An Introduction to

computers and the Internet

Chapter 01

A. Fathima Sharfana
DICT/FTS
An introduction to computers
• The personal computer is
• an information tool;
• gives you the ability to control the flow of information.
• The computers are shipped from the manufacturer with just enough
software to make it run and marginally useful.
• It is up to the users to customize it for their own purposes. With right
software your computer can meet nearly any information processing
need.

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Computer as information tool
Accounting

Word Processing Numerical Analysis

Graphics Design Computerized

Reference

Simulation Inventory tracking

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The network
• A network is a number of computers or other devices linked together
to share resources/ information.
• Computers connected over a network can make that information
exchange easier and faster.
• The computers can also share resources, such as printers and fax
modems allowing you to better use of your hardware.

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Sharing information
• The information must be kept consistent and secure, and timely
access must be given to those who need the information to run the
business.
• If you select one computer to store the shared information and have
all other computers reference the information on that computer over
the network, the computer can help you centralize the information
and maintain a control over it.
• The central computer is called “server” and special software and OS
are used in server computers.

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Sharing Hardware Resources
• A network allows anyone connected to the network to use the
printer, not just the individual sitting at the computer to which it is
attached.
• You can attach come peripherals directly to the network; they do not
need to be attached to a computer to be shared on the Internet.

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Sharing Software Resources
• With stand alone computers, the software used on the computer
must be present on each computer’s hard disk, whether or not that
computer is used at that moment.
• Disadvantages :
• Cost is high for a large number of computers.
• Difficult and time consuming to install and configure the software individually on every
one of the computers.
• With a network:
• Centrally install and configure the software.
• Reducing the work required to make computer programs available to an
organization.
• Restrict access to program.

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Preserving Information
• A network allows for information to be backed up to a central
location.
• It is difficult to maintain regular backups on a number of stand-alone
computers .
• When you back up to a central location (a network server) you have
one place to look for the lost information and you can be assured that
the information is being backed up.

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Protecting Information
• A network provides a more secure environment for a company’s
important information by providing additional layer of security by way
of passwords.
• You can give each network user a different account name and
password, allowing the network server to distinguish among those
who need access to have it and protecting the information from
tempering by those who do not.

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Local Area Network (LAN)
• A LAN is a number of computers connected to each other by cable in
a single location, usually a single floor of a building or all the
computers in a small company.
• Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the common technology in use to connect
devices in LAN.

A conceptual diagram of a LAN

-Wikipedia

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Local Area Network (LAN) Cont.
• The following characteristics differentiate one LAN from another:
• Topology: The geometric arrangement of devices on the network.

• Protocols: The rules and encoding specifications for sending data.

• Media: Devices can be connected by twisted-pair wire, coaxial

cables, or fiber optic cables.

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Wide Area Network (WAN)
• WANs are the connecting links between LANs.
• These links are made over telephone lines leased from the various
telephone companies.
• WANs can be created with satellite links, packet radio or microwave
transceivers. These options are more expensive than leased
telephone lines, but they can operate in areas where leased lines are
not available.

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Wide Area Network (WAN) Cont.
• Most WANs are private and owned by the
business that operates with them. LAN in Chicago Computer in NYC
• Recently however, the Internet has
emerged as both the largest and least
expensive WAN in the world.

LAN in San Francisco

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The Internet
• The Internet (interconnected network) is the global system of
interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol
suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide.
• It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic,
business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by
a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking
technologies.
• The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and
services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents
and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic
mail, telephony, and file sharing.
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-Wikipedia14
Clients, Servers and Peers
• Clients : Use but do not provide network resources.
• Peers : Both use and provide network resources.
• Servers: Provide network resources.
• Networks are divided into three types, based on the roles of the
computers attached.
• Server-based
• Peer-to-peer
• Hybrid

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Server based networks
• Server based network are defined by the presence of servers on a
network.
• Server based network divide processing tasks between clients and
servers.
• Clients (front-end) request services such as file storage and printing
and servers (back-end) delivers them.

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Server based networks Cont.
• Advantages:
• Strong central security.
• Central file storage.
• Ability to share expensive hardware and software resources.
• Optimized dedicated servers are faster.
• Less intrusive security since a single password allows access to all shared
resources.
• Easy manageability of a large number of users.
• Central organization.
• Central management.

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Server based networks Cont.
• Disadvantages:
• Expensive dedicated hardware.
• Expensive network operating system and client license.
• A dedicated network administrator.

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