Class VIII

Chapter-1: Introduction To Computers: Networking, Operating System

Networking refers to inter-connection of various devices to share their resources.

A network is a collection of devices, peripherals, or other devices connected to one another to allow
the exchange of data.
Eg: cable networks, television networks, telephone networks etc.

An excellent example of a network is the Internet, which connects millions of people all over the
world.

COMPUTER NETWORK
A computer network is a collection computers and peripheral devices ( known as network
components) connected by communication links.

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BENEFITS OF NETWORKING
 Ease of Access
 Work from Home
 Sharing Resources
 Sharing Information
 Increase Productivity
 Sharing Programs
 Administration
 Security

HARDWARE REQUIRED FOR NETWORKING

 Computer or similar devices like Smart

phones, Laptops etc.

 Cables are the wires that connect

computers and resources on a network

 Connectors is a device that connects two

computers or networks together

 Network Interface Card (NIC) is a device

that joins cable to a computer.

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TYPES OF NETWORKS

There are several different types of computer networks. Computer networks can be characterized by
their size as well as their purpose.
The size of a network can be expressed by the geographic area they occupy and the number of
computers that are part of the network. Networks can cover anything from a handful of devices within
a single room to millions of devices spread across the entire globe.
Some of the different networks based on size are:

 Personal area network, or PAN

is a computer network organized
around an individual person. A
typical PAN would include one or
more computers, telephones,
peripheral devices, video game
consoles and other personal
entertainment devices.

 Local area network, or LAN

consists of a computer network at
a single site, typically an
individual office building. Usually
it does not consist of more than
100 computers.

 Campus area network, or CAN

consists of a computer network
across a college campus or small
region connecting two or more
LANs.

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  Metropolitan area network, or
MAN consists of a computer
network across an entire city.

 Wide area network, or WAN

occupies a very large area, such
as an entire country or the entire
world. A WAN can contain
multiple smaller networks, such
as LANs or MANs. The Internet is
the best-known example of a
public WAN.

NETWORK TOPOLOGY
The art of connecting different computers in a network is known as topology.
There are mainly five types of topologies in computer networks:

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Mesh Topology

In mesh topology each device is connected to every other device on the network through a dedicated
point-to-point link.

Advantages of Mesh topology

1. No data traffic issues as there is a dedicated link between two devices which means the link is only
available for those two devices.
2. Mesh topology is reliable and robust as failure of one link doesn’t affect other links and the
communication between other devices on the network.
3. Mesh topology is secure because there is a point to point link thus unauthorized access is not
possible.
4. Fault detection is easy.

Disadvantages of Mesh topology

1. Amount of wires required to connected each system is tedious and headache.

2. Since each device needs to be connected with other devices, number of I/O ports required must be
huge.
3. Scalability issues because a device cannot be connected with large number of devices with a
dedicated point to point link.

Star Topology

In star topology each device in the network is connected to a central device called hub.
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Advantages of Star topology

1. Less expensive because each device only need one I/O port and needs to be connected with hub
with one link.
2. Easier to install
3. Less amount of cables required because each device needs to be connected with the hub only.
4. Robust, if one link fails, other links will work just fine.
5. Easy fault detection because the link can be easily identified.

Disadvantages of Star topology

1. If hub goes down everything goes down, none of the devices can work without hub.
2. Hub requires more resources and regular maintenance because it is the central system of star
topology.

Bus Topology

In bus topology there is a main cable called bus and all the devices are connected to this main cable
through drop lines. There is a device called tap that connects the drop line to the main cable.

Advantages of bus topology

1. Easy installation, each cable needs to be connected with backbone cable.

2. Less cables required than Mesh and star topology

Disadvantages of bus topology

1. Difficultly in fault detection.

2. Not scalable as there is a limit of how many nodes you can connect with backbone cable.

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Ring Topology

In ring topology each device is connected with the two devices on either side of it forming a loop or
closed ring.

Advantages of Ring Topology

1. Easy to install.
2. Managing is easier as to add or remove a device from the topology only two links are required to
be changed.

Disadvantages of Ring Topology

1. A link failure can fail the entire network as the signal will not travel forward due to failure.
2. Data traffic issues, since all the data is circulating in a ring.

Hybrid topology

A combination of two or more topology is known as hybrid topology. For example a combination of
star and mesh topology is known as hybrid topology.

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PROTOCOL

A network protocol defines the rules for communication between network devices.

Internet Protocol (IP) - It is the protocol for relaying data across network boundaries. Each computer
on the Internet has atleast one IP address that uniquely identifies that computer on then network.
When we send or receive data, the messages are divided into packets. These packets contain both
sender’s and receiver’s IP address.
IP has the task of delivering packets from the source host to the destination host solely based on
the IP addresses in the packet.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) - This protocol puts the packets back in the right order.

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) - It is the set of rules for transferring files (text, graphic
images, videos, and other multimedia files) on the World Wide Web.

WIRELESS COMMUNICATION
Wireless Communication is a method of transmitting information from one point to other, without
using any connection like wires, cables or any physical medium.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard used for
exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices
over short distances using short-wavelength UHF
radio waves in the industrial, scientific and medical
radio bands, from 2.400 to 2.485 GHz, and building
personal area networks (PANs).

Wi Fi
Wi-Fi is the name of a wireless networking technology
that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-
speed Internet and network connections. A common
misconception is that the term Wi-Fi is short for
"wireless fidelity," however this is not the case.

