Networking Basic

Networking Basic
Ever wanted to know what the heck is going on with all this
networking jargon? Networks can get pretty complicated as you will
see but are a real necessity to the PC. To say the least a networked
PC gets both of two worlds. When you dial up to the Internet you are
getting inside the biggest network there is to be had. Now wouldnt it
be nice to have a nice little Internet or actually called intranet in the
office or home? Many people are doing it these days and its
becoming the best way to share information and devices.

The Basic Network

-The basic network is made up of the following:

Server or client workstation

Networking Interface Cards (NIC)
Cabling
Networking Operating System such as Windows NT

Terms Of Networking
-First off we need to be familiar with some basic terms in networking.
There are many out there but only a few that most of us should be
concerned with.

Peer-to-Peer, this is commonly two PC connected together to

share files or a printer.
Local Area Network (LAN), this is probably the most popular in
smaller applications. This comes down to many computers

interconnected in an office or home. This can be anywhere from

two computers or hundreds in one physical area.
Wide Area Network (WAN), boils down to computer networks
that are far apart and connect via phone, satellite, and so forth.
Node, this is just another name for the client computer or the
computer using the network. You are in essence a node right
now using this website which is located on a server over the
Internet. Bet you didnt node that did you? Ok, I know that was
lame but what the hey!
Topology is the geometric arrangement of the network. This is
more or less how the network is arranged. We will discuss this
one more later on.
Protocol, the protocol is a ways of communication for the
network. Think of it as trying to speak French to an English
computer. We need a protocol so they can understand one
another.
Data Packets, messages of data that has been sent over your
network.
Architectures, this comes down to peer to peer or the client
server applications. In the peer to peer we share resources of
each others computers equally and the client server is one
computer with all the host files and data. Right now you are
connecting to my server for this web page as a client/server
architecture.
Media, this amounts to how your network is physically
connected. Most LANs connect with a copper wire or cable
coaxial. Some newer technologies also allow you to connect
wireless using your existing power outlets.

-Something to note about WAN and LAN is they really are not the
opposite of each other but one of the same. In a sense you need a
bunch of LANs to make a WAN.

Layers of the Network

-Its not much fun but really necessary that you know a little about
layers in the Network. There are seven to get familiar with and these
are the physical layer, data link layer, network layer, transport layer,
session layer, presentation layer, and the application layer.

Physical Layer, is just that the physical parts of the network

such as wires, cables, and there media along with the length.
Also this layer takes note of the electrical signals that transmit
data throughout system.
Data Link Layer, this layer is where we actually assign meaning
to the electrical signals in the network. The layer also
determines the size and format of data sent to printers, and
other devices. Also I dont want to forget that these are also
called nodes in the network. Another thing to consider in this
layer is will also allow and define the error detection and
correction schemes that insure data was sent and received.
Network Layer, this layer provides the definition for the
connection of two dissimilar networks.
Transport Layer, this layer allows data to be broken into smaller
packages for data to be distributed and addressed to other
nodes (workstations).
Session Layer, this layer helps out with the task to carry
information from one node (workstation) to another node
(workstation). A session has to be made before we can
transport information to another computer.
Presentation Layer, this layer is responsible to code and
decode data sent to the node.

Application Layer, this layer allows you to use an application that will
communicate with say the operation system of a server. A good
example would be using your web browser to interact with the
operating system on a server such as Windows NT, which in turn gets
the data you requested.

Topology Ways of Connecting the Network

-When you connect a computer into a network this is most likely done
with whats called a Bus. This is the most typical and probably the
easier one. I will go through each and let you decide. There are three
topologys to think about when you get into networks. These are the
star, rind, and the bus.

Star, a ring topology features a logically closed loop. Data

packets travel in a single direction around the ring from one
network device to the next. Each network device acts as a
repeater, meaning it regenerates the signal
Ring, in a star topology each node has a dedicated set of wires
connecting it to a central network hub. Since all traffic passes
through the hub, the hub becomes a central point for isolating
network problems and gathering network statistics.

