networking fundamentals 1 of 6 connecting computers briefing paper

8/11/2019 Networking Fundamentals 1 of 6 Connecting Computers Briefing Paper

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Briefing paper

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Version 2.0 June 2014

Networking fundamentalsPart 1 of 6Connecting computers

Introduction

A typical office environment includes a computer network, where computers and office equipmentare connected by cable or wireless links. A typical office worker uses the network resources to writedocuments, share files with colleagues, print reports, and send emails. The facilities of a network areusually taken for granted by most people, but understanding how it works is not too difficult.

Network communications

You already know that a network includes hardware, such as personal computers (PCs) and printers,

connected by cable or wireless. The purpose of the connection is to allow the transfer ofinformation or data, to complete a task. The next step is to understand how the data transferhappenswhat language does a computer speak and how does it talk to other computers? Theanswers are 'digital' and 'digital signalling'.

Computers are capable of processing huge amounts of data very quickly. They manipulate the datadigitally, as a series of electrical pulses that are either 'on' or 'off'. If the pulse is 'on' it is representedby a '1', if it's 'off', by a '0'. The ones and zeroes are known as binary digits, or bits.

Each bit represents a portion of the data. The Central Processing Unit (CPU)the brain of thecomputergenerates and reads sets of eight bits ('8-bit') at a time. This system works very wellinside the computer, but when a computer wants to communicate with another computer, it must

move the data outside the CPU, through various intermediaries, until it reaches its destination. Toachieve this data flow, the binary data is carefully encoded into a digital signal that allows it totravel through different mediums (copper wire, optical fibre, air). When it reaches the targetcomputer, the digital signal is carefully decoded to extract the original binary data. The targetcomputer then processes this data in its CPU and completes the task.


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Network setups



Network connections

With a network connection, computers, printers, and otherdevices are connected together in a network. This allowsusers to share files and equipmentsuch as printerswitheach other.

All devices on a network must be equipped with networkcards. A Network Interface Board (NIB), or Network InterfaceCard (NIC), allows computers to be joined together in anetwork, typically a Local Area Network (LAN).

Networked computers communicate with each other using aparticular protocol or agreed-upon language fortransmitting data packets between the different devices. TheNIC acts as an interpreter, allowing the device to both send

and receive data on a LAN. There are several ways in which anetwork connection can be set up:

Ethernet

Remote workstation

IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)

Bluetooth.

Lets look at each of these in more detail.

Ethernet

Ethernet is currently the most commonly used LAN. Ethernet uses a significant number of dataintegrity checks, which ensures data consistency, but this increases transmission times.

Ethernet can run on a variety of media, or cabling, including coaxial cable, shielded and unshieldedtwisted pair, and fibre optic cable. The most popular cabling is twisted pair, which uses two copperwires that are either naked or shielded from electromagnetic radiation. Electromagneticinterference (EMI) can cause data loss.

There are three main types of Ethernet:

10Base-T

100Base-T (Fast Ethernet)

1000Base-T (Gigabit Ethernet).

The number 10, 100, or 1000 indicates the speed in megabits per second (Mbps). 1000Base-T isusually referred to as Gigabit Ethernet, since 1,000 Mbps = 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps).

Base indicates baseband signallingsometimes referred to as narrowband, where only one carrierfrequency is used and all available bandwidth is used for each transmission.

The T indicates twisted-pair cables as the transmission medium.

Ethernet has these advantages:

Economical to implement

Multi-vendor supportinterfaces are available from a wide range of manufacturers

Interoperabilitycan combine different platforms, PC and Macintosh, on one network

Easy to maintain and reliablesince it is hub-based, if a cable breaks or the computer goesdown, only one station is affected.


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Cables and connectors



Remote workstation

A remote workstation is a PC that handles the communication between a device, such as amultifunction product (MFP), and other computers and devices on the network. The MFP isconnected to the remote workstation via a standalone connection. Other users can use the sharedMFP via the remote workstation. Data travels through the remote workstation, and over thenetwork to the computers on the LAN.

IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)

Wi-Fi is a Wireless LAN networking technologythat uses radio waves to provide wireless highspeed internet and network connections.

Wi-Fi is not the only form of wirelessnetworking, but its the industry name for the

IEEE 802.11 family of wireless networkingstandards. Wi-Fi can refer to any of theestablished standards802.11a, 802.11b,802.11g, and 802.11n. Data transfer speed,which is related to the distance and type ofequipment used, can range from 1 Mbps to600 Mbps.

Wi-Fi connections support millions of homes, businesses, and public locations in the world. Anyproduct that is Wi-Fi certified, are interoperable with each other, even if they are from differentmanufacturers.

Bluetooth

This technology was developed to be a low-cost, cross-industry standard. While cheaper than Wi-Fi,it is also slower and has a shorter range. Bluetooth is therefore ideal for Small office/home office(SOHO) environments.

Network cables and connectors

Cables and connectors that are used to build networks are manufactured to meet strict industrystandards. Each cable type has a matching connector.

There are several types of Ethernet cables and connectors, to suit the different types of Ethernet.The most common are Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP). These cables

have matching connectors, known as RJ-45 connectors.


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Network Interface Cards



Network Interface Card

Any computer that operates in a wired network environment uses a Network Interface Card (NIC) toconvert signals processed in a computer, to signals that meet standards for the network. The devicemay also have a facility to convert signals from one network standard to another.

The NICs conversion process is straightforward, but the technology is quite complex. In brief, thesender NIC temporarily stores the computers digital signals, encodes them and then generates thevoltage for transmission on the network. The process operates in reverse at the receiver NIC. Thenetwork cable plugs in to the front panel of the NIC.

Keep in mind that a NIC is also known as a Network Interface Board (NIB), LAN adaptor, LAN card,LAN board, or Ethernet card. The card is designed to meet the signal transmission rate of thenetwork. For example, a NIC for a Fast Ethernet network cannot be used in a Gigabit Ethernetnetwork.

Wireless NICs

A Wireless Network Interface Card (WNIC) is used to connect to radio-based computer networks.WNICs contain a built-in antenna to communicate through microwaves, and are typically connectedusing a computers Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, ExpressCard slot, or USB port.

The term is usually applied to IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) adapters but it may also refer to a WNIC usingother wireless networking standards such as Bluetooth.

Want to know more?

To learn more about networking, read Part 2 of the Networking fundamentalsseries of briefingpapers, which explains the common network types and equipment. It is available in the Librarypageof the Sales Knowledge Centrewebsite.

10Base-T NIC

PCI-based WNIC USB-based WNIC

networking fundamentals 1 of 6 connecting computers briefing paper

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