1. What is a Network?

A network is two or more computers, or other electronic

devices, connected together so that they can exchange data.

For example a network allows computers to share files, users

to message each other, a whole room of computers to share a single printer,
etc.

Network connections between computers are typically created

using cables (wires). However, connections can be created using radio signals (wireless / wi-fi), telephone lines (and
modems) or even, for very long distances, via satellite links.

A computer that is not connected to a network is known as a standalone computer.

2. Why Use Networks?

Using a computer connected to a network allows us to…

 Easily share files and data

 Share resources such as printers and Internet connections

 Communicate with other network users (e-mail, instant messaging, video-conferencing, etc.)

 Store data centrally (using a file server) for ease of access and back-up

 Keep all of our settings centrally so we can use any workstation

In particular, if we use a computer connected to The Internet, we can…

 Make use of on-line services such as shopping (e-commerce) or banking

 Get access to a huge range of information for research

 Access different forms of entertainment (games, video, etc.)

 Join on-line communities (e.g. MySpace, Facebook, etc.)

3. Why Not Use Networks? | IGCSE ICT

Using a computer connected to a network means that…

 The computer is vulnerable to hackers

 If the network breaks, many tasks become very difficult

 Your computer can more easily be attacked by a virus

In particular, if we use a computer connected to The Internet…

 We have to be careful about revealing personal information

 We have to be careful to avoid suspect websites that might contain malware

 We have to be aware that information found on The Internet is not always accurate or reliable

4. Computers in a Network

Computers connected together to create a network fall into two categories: servers and clients (workstations).

Clients
Client computers, or workstations, are the normal computers that people sit at to get their work done.

When you use your Web browser, you are in fact using a Web client. When you type in the URL of a web page, you are
actually providing the address of a Web server.

e.g. www.bbc.co.uk is the address of the BBC’s web server.

Your Web browser/client asks this server for the web page you want, and the server ‘serves’ the page back to the
browser/client for you to see.

Servers

Servers are special, powerful computers that provide ‘services’ to the client computers on the network.

These services might include:

 Providing a central, common file storage area

 Sharing hardware such as printers

 Controlling who can or can’t have access the network

 Sharing Internet connections

Servers are built to be very reliable. This means that they are much more expensive that normal computers.

In a small network one server might provide all of these services. In a larger network there might be many servers
sharing the work.

5. Types of Network | IGCSE ICT

Local Area Network (LAN)

A Local Area Network is a network confined to one building or site.

Often a LAN is a private network belonging to an organisation or business.

Because LANs are geographically small, they usually use cables or low-power radio
(wireless) for the connections.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a LAN that uses radio signals (WiFi) to connect computers
instead of cables.

At the centre of the WLAN is a wireless switch or router - a small box with one or
two antennas sticking out the back - used for sending and receiving data to the computers. (Most laptops have a
wireless antenna built into the case.)

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A Wide Area Network is a network that extends over a large area.

A WAN is often created by joining several LANs together, such as when a

business that has offices in different countries links the office LANs
together.
Because WANs are often geographically spread over large areas and links between computers are over long distances,
they often use quite exotic connections technologies: optical fibre (glass) cables, satellite radio links, microwave radio
links, etc.

Bluetooth (Personal Area Network)

Bluetooth is a wireless networking technology designed for very short-range connections (typically just a few metres).

The idea of Bluetooth is to get rid of the need for all of those cables (e.g. USB cables) that connect our computer to
peripheral devices such as printers, mice, keyboards, etc.

Typical uses of Bluetooth:

 Connecting a wireless keyboard to a computer

 Connecting a wireless mouse to a computer

 Using a wireless headset with a mobile phone

 Printing wirelessly from a computer or PDA

 Transferring data / music from a computer to an MP3 player

 Transferring photos from a phone / camera to another device

 Synchronising calendars on a PDA and a computer

Because Bluetooth networking only works over very short distances, and with devices belonging to one user, this type of
network is sometimes called a 'Personal Area Network'

6. LAN Topologies | IGCSE ICT

The word topology means ‘arrangement’, so when we talk about the topology of a network, we mean how the different
parts are arranged and connected together.

There are three common network topologies...

Bus Network

In this type of network, a long, central cable, the

‘bus’ is used to connect all of the computers
together. Each computer has a short cable linking
it to the ‘bus’.

A bus network…

 Is cheap to install (just one long cable)

 Can be quite slow since all computers

share the same cable when communicating

 Will stop working if there is a break in the central bus cable.

Ring Network

In this type of network each computer is connected to a loop of cable, the

‘ring’. (If you took a bus network and connected the ends of the bus cable
together, you would have a ring network.)

A ring network…

 Can cope with a break in the ring cable since all computers are still
joined together (it is now a bus network)

Star Network

In this type of network every computer is connected to a central device. The

device passes messages between computers.

At the centre of a star network you might use a hub (cheap, but slower) or
a switch (more expensive, but faster).

