UNIT – I

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1 .Define Network?
A network is a collection of computers, servers, mainframes, network devices,
peripherals, or other devices connected to allow data sharing. An example of a
network is the Internet, which connects millions of people all over the world. To the
right is an example image of a home network with multiple computers and
other network devices all connected.

2. Explain different types of networks?

Some of the most popular computer network types are:

 PAN (Personal Area Network): PAN (Personal Area Network) is a computer network

formed around a person. It generally consists of a computer, mobile, or personal digital
assistant. PAN can be used for establishing communication among these personal
devices for connecting to a digital network and the internet.
 LAN (Local Area Network): A Local Area Network (LAN) is a group of computer and
peripheral devices which are connected in a limited area such as school, laboratory,
home, and office building. It is a widely useful network for sharing resources like files,
printers, games, and other application.
 MAN (Metropolitan Area Network): A Metropolitan Area Network or MAN is
consisting of a computer network across an entire city, college campus, or a small
region. This type of network is large than a LAN, which is mostly limited to a single
building or site.
 WAN (Wide Area Network) : WAN (Wide Area Network) is another important
computer network that which is spread across a large geographical area. WAN network
system could be a connection of a LAN which connects with other LAN’s using
telephone lines and radio waves.

3. How Internet is administered?

The different ways in which one can connect to the Internet are :

 Dial-Up – In such connections, users are required to link their phone line to a computer to
access the Internet. Under this connection, the user cannot make or receive phone calls
through tier home phone service

 Broadband – Provided either through cable or phone companies, Broadband is a high-

speed internet connection which is widely used today

 Wireless Connection – Wi-fi and Mobile service providers fall under this category. Internet
connectivity is made via radio waves and the Internet can be connected anywhere,
irrespective of the location. Given below are a few examples of wireless connection:

 Wi-fi – Wireless Fidelity or wi-fi allows high-speed internet connectivity without the
use of wires
  Mobile Phones – All smartphones are now equipped with an option for Internet
connectivity which can be availed using Internet vouchers and packs. No external
connection or wire is required for these
 Satellite – Where broadband connections are unavailable, satellites are used for
wireless Internet connectivity
 Integrated Services Digital Network – ISDN allows users to sent audio or video
data using telephone lines

4. what is protocol?.Why protocols are needed?

Protocol: In networking, a protocol is a set of rules for formatting and processing data.
Network protocols are like a common language for computers. The computers within a network
may use vastly different software and hardware; however, the use of protocols enables them to
communicate with each other regardless.

These protocols are very important for all internet systems. Especially since they are used to transfer
network from one place to another. In a network, the data that is transmitted may be at fault or
distorted.The causes are usually the poor quality of the transmission medium. The distortion of the data
can be caused by external influences such as strong electro magnetic fields in the environment.The IoT
protocols help in preventing this from happening. The communication protocol does so in three ways:
error control, flow control and congestion control. 

5. State the goals of networks?

Goals of Computer Networks: The following are some important goals of computer
networks:  
 Resource Sharing – 
Many organization has a substantial number of computers in operations, which are
located apart. Ex. A group of office workers can share a common printer, fax, modem,
scanner, etc. 
 
 High Reliability – 
If there are alternate sources of supply, all files could be replicated on two or more
machines. If one of them is not available, due to hardware failure, the other copies
could be used. 
 
 Inter-process Communication – 
Network users, located geographically apart, may converse in an interactive session
through the network. In order to permit this, the network must provide almost error-free
communications. 
 
 Flexible access – 
Files can be accessed from any computer in the network. The project can be begun on
one computer and finished on another. 
 Other goals include Distribution of processing functions, Centralized management, and
allocation of network resources, Compatibility of dissimilar equipment and software,
Good network performance, Scalability, Saving money, Access to remote information,
Person to person communication, etc. 

