CCS 101 Session 5: Networking Concepts

CCS 101 Session 5 Notes

• Session 5 covered networking concepts
• Overview included networking, network components, connection models, shapes and topologies, detailed hardware views and a recap
• The session started with a question: How do different computers communicate together?
• Networks transform and share data through a medium
• Benefits include shared licenses, easy communication, reliable data (when using servers,) and security rules applied by network managers
• Drawbacks include expensive cables and devices, and viruses affecting all connected devices
• Network components include hardware (routers, cables, switches, LAN cards) and software (security applications, network back-end management, firewalls)
• Protocols (IP, DSL) are also components of networking
• Connection models include Client-Server (data managed and distributed by a central server, back-ups consistent, can be slowed by concurrent requests) and Peer-to-Peer (No central server, nodes share data directly, e.g., Bluetooth)
• Network topologies include Bus (nodes connected along a line, data sent to all computers without security checks), Star (nodes connected to a central hub/switch, secure as the central unit manages data), Mesh (all nodes connected to every other node, very secure as data travels along a dedicated route, but can be complex), and Hybrid (any combination of other topologies)
• Hardware devices include Hubs (takes data packets and sends them to every node, not secure, wastes bandwidth), Switches (nodes have MAC addresses used by switches to send data packets, more secure than Hubs), Gateways (entry point for the network, needed when communicating outside, used to convert protocols), Routers (same as Gateway, calculates the best route to send data), and Modems (converts between analog and digital)