Networks

Networks

1. Topologies

   • Bus topology
     • Cheap but has a high chance of catastrophic failure and has lots of collisions.
   • Ring topology
     • Has no collisions but has a higher chance of catastrophic failure than bus topologies.
   • Star topology
     • Low chance of catastrophic failure and is used in LAN networks but if the hub goes down the network goes down.
   • Mesh topology
     • There is zero chance of catastrophic failure but requires routing- this is the topology the internet uses.

2. Pathfinding

   • The internet is a massive mesh topology and so when data needs to get from one place to another, the data needs to find the fastest way there.
     • Circuit Switching
       • There is no lag however there is only one transmission at a time so it clogs the network.
     • Packet Switching
       • Multiple transmissions can happen at once so it doesn't clog the network but there is a lag.
   • Routing
     • A cost is assigned to each connection in a mesh.
     • Route-finding algorithms are used to find the lowest cost route between two nodes.

3. Hardware

   • Hub/Switch
     • A switch routes packets by sending them to the device they are addressed to.
     • A hub routes packets by blindly sending them to every device on the network
   • Router
     • A router stores the addresses of computers on its network and transfers the data to other networks.
   • WAP/NIC
     • A Wireless Access Point is a device that creates a network and allows other devices to connect.
     • A Network Interface Card is a device that joins the network and connects to a device.

4. Networks

   • A network is a group of computers connected together so they can communicate.
     • LAN- Local Access Network
       • A network where only people locally can join
       • Good for when you only need to connect to a local group of people
     • WAN- World Access Network
       • A network where anyone around the world can join
       • Good for when you need to connect with people in different countries

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