Archive for July, 2009
Understanding the Difference Between a Switch and a Router
Saturday, July 25th, 2009 by adminCisco Kits asked:
Switches and routers are special devices that enable you to make connections between and among computers, printers, peripherals, networked devices and/or other networks. A switch or a router has at least two ports into which you plug devices’ cables to make the connection, but the similarities more or less end right there. What goes on inside these units is what distinguishes one from another. The terms are often used interchangeably, which is dead wrong, and using the devices incorrectly can result in a network that is just plain dead.
Switches do what simpler devices called “hubs” do, but much more effectively, which is why hubs are decreasing in popularity. A switch will essentially “learn” about the network “traffic” that flows into and through it, and remember what the particular “addresses” represent. For a basic example, a switch will sense traffic from Computer #1 arriving via Port #2, so it knows that any signals that are bound for Computer #1 will have to go out that particular port, as well. Whereas the older, simpler hubs send every signal everywhere, a switch only sends traffic exactly where it needs to go. Busy networks will run dramatically faster with proper switches installed.
Routers big and small
Routers are many orders of magnitude more complex than simple, straightforward switches, and there are many different models in many different form factors from which to choose. Routers can be anything from a small, paperback-book-size, four-port, wireless broadband router to the mammoth and powerful devices that are the traffic cops at the main intersections of the Internet itself. Without these “intelligent appliances,” there would be no World Wide Web as there is today.
Simply put, a router is specialized computer that is programmed for its various important functions. It needs to be aware of the network data, as well as manage and manipulate it in various ways when required, while it also works tirelessly to route data both quickly and correctly. Today’s broadband routers use their special firmware (built-in software) to camouflage or hide computers behind what’s called a firewall. All routers have the ability to configure the handling of the network traffic through some kind of user interface running on the “administrator’s” computer.
Speed and connectivity
You will see a few terms that apply to both of these devices, the most important of which is network speed. Today’s switches and routers are commonly capable of both current and “legacy” (a fancy word for “old”) speeds, and will often be labeled 10/100/1000. These figures refer to the number of megabits, or millions of bits, per second (mbps) the device can handle. You may have or see some older devices labeled with only one speed, which limits its use to devices operating at the same level. However, “gigabit” devices (1000mbps) are the most common now, and as 10/100/1000 devices they handle all speeds well.
A growing number of home and business networks have gone wireless, and the trend is accelerating all the time. The technical term for the wireless router protocols are 802.11b, 802.11g and the newest one, 802.11n. Wireless transceivers in these routers basically add more “virtual ports” to the device. Wireless or wired, routers are standard equipment these days, and falling prices combined with increasing technological sophistication will see to it that they continue to spread.
There are some people who think that switches will eventually disappear as far as home use is concerned, although large businesses and web server companies will need them for a long time to come because of the varied connectivity requirements of their operations. As the so-called digital convergence continues, routers may end up being combined with cable or DSL modems to eliminate multiple pieces of equipment in the standard home or small-business network. If past is prologue in this field, then we can expect both switches and routers to get smaller, better, faster and cheaper all the time.
Create a video blog
Switches and routers are special devices that enable you to make connections between and among computers, printers, peripherals, networked devices and/or other networks. A switch or a router has at least two ports into which you plug devices’ cables to make the connection, but the similarities more or less end right there. What goes on inside these units is what distinguishes one from another. The terms are often used interchangeably, which is dead wrong, and using the devices incorrectly can result in a network that is just plain dead.
Switches do what simpler devices called “hubs” do, but much more effectively, which is why hubs are decreasing in popularity. A switch will essentially “learn” about the network “traffic” that flows into and through it, and remember what the particular “addresses” represent. For a basic example, a switch will sense traffic from Computer #1 arriving via Port #2, so it knows that any signals that are bound for Computer #1 will have to go out that particular port, as well. Whereas the older, simpler hubs send every signal everywhere, a switch only sends traffic exactly where it needs to go. Busy networks will run dramatically faster with proper switches installed.
Routers big and small
Routers are many orders of magnitude more complex than simple, straightforward switches, and there are many different models in many different form factors from which to choose. Routers can be anything from a small, paperback-book-size, four-port, wireless broadband router to the mammoth and powerful devices that are the traffic cops at the main intersections of the Internet itself. Without these “intelligent appliances,” there would be no World Wide Web as there is today.
