Paper1:
Computer Systems.

1.3 Computer Networks, Connections, and Protocols

  • Types of networks:

    • LAN (Local Area Network)

    • WAN (Wide Area Network)

  • Factors that affect the performance of networks

  • The different roles of computers in a client-server and a peer-to-peer network

  • The hardware needed to connect stand-alone computers into a Local Area Network:

    • Wireless access points

    • Routers

    • Switches

    • NIC (Network Interface Controller/Card)

    • Transmission media

  • The Internet as a worldwide collection of computer networks:

    • DNS (Domain Name Server)

    • Hosting

    • The Cloud

    • Webservers and Clients

  • Star and Mesh network topologies

  • Modes of connection:

    • Wired

      • Ethernet

    • Wireless

      • Wi-Fi

      • Bluetooth

  • Encryption

  • IP addressing and MAC addressing

  • Standards

  • Common protocols including:

    • TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

    • HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)

    • HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure)

    • FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

    • POP (Post Office Protocol)

    • IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)

    • SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

  • The concept of layers