ITN 100 Chapter 1-4 Study Guide Questions with Complete Solutions

ITN 100 Chapter 1-4 Study Guide Questions with Complete Solutions 1. How can data communication networks affect businesses? Data communication networks can affect businesses by being the foundations for distributed systems in which information system applications are divided among a network of computers. Data communication networks facilitate more efficient use of computers and improve the day-to-day control of a business by providing faster information flow, aiding strategic competitive advantage. They also provide message transfer services to allow computer users to talk to one another via electronic mail. 2. Discuss three important applications of data communication networks in business and personal use. Three important applications of data communication networks in business and personal use include email, videoconferencing, and the Internet. 3. How do LANs differ from WANs, and BNs? A Local Area Network (LAN) is a group of microcomputers or terminals located in the same general area. A Backbone Network (BN) is a large central network that connects most everything on a single company site. A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) encompasses a city or county area. A Wide Area Network (WAN) spans cities, states, or national boundaries. Typically, MANs and WANs used leased facilities, while LANs and BNs are often located internally in an organization and used owned facilities. 4. What is a circuit? The circuit is the pathway through which the messages travel. It can be made up of a copper wire, although fiber optic cable and wireless transmission are becoming more common. A circuit can also pass across many types of physical facilities such as copper wire or fiber optic cable, but the single end-to-end connection, no matter what the equipment, is referred to as the circuit. There are many devices along the circuit's path that perform special functions such as hubs, switches, routers, and gateways. 5. What is a client? The client is the input or output hardware device at the other end of a communication circuit. It typically provides remote users with access to the network and the data and software on the server. 6. What is a server? The server stores data or software that can be accessed by the clients, or remote users of a hardware input or output device. In client-server computing, several servers may work together over the network to support the business application. 7. Why are network layers important? Communication networks are often broken into a series of layers, each of which can be defined separately, to enable vendors to develop software and hardware that can work together in the overall network. These layers enable simplicity in development and also in the comprehension of complex networks. In the end, the strategy of using more simplistic network layers allows vastly different kinds of equipment to be able to have connectivity over a common platform or network, using protocols and standards that are applicable to each narrow slice of the network. 8. Describe the seven layers in the OSI network model and what they do. The application layer is the application software used by the network user. The presentation layer formats the data for presentation to the user by accommodating different interfaces on different terminals or computers so the application program need not worry about them. The session layer is responsible for initiating, maintaining, and terminating each logical session between end users. The transport layer deals with end-to-end issues, such as procedures for entering and departing from the network, by establishing, maintaining, and terminating logical connections for the transfer of data between the original sender and the final destination of the message. The network layer takes the message generated by the application layer and if necessary, breaks it into several smaller messages. It then addresses the message(s) and determines their route through the network, and records message accounting information before passing it to the data link layer. The data link layer formats the message to indicate where it starts and ends, decides when to transmit it over the physical media, and detects and corrects any errors that occur in transmission. The physical layer is the physical connection between the sender and receiver, including the hardware devices (e.g., computers, terminals, and modems) and physical media (e.g., cables, and satellites). 9. Describe the five layers in the Internet network model and what they do. The application layer is the application software used by the network user. The transport layer deals with end-to- end issues, such as procedures for entering and departing from the network, by establishing, maintaining, and terminating logical connections for the transfer of data between the original sender and the final destination of the message. The network