Networking: Understanding Different Network Types, Topologies, and Devices, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Programming Paradigms

Download Networking: Understanding Different Network Types, Topologies, and Devices and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Programming Paradigms in PDF only on Docsity! ASSIGNMENT 1 FRONT SHEET Qualification BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Computing Unit number and title Unit 2: Networking Infrastructure Submission date Date Received 1st submission Re-submission Date Date Received 2nd submission Student Name Truong Duy Minh Student ID GCD210505 Class GED1102 Assessor name Dang Quang Hien Student declaration I certify that the assignment submission is entirely my own work and I fully understand the consequences of plagiarism. I understand that making a false declaration is a form of malpractice. Student’s signature Minh Grading grid P1 P2 P3 P4 M1 M2 D1 ❒ Summative Feedback: ❒ Resubmission Feedback: Grade: Assessor Signature: Date: Lecturer Signature: Figure 26: FTP Server.................................................................................................................................................25 Figure 27: Workstation Hardware..............................................................................................................................27 Figure 28: Networking Software................................................................................................................................27 I. INTRODUCTION In this report, I will investigate and explain networking principles, protocols and devices. My aim is help readers to understand networking principles and their protocols along with networking devices and operations. My report is divided into 4 part as follows:  Discuss the benefits and constraints of different network types and standards  Explain the impact of network topology, communication and bandwidth requirements  Discuss the operating principles of networking devices and server types  Discuss the inter-dependence of workstation hardware with relevant networking software II. Discuss the benefits and constraints of different network types and standards II.1 Define the network In information technology, a network is defined as the connection of at least two computer systems, either by a cable or a wireless connection. The simplest network is a combination of two computers connected by a cable. This type of network is called a peer- to-peer network. There is no hierarchy in this network; both participants have equal privileges. Each computer has access to the data of the other device and can share resources such as disk space, applications or peripheral devices (printers, etc.). Today’s networks tend to be a bit more complex and don’t just consist of two computers. Systems with more than ten participants usually use client-server networks. In these networks, a central computer (server) provides resources to the other participants in the network (clients). (Anon., n.d.) Figure 1: Network II.2 Type of networks II.2.1 LAN A LAN is a computer network that consists of access points, cables, routers, and switches that enable devices to connect to web servers and internal servers within a single building, campus, or home network, and to other LANs via Wide Area Networks (WAN) or Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). Devices on a LAN, typically personal computers and workstations, can share files and be accessed by each other over a single Internet connection. (Anon., n.d.) Figure 2: Local Area Network (LAN) Importance of Local Area Network in an Organization There are several advantages of Local Area Networks in business:  Reduced Costs: LANs present a significant reduction in Local Area Network hardware costs and efficient resource pooling.  Increased Storage Capacity: By pooling all data into a central data storage server, the number of storage servers required is decreased and the efficiency of operations is increased.  Optimized Flexibility: Data can be accessed by any device from anywhere via Internet connection.  Streamlined Communication: Files and messages can be transferred in real time and accessed easily from anywhere on any device. Figure 4: Wide Area Network (WAN) II.3 Network protocol  Theory about network protocol A network protocol is an established set of rules that determine how data is transmitted between different devices in the same network. Essentially, it allows connected devices to communicate with each other, regardless of any differences in their internal processes, structure or design. Network protocols are the reason you can easily communicate with people all over the world, and thus play a critical role in modern digital communications. Similar to the way that speaking the same language simplifies communication between two people, network protocols make it possible for devices to interact with each other because of predetermined rules built into devices’ software and hardware. Neither local area networks (LAN) nor wide area networks (WAN) could function the way they do today without the use of network protocols. (Anon., n.d.)  Some common protocols 1. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) A communication layer protocol (mapping process between the data link layer and network layer) which is used to identify a media access control (MAC) address given the IP address. There is no way that the host can validate where the network packet came from in the peer to peer network. This is a vulnerability and gives rise to ARP spoofing. The attacker can exploit this if the attacker is on the same LAN as the target or uses a compromised machine that is on the same network. The idea is that the attacker associates his MAC address with the IP address of the target so that any traffic meant for the target is received by the attacker. Figure 5: ARP 2. Domain Name System (DNS) IP addresses are of numerical format and hence they are not easily readable or remember- able to humans. DNS is a hierarchical system that converts these IP addresses into a human- readable hostname. The most common vulnerability in DNS is cache poisoning. Here the attacker replaces the legitimate IP address to send the target audience to malicious websites. DNS amplification can also be exploited on a DNS server which permits recursive lookups and uses recursion to amplify the magnitude of the attack. Figure 6: DNS 3. File Transfer Protocol/Secure (FTP/S) It is a network protocol based on the client and server model architecture which is used to transfer files between the client and the server on a computer network. Most common FTP attacks use Cross-Site scripting when the attacker uses a web application to send malicious code, in the form of a browser-side script (or cookies) to the user. The remote File Transfer Protocol(FTP) does not control connections and encrypt