LO3:Connect hardware peripherals

Install peripherals to a network

• What is a computer network?
• A computer network is a group of computers linked to each other that
enables the computer to communicate with another computer and share
their resources, data, and applications.
• Computers are linked in order to share resources (such as printers and CDs),
exchange files, or allow electronic communications.
• The computers on a network may be linked through cables, telephone lines,
radio waves, satellites, or infrared light beams.
Advantage of computer network
• Sharing data file
• Sharing programs/software
• E.g. word-processors, spreadsheets
• Sending messages
• Sharing information/data
• Email, documents, audio/video
• Sharing peripherals
• E.g. printers, modems,
• Centralising administration/support
• Easier to maintain computers if they are all set up in a uniform manner
with the same operating system, etc.
• Disadvantage of computer network:
• Costly, in terms of extra equipments and technical skills

• Data security problems.

• Data could be at risk to unauthorized access or hackers.

• Spread of computer viruses due to sharing of some files or programs

Types of network
• Networks can be classified into 3 groups, depending on their size and
function
• LAN (Local Area Network)
• Basic building block of any computer network
• Confined to a local geographic area, low cost
• Examples:
• 2 computers connected by a cable in an office
MAN
• A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a computer network that usually
spans a city or a large campus.
• It is larger than local area network as much as the size of a town or city
WAN
• No geographical limit, higher cost
• Can connect computers and other devices in different parts of the world
• Examples:
• A corporation with offices in Ethiopian & New York
• The Internet
 Network Components
Hardware components
• Server

• Clients

• Cables

• Network adapter

• Connective devices NIC, Modem, hub, switch, bridge, router, brouter, gateway
Network configuration
• All networks have a number of types of components
• Servers
• Computers that provide shared resources for network users
• Clients
• Computers that access shared resources provided by servers
• Media
• The wires that make the physical connections
• Shared data
• Files provided to clients by servers across the network
• Shared peripherals
• Additional hardware resources provided by servers
Components of network
 Software components
• Network operating Systems
• Server operating Systems
• Client software’s
Types of Network
• There are two types of network configurations
• Peer-to-peer
• Server-based network
1. Peer to Peer Network
• No dedicated servers
• No hierarchy among computers
(all are equal, and known as peers)
• Each computer functions as both a client and a server
• No overall network administrator
• Each user determines what data/resources he/she will share
• Typically used for 10 users or less
• Simple, cheap to construct
• Usually no additional software required
• When to use a peer-to-peer network:
• 10 users or less
• Users share resources (e.g. files, printers) but no specialised servers exist
• Security is not an issue
 Cont’d
• 2. Server-based networks
• Server (s) dedicated to providing particular resources, e.g. File server, print server, mail
server, etc.
• Single administrator to provide security privileges to you
• More complex to install & maintain
• Specialised server software required
• The most common type of network
• When to use a server-based network:
• More than 10 users, or rapid growth expected
• Security is important
• Users share resources, and specialised servers exist, or money to buy them
• Other advantages:
• Easier to backup important data
• Can have less powerful client computers, since a client is only a client and not a server too
• Can support 1000s of users
 Network topologies
• As well as the distinction between peer-to-peer and server-based
networks, we can categorise networks by how they are connected
together
• The proper word for this is topology
• The term topology refers to the physical layout of the components of the
network (i.e. computers, cables, etc.)
• There are four basic types of network topology:
• Bus
• Star
• Ring
• Mesh
Network Topology and Design
Bus Topology
• A bus topology connects all stations in a linear fashion

Figure-1: Bus topology

• Bus topology advantages:

• It is inexpensive

• It is easy to design and implement because the stations are simply daisy-chained
together

• Bus topology disadvantages:

• It is difficult to troubleshoot

• It requires termination
 Star Topology
• The star network configuration is the most
popular physical topology

• In a star configuration, all computers or

stations are wired directly to a central
location:
• Concentrator (a.k.a. hub)
• Multistation Access Unit (MAU)

• A data signal from any station goes directly to

this central device, which transmits the signal
according to the established network access
Figure-2: Star topology
method for the type of network
• Star topology advantages:
• A break in one cable does not affect all other stations as it does in bus technologies
• Problems are easier to locate because symptoms often point to one station
• The second-easiest topology to design and install
• Does not require manual termination
• Instead the media is terminated in the station at the transceiver on the NIC and in the hub
or MAU

