Network Hardware PDF

Preview

Summary

NETWORK HARDWARENetwork Devices A typical network like the one has three basic hardware components: one or more servers or host computers (including microcomputers and mainframes), clients (PCs), and a circuit or network system, which is the path over which they communicate.NETWORK ADAPTERA network ...

Description

NETWORK HARDWARE Network Devices A typical network like the one has three basic hardware components: one or more servers or host computers (including microcomputers and mainframes), clients (PCs), and a circuit or network system, which is the path over which they communicate.

NETWORK ADAPTER A network adapter is the hardware that enables a computer to connect to a network. In the case of a wireless network, the network adapter sends and receives radio frequency messages, not that different from a walkie-talkie or cell phone.

HUBS hubs are used as central points where the cables leading out to network PCs come together. A hub is simply a connection point that does not provide any sophisticated control Hubs is a device for connecting multiple Ethernet devices together and making them act as a single network segment

SWITCH In current networks, you are more likely to see a SWITCH rather than a hub. From the outside, both look much the same, but a switch is a more sophisticated communication device that helps control and manage the data passing between the PCs.

A network switch is considered more advanced than a(repeater) hub because a switch will only forward a message to one or multiple devices that need to receive it, rather than broadcasting the same message out of each of its ports.

ROUTER The router enables computers on one network to communicate with computers on other networks, but at the same time provide a level of isolation between the networks. Routers are a key part of the Internet, which is, at its core, a massive set of interconnected networks. it is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and its ISP's network. BLUE PORT – Internet YELLOW PORT – Lan or PC BLACK PORT – AC Adaptor Port HOLE ON THE RIGHT – Reset Button TWO ANTENNA

BRIDGES Bridges do not provide the same level of isolation as routers, but can be used in some situations where routers cannot be used. Another device, called a brouter, combines the functionality of a bridge and router in the same device. A network bridge is a device that divides a network into segments. Each segment represent a separate collision domain, so the number of collisions on the network is reduced. In the picture above we have a network of four computers. The network is divided into segments by a bridge. Each segment is a separate collision domain with its own bandwidth. Let’s say that Host A wants to communicate with Host C. Host A will send the frame with the Host C’s destination MAC address to the bridge. The bridge will inspect the frame and forward it to the segment of the network Host C is on. https://geek-university.com/ccna/what-is-a-network-bridge/

FIREWALL A firewall is a network security device that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and permits or blocks data packets based on a set of security rules. Its purpose is to establish a barrier between your internal network and incoming traffic from external sources (such as the internet) in order to block malicious traffic like viruses and hackers. https://www.tunnelsup.com/what-is-a-firewall/

How Does A Firewall Work? Firewalls carefully analyze incoming traffic based on pre-established rules and filter traffic coming from unsecured or suspicious sources to prevent attacks. Firewalls guard traffic at a computer’s entry point, called ports, which is where information is exchanged with external devices. For example, “Source address 172.18.1.1 is allowed to reach destination 172.18.2.1 over port 22." Think of IP addresses as houses, and port numbers as rooms within the house. Only trusted people (source addresses) are allowed to enter the house (destination address) at all—then it’s further filtered so that people within the house are only allowed to access certain rooms (destination ports), depending on if they're the owner, a child, or a guest. The owner is allowed to any room (any port), while children and guests are allowed into a certain set of rooms (specific ports).

https://www.forcepoint.com/cyber-edu/firewall COMPUTER SOFTWARE Software is a set of programs, which is designed to perform a well-defined function. A program is a sequence of instructions written to solve a particular problem. There are two types of software:  

System Software Application Software

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/computer_fundamentals/ computer_software.htm

System Software The system software is a collection of programs designed to operate, control, and extend the processing capabilities of the computer itself. System software is generally prepared by the computer manufacturers. These software products comprise of programs written in low-level languages, which interact with the hardware at a very basic level. System software serves as the interface between the hardware and the end users. Some examples of system software are Operating System, Compilers, Interpreter, Assemblers, etc.

Here is a list of some of the most prominent features of a system software –  Close to the system  Fast in speed  Difficult to design  Difficult to understand  Less interactive

 Smaller in size  Difficult to manipulate  Generally written in low-level language

Application Software Application software products are designed to satisfy a particular need of a particular environment. All software applications prepared in the computer lab can come under the category of Application software. Application software may consist of a single program, such as Microsoft's notepad for writing and editing a simple text. It may also consist of a collection of programs, often called a software package, which work together to accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet package.

Examples of Application software are the following –  Payroll Software  Student Record Software  Inventory Management Software  Income Tax Software  Railways Reservation Software  Microsoft Office Suite Software  Microsoft Word  Microsoft Excel  Microsoft PowerPoint

Features of application software are as follows –  Close to the user  Easy to design  More interactive  Slow in speed  Generally written in high-level language  Easy to understand  Easy to manipulate and use  Bigger in size and requires large storage space

NETWORK SOFTWARE Network software encompasses a broad range of software used for design, implementation, and operation and monitoring of computer networks. Traditional networks were hardware based with software embedded. With the advent of Software – Defined Networking (SDN), software is separated from the hardware thus making it more adaptable to the ever-changing nature of the computer network. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/Network-Software

Functions of Network Software  Helps to set up and install computer networks  Enables users to have access to network resources in a seamless manner  Allows administrations to add or remove users from the network  Helps to define locations of data storage and allows users to access that data  Helps administrators and security system to protect the network from data breaches, unauthorized access and attacks on a network  Enables network virtualizations Some of the more popular examples of networking software include Logic Monitor, Datadog, Vallum Halo Manager and ConnectWise, among others.

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/what-is-networking-software https://www.logicmonitor.com/ https://www.datadoghq.com/ https://vallumsoftware.com/ https://www.connectwise.com/...