Telecommunications
Telecommunications
Exchange of information in any form (voice, data, text, images, audio, video) over networks
Telecommunications network
Any arrangement where a sender transmits a message to a receiver over a channel consisting of some type of medium
Telecommunications network components
Terminals: any input/output device that uses networks to transmit or receive data
Telecommunications Processors: devices that support data transmission and reception
Telecommunications Channels: media over which data are transmitted and received
Computers: all sizes and types
Telecommunications Control Software: programs that control telecommunications activities
Wide Area Network (WAN)
Telecommunications network that covers a large geographic area
Local Area Network (LAN)
Connect computers within a limited physical area such as an office, classroom, or building
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
A secure network that uses the Internet as its backbone but relies on firewalls, encryption and other security
A pipe traveling through the Internet
Client/Server networks
Clients: End user personal computers or networked computers
Interconnected by LANs
Servers: manage networks
Processing shared between clients and servers
Network Computing
Networks are the central computing resource of the organization
Thin clients: network computers and other clients provide a browser-based user interface
Thin client means that very little processing is done on the client. Most the processing is done on the server.
Three-tier model includes thin clients, application servers and database servers
Peer-to-peer networks
Networks that connect from one PC to another PC
Common use is the downloading and trading of files
With a central server architecture, P2P file-sharing software connects your PC to a central server that contains a directory of all the other users in the network. When you request a file, the server searches the directory for any other users who have that file and are online. You click on list and make the P2P connection.
Napster used this architecture.
Pure P2P has no central directory or server.
Network Topologies
Topology: structure of a network
Star: ties end user computers to a central computer
Ring: ties local computer processors together in a ring on a relatively equal basis
Bus: local processors share the same communications channel
Network Architectures & Protocols
Protocol: standard set of rules and procedures for the control of communications in a network
Network Architecture:
Master plan of standard protocols, hardware, software and interfaces between end users and computer systems
Goal of promoting an open, simple, flexible, and efficient telecommunications environment
