Networks

Networks

1. Advantages

   • You can share files so the same files are available whichever computer you use.
   • You can share resources, such as printers and internet connection.
   • You can share logins, so the same username and password can be used on every computer on the network.

2. Disadvantages

   • The cost can be very expensive to set up and possibly replace when necessary.
   • Their is an incresed risk that if their is a virus it will be connected to all computers
   • The difficulty to set up or fix the computer with a network is much more complicated.

3. Topologies

   • Bus Topology
     • Cheap to install
     • Lots of colisions.
     • High chance of Catastrophic Failure.
     • Slows down as more computers are added.
   • Ring Topology.
     • Cheap to install
     • No collisions (fast).
     • Difficult to expand.
   • Star Topology
     • Low chance of failure.
     • No collisions (fast)
     • Expensive
     • Depends on a switch.

4. IP addresses

   • An IP address is a unique value assigned to every computer on a network, used to identify it.
   • Messages on a network have an IP address attached, which is how a computer knows whether or not to keep the message.
   • The internet is a huge network with more devices than it's possible to assign a unique address to.
   • Unique addresses are assigned to buisnesses and houses.
   • These houses and buisnesses run their own mini-network inside with different IP addresses.