its data. The usernames along with passwords are transmitted in clear text which can be intercepted by any network sniffer or can even result in a man-in-the-middle attack(MITM). III. Explain the impact of network topology, communication and bandwidth requirements III.1 Define Network Topology Network topology is the schematic description of the arrangement of the physical and logical elements of a communication network. Network topology refers to the manner in which the links and nodes of a network are arranged to relate to each other. Topologies are categorized as either physical network topology, which is the physical signal transmission medium, or logical network topology, which refers to the manner in which data travels through the network between devices, independent of physical connection of the devices. Logical network topology examples include twisted pair Ethernet, which is categorized as a logical bus topology, and token ring, which is categorized as a logical ring topology. Figure 10: Network Topology III.2 Kind of Network Topologies There are several different logical and physical network topologies from which administrators can choose to build a secure, robust, and easily maintainable topology. The most popular configurations include:  Bus network topology -- Also known as backbone network topology, this configuration connects all devices to a main cable via drop lines. The advantages of bus network topology lie in its simplicity, as there is less cable required than in alternative topologies, which makes for easy installation.  Mesh network topology -- A dedicated point-to-point link connects each device on the network to another device on the network, only carrying data between two devices.  Ring network topology -- Two dedicated point-to-point links connect a device to the two devices located on either side of it, creating a ring of devices through which data is forwarded via repeaters until it reaches the target device.  Star network topology -- The most common network topology, star topology connects each device in the network to a central hub. Devices can only communicate with each other indirectly through the central hub.  Hybrid network topology -- Any combination of two or more topologies is a hybrid topology.  Tree network topology -- This topology consists of a parent-child hierarchy in which star networks are interconnected via bus networks. Nodes branch out linearly from one root node, and two connected nodes only share one mutual connection. III.3 Communication and Bandwich requirements  Network communication Network communication, or internetworking, defines a set of protocols (that is, rules and standards) that allow application programs to talk with each other without regard to the hardware and operating systems where they are run. Internetworking allows application programs to communicate independently of their physical network connections. The internetworking technology called TCP/IP is named after its two main protocols: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). To understand TCP/IP, you should be familiar with the following terms:  Client: A process that requests services on the network.  Server: A process that responds to a request for service from a client.  Datagram: The basic unit of information, consisting of one or more data packets, which are passed across an Internet at the transport level.  Packet: The unit or block of a data transaction between a computer and its network. A packet usually contains a network header, at least one high-level protocol header, and data blocks. Generally, the format of data blocks does not affect how packets are handled. Packets are the exchange medium used at the Internetwork layer to send data through the network. Figure 11: Network communication  BANDWIDTH Bandwidth is measured as the amount of data that can be transferred from one point to another within a network in a specific amount of time. Typically, bandwidth is expressed as a bitrate and measured in bits per second (bps). (Anon., n.d.) Figure 12: Banwidth Figure 16: How switch work  Gateway Gateway is a network connecting device that can be used to connect two devices in two different networks implementing different networking protocols and overall network architecture. In other words, a gateway is a node on a network that serves as an entrance to another network. (Anon., n.d.) Figure 17: Gateway A default gateway passes the local subnet to devices on other subnets. In other words, a default gateway connects a local network to the internet or some other network. Actually, each network has an internal default gateway in order to connect its devices to the dissimilar network. A gateway can also have multiple NIC's(a chip that allows the nodes to communicate to another computer on a network) connected to it. Unlike routers, it does not supports dynamic routing. It mostly uses a packet switching technique to transmit data from one network to another. A gateway mainly works on IP(Internet Protocol) Addresses for dissimilar network communication. It has control over both collisions(inside a network) as well as broadcast(outside the networks) domain. It can also encapsulate and decapsulate the data packets when they send and receive the data packets respectively.  Hub A hub is a common connection point, also known as a network hub, which is used for connection of devices in a network. It works as a central connection for all the devices that are connected through a hub. The hub has numerous ports. If a packet reaches at one port, it is able to see by all the segments of the network due to a packet is copied to the other ports. A network hub has no routing tables or intelligence (unlike a network switch or router), which is used to send information and broadcast all network data across each and every connection. Although most of the hubs can recognize network troubles or errors like collisions, broadcasting all information to the several ports can be a security risk and cause bottlenecks. The network hubs were popular in the past time as they were cheaper as compared to a switch or router. Nowadays, switches are much cheaper than a hub and provide a better solution for any network. Furthermore, a hub is no IP address, as it is a dumb device Figure 18: Hub  Hubs work as a central connection between all network equipment and handle a data type, which is called frames. If a frame is received, it is transmitted to the port of the destination computer after amplifying it.  A frame is passed to each of its ports in the hub, whether it is destined only for one port. It does not include the way of deciding a frame to which port it should be sent. Therefore, a frame has to transmit to every port, which ensures that it will reach its intended destination that generates a lot of traffic on the network and can be caused to damage the network.  