Simply put, a router is specialized computer that is programmed for its various important functions. It needs to be aware of the network data, as well as manage and manipulate it in various ways when required, while it also works tirelessly to route data both quickly and correctly. Today’s broadband routers use their special firmware (built-in software) to camouflage or hide computers behind what’s called a firewall. All routers have the ability to configure the handling of the network traffic through some kind of user interface running on the “administrator’s” computer.
Speed and connectivity
You will see a few terms that apply to both of these devices, the most important of which is network speed. Today’s switches and routers are commonly capable of both current and “legacy” (a fancy word for “old”) speeds, and will often be labeled 10/100/1000. These figures refer to the number of megabits, or millions of bits, per second (mbps) the device can handle. You may have or see some older devices labeled with only one speed, which limits its use to devices operating at the same level. However, “gigabit” devices (1000mbps) are the most common now, and as 10/100/1000 devices they handle all speeds well.
A growing number of home and business networks have gone wireless, and the trend is accelerating all the time. The technical term for the wireless router protocols are 802.11b, 802.11g and the newest one, 802.11n. Wireless transceivers in these routers basically add more “virtual ports” to the device. Wireless or wired, routers are standard equipment these days, and falling prices combined with increasing technological sophistication will see to it that they continue to spread.
There are some people who think that switches will eventually disappear as far as home use is concerned, although large businesses and web server companies will need them for a long time to come because of the varied connectivity requirements of their operations. As the so-called digital convergence continues, routers may end up being combined with cable or DSL modems to eliminate multiple pieces of equipment in the standard home or small-business network. If past is prologue in this field, then we can expect both switches and routers to get smaller, better, faster and cheaper all the time.
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New Wireless Technology – Wi-fi:
Friday, July 17th, 2009 by admintindestiny asked:
Wireless Technology:
About Wireless Connection:
Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is wireless, and is commonly associated with a telecommunications network whose interconnections between nodes is implemented without the use of wires, such as a computer network.
Wireless Connectivity Types:
Wireless LAN: Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is similar to other wireless devices and uses radio instead of wires to transmit data back and forth between computers on the same network.
• Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is a commonly used wireless network in computer systems which enable connection to the internet or other machines that have Wi-Fi functionalities. Wi-Fi networks broadcast radio waves that can be picked up by Wi-Fi receivers that are attached to different computers or mobile phones.
• Fixed Wireless Data: Fixed wireless data is a type of wireless data network that can be used to connect two or more buildings together in order to extend or share the network bandwidth without physically wiring the buildings together.
? Wi-Fi Technology:
The purpose of Wi-Fi is to hide complexity by enabling wireless access to applications and data, media and streams. The main aims of Wi-Fi are:
• Enable access to information easily
• Ensure compatibility and coexistence
• Get rid of cabling and wiring
• Get rid of switches, adapters, plugs and connectors.
? Uses of Wi-Fi:
A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, game console, cell phone, MP3 player or PDA can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more interconnected access points called a hotspot can comprise an area as small as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as large as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. Wi-Fi technology has served to set up mesh networks.
Wi-Fi also allows connectivity in peer-to-peer (wireless ad-hoc network) mode, which enables devices to connect directly with each other. This connectivity mode can prove useful in consumer electronics and gaming applications.
Many consumer devices use Wi-Fi. Amongst others, personal computers can network to each other and connect to the Internet, mobile computers can connect to the Internet from any Wi-Fi hotspot, and digital cameras can transfer images wirelessly.
WiFi Phones:
A WiFi phone is a wireless telephone that looks similar to a mobile phone but places calls via a combination of voice over IP and WiFi rather than via a cellular network. Some WiFi phones use Skype or Vonage for their voice over IP service such as current Belkin and Netgear WiFi phones. Several cellular carriers have created “Dual-mode phones” to compete with WiFi Phones, which can be easily switched between using a WiFi connection when one is available and a traditional cellular network connection when WiFi is not available.
? Advantage Sides:
It’s fast.
