Week 7: Tech Guide 4 & 5

Question 1. Compare and contrast the main wired communications channels? (Ethernet & Fibre Optic)

Ethernet is a common local area network protocol. Fibre optic cables are thousands of very thin filaments of glass fibres, surrounded by cladding, that transmit information via light pulses generated by lasers.

Question 2. Describe the two technologies that enable users to send high-volume data over any network. (ISDN & ADSL)
Integrated services digital network (ISDN) technology allows users to transfer voice, video, image and data simultaneously at high speed, using existing telephone lines.

Question 3. What are the main business reasons for using networks?

Networked computer systems enable organisations to be more flexible so that they can adapt to rapidly changing business conditions. Networks enable companies to share hardware, computer applications, and data across the organisation and among organisations. Networks also make it possible for geographically dispersed employees and workgroups to share documents, ideas and creative insights.

Question 4. What is the difference between LANs and WANs?
LANs encompass a limited geographic area and are usually composed of one communications medium. In contrast, WANs encompass a broad geographical area and are usually composed of multiple communications media.

Question 5. What is a network protocol?

A network protocols are computing devices that are connected to the network access and share the network to transmit and receive data. These components are often referred to as “nodes” of network. They work together by adhering to a common set of rules that enable them to communicate with one another. This set of rules and procedures that govern transmission across a network is a protocol.

Question 6. Describe TCP/IP protocol. TCP/IP is a file transfer, packet switching protocol that can send large files of information with the assurance that the data will arrive in uncorrupted form.

TCP/IP is the communications protocol of the Internet.

Question 7. Describe the various ways that you can connect to the Internet?

The various ways to connect to the Internet include dial-up, ISDN, DSL, Cable Modem, satellite, wireless and fiber to the home (FTTH).

Question 8. Describe the parts of an Internet address.

Each computer has an assigned address, called the Internet Protocol (IP) address, that distinguishes it from all other computers. The IP address consists of numbers, in four parts, separated by dots. Most computers also have names, which are easier for people to remember than IP addresses. The names are derived from a naming system called the domain name system (DNS). Domain names consist of multiple parts, separated by dots, which are read from right to left.

Question 9. What are the roles of browsers?
Users access the Web primarily through software applications called browsers. Browsers provide a graphical front end that enable users to point and click their way across the Web, a process called surfing. Web browsers became a means of universal access because they deliver the same interface on any operating system under which they run. Leading browsers include Internet Explorer from Microsoft, Firefox from Mozilla and Safar from Apple.

Question 10. Describe the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web?

The Internet is a massive network that connects computer networks of businesses, organisations, government agencies, and schools around the world, quickly, seamlessly and inexpensively. The World Wide Web is a system of universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information via a client/server architecture while using the transport of the Internet.