Bus, the bus topology, each node (computer, server, peripheral

etc.) attaches directly to a common cable. This topology most
often serves as the backbone for a network. In some instances,
such as in classrooms or labs, a bus will connect small
workgroups

-Now we have a little idea of what the structures are of the network
and what is making it up lets look at each component more carefully.
Network Interface Card
-The network card is very fundamental to the PC system. As soon
as you plug it into the network you are now nothing more than a
node/workstation. It is to say the least our outside world
connection to the network. The NIC will allow you to make your
computer even better than before. Just think about your modem
for instance. It allows you to connect to other networks using the
TCP/IP protocol to view this material you are reading now. Your
computer is networked to something that allows it to be bigger and
better than itself, kind of neat isnt it? You NIC is simply a translator
in your PC and helps figure all out between the network and your
system. Networks transmit data in Serial format to your
workstation and then your NIC will convert it to parallel format for
your system. If you have read through ports section your know that
the serial format sends data 1 bit per transmission and the parallel
moves it in 8 bits per transmission. We need to be able to change
it over so that it makes since to your PC and the network your
talking to. This conversion happens in both directions so dont
worry too much about it.
-A NIC card can be picked up really cheap these days and you will
commonly find it as a 10 baseT or 100 baseT. Something else to
throw in is the connection to the NIC itself. Most LANs use UTP
(Unshielded Twisted Pair) wiring which uses a RJ-45 connector. This
is typical on a cheaper 10 card. Some better cards will also boast
whats called a BNC (Bayonet Naur Connector) which is found mostly
with coaxial cables, much like your cable TV.

NIC Architectures
-Now we couldnt get by without knowing more about the NIC and
what common flavors it comes in. Most of the time you will see it
as a Ethernet, Token Ring, and FDDI. The Ethernet is about the
cheapest route with the rest moving up/down in speed and
technology.
Ethernet, this type architecture will incorporate copper wires to
fiber optics at 10 to 100 Mps. You may have heard of a Fast
Ethernet and this is considered 100Mps and can support about
500 nodes/workstations.
Token Ring, if you remember the topology from the previous
pages this is simply a network using copper or fiber cables that
can run up to 260 nodes/workstations. This can also support
4Mbps to 16Mbps of data transfer between the networks. Your
better of in the Ethernet department compared to this one.
-FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interference), This little network is nice
to have if money is no object. This comes down to a light or laser
transceiver that converts its digital data into light for transmission. You
will see this in a network 100 Mbps of data transfer and probably the
best way to go if you have the money to invest. Of course all the parts
are way more expensive than most other cables etc.

Cables and Stuff

-In the network you will commonly find three types of cables used
these are the, coaxial cable, fiber optic, and twisted pair.

Thick Coaxial Cable, this type cable is usually yellow in color and
used in what is called thicknets, and has two conductors. This coax
can be used in 500-meter lengths. The cable itself is made up of a
solid center wire with a braided metal shield and plastic sheathing
protecting the rest of the wire.

Thin Coaxial Cable, as with the thick coaxial cable is used in

thicknets the thin version is used in thinnets. This type cable is also

used called or referred to as RG-58. The cable is really just a cheaper

version of the thick cable.

Fiber Optic Cable, as we all know fiber optics are pretty darn cool
and not cheap. This cable is smaller and can carry a vast amount of
information fast and over long distances.
-Twisted Pair Cables, these come in two flavors of unshielded and
shielded.

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), this is the most popular form of

cables in the network and the cheapest form that you can go with.
The UTP has four pairs of wires and all inside plastic sheathing. The
biggest reason that we call it Twisted Pair is to protect the wires from
interference from themselves. Each wire is only protected with a thin
plastic sheath.

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP), is more common in high-speed

networks. The biggest difference you will see in the UTP and STP is
that the STP uses metallic shield wrapping to protect the wire from
interference.
-Something else to note about these cables is that they are defined in
numbers also. The bigger the number the better the protection from
interference. Most networks should go with no less than a CAT 3 and
CAT 5 is most recommended.
-Now you know about cables we need to know about connectors.
This is pretty important and you will most likely need the RJ-45
connector. This is the cousin of the phone jack connector and looks
real similar with the exception that the RJ-45 is bigger. Most
commonly your connector are in two flavors and this is BNC (Bayonet
Naur Connector) used in thicknets and the RJ-45 used in smaller
networks using UTP/STP.
More Ethernet Cabling
-Now to familiarize you with more on the Ethernet and its cabling we
need to look at the 10s.