• Star topology disadvantages:

• Hubs, which are required for a star topology, are more expensive than bus connectors
• A failure at the hub can affect the entire configuration and all connected stations
• Uses more cable than bus topologies
• Bus and star topologies can be combined to form a star/bus or bus/star physical topology
• Hubs that have connectors for coaxial cable as well as for twisted-pair wiring are used to form
these types of networks
• When different physical topologies are applied to a network, the result is often called a mixed
media network
Ring Topology
• Physical rings

• Most often seen in Fiber Distributed Data

Interface (FDDI) networks
• FDDI is a WAN technology
• Stations on a ring are wired to one
another in a circle around the entire
network

Fig 3. Ring Topology

• Ring topology advantages:
• It prevents network collisions because of the media access method or architecture required
• Each station functions as a repeater, so the topology does not require additional network
hardware, such as hubs

• Ring topology disadvantages:

• As in a bus network, a failure at one point can bring down the network
• Because all stations are wired together, to add a station the network must be shut down
temporarily
• Maintenance on a ring is more difficult than on a star topology because an adjustment or
reconfiguration affects the entire ring
Mesh topology
• Mesh networks are fully-interconnected, i.e. every node has a link to
every other node
• Number of links L = (N(N-1))/2
• Expensive to build, not feasible for large networks
• Fast communication between nodes
• Robust (i.e. if a link fails, the network will still operate)
• Passive topology
Mesh topology

• Figure 4: Mesh Topology

Advantage
• Faults tolerant in the network.
• More secured
Disadvantage
• Most expensive
• More complex
Hybrid Topologies
• A hybrid topology combines 2 or more of the basic topologies, e.g.
• Star Bus topology
• If 1 computer goes down, does not affect rest of network
• If 1 hub goes down, all computers on that hub are disconnected. Also if the hub communicates with other hubs they
are also disconnected
• Passive topology
• Star Ring topology
• Similar to star bus, but hubs linked by another hub instead of a bus
• If 1 computer goes down, does not affect rest of network
• If 1 hub goes down, all computers on that hub are disconnected, but other hubs are unaffected
• Passive topology
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Transmission Medium
• The transmission medium is the physical path between transmitter
and receiver in a data transmission system. Transmission media can
be classified as guided or unguided. In both cases, communication is
in the form of electromagnetic waves. With guided media, the waves
are guided along a solid medium, such as copper twisted pair, copper
coaxial cable, and optical fiber.
• The atmosphere and outer space are examples of unguided media
that provide a means of transmitting electromagnetic signals but do
not guide them; this form of transmission is usually referred to as
wireless transmission.

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 GUIDED TRANSMSSION MEDIA
• For guided transmission media, the transmission capacity, in terms of either
data rate or bandwidth, depends critically on the distance and on whether the
medium is point-to-point or multipoint, such as in a local area network (LAN).

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…
• Guided media, which are those that provide a conduit from one
device to another, include twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, and fiber-
optic cable.
• A signal traveling along any of these media is directed and contained
by the physical limits of the medium.
• Twisted-pair and coaxial cable use metallic (copper) conductors that
accept and transport signals in the form of electric current.
• Optical fiber is a cable that accepts and transports signals in the form
of light.

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Twisted-Pair Cable
• A twisted pair consists of two conductors (normally copper), each
with its own plastic insulation, twisted together, as shown in the figure
below

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Unshielded Versus Shielded Twisted-Pair Cable

• The most common twisted-pair cable used in communications is

referred to as unshielded twisted-pair (UTP). IBM has also produced a
version of twisted-pair cable for its use called shielded twisted-pair
(STP).
• STP cable has a metal foil or braided mesh covering that encases each
pair of insulated conductors.
• Although metal casing improves the quality of cable by preventing the
penetration of noise or crosstalk, it is bulkier and more expensive.
• Our discussion focuses primarily on UTP because STP is not often
used outside of IBM.
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STP

UTP

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UTP Categories
• The Electronic Industries Association (EIA) has developed standards to
classify unshielded twisted-pair cable into seven categories.
• Categories are determined by cable quality, with 1 as the lowest and
7 as the highest.
• Each EIA category is suitable for specific uses.

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Connectors
• The most common UTP connector is RJ45 (RJ stands for registered
jack). The RJ45 is a keyed connector, meaning the connector can be
inserted in only one way.

