Networks

Networks

1. Advantages of Networks

   • You can log on to any computer in your workplace or school without having to use a different username and password
   • All of your files are available on every computer even if they were created on a different one
   • You can use the internet, print, send emails and use the software on any computer

2. Disadvantages of Networks

   • It is very expensive as you have to wire them all up and there is extra hardware
   • There are lots more things that could go wrong, because is something goes wrong on every computer, it would affect all of the computers wired together
   • It requires a technical expertise to set all of it up, which can be hard to find nowadays

3. Types of Network

   • LAN
     • Stands for Local Area Network. This is a network that is contained in a single location or organisation
   • WAN
     • Stands for Wide Area Network. This is a network that spans a large area or multiple organisations.
     • This also normally consists of multiple LAN's networked together.
   • For Example:
     • The college network is a LAN
       • The Internet or Playstation network are WAN's

4. Topologies

   • Bus topology
     • Consists of a single cable that runs through the network
     • All devices attach to this single cable
   • Ring Topology
     • Computers are connected to eachother in a ring
     • Communication only travels in one direction
   • Star Topology
     • All computers are connected to a central switch
     • The switch directs the traffic to the appropriate computer

5. IP Addresses

   • Computers on a network need an address to identify them.
   • When a computer is added to a network it will be assigned an IP adress (Internet Protocol Adress)
   • The IP address is a unique value assigned to each computer on a network.
   • Each IP address on a network must be unique.