2.1.1 Network communication

Question 1

What are the network hardware components

Answer 1

Switches
Hubs
Routers / wireless routers
Gateway
Bridge
Wireless Access Points
NIC card (Network Interface Card)

Question 2

What are switches

Answer 2

analyses each packet of data and sends
it to the computer to which it was intended.

Question 3

What are Hubs

Answer 3

copies all packets of data to all devices on
the network.

Question 4

What are routers

Answer 4

stores computer
addresses on the network and transfers data
between devices

Question 5

What is a gateway

Answer 5

joins together two networks that use
different base protocols, e.g. links a LAN to WAN.

Question 6

What is a bridge

Answer 6

joins together two networks that use the
same base protocols, e.g. links LAN to LAN.

Question 7

What are wireless access points

Answer 7

a device that allows other
Wi-Fi devices to connect to a network.

Question 8

What are NIC cards

Answer 8

allows devices to access a network. A wireless NIC allows devices to access a network wirelessly

Question 9

What are the types of transmissions

Answer 9

• Wired – 100Mbs – 10GBps (CAT5-6a).
• Fibre
• FTTC – fibre to cabinet.
• FTTP – fibre to premises.
• Wireless – radio, microwave, satellite, infrared.

Question 10

What are the Communication technologies

Answer 10

Ethernet – 802.3 – often used in a LAN. Consists of
CAT5-CAT7 cabling.

• Bluetooth – short-range wireless technology
  exchanging data between devices, e.g. smart phone
  and headphones.
• WiFi – 802.11 – used in LANs to connect devices
  wirelessly.
• TCP/IP – a suite of protocols that enables devices to
  communicate over a network.
• 2G(GSM) / 2.5G(GPRS) / 3G / 4G / 5G – cellular
  network that allows electromagnetic waves to
  transmit data over long distances. Used in WANs.

Question 11

What are the protocols and standards 1

Answer 11

Ethernet – wired (cable connection) protocol.

• Wi-Fi – wireless. Two common standards are Bluetooth and 801.11.
• TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) – a means of putting datagrams together.
• IP (Internet Protocol) – a means of addressing and routing data packets across a network.
• UDP (User Datagram Protocol) – a low-cost means of putting datagrams together, principally for streaming, video, etc.

Question 12

What is the protocols and standards 2

Answer 12

• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) – stateless signalling used for setting up VoIP and media streaming.
• HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) – allows webpages to be shared across different
  computers and browsers.
• HTTPS (a secure variant of HTTP) – it works together with another protocol, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), to transport data securely.
• SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) – mail servers use SMTP to send and receive mail. Messages and mail applications typically use SMTP only for sending messages to a mail server.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – a means of sending files across the Internet between one or more points.