Chapter 15

LAN

uses cables, radio waves, or infrared signals to link computers or peripherals, such as printers, within a small geographic area.

WAN

uses long-distance transmission media, like satellites and leased lines, to link computers separated by a few miles or even thousands of miles.

Location awareness

technology uses a GPS-enabled chip to pinpoint the location of a cell phone.

bus

topology is practical in a relatively small environment such as a home or small office.

ring

topology is well-suited for use within a division of a company or on one floor of a multifloor office building.

star

The ________ topology is ideal for office buildings, computer labs, and WANs.

chipset

The primary function of the ________ is to connect the microprocessor to all other components of the computer.

Analog signals

are continuous waves that vary in strength and quality

Microwaves

are the upper part of the radio frequency spectrum and are electromagnetic radio waves with short frequencies that travel at speeds of 1 to 10 Mbps.

cell site

In 1971, AT&T built a network of transmitters, called ________, that automatically repeat signals

WiFi

can be based on any of the IEEE 802.11 standards and communicates through radio frequency technology, with ranges reaching 300 to 500 feet.

Coaxial cable

consists of a center copper wire surrounded by insulation, which is then surrounded by a layer of braided wire.

IP

handles the addressing scheme embedded within each packet transmitted over the Internet, enabling each packet to reach the correct destination.

Communication devices

include computers, modems, routers, switches, hubs, wireless access points, and network interface cards.

digital signal

includes discontinuous pulses in which the presence or absence of electronic pulses is represented by 1s and 0s.

Streaming

is the ability to hear or see content while it is being downloaded from a Web site instead of waiting until the download is complete.

Throughput

is the actual amount of data that is transmitted.

contention

is the conflict that occurs when two computers try to access the LAN at the same time.

Digitization

is the transformation of data such as voice, text, graphics, audio, and video into digital form.

MAN

links a city or town.

CAN

links a college campus or business park.

Broadband

s a communication transmission that uses a wide band of frequencies to transport high volumes of data at high speeds, typically greater than 1 Mbps.

network

A ________ is a group of two or more computer systems linked together to exchange data and share an Internet connection and resources.

radio transmission

A major disadvantage of ________ is susceptibility to noise and interference.

collisions

Contention sometimes results in ________, the corruption of network data caused when two computers transmit simultaneously.

convergence

Digitization enables ________, a term that refers to the merging of disparate objects or ideas and even people into new combinations and efficiencies.

receiving device

When communication occurs between devices, the ________ accepts the transmission and responds.

sending device

When communication occurs between devices, the ________ initiates the transmission

Fiber-optic cable

consists of thin strands of glass or plastic about the diameter of a human hair.

Cat-5

contains four pairs of twisted-copper wire and supports speeds up to 100 Mbps over a maximum distance of 100 m.

IP address

is 32 bits long, written in decimal, and has four parts that are separated by periods such as 128.254.108.7.

modem

is a communication device that sends and receives data from one transmission system to another.

DAC

is a microchip that contains the circuitry to convert a digital signal to analog.

ADC

is a microchip that contains the circuitry to convert an analog signal into a digital signal.

protocol

is a set of standards or rules implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of the two.

Bluetooth

is a short-range radio transmission technology that does not require direct line of sight and has become very popular in recent years.

hub

is a simple, inexpensive device that joins multiple computers together in a single network but does not manage the traffic between the connections, which usually results in frequent collisions.

POP

is a wired or wireless WAN network connection point that enables users to access the WAN.

Twisted pair

is an inexpensive medium with bandwidth too low to simultaneously carry video, voice, and data.

TCP/IP

nternet data can travel over any type of WAN because of Internet protocols. Collectively the Internet protocols are called