ACC 381-Chapter 6
Know the definition and the components of a computer network.
A computer network is two or more connected computers. The major components include client computer, server computer, networks interfaces (NICs), connection medium, network operating system, a hub or switch and a router.
What is an RFID? Be able to discuss how RFID works. Give examples of RFID use in the real world. Why are they valuable to businesses?
An RFID is a technology using tiny tags with embedded microchips containing data about an item and its location to transmit short-distance radio signals to special RFID readers that then pass the data on to a computer for processing. Automated toll-collection systems such as New York's E-ZPass use RFID. Also, Walmart has installed RFID readers at store receiving docks to record the arrival of pallets and cases of goods shipped with RFID tags to track and manage inventory. They are valuable because they provide a powerful technology for tracking the movement of goods by using tiny tags with embedded data about an item and its location. RFID readers read the radio signals transmitted by these tags and pass the data over a network to a computer for processing.
All businesses must have networks. Why do businesses need networks? How were the networks of the past different from networks now? Why did they change?
Businesses need networks to be successful. They need to be able to communicate within and outside of the organization to be competitive. It also allows for sharing of resources, hardware, and software and facilitates communication with suppliers and employees. In the past firms used two different types of networks: telephone networks and computer networks. Telephone networks handled voice communication and computer networks handled data traffic. Now, telephone and computer networks are one single digital network using shared standards and equipment. They have changed because networks are more powerful, portable, and cheaper.
Know how packet switching is done.
Packet switching is a method of slicing digital messages into parcels, or packets, sending the packets along different communication paths as they become available, and then reassembling packets at destinations. In packet-switched networks, messages are first broken down into small fixed bundles of data called packets. The packets include information for directing the packet to the right address and for checking transmission errors along with the data. The packets are transmitted over various communications channels using routers, each packet traveling independently. Packets of data originating at one source will be routed through many different paths and networks before being reassembled into the original message when they reach their destinations.
What is TCP/IP? What are the four layers of TCP/IP in order?
TCP/IP is a dominant model for achieving connectivity among different networks. Provides a universally agreed-on method for breaking up digital messages into packets, routing them to the proper addresses, and then reassembling them them into coherent messages. The four layers are the application layer, transport layer, Internet layer, and network interface layer.
What is the Internet? What is significant about IP addresses? How did the Internet start? What is the future of the Internet?
The Internet is the world's most extensive, public communication system. It is also the world's largest implementation of client/server computing and internetworking, linking millions of individual networks all over the world. The significance of the IP address is that it indicates a unique computer location on the Internet. The Internet began in the early 1970s as a U.S. Department of Defense network to link scientists and university professors around the world. The future of the Internet is IPv6 and Internet2. IPv6 is a new addressing system using 128-bit addresses and Internet2 is a research network with new protocols and transmission speeds that provide an infrastructure for supporting high-bandwidth Internet applications.
Know the physical transmission media used in network environments. How is physical transmission measured?
The physical transmission media used in network environments include twisted wire, coaxial cable, fiber optics, and media for wireless transmission. The total amount of digital information that can be transmitted through any telecommunications medium is measured in bites per second (bps). The number of cycles per second that can be sent through that medium is measured in hertz.
What is topology? Name and define the three topologies discussed in class. Give an important fact or characteristic of each one.
Topology is the way in which the components of a network are connected. The three topologies are the bus, star, and ring. The bus is a network topology linking a number of computers by a single circuit with all messages broadcast to the entire network. It is the most common ethernet topology. The star is a network topology in which all computers and other devices are connected to a central host computer. All network traffic flows through the central hub. All communications between network devices must pass through the host computer. The ring is a network topology in which all computers are linked by a closed loop in a manner that passes data in one direction from one computer to another. It is primarily found in older LANs using Token Ring networking software.
What is Web 2.0? What is Web 3.0?
Web 2.0 is second-generation, interactive Internet-based services that enable people to collaborate, share information, and create new services online, including mashups, blogs, RSS, and wikis. Web 3.0 is the future vision of the Web where all digital information is woven together with intelligent search capabilities.