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 Coaxial Cable
• Coaxial cable (or coax) carries signals of higher frequency ranges than those in twisted pair cable,
in part because the two media are constructed quite differently.
• Instead of having two wires, coax has a central core conductor of solid or stranded wire (usually
copper) enclosed in an insulating sheath, which is, in turn, encased in an outer conductor of
metal foil, braid, or a combination of the two.
• The outer metallic wrapping serves both as a shield against noise and as the second conductor,
which completes the circuit.
• This outer conductor is also enclosed in an insulating sheath, and the whole cable is protected by
a plastic cover

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 Types of Coaxial Cable
• There are two types of coaxial cable:
• Thin (thinnet) cable
• Thick (thicknet) cable
• Thinnet cable is a flexible coaxial cable about 0.64 centimeters (0.25
inches) thick.
• Because this type of coaxial cable is flexible and easy to work with, it can
be used in almost any type of network installation.

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• Thicknet is a relatively rigid coaxial cable about 1.27 centimeters (0.5
inches) in diameter. Thicknet cable is sometimes referred to as Standard
Ethernet because it was the first type of cable used with the popular
network architecture Ethernet. Thicknet cable's copper core is thicker than
a thinnet cable core.
• The thicker the copper core, the farther the cable can carry signals. This
means that thicknet can carry signals farther than thinnet cable. Thicknet
cable can carry a signal for 500 meters (about 1640 feet). Therefore,
because of thicknet's ability to support data transfer over longer distances,
it is sometimes used as a backbone to connect several smaller thinnet-
based networks.

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Connector

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• The BNC connector is used to connect the end of the
…. to a device, such as a TV set.
cable
• The BNC T connector is used in Ethernet networks to
branch out to a connection to a computer or other
device.
• The BNC terminator is used at the end of the cable to
prevent the reflection of the signal
• BNC barrel connector is used to join two lengths of
thinnet cable to make one longer length.

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 Fiber-Optic Cable
• A fiber-optic cable is made of glass or plastic and transmits signals in the
form of light.
• Fiber-optic cabling consists of a signal-carrying glass core of 5 to 100
microns in diameter (a sheet of paper is about 25 microns thick and a
human hair about 75 microns thick), surrounded by a layer of pure silica
called cladding, which prevents light from escaping.
• Surrounding the cladding are protective layers of acrylic plastic coating,
Kevlar fibers for additional strength, and a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) jacket
(usually colored a distinctive orange).
• Network components use LED or laser diodes to convert electrical signals
into light pulses for transmission on fiber-optic cables. An optical
detector is used to convert the light pulses back into electrical signals.
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…
• Optical fibers use reflection to guide light through a channel.
• A glass or plastic core is surrounded by a cladding of less dense glass or
plastic.
• The difference in density of the two materials must be such that a beam
of light moving through the core is reflected off the cladding instead of
being refracted into it (cladding)

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Fiber-Optic Cable Connectors
• There are three types of connectors for fiber-optic cables.
• The subscriber channel (SC) connector is used for cable TV. It uses a
push/pull locking system.
• The straight-tip (ST) connector is used for connecting cable to
networking devices. It uses a bayonet locking system and is more
reliable than SC.
• MT-RJ is a connector that is the same size as RJ45.

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 UNGUIDED MEDIA: WIRELESS
• Unguided media transport electromagnetic waves without using a physical
conductor.
• This type of communication is often referred to as wireless communication.
• Signals are normally broadcast through free space and thus are available to anyone
who has a device capable of receiving them.
• Unguided signals can travel from the source to destination in several ways: ground
propagation, sky propagation, and line-of-sight propagation.

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 …
• In ground propagation, radio waves travel through the lowest portion of the
atmosphere, hugging the earth. These low-frequency signals emanate in all
directions from the transmitting antenna and follow the curvature of the planet.
Distance depends on the amount of power in the signal: The greater the power,
the greater the distance.
• In sky propagation, higher-frequency radio waves radiate upward into the
ionosphere (the layer of atmosphere where particles exist as ions) where they are
reflected back to earth. This type of transmission allows for greater distances
with lower output power.
• In line-of-sight propagation, very high-frequency signals are transmitted in
straight lines directly from antenna to antenna. Antennas must be directional,
facing each other, and either tall enough or close enough together not to be
affected by the curvature of the earth. Line-of-sight propagation is tricky because
radio transmissions cannot be completely focused.
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