NETWORKING TECHNOLOGIES

TOPIC: An Overview Structure of Networking Technologies

A network is a group of computers and devices interlinked together so that communication pass through
it and users can share those communications, information or resources. Networks may be classified
according to a wide variety of characteristics.

Network classification:

Networks can be classified according to the following categories:

1) Connection method: Hardware and software technology such as optical fiber, Ethernet, wireless
LAN, Home PNA, power line communication are used to interconnect the individual devices in a network
and on this basis networks can be classified.

Ethernet is one of the most popular protocols for LANs and uses physical wiring to connect devices. E.g.
are hubs, switches, bridges, routers etc. Wireless LAN technology is used to connect devices without
wiring. These devices use radio waves or infrared signals as a transmission medium.

2) Wired technologies:

a) Twisted pair wire are ordinary telephone wires which consist of two insulated copper wires
twisted into pairs and are used for both voice and data transmission. These twisted wires help to
reduce crosstalk and electromagnetic induction. The transmission speed ranges from 2 million bits per
second to 100 million bits per second. E.g. mostly used for telecommunication.

b) Coaxial cable consist of copper or aluminum wire wrapped with insulating layer made up of a
flexible material with a high dielectric constant which help minimize interference and distortion and
these cables are surrounded by a conductive layer. Transmission speed range from 200 million to
more than 500 million bits per second. E.g. widely used for cable television systems, office buildings,
and other worksites for local area networks.

c) Optical fiber cable consists of one or more filaments of glass fiber wrapped in protective layers. It
transmits light which can travel long distances and are not affected by electromagnetic radiation.
Transmission speed may reach trillions of bits per second. The transmission speed of fiber optics is
hundreds of times faster than for coaxial cables and thousands of times faster than a twisted-pair wire.

3) Wireless technologies:

a) Terrestrial microwave –It uses Earth-based transmitter and receiver and looks similar to
satellite dishes. It uses low-gigahertz range, which limits some of the communications. E.g.
Microwave antennas usually placed on top of buildings, towers, hills, and mountain peaks.
b) Communications satellites – The satellites use microwave radio as their telecommunications
medium which are not deflected by the Earth's atmosphere. The satellites are stationed in space,
typically 22,000 miles (for geosynchronous satellites) above the equator. These satellites are
capable of receiving and relaying voice, data, and TV signals.

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c) Cellular and PCS systems – Use several radio communications technologies. The systems are
divided to different geographic areas. Each area has a low-power transmitter or radio relay
antenna device to relay calls from one area to the next area.
d) Wireless LANs – Wireless local area network use a high-frequency radio technology similar to
digital cellular and a low-frequency radio technology. Wireless LANs use spread spectrum
technology to enable communication between multiple devices in a limited area. An example of
open-standards wireless radio-wave technology is IEEE.
e) Infrared communication transmits signals between devices within small distances not more
than 10 meters peer to peer or (face to face) without anybody in the line of transmitting.

4) Scale:

Depending on their scale, scope and purpose, networks can be classified as:

a) Local area network (LAN): the computers are geographically close together i.e. in same
building such as home, school, computer laboratory, office building. Each computer or device on
the network is a node. Higher data transfer rates, smaller geographic range, and no need for
leased telecommunication lines are some of the characteristics of LANs.
b) Wide area network (WAN): covers a large geographic area such as a city, country, or spans
even intercontinental distances, using a communications channel that combines many types of
media such as telephone lines, cables, and air waves.
c) Personal area network (PAN): computer network used for communication among computer
and different information technological devices close to one person. E.g. Personal computers,
printers, fax machines, telephones, PDAs, scanners etc. A PAN may include wired (USB) and
wireless (Bluetooth) devices.
d) Metropolitan area network (MAN): A data network designed for a town or city.
e) Virtual private network (VPN): computer network in which some of the links between
nodes are carried by open connections or virtual circuits in some larger network instead of by
physical wires. E.g. Internet. VPN may have the best effort performance between the customer
and the service provider.
f) Campus area network (CAN): The computers are within a limited geographic area, such as a
campus or military base. E.g. network linking variety of campus building like academic
departments, the university library and student residence hall.
g) Home area network (HAN): A network contained within a user’s home that connects a
person’s digital devices.

5) Functional relationship (network architecture):

Computer networks may be classified according to the functional relationships which exist among the
elements of the network, e.g., active networking, client–server and peer-to-peer (workgroup) architecture.

6) Network topology:

In Computer Networking “topology” refers to the layout or design of the connected devices. Network
Topologies can be physical or logical.

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Physical Topology means the physical design of a network including the devices, location and cable
installation.

Logical Topology refers to the fact that how data actually transfers in a network as opposed to its design.

Topology can be considered as a virtual shape or structure of a network. The shape does not actually
mean the physical design here for example if devices are arranged in a line that does not mean it’s a bus
topology, or if the devices are arranged in a circle that does not mean it’s a ring topology.

Computer network topologies can be categorized in the following categories.

a) Bus Topology

In Bus topology devices are connected with each other with a common backbone in a network in a linear
shape. Communication is shared through a single cable to all the devices. The device which wants to
communicate, send the message through this cable and the message reaches to every device. But only the
recipient actually accepts and processes that message.

10Base-2 and 10BaseT are two popular types of the Ethernet cables used in the Bus topology. Also, Bus
network works with very limited devices. If the number of devices increases then bus network give poor
performance. And if the backbone cable fails then communications will not be transferred.

b) Ring Topology

In Ring network, every device has two adjacent neighbors for communication. All the communication
messages travel in the same directory whether clockwise or anti clockwise. If damage occurs to any of
the cables of the devices then there will be breakdown of the whole network. FDDI, SONET or Token
Ring Technology can be used to implement Ring Technology. Ring topologies can be found in office,
school or small buildings.

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c) Star Topology

In star topology, all the computers are connected to a central device like hub or switch. All devices
functions differently. Star topology requires more devices to form a network and unlike bus topology if
one of the node fails, it will not stop the working of the whole network. But if damage is caused to central
hub or switch then network stops working. It’s the most commonly used topology in LAN.

d) Tree Topology

Tree topology is a mixture or a hybrid of bus and star topology. Only the hub devices can connect with
the tree bus and hub functions as a root of the tree of the network devices. This bus/star/hybrid
combination supports future expandability of the computer networks, much better than a bus or star.

e) Mesh Topology

Mesh topology work on the concept of routes. In Mesh topology, message takes easiest and shortest
possible route to reach to the destination. In the previous topologies star and bus, messages are usually
broadcasted to every computer, especially in bus topology. Similarly in the Ring topology message can

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travel in only one direction i.e. clockwise or anticlockwise. Internet employs the Mesh topology and the
message finds its route for its destination. Router works in finding the routes for the messages and in
reaching them to their destinations. The topology in which every device connects to every other device is
called a full Mesh topology unlike in the partial mesh in which every device is indirectly connected to the
other devices.

Summary

Topologies are the important part of the network design theory. A

better network can be built if you have the knowledge of these topologies and if you know the difference
between each topology. Similarly you should have the knowledge of each network device so that you can
properly use them according to your network needs. A misconfigured network can result in a waste of
time and energy as well as a lot of troubleshooting methods to resolve the issue. So the basic
understanding of the network topologies and network devices is a must to build a good network.

References:

1) "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network retrieved on 13/9/2010.

2) http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/N/network.html retrieved on 14/9/2010.

3) http://compnetworking.about.com/od/networkdesign/ig/Computer-Network-Topologies/ retrieved on
15/9/2010.

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