Network Devices

Ethernet Hub: a hub is a device where data arrives from one or more nodes and is forwarded to one or more other nodes. Hubs have 4 to 24 ports for twisted pair cabling & 1 or more uplink ports for connecting the hub to other hubs. Also hubs have indicator light to indicate the port status, the link status, collisions & so on. Some hubs (Active Hubs) also amplify the signal before transmitting it on to other nodes. Switches: a switch is a network device that selects the path or circuit for sending data to its next destination (node). A switch is not required in a smaller network but in a large networks where there can be many possible ways of transmitting a message from a sender to destination. The purpose of switch is to select the best possible path. Router: a router is an essential network device for interconnecting 2 or more networks. A routers sole aim is to trace the best route for the information to travel. Routers consist of combination of hardware and software. The hardware includes the physical connections to various networks. The software helps in determining the best path out of the available paths. It creates & maintains a table, called routing table that stores the best routes. Gateway: is an internetworking device used to interconnect two dissimilar networks together. It is also known as protocol converter. It accepts the packet formatted for one protocol & converts into another protocol. It can be implemented in hardware, software or both. Ex, a gateway can receive email in one format & convert it into another format.

Types of Networks Based on the geographical area covered by the network, networks can be classified as follows: 1. Local Area Network 2. Wide Area Network 3. Metropolitan Area Network LAN: a data communication network that connects computers together in a room, building or a campus is called a Local area network. A LAN normally transmits the data in a digital form using media such as coaxial cables, twisted pair wires, infrared or radio signals. it is capable of interconnecting a large number of computers, terminals & other peripheral devices within a limited geographical area, typically within 1-5 kms. WAN: is a system of interconnecting many computers over a large geographical area such as cities, states, countries or even whole world. Transmission media used in WAN are normally public system such as telephone lines, microwave links & satellite links. Although a WAN may be owned or rented by private business, it is usually public network used to connect small sized networks together.

MAN: is a network of computers spread over a metropolitan area, such as city & sub-urbs. MAN typically covers an area b/w 5 to 50 kms in a diameter. It is not owned by single network provider. A MAN often acts as a high speed network allowed to share regional resources. It may be used in school campuses, large universities & large companies with multiple buildings within a city. A MAN may be operated by 1 organization (corporate offices in 1 city) or may be shared resources used by several organizations in the same city.