Networks
Networks
Networks
NFORMATICS
Folowing table1) ists sme hasc ditters
SNa WAN
it is spread over a
verr large area.
It sts higher to set it
up.
is uay a snge nat It is usuallr a network of
many
9.3.1C Persong Areo Network PAN)
networks.
a 2 w O PAN S he nernaton of tormaion
A
rege of an niiaual peson hpicalr wittn a rarge of 10 meters technology devices within the
For azmple a persn reveng wih alaptop. a perSonal digital assistantin, (PDA), and
p e couli rcornet then wìhut haring to plug anything a
wireless toogr such s
Tabiet PDA
using portableof
some form
Trpialr. tis kni of psmal 2
network coi als he iernnated
wht wires to te ntenet or oher
netwks Yo a use FAN ons to Printes
rasa sncugmaid aleniar
apintsiial phrtos and music Nobae
et i n TO porabe erzes sh as
phmes zd abes to PC and vie versa
Figure Fig 93)shows a tpial PAN. Laptop
Fue 9.3 A
Personal Area
94 NETWORK TOPOLOGES Network (PAN)
The paten of tercornectin of nodes in a network is called the
Topology.
The seleán f2 tODOgT for a networkannot be done in
50lai s it aeis he Goice of media and the access ToPOLoGY
hod sed. There are a number o factors to consider in The pattern of
Rodes n a etwork interconnection of
is alled the
ratesse the rost important of which are set out Topology.
1 CostFr anatwok to tbe cost efective, one would try to
This iey be atieved by using wel minimize installation cost.
íznghe distarces invoived understood media and also, to a lesser externt, by
2 Feri. Becanse he arrangement of
fumiture, internal walls etc. in offices is often
sOet to dage the topoiog should allow for easy
Tsmes soNg existing nodes and reconfiguration
adding new ones.
of the network
3. Reisbiity Fahe in anetwork can
take two forns. Firstly, arn
E L is Not neary as serioas as the secnd type of fauitindividual where the
node can
network
Atst tas o perae The topoiogy chOsen for the
network
kocztion te fat to be etected and to provide soe means of can help by allowing he
isolaing .
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER NETWORKS
405
Point-to-Point Link
Before wetalkabout topologies in details, let us learm about point-to-point link. To understand
this,referto Fig. 9.4. A P-P (Toint to Point) link basically relies upon two functions - trarsmit
receive. The main characteristic of P-P
and
networkk isthat each station receives exactBy
traansmitter, and each transmitter Transmst Receive
from one
transmits to exactly one receiver. The X
transmit and receive operations can occur
overseparate wires (for better performance) Receve Transmit
can take turns over the Same wire Fiqur 9.4 Point-to-Point Nebwork.
orthev
using a variety of techniques.
Point-to-point networks can growin several wavs. One method is simply to install a P-P link
between each pair of computers in the
network. This approach is called a Mesh.
Meny topologies have been developed, but major ones are :
) the Star topology ; > the Bus ;
> the Ring or circular ; > the Tree:
) the Mesh; > the Fully connected;
9.4.2 The Star Topology Nodes
Central node
Concantrator)
This topology consists of a central node to which alI
other nodes are connected by a single path (see
Fig. 9.5). It is the topology used in most existing
information networks involving data processing or
Toice communications. The most common example of
this is IBM 370 installations. In this case multiple 3270
ferminals are connected to either a host system or a
terminal controller.
Figure 9.5 Sar Topology
Advantages of the Star Topology
’ Ease of service. The star topology has anumber of concentration points (where connections
are joined). These provide easy actess for servie or reconfiguration of the network.
’ One decice per connection. Connection points in any network are nherently prone to
failure. In the star topology, failure of asingle connection typically ivolves disconnecting
one node from an otherwise fuily furchional network.
’ Centralized control!problem diagnosis, The fact that the central node is connected directly to
every other node in the network means that faults are easly detected and isolated. It is a
simple matter to disconnect failing nodes from the system.
