Networks Mind Map

Networks Mind Map

1. Advantages

   • Internet connection, printers and more can be shared.
   • Logins can be used on any computer in the network, another reason why you don't have to use the same computer every time.
   • You can share files, so you do not have to use the same computer every time.

2. Disadvantages

   • As well as needing money, you need to know how to both set up and maintain a network, which is why not many households use networks.
   • Networks are very expensive to set up.
   • If one computer gets a virus, that virus can easily spread to all the other computers because they are all linked and constantly share information.

3. Types

   • LAN
     • Local Area Network
     • A network in a small area or single organisation.
   • WAN
     • Wide Area Network
       • A network that covers a large area or multiple organisations.
         • For example: The Internet.

4. Topologies

   • Bus Topology
     • A topology that depends entirely on one wire, with every component connecting to that one wire.
     • Advantages:
       • Cheap to install.
     • Disadvantages:
       • High chance of catastrophic failure because everything relies on one wire.
       • Lots of collisions.
       • Slows down as more computers are added because of the high amount of collisions.
   • Ring Topology
     • A topology where each component connects to two others: one that sends messages to it, and another that it sends messages to.
     • Advantages:
       • Cheap to install, since each computer needs only one short wire to the next computer.
       • No collisions, since everything goes in one direction.
     • Disadvantages:
       • High chance of catastrophic failure, due to the fact that if one wire is cut, only certain things can send messages.
       • Difficult to expand when everything is already in the perfect place.
   • Star Topology
     • Arguably the best topology to use, this one has a hub or switch that receives all messages and sorts through them to send to the right computer.
     • Disadvantages
       • Very expensive to install in large areas. This is because every single computer must have a wire that connects to the hub/switch.
       • If the hub/switch is destroyed, or fails for whatever reason, nothing will work.
     • Advantages
       • No collisions - everything goes to the hub/switch.
       • Low chance of failure.
   • Mesh Topology
     • In this topology, every computer is connected to each other.
     • Advantages
       • If one computer breaks, the rest are completely unaffected, apart from the fact that they are unable to send any messages to that particular computer.
     • Disadvantages
       • Extremely expensive to install, since each computer is connected to a lot more, meaning tons more wiring compared to a Star Topology.

5. IP Addressess

   • An IP Address is a unique value assigned to every computer on a network, used to identify it.
   • Messages have an IP Address attached so that the computer knows whether to ignore the message or to keep it.
   • They used to be simply 32-Bit Binary numbers, but there were too many computers on the internet for that system.
     • Instead, they now use a system where each house/business has an IP Address, and then computers inside that house/business have one.