Cambridge International AS and A-Level Computer Science (9618) Communication and Network Technologies Review Questions and Answers

What is a static IP Address - never changes - provided by ISP What is the purpose and benefits of networking devices - File sharing - you can easily share data between different users. - Resource sharing - using peripheral devices and software between users, saves money - Sharing a single internet connection - Increasing storage capacity - you can store data on other machines or network-attached storage devices. What are the characteristics of a LAN - Within site or branch - Owned by organisation - One of many individual LANs - Uses a twisted pair cable or WiFi - LAN contains device that allows connection to other networks What are the characteristics of a WAN - Used to connect sites or branches - Not owned by organisation - Leased from PSTN - Dedicated communication link provided by PSTN - Transmission medium is fiber-optic cable - A switch will connect WAN to each site - No end-systems directly connected to WAN What are the advantages and disadvantages of the client-server model? - Allows organisation to control the downloading and use of files - The files can be better protected from malware attacks, as they are stored on 1 server which can be checked regularly What are the advantages of the peer-to-peer model - Avoids possibility of congestion on the network when many clients are simultaneously trying to download files - parts of a file can be downloaded separately - the parts are available from more than one host