. Having an email server
allows for a single machine to be properly configured and attached to the network at all times.
It is then ready to send and receive messages rather than requiring every client machine to
have its own email subsystem continuously running.

Web servers

One of the most abundant types of servers in today’s market is a web server. A web server is a
special kind of application server that hosts programs and data requested by users across the
Internet or an intranet. Web servers respond to requests from browsers running on client
computers for web pages, or other web-based services. Common web servers include Apache
web servers, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) servers and Nginx servers.

 
Database servers

The amount of data used by companies, users, and other services is staggering. Much of that
data is stored in databases. Databases need to be accessible to multiple clients at any given
time and can require extraordinary amounts of disk space. Both of these needs lend
themselves well to locating such databases on servers. Database servers run database
applications and respond to numerous requests from clients. Common database server
applications include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2, and Informix.

Virtual servers

Virtual servers are taking the server world by storm. Unlike traditional servers that are
installed as an operating system on machine hardware, virtual servers exist only as defined
within specialized software called hypervisor. Each hypervisor can run hundreds, or even
thousands, of virtual servers all at once. The hypervisor presents virtual hardware to the server
as if it were real physical hardware. The virtual server uses the virtual hardware as usual, and
the hypervisor passes the actual computation and storage needs onto the real hardware
beneath, which is shared among all the other virtual servers.

Proxy servers

A proxy server acts as an intermediary between a client and a server. Often used to isolate
either the clients or servers for security purposes, a proxy server takes the request from the
client. Instead of responding to the client, it passes the request on to another server or process.
The proxy server receives the response from the second server and then replies to the original
client as if it were replying on its own. In this way, neither the client nor the responding server
needs to directly connect to each other.

Monitoring and management servers

Some servers exist to monitor or manage other systems and clients. There are many types of
monitoring servers. Several of them listen to the network and receive every client request and
server response, but some do not request or respond to data themselves. In this way, the
monitoring server can keep track of all the traffic on the network, as well as the requests and
replies of clients and servers, without interfering with those operations. A monitoring server
will respond to requests from monitoring clients such as those run by network administrators
watching the health of the network.

Server structures
 

The concept of servers is nearly as old as networking itself. After all, the point of a network is
to allow one computer to talk to another computer and distribute either work or resources.
Computing has evolved since then, resulting in several types of server structures and
hardware.

Mainframe or minicomputer (AS/400)

You could say that the original servers, mainframe computers, and later, minicomputers,
handled almost all computing tasks except the interaction with the user through a screen and
keyboard, which was left to the client system.

Computer hardware server

The next major wave of servers included computer-based servers. In many respects, these
servers were nothing more than larger, more powerful desktop computers. Such servers were
generally more expensive and held far more memory and disk space than most client
computers. Each server was still a self-contained unit with its own motherboard, processor,
memory, disk drives, and power supply. Servers like this were often warehoused in air-
conditioned rooms called server rooms, and were later bolted into racks for better storage and
accessibility.
Blade servers

The original computer server hardware was large and stored in racks that could hold hundreds
of pounds. Over time, however, faster means of connecting hardware resulted in parts of the
server being extracted from a single self-contained device. By removing hard drives,
eliminating internal cooling, and the ongoing miniaturization of computing parts, servers were
eventually reduced to a single thin server known as a blade server. While still stored in racks
in server rooms, blade servers are smaller and can be replaced more easily.

Combining servers

Even before virtualization, servers were being extracted from the standard model of a single
server operating system installed on a hardware machine. Technology, such as network-
attached storage, removed the need for a server to have its own storage. Other technologies,
such as mirroring and clustering, enabled pieces of hardware to be combined into larger, more
powerful servers. Such a server might consist of several blades, several attached storage
devices, and an external power supply, and each piece could be swapped out for another while
the server was still running.

Virtual servers

Virtual Servers still require hardware, but that hardware now runs a different process known
as a hypervisor. In some cases, such as Microsoft’s Hyper-V, a full operating system
continues to run on the hardware itself. In other cases, so-called bare-metal hypervisors can be
installed directly onto server hardware. In both instances, the hardware itself is often spread
across an array of blade servers, networked storage, and power supply, resulting in an
environment where it is impossible to tell where any individual server ends and another
begins.

