Network components
In this document I will be detailing the different common network components which make up a network, connecting all the various devices together. Each device has a separate use; however, some devices can replace or supplement others.
Devices can either be DTE or DCE. DTE, Data Terminal Equipment is the source or destination of data. DCE, Data Communications Equipment transmits the data along the network, connecting DTE’s together. DCE works at the physical layer of the OSI model.
Interconnection devices
Interconnection devices are required in a modern network; these allow a system to communicate with other systems, interconnecting the different systems, as well as allowing for networks to interconnect.
Hub
A Hub is
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Routers
A Router forwards packets between different networks. As such they are connected to at least 2 networks, typically a LAN or WAN. A router is located at the gateway of the network, which is the exit point for traffic on a network when it’s destination is on a separate network. A common example of the use of a router is in homes, of which connect devices in the household to the ISP and in turn, the internet.
A router uses headers and forwarding tables to identify the correct path to forward the packets it receives. Routers use ICMP to communicate between each other to configure the best router between hosts.
A router is a DTE device, as it is the destination of all data leaving the network, and entering the network. And an end-point for the network.
Repeaters
A Repeater is used in a network to regenerate or replicate a signal. This is needed for long distance connections as the maximum distance of UTP cabling is 100 metres. They can regenerate both analogue and digital signals. A Digital repeater will repair/ reconstruct the signal, however analogue repeaters only amplify the signal, as such do not repair any distortion by any transmission loss.
A repeater can also relay data between subnetworks which use different protocols or data/ cable types.
A Repeater is a DCE device as it simply acts as a midpoint between DTE devices.
Communications devices
PCs
A PC desktop computer can have many various
7. What is the piece of hardware that allows a device to physically access a network?
Repeaters are devices for amplifying signals and retransmit at higher power on the area of an obstruction for the indication to cover longer detachments. They are used to in the
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are the basic communication protocols, which were designed to provide low level support for internetworking. This term is generally also used to refer to a more generalised collection of protocols developed by the internet community and U.S. Department of Defence.
Router segments the network. The Router will not allow broadcasting of data to another network, particularly if the IP address is not from the outside network where the source node belongs. If the destination is not part of the same network where the source node is located then the router directly connected to it will analyze the packet
1. How does the abstraction of the physical layer facilitate interoperability across networks using different types of physical wires?
This assignment will be mainly about network components and how do they operate, what are their functions and what are their flaws.
In Data Link Layer a router does not need to know which router it will interact with.
The main purpose of a Router is to forward packets. A router, like a typical PC, has a CPU and memory components. It also has specialized software, which in Cisco routers is called the Cisco IOS. The software provides the basic routing logic. The router also has RAM, just like pc’s, which holds basic diagnostic software that runs when the router is first booted. All of these basic components are found in
For example the way a Router communicates to a computer is through an IP address which is assigned by the router which will then find the computer and transmit information to and from the computer.
4. Radio: most common form of wireless transmission, typical of home routers and most wireless devices to use this form. Infared uses low frequency light waves to carry data using line-of-sight.
Most business networks today use switches to connect computers, printers and servers within a building or campus. A switch serves as a controller, enabling networked devices to talk to each other efficiently. Routers, on the other hand, are a much more sophisticated piece of technology. They are small like a switch and look like modems in which multiple nodes can be connected. Today’s routers are actually designed for the purpose of connecting multiple ‘area networks’ (both local and wide). In terms of the internet, routers actually serve as a temporary destination for network traffic. Routers are capable of transmitting and receiving data packets but will actually ‘read’ the packet to get its IP address for determining the packet’s destination. Unlike the switch, routers are capable of joining the multiple networks together; in the case of Kudler Fine Foods, their three store locations. “Cable is the medium through which information usually moves from one network device to another. There are several types of cable which are commonly used with LANs. In some cases, a network will utilize only one type of cable, other networks will use a variety of cable types. The type of cable chosen for a network is related to the network's topology, protocol, and size.” (FCITC, 1997) There are four basic types of cable: Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), Shielded Twisted Pair (STP), Coaxial Cable, and Fiber Optic Cable. Unshielded twisted pair can range from basic telephone-grade wiring to high-speed cabling. This cable consist of four pairs of wires inside the outer covering each pair twisted with a different number of twists per inch to reduce/eliminate interference from adjacent pair or other devices. The tighter the twisting the higher data rates it supports but it also will increase the cost of the cable. Shielded twisted pair cables are actually shielded from radio and electrical frequencies and
Ethernet switches, routers and bridges will be needed to assist the data as it moves from computer to computer whether within the store or for communication between all six stores.
Held, G. (1999). Data communications networking devices: Operation, utilization, and LAN and WAN internetworking. Chichester: Wiley.
Repeaters are electronic devices that receive a single and modify it into higher level or power signal and then retransmit so it can travel or cover longer distances hence in a way it regenerate, amplifies or reconstruct a signal. A repeater functions in OSI model at the physical layer and it is transparent to all the protocols that are operating in the layers above the physical layer. As repeater cannot differentiate between noise and data hence with data noise is also amplified. There are some advantages and disadvantages of repeaters:
All the computers, in the logically and physically networks have to follow the same rules known as Protocols such as TCP/IP, IPX/SPX and NETBEUI etc. Today, there are many computer networking technologies such as LAN, MAN, WAN, WLAN, ISDN, ATM, Frame Relay, X.25, Bluetooth,