10Base2, is considered the thin Ethernet, thinnet, and thinwire

which uses light coaxial cable to create a 10 Mbps network. The
cable segments in this network cant be over 185 meters in length.
These cables connect with the BNC connector. Also as a note these
unused connection must have a terminator, which will be a 50-ohm
terminator.

10Base5, this is considered a thicknet and is used with coaxial

cable arrangement such as the BNC connector. The good side to the
coaxial cable is the high-speed transfer and cable segments can be
up to 500 meters between nodes/workstations. You will typically see
the same speed as the 10Base2 but larger cable lengths for more
versatility.

10BaseT, the T stands for twisted as in UTP (Unshielded

Twisted Pair) and uses this for 10Mbps of transfer. The down side to
this is you can only have cable lengths of 100 meters between
nodes/workstations. The good side to this network is they are easy to
set up and cheap! This is why they are so common an ideal for small
offices or homes.

100BaseT, is considered Fast Ethernet uses STP (Shielded

Twisted Pair) reaching data transfer of 100Mbps. This system is a
little more expensive but still remains popular as the 10BaseT and
cheaper than most other type networks. This on of course would be
the cheap fast version.

10BaseF, this little guy has the advantage of fiber optics and the F
stands for just that. This arrangement is a little more complicated and
uses special connectors and NICs along with hubs to create its
network. Pretty darn neat and not to cheap on the wallet.
Networking Hardware, The Bigger Stuff
-Well most of you have seen a hub somewhere along your way and
most likely was in the office or even in Wal-Mart. You can pick up a
Hub and Networking cards very cheap these days and be in business
in no time.
Repeaters, if you have ever used a HAM Radio you know what a
repeater is and its has the same basic concept in the computer

network. You will see two flavors of repeaters in the networking world
such as the amplifier, and signal regenerating repeaters.

Amplifier Repeater, has the job of picking up the incoming signal

in the network and amplifies it for the rest of the journey. This does
not make changes to the signal and will send regardless of its
integrity. In other words the signal could be awful to begin with and
the repeater will simply send that bad signal out anyway.

Signal Regenerating Repeater, you knew this one was coming

and it take the original signal and cleans it up. The signal will be sent
out only with the good parts involved for better integrity in your
network.
-Now we need to see some more common parts such as the hub,
bridge, router, and a gateway.

Hub, you will see the hub in most small office setting and even the
bigger offices may have these little guys hanging around. This allows
all your nodes/workstations to be interconnected at one central place.
Probably the simplest way to go.

Bridge, the idea of the bridge is to connect two or more LAN or

LAN segments.

Router, no this isnt a wood shop term but now used in networks.
The idea of the router is basically a mail sorter. This little guys needs
to decide which is the best way to send information that is addressed
in the network.

Gateway, the idea of the gateway is to connect different type

networks to each other. This comes down to what protocols a network
uses and must be reformatted for that network in order to pass the
information along. Neat Stuff?

Network Protocols
-These can be somewhat of an aggravation but real necessary to
know when building up a network. You need to know what will work
best for you and your network.
Protocol
Point-To-Point

Acronym
PPP

Transmission Control TCP/IP

Protocol/internet
Protocol
Internetwork Package IPX/SPX
Exchange/Sequenced
Packet Exchange

NetBIOS
Extended NetBEUI
User Interface

File Transfer Protocol

Hyper
Protocol

FTP

Transfer HTTP

Network File Services NFS

Its Job
This is used to
manage network
communications
over a modem
The
backbone
protocol of the
internet. Popular
also for intranets
using the internet
This
is
a
standard protocol
for
Novell
Network
Operating
System
This
is
a
Microsoft
protocol
that
doesnt support
routing to other
networks
Used to send
and receive files
from a remote
host
Used for the web
to
send
documents that
are encoded in
HTML.
Allows network

Simple Mail Transfer SMTP

Protocol
Telnet

nodes
or
workstations to
access files and
drives as if they
were their own.
Used to send
Email over a
network
Used to connect
to a host and
emulate
a
terminal that the
remote
server
can recognize

-Many of you will recognize this in your own computer at home. Our
mail clients to retrieve our email use the SMTP servers to deal with
our email task. Another thing to look for is the Telnet, this program is
under your windows program and allows you to log into other

networks like Unix servers. Most of the above you connect into in
one-way or another through the Internet.