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OPERATING SYSTEM

An Operating System (OS) is an interface between a computer user and computer hardware.
An operating system is a software which performs all the basic tasks like file management, memory
management, process management, handling input and output, and controlling peripheral devices
such as disk drives and printers.

Types of Operating System

1. CUI: CUI stands for Character User Interface. This is a type of user interface
where user interacts with computer using only keyboard. To perform any action a command
is required. CUI is precursor of GUI and was used in most primitive computers. Most modern
computers use GUI and not CUI. Eg: MS-DOS and Unix.

2. GUI: GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. This is a type of user interface
where user interacts with the computer using graphics. Graphics include icons, navigation
bars, images etc. Mouse can be used while using this interface to interact with the graphics. It
is a very user-friendly interface and requires no expertise. Eg: Windows and Linux.

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 EXERCISES
Section–A

B. Multiple Choice Questions

1. Inter-connection of various devices is called _________________.
(a) chatting (b) networking (c) Internet

2. Peripheral devices connected to the network are ________________.

(a) servers (b) workstations (c) resources

3. Which of the following is the most expensive network topology?

(a) Star topology (b) Bus topology (c) Mesh topology

C. Fill in the blanks

1. A network can be of any size.
2. Your computer is a workstation on the network.
3. A NIC has a port where the network cable plugs in.
4.A MAN is a collectionof Local Area Network within a city.
5. A Star topology has a minimal line cost.

D. Write full forms of the following

1. NIC-Network Interface Card
2. PAN-Personal Area Network
3. LAN-Local Area Network
4. MAN-Metropolitan Area Network
5. WAN-Wide Area Network
6. HTTP-Hypertext Transfer Protocol
7. TCP/IP-Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
8. WiFi-Wireless Fidelity

Section–B

A. Answer the following

1. What is a node?
Ans1. A node is a computer or any other device on a network that communicates with other devices.

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2. What is a topology?
Ans2. The art of connecting different computers in a network is known as topology. The term topology
refers to the way in which the nodes of a network are linked together.

3. Describe the network in your own words.

Ans3. Networking refers to inter-connection of various devices to share their resources.
For examples – Cable network, Television network, Telephone network.
A computer network is a collection of computers and peripheral devices.

4. Write at least three benefits of using a network.

Ans4. The benefits of using a network are:
i) Computers connected to a network can share resources including printers and hard drives.
ii) Network makes installing programs simple because only one copy of a program needs to be
installed on a central computer.
iii) Network increases productivity because computers connected to network share information
and data.

5. Differentiate between LAN and WAN.

Ans5.
LAN (Local area Network) WAN(Wide area Network)
(i) computers located close to one (i) computes located across the world
another
(ii) not more than 100 computers (ii) connects LAN and MAN networks
together

6. Write short note on the hardware parts required to establish a network.

Ans6. The hardware parts required to establish a network are as follows:
i) Computer or similar devices like laptops
ii) Cables – Cables are the wires that connect computers and resources on a network.
iii) Connectors – A connector is a device that joins two computes on networks together.
iv) NIC – A Network Interface Card (NIC) is a device that joins a cable to a computer. Most
Network Interface Cards are installed inside a computer.

7. Explain the major functions of a computer system.

Ans7. Functions of an Operating System are:
An operating system provides a variety of services to your computer and its users. Some of
the major functions of an operating system are :
1. Program Execution : It receives the commands from any application or system program,
interprets it and then executes it.
2. Device Management : Allocation and de-allocation of all input and output devices are

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done by the operating system. It controls the working of all the devices connected to
your computer.
3. File Management : It helps you to organise all data in files/folders and allocates space for
files on secondary storage devices as and when required. It keeps track of the location of
every file on the disk.
4. Memory Management : Memory is a major part of the computer system and dictates the
speed of the operations. The main memory is thus managed by the operating system
ensuring the efficient functioning of your computer system.

8. Write the advantages and disadvantages of the following:

Ans8.

(a) Star topology

Advantages of the Star Topology Disadvantages of the Star Topology
(i) Star topology has minimal line cost. (i) The system crucially depends on the central
(ii) If any of the local computer fails, the switch. If it fails, the entire network
remaining portion of the network remains goes down.
unaffected.

(b) Ring Topology

Advantages of the Ring Topology Disadvantages of the Ring Topology
(i) It works well where there is no central-site (i) It requires more complicated control software.
computer system. (ii) Failure of one node results in the failure of the
(ii) It is more reliable than a star topology. entire network.

(c) Bus Topology

Advantages of the Bus Topology Disadvantages of the Bus Topology
(i) It is quite easy to set up. (i) It offers limited flexibility for change.
(ii) Failure of one node does not affect the rest of (ii) A signal on the bus must be strong enough to
the network. reach the receiver.

(d) Mesh Topology

Advantages of Mesh Topology Disadvantages of Mesh Topology
(i)Failure of one node does not affect the rest of (i) It is the most expensive network as there are
network many redundant connections.
(ii) Communication is very fast between any two (ii) Maintenance of this network is very difficult.
nodes.

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(iii) Changes in the network can be done easily
without interrupting other nodes

9. What do you mean by wireless communication? Explain any one popular wireless
technology.

Wireless means there is no physical path for the signals(data) to move. Wireless communication is
one of the biggest contributions to humankind. It involves sending and receiving information over a
distance without using wires or cables. The most popular wireless communication technologies are
Bluetooth and WiFi.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short range wireless technology used for communication between devices. It was
developed to exchange data between devices within a short range of about 10m of one another. It
works even if there is a wall in between. For example, a Bluetooth enabled phone will detect phones
nearby and provide you a list of usernames.

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