TOPIC 2 - Connectivity

TOPIC 2 - Connectivity

1. HOME NETWORK

   • LAN
     • local-area network (LAN) is a computer network that spans a relatively small area.
   • WAN
     • Wide-area network, connects to offices which are located in different geographical locations.
   • MODEM
     • covert the signal so the computer can use it.
   • ROUTER
     • a device that forwards data packets along networks.

2. BANDWIDTH

   • The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time.
     • BETTER HIGHER

3. LATENCY

   • The amount of time a message takes to transverse a system.
     • BETTER LOWER

4. PHYSICAL RISKS OF DATA

   • Damage, theft of equipment, scratches on hard disk.
   • HOW TO KEEP SAFE
     • Use swipe cards, lock when not in use, keep windows shut, CCTV, make sure only you can see your keyboard.

5. SECURITY RISKS IN A NETWORK

   • PASSWORDS
     • Use an uncommon pattern and something that someone cannot guess. EG. no birthdays or first names.
   • VIRUS
     • Malicious software that reproduces itself and can infect other computers.
   • FIREWALL
     • Protect a system from unauthourised access.

6. WIFI

   • Good range - about 60 miles away from router.
   • Speed can be up to 54mbps.
   • Choose your wifi network and input password if required.
     • If other people connect to your wifi they can hack into your documents and personal information, you can stop this by password protecting it.

7. MOBILE BROADBAND

   • Can use in areas in and out of the house.
   • You can connect using a dongle or 3G.
   • Better coverage than wifi as there are more pylons around whereas wifi is reliant on small hotspots.

8. COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS

   • VOIP
     • Voice Over Internet Protocol is the transmission of voice and multimedia content over internet protocol networks.
   • POP
     • Post Office Protocol is computer networking that extracts and receives emails from a remote mail server to access by the host machine.
   • IMAP
     • Internet Message Access Protocol is a standard email protocol that stores messages on a mail server, but allows the end user to view and manipulate the messages.
   • SMTP
     • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is a TCP/IP used in sending and receiving emails.
   • HTTP
     • Hypertext Transfer Protocol is the set of rules for transferring files on the world wide web. EG. text, graphic images, sound and video.
   • HTTPS
     • HTTPS (HTTP over SSL or HTTP Secure) is the use of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) as a sublayer under regular HTTP application layering. HTTPS encrypts and decrypts user page requests as well as the pages that are returned by the Web server.