6. Describe the importance of networking?

In the world of Information Technology (IT) information is building block for effective
communication. Communication is medium that helps us to drive our day to day professional
and personal operations. Where computer networking acts as base of everything as the best
and most important IT solutions. Below is list of points that we do with the help of computer
networks
 Provides best way of business communication.
 Streamline communication.
 Cost-effective resource sharing.
 Improving storage efficiency and volume.
 Cut costs on software.
 Cut costs on hardware.
 Utilizes Centralized Database.
 Increase in efficiency.

7. List two advantages of layering principle in Computer networks?

Benefits Description
Layering helps achieve higher interoperability as devices from different
Interoperability
manufacturers can be used if they are similar models.
Compatibility It provides greater compatibility between the devices, networks and systems.
It improves the flexibility of the device choosing part. You can have multiple options
Flexibility
to perform the same role due to compatibility.

8. Classify different types of Layers?

The OSI model has the following layers:

 Physical Layer: It is the lowest layer of the OSI model that is responsible for the physical
data connection between the devices.
 Data Link. It ensures error-free node-to-node delivery of the message.
 Network Layer: The data gets its address in this layer. It also received routing
instructions from moving from source to destination in the network.
 Transport Layer: It is responsible for reliable message delivery across different points
on the network on its way to its destination.
 Session Layer: This layer helps with establishing, managing, and terminating sessions.
 Presentation Layer: It is responsible for encrypting and decrypting the data and
converting it into a form that is accessible by the application layer.
 Application Layer: In this layer, an application (for example, an internet browser)
receives the data and a user can then interact with it.

9. List the responsibilities of each layer?

10. Give the role of ARPANET in computer networks?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was the first wide-area packet-
switched network with distributed control and one of the first networks to implement
the TCP/IP protocol suite. Both technologies became the technical foundation of the Internet. Many
of the protocols used by computer networks today were developed for ARPANET, and it is
considered the forerunner of the modern internet. ARPANET stands as a major changing point
in the development of computer technology. Many underlying internet technologies were first
developed on or for ARPANET. Telnet and FTP protocols were some of the first used on
ARPANET, and they are still in use today. TCP/IP was developed on it. 

12. Describe why protocol standards needed?

Protocols and standards are essential for communication, authentication and error detection. So
this is why its necessary to have network standards and protocols because they are what allow
different computers from different companies running different software to communicate with
each-other making networking possible.

13. Differentiate LAN,WAN and MAN

14. What is Sliding Window Protocol?
Sliding window protocols are data link layer protocols for reliable and sequential
delivery of data frames. The sliding window is also used in Transmission Control
Protocol.
In this protocol, multiple frames can be sent by a sender at a time before receiving an
acknowledgment from the receiver. The term sliding window refers to the imaginary
boxes to hold frames. Sliding window method is also known as windowing.

15. What is guided medium for communication?.Draw a picture for coaxial.

Guided transmission media is the physical medium that is used to transfer information
bits from one computer to the other. The physical medium directs the path that
information bits have to follow to reach the desired receiver .
Types of Guided Transmission Media :

 Magnetic Media
 Twisted Pair Cable
 Co-axial Cable
 Power Lines
 Fibre Optic Cable

16. Define peer-to-peer process?

A peer to peer network is a simple network of computers. Here each computer acts as
a node for file sharing within the formed network. Here each node acts as a server and
thus there is no central server to the network. This allows the sharing of a huge
amount of data. The tasks are equally divided amongst the nodes. Each node
connected in the network shares an equal workload. For the network to stop working,
all the nodes need to individually stop working. This is because each node works
independently.