A star network…

 Is quite expensive to install (you have to buy lots of cable and

the central device)

 Is very fast since each computer has its own cable which it doesn’t need to share

 Can cope with a broken cable (only one computer will be affected)

 Will stop working if the central device breaks

 Is the most common network topology

Hybrid Network

A hybrid network is simply one that combines two or more of the above basic
topologies.

E.g. A network that has several star networks linked togetheris a hybrid network

7. Networking Hardware

Network Interface Card (NIC)

Any computer that is to be connected to a network needs to have a network interface card (NIC).

Some computers, such as laptops, have two NICs: one for wired connections, and one
for wireless connections (which uses radio signals instead of wires)
 In a laptop, the wireless radio antenna is usually built in to the side of the screen, so you don't
need to have a long bit of plastic sticking out the side of your computer!

Network Cable

To connect together different devices to make up a network, you need cables.

Cables are still used in most networks, rather than using only wireless, because they can carry much more data per
second, and are more secure (less open to hacking).

Hub

A hub is a device that connects a number of computers together to make

a LAN.

The typical use of a hub is at the centre of a star network (or as part of a
hybrid network) - the hub has cables plugged into it from each computer.

A hub is a ‘dumb’ device: if it receives a message, it sends it to every

computer on the network. This means that hub-based networks are not very secure - everyone can listen in to
communications.

Hubs are pretty much obsolete now (you can't buy them any more), having
been superseded by cheap switches.

Switch

A switch, like a hub, is a device that connects a number of computers together to make a LAN.

The typical use of a switch is at the centre of a star network (or as part of a hybrid network) - the switch has cables
plugged into it from each computer.

A switch is a more ‘intelligent’ device than a hub: if it receives a message, it checks who it
is addressed to, and only sends it to that specific computer. Because of this, networks that
use switches are more secure than those that use hubs, but also a little more expensive.

Router

A router is a network device that connects together two or more networks.

A common use of a router is to join a home or business network (LAN) to the Internet (WAN).
The router will typically have the Internet cable plugged into it, as well as a cable, or cables to computers on the LAN.

Alternatively, the LAN connection might be wireless (WiFi), making the device a wireless router. (A wireless router is
actually a router and wireless switch combined)

Routers are the devices that join together the various different networks that together make up the Internet.

Proxy Server

A proxy server is a computer setup to share a resource, usually an Internet connection.

Other computers can request a web page via the proxy server. The proxy server will then get the page using its Internet
connection, and pass it back to the computer who asked for it.

Proxy servers are often used instead of router since additional softwarecan be easily installed on the computer such as
anti-virus, web filtering etc.

Bridge

A bridge is a network device that typically links together two different parts of a LAN.
Whereas a router is usually used to link a LAN to a WAN (such as the Internet), a bridge links independent parts of a LAN
so that they act as a single LAN.

Modem

Before the days of broadband Internet connections, most computers connected to the Internet via telephone lines (dial-
up connections).

The problem with using telephone lines is that they are designed to carry voices, which are analogue signals. They
are not designed for digital data.

The solution was to use a special device to join the digital computer to the analogue telephone line. This device is known
as a modem.

A modem contains a DAC and an ADC.

The DAC in the modem is required so that the digital computer can send data down the analogue telephone line (it
converts digital data into noises which is exactly what the telephone line is designed to carry.)

The ADC in the modem is required so that the analogue signals (noises) that arrive via the telephone line can be
converted back into digital data.

These special cables are designed to carry digital data, so no modem is required.

The word modem is an abbreviation of MOdulator DEModulator.

A modulator acts as a DAC, and a demodulator acts as an ADC.

So, simply put, a modem is required because computers are digital devices and the telephone system is analogue. The
modem converts from digital to analogue and from analogue to digital.

If you have ever used a dial-up connection, you have probably heard the noises sent by the modem down the telephone
line.

They sound like a horrible screeching beeping sound.

8. The Internet | IGCSE ICT

The Internet is a world-wide network that has grown and evolved from an experimental network (ARPANet) created by
the US military back in the 1960s. Over the years, as more and more computers and networks have connected to this
network, it has grown into the Internet that we know today.

The Internet connects millions of people, and thousands of businesses, governments, schools, universities and other
organisations.

What Can We Use the Internet For?

The Internet provides the network connections that links computers together. There are many ways that we can use
these connections:

 View web pages on the WWW (World-Wide Web)

 Sending and receiving e-mail messages

 Sharing files

 Communicating using voice (VOIP) and video (video-conferencing)

 Playing multi-player games

 Listening to streamed music or watching streamed video

9. Intranets | IGCSE ICT

An intranet is the name given to a private network that provides similar services to The Internet: e-mail, messaging,
web pages, etc.

However, these services are only for the users of the intranet – they are private, not public (unlike Internet services
which are generally public).
Businesses and other organisations often have intranets for use by their employees.

Typical uses of an intranet would be:

 Viewing internal web pages (e.g. company calendars, etc.)

 Internal e-mail and instant-messaging between workers

 Sharing of internal documents

10.Network & Data Security | IGCSE ICT