> Simple access protocols. Any given connection in a star network involves only the centra!
node. In this situaion, contention for who has control of the medium for the transnission
purposes is easily solved. Thus in a star network, acoess protocols are ver simple.
Disadvantages of the Star Topology
Long cable length. Because each node is directly connected to the center, the star topelogy
necessitates a large quantity of cable. Whilst the cost of cable is often small, congeshon in
cable ducts and maintenance and installation problems can înrease cost considerablv.
406
Server
Terminator Terminator
Printer
The transmission from any station travels the length of the bus, in both
received by all other stations. The bus has terminators at either end which directions, and can be
absorb the
removing it from the bus. signal,
Data is transmitted insmall blocks, known as packets. Each packet has some data
header containing its destination address. A station wanting to trans- mit some data bits,
sendsplus
itina
packets along the bus. The destination device, on identifying the address on the packets. conio
the data onto its disk.
Advantages of the Linear Topology
> Short cable length and simple wiring layout. Because there is a single common data path
connecting all nodes, the linear topology allowsa very short cable length to be used. This
decreases the installation cost, and also leads to a simple, easy to maintain wiring layout.
> Resilient Architecture. The LINEAR architecture has an inherent simplicity that makes it
very reliable from ahardware pointof view. There is a single cable through which all the
data propogates and to which all nodes are connected.
> Easy to extend. Additional nodes can be connected to an existing bus network at any point
along its length. More extensive additions can be achieved by adding extra segments
connected by a type of signal amplifer known as repeater.
Disadvantages of the Linear Topology
> Fault diagnosis is dificult. Although simplicity of the bus topology means that there is very
ittle to go wrong, fault detection is not a simple matter. Control of the network is not
centralized in any paricular node. This means that detection of a fault may have to be
performed from many points in the network.
INTRODUCTIONTO COMPUTER NETWORKS
9: 407
Chopter
Faultisolationis difficult. In the star topology, a defective node can easily be isolated from the
network by removing,its i connection at the center. If a node is
faulty on the bus, it must be
rectified at the point where the node is connected to the
network.
) Repeater configuration. When BUS type network has its backbone extended using
repeaters,,reconfiguration may be necessary.
Nodes mustbe intelligent. Each node on the network is
This means that some way of deciding who can use thedirectly connected
network tothetime
attany given centralmustbe
bus.
performed in each node.
The Ring or Circular Topology
9.4.4The thirdtopologythat we will consider is the ring or circular.
this case, each node is connected to two and only two
neighbouring nodes. Data is accepted from one of the
neighbouring nodes and is transmitted onwards to another
(see Fig. 9.7). Thus data travels in one direcion only, from
node to node around the ring. After passing through each Token
node,it returns to the sending node, which removes it.
It is important to note that data 'passed through' rather
than 'travels past each node. This means that the signal
may be amplified before being 'repeated' on the outward Figure 9.7 Ring Topology
channel.
Source
Transmission in this topology takes place in the same way as in the bus
there is no need to remove packets from the medium topology.
In both
because when a signal reaches cases,of
the medium, it is absorbed by the terminators. Tree topology is best suited for the end
modiappl
ficatiicoatnions
which have ahierarchical flow of data and control. Since the tree
pure' network topology, bus topology, it is a hybrid topology.
topology is a of a
Aadvantages of the Tree Topology
It uses point-to-point wiring for individual segments.
It is supported by several hardware and software venders.
Disadvantages of the Tree Topology
Overall length of each segment is limited by the type of cabling used.
IIthe backbone line breaks, the entire segment goes down.
It is more difficult to configure and wire than other topologies.
9.4.6 Nesh Topology
In this topology, each node is connected to more than one node to provide an alternative route
in the case the host is either down or too busy. It is an extension to P-P
network. (see Fig. 9.9).
Switchfunctions
How aTo insulate the transmission from the other ports, the switch establishes a temporary
connection between the sOurce and destination, and then terminates the connection once the
Conversation is done.
