Computer Networks 1 (CSE 231) Quiz

Body Area Networks (BAN)

• Security and privacy concerns, interference with other wireless devices, battery life, power consumption, and compatibility issues with different devices are challenges of BAN.
• Examples of BAN include wearable devices (smartwatches, fitness trackers), implantable devices (pacemakers, cochlear implants), and smart clothing.
• BANs typically refer to the network made by medical wearable sensors with connectivity placed on, embedded in, or carried near the human body.
• They usually use Bluetooth, RFID, and very low energy communication defined by IEEE 802.15.6.
• BANs are used for tracking or supporting biomedical functions (e.g., pacemakers with wireless capabilities).
• Benefits of BAN include real-time monitoring of vital signs, remote health monitoring, early detection of diseases, monitoring athletes’ performance in sports, and preventing injuries.

Personal Area Network (PAN)

• PANs allow devices to communicate over the range of a person.
• A common example is a wireless network that connects a computer with its peripherals.
• Usually, Bluetooth is used for this purpose.
• In the simplest form, Bluetooth networks use the master-slave paradigm.
• The system unit (the PC) is normally the master, talking to the mouse, keyboard, etc., as slaves.

Local Area Network (LAN)

• A LAN is a privately owned network that operates within and nearby a single building.
• LANs are widely used to connect personal computers and consumer electronics to share resources and exchange information.
• When LANs are used by companies, they are called enterprise networks.
• Typically, wired LANs run at speeds of 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps, have low delay (microseconds or nanoseconds), and make very few errors.

Network Types by Coverage

• Each computer network is designed to cover a certain area, serving a specific purpose or entity.
• The area is sometimes measured by the distance between processors of the devices.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

• A MAN is a computer network that connects computers within a metropolitan area (a single large city, multiple cities and towns, or any given large area with multiple buildings).
• Like WANs, a MAN is made up of interconnected LANs.
• Because MANs are smaller, they are usually more efficient than WANs.
• MANs typically combine the networks of multiple organizations, instead of being managed by a single organization.
• Most MANs use fiber optic cables to form connections between LANs.
• A MAN will run on "dark fiber" — formerly unused fiber optic cables that are able to carry traffic.

LAN vs MAN vs WAN

• Parameter comparison: maintenance and design, speed, delay in propagation, and fault tolerance between LAN, MAN, and WAN.

Bridge

• A bridge is a kind of 2-port repeater that operates at the data link layer.
• It filters content by reading the MAC addresses of the source and destination.
• It is used for interconnecting two LANs working on the same protocol.

Switch

• A switch is a multiport bridge with a buffer and a design that can boost its efficiency and performance.
• It is a data link layer device.
• The switch can perform error checking before forwarding data, which makes it very efficient.
• It does not forward packets that have errors and forward good packets selectively to the correct port only.
• In other words, the switch divides the collision domain of hosts, but the broadcast domain remains the same.

Types of Switches

• Unmanaged switches: Simple plug-and-play design with no advanced configuration options.
• Managed switches: Offer advanced configuration options such as VLANs, QoS, and link aggregation.
• Smart switches: Similar to managed switches but easier to set up and manage.
• Layer 3 switches: Operate at the Network layer and can route data between different network segments.
• PoE switches: Have Power over Ethernet capabilities to supply power to network devices over the same cable that carries data.

Router

• A router is a device like a switch that routes data packets based on their IP addresses.
• The router is mainly a Network Layer device.