NETWORKING

NETWORKING

✅ Quick Recap / Fun Facts

Client-server systems are like a boss (server) with employees (clients).

Topology decides how your network “looks” and behaves.

Firewalls = gatekeepers 🔥🚫

LAN = local, MAN = city, WAN = global.

TCP sends packets, IP makes sure they get there.

Required for both wired and wireless connections.

Converts data into signals for transmission.

A NIC is a hardware component that connects a computer to a network.

🧩 7. NIC (Network Interface Card)

🔹 Common Types:

Common in corporate structures.

Hierarchical, combining star and bus.

Tree Topology:

High fault tolerance, great for mission-critical systems.

Every device connects to every other device.

Mesh Topology (📶 Advanced):

Breaks in the ring can disrupt the whole network.

Data flows in one direction.

Devices form a circular loop.

Ring Topology:

💡 Used in most schools and offices.

Reliable and easy to troubleshoot.

All devices connect to a central hub/switch.

Star Topology:

Cheap but traffic-heavy and breaks if cable fails.

Single backbone cable.

Bus Topology:

Topology refers to the physical or logical arrangement of devices in a network.

6. Network Topologies

🔹 Key Methods:

💡 MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) adds extra security.

Grants permission (read/write access).

Verifies identity (username/password).

Authentication & Authorization:

Can be software, hardware, or both.

Firewall: Filters traffic based on security rules.

💡 Examples: Norton, AVG, Kaspersky.

Antivirus Software: Blocks/detects/removes malware.

Network security protects data and systems from unauthorized access, attacks, and loss.

🔐 4. Network Security

🔹 Gateway:

Converts data formats.

Connects networks that use different protocols.

🔹 Hub:

Slower, less secure.

Broadcasts data to all devices in the network.

🔹 Switch:

Faster and more secure than a hub.

Sends data only to the device that needs it, using MAC addresses.

🔹 Router:

💡 Example: Your home Wi-Fi router.

Chooses the best path for data.

Directs data between different networks.

💡 3. Network Devices

Costly setup, needs network admin, server failure affects all.

Centralized control, better security, efficient resource sharing.

2. Client-Server

💡 Example: School computers accessing a printer via a server.

One central computer (server) manages resources, and others (clients) request access.

🔸 Disadvantages:

Less secure, no central backup, limited scalability.

🔸 Advantages:

Continues working if one device fails.

Cheap, easy to set up, no server required.

1. Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

💡 Example: Sharing music between friends’ laptops.

No central control.

All computers act as both clients and servers.

🔹 Types:

Network architecture is the layout/design of a network, including its structure, hardware, software, and communication protocols.

🧱 2. Network Architecture

🔹 Properties:

Standardized by organizations like IEEE and IETF.

Routing (IP finds the best path).

Reliability (e.g., TCP checks if packets arrive).

🔹 Uses:

Ensures compatibility across different devices and operating systems.

Web browsing, file transfers, email, and streaming all use different protocols.

🔹 Key Examples:

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): TCP breaks data into packets, IP delivers them to the correct address.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): Used for web page access between a browser and a web server.

Protocols are sets of rules that define how data is transmitted and received across a network. Think of them like the grammar rules of computer communication.

🔹 Definition:

1. Protocols