17. What is internet?.List out its merits and demerits.

Internet: A global system of interconnected computers, using a standardised Internet Protocol
suite for communication and sharing information is called the Internet.
Pros of Internet
  Easy Access to Information – Information on anything and everything are available online.
The Internet makes it convenient to learn about new things at any point in time and get
details on various subjects, irrespective of time and place
 Platform for Online Education – With the advanced technology, even students and adults
wish to learn new things and gaining knowledge at various online portals has become more
accessible
 Visual and Graphical Representation of Things – Various researches have shown that a
person tends to get more engaged with a graphical representation of things. Internet has
made this facility also convenient for both user and creator 
 Reduced the parameter of Distance – Social media has reduced the distance between
people as communication has become much easier because of Internet connection  
Cons of Internet

 Dependency – The dependency of people for looking things and information online has
increased massively since the introduction of Internet and its easy access
 Cyber Crime – People do not just use internet for learning purposes, cybercrime has also
been at a distinctive high because of effortless availability of resources
 Distraction – People can easily find online games, interesting information, etc. online which
may be a cause of distraction for may
 Bullying and Trolls – Online platforms are being used for unethical practises like bullying
people and trolling them

18. List the advantages of a multipoint connection over a point-to-point

connection?
1. A method where two communication devices get connected with each other forming a link
between them is the point-to-point. Whereas, a method where more than two
communication devices get connected to each other forming a connection between them
becomes multipoint.
2. A proper link between two devices exists among the ones connected in a point-to-point
system whereas more than two devices stay connected at all times as they share the
connection.
3. All the capacity of the system remains same for the device from where the data goes and the
device where the data gets received from a point-to-point system, on the other hand, the
capacity of the scheme becomes shared on a temporary basis when we talk about a
multipoint system.
4. One transmitter and one receiver complete the package for a point-to-point system whereas
one transmitter and multiple receivers fill out the package for a multipoint system.

19. What are the responsibilities of the data link layer in the OSI-ISO reference
model?
 Framing: Framing is a function of the data link layer. It provides a way for a sender to
transmit a set of bits that are meaningful to the receiver. This can be accomplished by
attaching special bit patterns to the beginning and end of the frame.
 Physical addressing: After creating frames, the Data link layer adds physical
addresses (MAC address) of the sender and/or receiver in the header of each frame.
  Error control: Data link layer provides the mechanism of error control in which it
detects and retransmits damaged or lost frames.
 Flow Control: The data rate must be constant on both sides else the data may get
corrupted thus, flow control coordinates the amount of data that can be sent before
receiving acknowledgement.
 Access control: When a single communication channel is shared by multiple devices,
the MAC sub-layer of the data link layer helps to determine which device has control
over the channel at a given time.

20. Compare TCP with OSI model?

Difference  between TCP/IP and OSI Model

TCP/IP OSI Model

The full form of TCP/IP is Transmission Control The full form of OSI is Open Systems
Protocol/ Internet Protocol Interconnection

It is a communication protocol that is based on It is a structured model which deals which the
standard protocols and allows the connection of functioning of a network
hosts over a network

In 1982, the TCP/IP model became the standard In 1984, the OSI model was introduced by the
language of ARPANET International Organisation of Standardization
(ISO)

It comprises of four layers: It comprises seven layers:

 Network Interface  Physical

 Internet   Data Link
 Transport   Network
 Application  Transport
 Session
 Presentation
 Application

It follows a horizontal approach It follows a vertical approach

The TCP/IP is the implementation of the OSI Model An OSI Model is a reference model, based on
which a network is created

It is protocol dependent It is protocol independent

21. Differentiate four basic topologies?

22. Discuss Design Issues of Data Link Layer?

Design issues with data link layer are :  
1. Services provided to the network layer – 
The data link layer act as a service interface to the network layer. The principle service is
transferring data from network layer on sending machine to the network layer on
destination machine. This transfer also takes place via DLL (Data link-layer). 
2. Frame synchronization – 
The source machine sends data in the form of blocks called frames to the destination
machine. The starting and ending of each frame should be identified so that the frame can
be recognized by the destination machine.  
3. Flow control – 
Flow control is done to prevent the flow of data frame at the receiver end. The source
machine must not send data frames at a rate faster than the capacity of destination
machine to accept them. 
4. Error control – 
Error control is done to prevent duplication of frames. The errors introduced during
transmission from source to destination machines must be detected and corrected at the
destination machine.