COMP 202 reviewer
LESSON 1
Network Administrator- Maintains
network infrastructure such as switches
and routers and diagnoses problems with
these or with the behavior of network-
attached computers.
Computer Network- a system of
interconnected computers and peripheral
devices.
Example: it may connect computers,
printers, scanners and cameras.
Computer Network Communications-
Transmitting information or data by
using two types of signals, namely
analog and digital.
•Computers communicate with digital
signals.
• The older forms of communications
technology, such as telephone and
radios, use analog signals.
3 TYPES OF COMMUNICATIONS
*Data Communication
*Telephone System Communication
*Radio Communication
Types of Computer Networks
1.) Personal Area Network (PAN) -
computer network for interconnecting
electronic devices centered on an
individual person's workspace. A PAN
provides data transmission among
devices such as computers, smartphones,
tablets and personal digital assistants.
2.) Local Area Network (LAN) - is a
group of computers and peripheral
devices that share a common
communications line or wireless link to
a server within a distinct geographic
area.
Advantages of (LAN)
 Sharing of resources
 Client and server relationship:
All the data from attached computers
can be stored in one server.
 Sharing of the internet
 Software program sharing:
 Securing of data:
 Communication is easy, fast, and
time-saving:
In LAN computers can exchange data
and messages in
3.) Wireless Local Area Network
(WLAN) - is a network that allows
devices to connect and communicate
wirelessly. WLAN communicate via
Wi-Fi
4.) Campus Area Network (CAN) - is
a network that covers an educational or
corporate campus. A campus area
network is larger than a local area
network LAN since it may span multiple
buildings within a specific area
5. ) Metropolitan Area Network
(MAN) - is a computer network that
connects computers within a
metropolitan area, which could be a
single large city, multiple cities and
towns, or any given large area with
multiple buildings
different technologies to establish a network
•FDDI (Fiber distribution data interface)
•ATM (Asynchronous transfer mode)
•SMDS (Switched multi-megabit data
service)
6. ) Wide Area Network (WAN) - is a
telecommunications network that
extends over a large geographic area for
the primary purpose of computer
networking. Wide area networks are
often established with leased
telecommunication circuits.
Types of WAN Connections
1.Dedicated Connection
2.Switched Connection
Distinguishing features of Wide Area Network
1.Covers large geographical area
2.Centralized data
3.Get updated files and data
4.Sharing of software and resource
5.High bandwidth
Examples of Wide Area Network (WAN)
1.Internet
2.Large telecommunications companies like
Airtel store IT
department
3.Satellite systems
4.Cable companies
5.Network providers
6.U.S defense department
7.A network of bank cash dispensers
8.Airline companies
9.Stock brokerages
10.Railway reservations counter
11.4G Mobile Broadband Systems
Network Topologies
It is a layout of how a network
communicates with different devices.
Categories of topologies:
a. Wired
b. Wireless
Kinds of Topology
1. STAR Topology -most common
topology.
4. MESH Topology
2. RING Topology
5. Point to Point Topology
3. BUS Topology
6. Point to Multipoint Topology
INFRASTRUCTURE WIRELESS
Topology – this topology uses the
combination of wired and wireless
topologies.
Ad hoc WIRELESS Topology – is a
very simple wireless topology. devices
are connected without using any
additional network infrastructure devices
like a wireless Access Point (AP).
MESH WIRELESS Topology – are
communication networks which
comprise radio
nodes in which nodes are arranged in a
mesh topology.
Point to Point Wireless Topology – a
point-to-point connection refers to a
communications connection between
two communication endpoints or nodes.
Point to MultiPoint Wireless
Topology – (P2MP, PTMP or PMP) is
communication which is accomplished
via a distinct type of one-to-many.
LESSON 3 CABLE
Ethernet 10Base2 and 10 Base5- uses
Bus Topology
10 Base T- uses Star Topology
10Base2
- Total distance is 200 meters. RG-58
cable is used.
-THINNET COAXIAL CABLE
10BASE-5 - 10MBps over thick coaxial
cable. Has a maximum distance of 500
Meters
-THICKNET COAXIAL CABLE
10 BASE-T - This is an Ethernet
standard that is designed to transmit data
at the rate of 10Mbps over a twisted pair
cable. only allows distances from the
hub to the node of 100 meters (330 feet).
10 - means max. speed
BASE - means Baseband Transmission
T -means twisted pair cable
DIAL UP - analog
DSL- digital
LESSON 4- PACKET
TRACER
Cisco – The leaders in computer
networking.
An innovative and powerful networking
simulation tool used for designing,
practice, discovery and troubleshooting.
Helps to understand networks
practically.
Crossover cable is used for connecting
same devices.

IP address and what is its use?
internet protocol (IP) address allows
computers to send and receive
information. which means they can also
be used to track down a user's physical
location
4 types of IP addresses: public,
private, static, and dynamic.
LESSON 7
HUB-are the simplest and least
intelligent, broadcasting data to all
connected devices.
SWITCH- more intelligent, forwarding
data only to the intended device.
ROUTER- connect multiple networks
together and route data between them
based on IP addresses.
Similarity: All three devices (hub,
switch, router) are used in networking to
connect multiple devices together.
1. Hub:
* A hub operates at the most basic level
of networking, known as the physical
layer.
* It receives data from one device and
broadcasts it to all other devices
connected to it.
* Because of this broadcast nature, all
devices on a hub share the same
bandwidth, which can lead to congestion
and slower network speeds, especially as
the number of devices increases.
* Hubs are rarely used in modern
networks due to their inefficiency and
lack of intelligence in managing network
traffic.
2. Switch:
* A switch operates at the data link
layer, also known as Layer 2, of the OSI
model. * Unlike a hub, a switch is
capable of examining the MAC address
of each incoming data packet and
forwarding it only to the device for
which it is intended.
* By doing so, switches create dedicated
communication channels between
devices, reducing network congestion
and improving overall network
performance.
* Switches are widely used in Ethernet
networks, both in homes and businesses,
to connect multiple devices within a
local area network (LAN).
3. Router:
* A router operates at the network layer,
or Layer 3, of the OSI model.
* Its primary function is to route data
packets between different networks.
* Routers use IP addresses to make
routing decisions, determining the best
path for data to reach its destination
based on network topology, traffic load,
and other factors.
* In addition to routing, routers often
provide other features such as network
address translation (NAT), which allows
multiple devices within a private
network to share a single public IP
address, and firewall capabilities for
network security.
* Routers are essential for connecting
LANs to each other or to the internet,
enabling communication between
devices on different networks.