Microsoft Windows servers

An argument can be made that Windows for Workgroups was Microsoft’s first server
operating system. In that version, certain computers could be set to share resources and
respond to requests from clients, which made them servers by definition. Microsoft’s first real
server operating system was Windows NT. Its 3.5 and 3.51 versions ran on many business
networks until Microsoft released its Windows Server line that continues to exist today. The
most current Windows Server version is Windows Server 2016. This version supports
numerous applications and databases as well as a hypervisor that allows virtual servers.
Linux / Unix servers

The other major player in server operating systems is the Linux/Unix realm. There are
multiple versions and flavors of Linux/Unix including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Debian, and
CentOS. As an open-source operating system, Linux is very popular as a web server, often
with the Apache web application server installed.

NetWare

Although no longer made, NetWare was a major player in the server software space as the
client-server era was ramping up. Eventually, NetWare moved its server operating system to a
Linux-based kernel and named it a Novell Open Enterprise Server (OES).

Cloud servers

Virtual servers hosted on a third-party infrastructure on an open network, such as the Internet,
are called cloud servers. There are numerous cloud server providers these days, including
Google’s Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud.
However, the main pioneer of corporate cloud computing was Amazon’s AWS platform. It
originally started using spare capacity of Amazon’s own servers and networks, but AWS now
allows customers to create a virtual server nearly instantly and then adjust the amount of
resources that server may use on the fly.
Today, a server can be nothing more than the data of physical hardware that consists of
multiple processors, disk drives, memory, and network connections. But, even now, a server
is still just a system that responds to a request from a client.

Server selections
This shows the server selection steps based on user functional and performance requirements.
These steps are for users who do not have much performance knowledge. There are four steps
involved to select a server.
 1. A user specifies functional and performance requirements to the server selection
function. The functional requirements include low layer information of OS conditions
such as normal Linux or customized Linux or non-Linux and high layer information of
what applications run on the compute resources. For examples of the latter
information, specifying Web server application, graphic analysis (which is suitable to
GPU) and encryption processing (which is suitable to FPGA). The performance
requirements include server throughput and/or response time conditions. For examples
of throughput, specifying certain index values of Himeno benchmark, TPC-C,
UnixBench, etc.
2. The server selection function selects and proposes a server where compute resources
are deployed. This proposal contains a specified server with a specified provisioning
type.

P4 Discuss the interdependence of workstation hardware with relevant

networking software.
Networking software:
Networking software is a foundational element for any network. It helps administrators
deploy, manage, and monitor a network. Traditional networks are made up of specialized
hardware, such as routers and switches, that bundle the networking software into the
solution. Software-defined networking (SDN) separates that software from the hardware,
making it easier to innovate and adapt the network to quickly meet changing network
demands. The separation of functions from hardware, such as firewalls or load balancing, is
called network functions virtualization (NFV).
Network software is not the same as software applications. The former exposes the inner-
workings of the network to administrators, while software applications enable end users to
perform specific tasks. Network software is “invisible” to end users — it is simply used to
facilitate the access those users have to network resources, in a seamless way.

Workstation:
A workstation is a computer intended for individual use that is faster and more capable than a
personal computer. It's intended for business or professional use (rather than home or
recreational use). Workstations and applications designed for them are used by small
engineering companies, architects, graphic designers, and any organization, department, or
individual that requires a faster microprocessor, a large amount of random access memory
(RAM), and special features such as high-speed graphics adapters. Historically, the
workstation developed technologically about the same time and for the same audience as
the UNIX operating system, which is often used as the workstation operating system. Among
the most successful makers of this kind of workstation are Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-
Packard, DEC, and IBM.

A workstation that consists of:

- A 1GHz equivalent or faster processor.

- One of the following operating systems: Windows 7 or Windows Vista
- To use OS/390 or z/OS repositories, a TCP/IP link that supports FTP communications
with your host. Current support is for IBM TCP/IP FTP only.
 - To use LAN server repositories, a network connection which allows you to access the
LAN server as a drive letter.
- To use local PC repositories, no additional requirements.
- To use CD-ROM collections as a source, a CD-ROM drive.
- To use the Internet as a source or to check for updates to the Softcopy Librarian, an
Internet connection.
- A minimum of 100MB of space on your hard drive.

References
1. Support, P., Switches, C. and Guides, I. Cisco Catalyst 2960-L Series 24-Port and 48-
Port Switch Hardware Installation Guide - Product Overview [Cisco Catalyst 2960-L
Series Switches]. Cisco, 2021.
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/catalyst2960l/hardware/installation/g
uide/b_c2960l_24_48_hig/b_c2960xr_hig_chapter_01.html