The hub is slower as compared to standard switch as it is not able to send or receive information at the same time, but a switch is more costly than a hub.  Repeater A repeater is a network device that retransmits a received signal with more power and to an extended geographical or topological network boundary than what would be capable with the original signal. A repeater is implemented in computer networks to expand the coverage area of the network, repropagate a weak or broken signal and or service remote nodes. Repeaters amplify the received/input signal to a higher frequency domain so that it is reusable, scalable and available. Figure 19: Repeater A repeater receives the radio signal on one frequency and simultaneously transmits the same signal on another frequency. Typically, a repeater is placed in a location where it can have a virtual line of sight to all radios in the system. Radio signals do bounce off buildings and in some cases diffract or bend around buildings or mountains.  IV.2 Server types  Web server The term web server can refer to hardware or software, or both of them working together.  On the hardware side, a web server is a computer that stores web server software and a website's component files (for example, HTML documents, images, CSS stylesheets, and JavaScript files). A web server connects to the Internet and supports physical data interchange with other devices connected to the web.  On the software side, a web server includes several parts that control how web users access hosted files. At a minimum, this is an HTTP server. An HTTP server is software that understands URLs (web addresses) and HTTP (the protocol your browser uses to view webpages). An HTTP server can be accessed through the domain names of the websites it stores, and it delivers the content of these hosted websites to the end user's device. At the most basic level, whenever a browser needs a file that is hosted on a web server, the browser requests the file via HTTP. When the request reaches the correct (hardware) web server, the (software) HTTP server accepts the request, finds the requested document, and sends it back to the browser, also through HTTP. (If the server doesn't find the requested document, it returns a 404 response instead.). The DNS recursor (also referred to as the DNS resolver) is a server that receives the query from the DNS client, and then interacts with other DNS servers to hunt down the correct IP. Once the resolver receives the request from the client, the resolver then actually behaves as a client itself, querying the other three types of DNS servers in search of the right IP.  DHCP Server Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a client/server protocol that automatically provides an Internet Protocol (IP) host with its IP address and other related configuration information such as the subnet mask and default gateway. Figure 24: DHCP Server DHCP provides the following benefits.  Reliable IP address configuration. DHCP minimizes configuration errors caused by manual IP address configuration, such as typographical errors, or address conflicts caused by the assignment of an IP address to more than one computer at the same time.  Reduced network administration. DHCP includes the following features to reduce network administration:  Centralized and automated TCP/IP configuration.  The ability to define TCP/IP configurations from a central location.  The ability to assign a full range of additional TCP/IP configuration values by means of DHCP options.  The efficient handling of IP address changes for clients that must be updated frequently, such as those for portable devices that move to different locations on a wireless network.  The forwarding of initial DHCP messages by using a DHCP relay agent, which eliminates the need for a DHCP server on every subnet.  FTP Server FTP is a standard network protocol used for the transfer of files between a client and server on a computer network. FTP is a very well-established protocol, developed in the 1970s to allow two computers to transfer data over the internet. One computer acts as the server to store information and the other acts as the client to send or request files from the server. The FTP protocol typically uses port 21 as its main means of communication. An FTP server will listen for client connections on port 21. Figure 25: FTP Server FTP servers, and the more secure SFTP Server software, perform 2 basic tasks: “Put” and “Get.” You can put files on the FTP Server or get files from the FTP Server. If security is not a concern, FTP Server software is an easy and inexpensive way to accomplish this. Figure 26: FTP Server If you have remote employees who need to upload non-confidential information (such as timesheets, for example), or if you want to allow your customers to download white papers and documentation, an FTP Server works well for this purpose. If you are exchanging non-sensitive data with business partners, and the partner requires FTP or SFTP, you can quickly set up a server that will accept their data transfer. Some people even use FTP Servers for offsite backup so they can access their data should something physically happen to their files. IV.3 Considering a given scenario regarding cost and performance optimization In this case, DNS Server is the best option. With the case stated in the situation, there are 3 things that only DNS Server can do to solve the problem.  The first thing definitely is speed, due to the centralized mechanism to resolve the IP address for a certain domain name, this is the system that help you find the website with your internet browser in the fastest way.  The second thing is security, whenever hackers try to attack the server, theirs efforts will be prevented when intentionally access the system because DNS has cut separate servers to protect the device.  The final thing is stability, the DNS system will continuously update the IP address so that users do not need to spend time updating. When compare to others server, DNS is also cheaper and easier to approach. V. Discuss the inter-dependence of workstation hardware with relevant networking software V.1 Workstation hardware Hardware (sometimes abbreviated to HW) can be defined as the physical components that a computer system needs to function. This distinguishes it from software, which consists of written instructions that tell the physical components what to do. (Anon., n.d.) The components that make up hardware can be categorized as being either internal or external. Internal components are those installed inside the computer, typical examples being the motherboard, power supply, and central processing unit (CPU). External components are connected to the outside of the computer, these can also be referred to as peripherals, or peripheral devices, common examples being the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. 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