Networking.

Networking.

1. LAN.

   • Advantages.
     • Software can easily be shared, and connected devices are much easier to maintain.
       • Database can be quickly accessed, and Users can more easily share files with each other due to the network being substantially smaller.
   • Disadvantages.
     • Devices become quickly overused which leads to queues being built up in the network.
       • It is much easier for viruses to spread, as where all of the data is stored will be within close proximity of where all of the other aspects of the network are.

2. Network Hardware.

   • Switches.
     • These allow for the flow of data to be easily changed to a different device that is connected to the same network as the original via an Ethernet cable.
   • Hubs.
     • They allow for multiple Ethernet cables to be connected to one network for easy use.
   • Routers.
     • They route data packets to their allocated devices in a network.
   • Modems.
     • Modems convert analogue signals to digital signals and visa versa, so that they can be understood by devices in a network.

3. Topologies.

   • Star.
     • These network connections are by far the most reliable, as they allow several devices at once to be connected and not have the risk of them all failing, if a wire connecting one of the devices stops functioning properly. These devices are connected to one central hub.,
   • Ring.
     • Ring network connections are commonly used as they allow for devices to be cheaply connected up to a network, and are easily expandable but if one wire fails, the whole network does.
   • Bus.
     • Bus is by far the cheapest network Topology; it's both inexpensive to put together and maintain. However, if the central wire connecting all of the devices together fails, the whole network shuts down with it.

4. Connection types.

   • Client-Server.
     • This involves a server sharing data with a device on the same network.
   • Peer-to-Peer
     • This involves two devices sharing data with one and other, without the use of a server.

5. I.P and Data.

   • I.P addresses allow for a single device in a network to be easily identified.
   • Domain Name Servers allow for I.P addresses to be stored and easily accessed for future use , so that a device can keep a constant connection to a network.

6. The Internet,

   • An interconnected network of Computers.
   • HTML and webpages.
     • HTML is the basis of practically ever webpage on the Internet; it allows for images to be easily uploaded and text to be edited within moments. Additionally, it allows for websites to be updated within a matter of seconds.

7. File types and Compression.

   • JPG is a lossy data type as deemed unimportant data from the image is removed before it sent across a network, and then is recreated once it reaches the recipient.
     • PNG is a lossless data type, which means that it requires a large amount of space to be stored (opposed to JPG files) due to non of the data being removed or recreated in terms of the image.
   • Lossy: Data is lost before transit, and is then recreated once it reaches the recipient.
   • Lossless: No data is lost before transit, and the full file is sent to the recipient.