Switch
instance,
A
would be like a phone system with private lines in place of the hub's party line. For
Meira Sen at the Maurya Hotel calls Ibrahim Soz in another room, and he operator or
switch connectsthe two of them ona dedicated lire. This allows more conversations at any
phone
one time
thereby allowing more guests to comnuricate
9.5.4 Repeater
a device that amplifies asignal beingtransmitted on the network. It is usedinlong
Arepeater is which exceed the maimum rated distance for ra single run.
network lines,
cables connecting a network lose the signal transmitted. If the signal
Over distance, the
destination Or if it does arrive, he degradation of the
degrades too much, it fails to reach the installed along the way to ensure that data packets
message makes it useless. Repeaters can be
are of twO kinds :
reach their destination. Repeaters all
REPEATER
amplifies
amplifier and signal repeater. The first merely amplifies ARepeater isa petort devicE
that anples and restores signals fot
incoming signals over the network. However, it
noise. The second long-dstance transnission,
both the signal and any concurrent retransmits the
then
type collects the inbound packet and station.
source
packet as if it were starting from the
9.5.5 Bridge together. Bridges are smart enough to know
link two networks
Abrndge is a device that lets youside of the bridge, so they only allow those messages that need
which computers are on which the bridge. Bridges canhandle networksthat follow same prokocs
Oget to the other side to cross
9.5.6 Router protocols, is known as aroutr. Fo
handle different forwardins
Adevice that works like a bridge but can mainframe. The outer is responsiblefo
to a
example, a router can link Ethernet network.
data from one network to a different
rebroadeasts
6 A
Tepeater is a device that electrically ampiies the
signal it receivesand
s es hat xrs a ravelling the
but tan handie
itns thns uter cn detemine a
A te dis trm d
a ein a w•y that
former uises logical
addresses and the
later uve
Agurt s J Rthat onnets dissimilar networks.A
it
mtane to anath
atuaiv a naie manework that serves as an
6$ AGATEWAY
atwrk. ln enterprises, the gateway
u hstroutes the trathcfrom aworkstation Gateway network dets
is a
that connects dissimilar
it he nuSJe nwn that is sening the establishes an
s
TUNS
Web pages. In
h catwav is the SPthat connects the user to the between localintenetligwentork ton:
a
networks with completelyand eten
structures.
neerres, he gateway node often acts as a proxy server (a
iftere
ee apaars 2S 2server) and afirewall (a svstem machine that is
m apvte network). The
gateway
Teas ni iorwarding tables to determine
to prevent
1s also associated with designed
not a
unauthorizedactualy
She actuzl path for the
both arouter, whicacces
where packets are sent, h s
packet in and out of the gateway. and a
suitch, whic
9.1 LET US REVISE
1 W A network is a
arztages 2d tisadvan collection of
communication system. interlinked computers by means of a
2 Wia s TEt y topology & The
? N2me networks facilitate resource sharing,
3. * reduced costs, and increased and fast increased reliability,
Ete
facos
that must be t On the basis of communication.
coiees Le mring a choice for
táe togsiogy ?
geographical
into LAN (Local Area spread, networks can be classifed
Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), PAN
4. W te (Personal Area Network) and MAN
TecsEen sniies
bs 2 tree
and diffe Small computer networks that are (Metropolitan Area Network.
3. Hoss aFI topologies ?
et frors a LAN ? an office, a buildingetc., are confined to a localised area e..
e MANs are the
called LANs.
A WAN is a
networks spread over a city.
Cisabvattages favatages two
following network
group of
distances and tiedItogether.computers separated by large
It can eventhatbe areagroup
spread across several locations and connected
ofLANsthat are
() Stax (i} Tsee (ii) a big LAN. together to lo0k u
8. What ís a Bus,
modem?Sane two categories The pattern of interconnection of nodes tn anetwork iscalled
9. Defie the topology.
(if} Repeztfoitoing: ) #ub (ii)
Sitch Most popular topologies are star, bus, ring, tree and mesh.
(vi) Gatewaj.et (i) tridge ( A modem is a