Week 10‐ SF ‐ Reading Journal ‐ Networking - Wudong-champlain/Spring2024 GitHub Wiki

Briefly define the following terms: Network topology Network topology refers to the layout pattern of interconnections of various elements (links, nodes, etc.) of a computer or telecommunications network. Common topologies include bus, star, ring, mesh, and tree. LAN, and WAN A LAN (Local Area Network) is a network that is confined to a relatively small geographic area, such as a single building or a campus. It is typically used for connecting devices like computers, printers, and servers within the same organization. A WAN (Wide Area Network) is a network that covers a broad area, such as a city, country, or even intercontinental connections. It often uses public infrastructure like telephone lines, fiber optic cables, or satellite links to connect devices over long distances. What is the OSI model and how is it used? The OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model is a conceptual framework that standardizes the functions of a telecommunication or computing system into seven abstraction layers. It helps different systems communicate with each other by ensuring that they follow a standard set of rules and protocols. What is a MAC address? A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for communications at the data link layer of a network segment. It is typically represented as a series of hexadecimal digits separated by colons or dashes. What is an IP address and what are the two types that are used? IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4): This is the older version of the IP address format, represented as four sets of numbers separated by dots (e.g., 192.168.1.1). It is gradually being replaced by IPv6 due to the exhaustion of available IPv4 addresses. IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6): This is the newer version of the IP address format, represented as eight groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334). It was introduced to address the limitations of IPv4 and provide a larger pool of IP addresses.