Wi-Fi’s latest version is many times faster than DSL or cable connections, and literally hundreds of times faster than those old dial-up connections. That’s particularly handy when you’re working on the run, on the road, or from home: If you’ve ever watched seconds tick by while watching Web pages load, you’ll appreciate the potential productivity gain.
It’s convenient.
As soon as a Wi-Fi-equipped device is within range of a base station, it’s online. With no wires, you can move your laptop computer from place to place — for instance, from your office to a conference room down the hall, without losing your network connection. When traveling, you can set up shop anyplace equipped with a Wi-Fi network: another company’s office, a hotel room, or a convention center.
It’s everywhere.
Public Wi-Fi access sites — or “hot spots” — are multiplying faster than rabbits on Viagra. They’re in bookstores, airport lounges, fast-food restaurants (including some McDonald’s and Schlotzky’s Deli outlets), and coffee shops. In addition, local merchants from Cincinnati to Athens, Ga., to Portland, Ore., are footing the bill for bigger hot spots, accessible throughout a business district or neighborhood.
? Drawbacks:
Range:
Wi-Fi networks have limited range. A typical Wi-Fi home router using 802.11b or 802.11g with a stock antenna might have a range of 32 m (120 ft) indoors and 95 m (300 ft) outdoors. Range also varies with frequency band.
Although you lose the wires, you’re still limited to the base station’s range, typically 75 to 150 feet indoors and a few hundred feet outdoors, depending on equipment, radio frequency, and obstructions.
Power drain:
Networks using early versions of Wi-Fi technology tend to quickly gobble power - a disadvantage for battery-dependent laptop users.
Security:
Here’s the downside of providing fast, easy access. Outsiders can sometimes get into your wireless networks as fast and easily as you can. Check with hardware vendors about the latest security precautions and products. The Wi-Fi Alliance currently recommends using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) technology, which both authenticates users and encrypts data.
To know more about New Mobile & Wirless Products & technology Visit on Smart Devices Direct: Posted in Networks | Leave a Comment »
Wireless Technology:
About Wireless Connection:
Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is wireless, and is commonly associated with a telecommunications network whose interconnections between nodes is implemented without the use of wires, such as a computer network.
Wireless Connectivity Types:
Wireless LAN: Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is similar to other wireless devices and uses radio instead of wires to transmit data back and forth between computers on the same network.
• Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is a commonly used wireless network in computer systems which enable connection to the internet or other machines that have Wi-Fi functionalities. Wi-Fi networks broadcast radio waves that can be picked up by Wi-Fi receivers that are attached to different computers or mobile phones.
• Fixed Wireless Data: Fixed wireless data is a type of wireless data network that can be used to connect two or more buildings together in order to extend or share the network bandwidth without physically wiring the buildings together.
? Wi-Fi Technology:
The purpose of Wi-Fi is to hide complexity by enabling wireless access to applications and data, media and streams. The main aims of Wi-Fi are:
• Enable access to information easily
• Ensure compatibility and coexistence
• Get rid of cabling and wiring
• Get rid of switches, adapters, plugs and connectors.
? Uses of Wi-Fi:
A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, game console, cell phone, MP3 player or PDA can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more interconnected access points called a hotspot can comprise an area as small as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as large as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. Wi-Fi technology has served to set up mesh networks.
Wi-Fi also allows connectivity in peer-to-peer (wireless ad-hoc network) mode, which enables devices to connect directly with each other. This connectivity mode can prove useful in consumer electronics and gaming applications.
Many consumer devices use Wi-Fi. Amongst others, personal computers can network to each other and connect to the Internet, mobile computers can connect to the Internet from any Wi-Fi hotspot, and digital cameras can transfer images wirelessly.
WiFi Phones:
A WiFi phone is a wireless telephone that looks similar to a mobile phone but places calls via a combination of voice over IP and WiFi rather than via a cellular network. Some WiFi phones use Skype or Vonage for their voice over IP service such as current Belkin and Netgear WiFi phones. Several cellular carriers have created “Dual-mode phones” to compete with WiFi Phones, which can be easily switched between using a WiFi connection when one is available and a traditional cellular network connection when WiFi is not available.
? Advantage Sides:
It’s fast.
Wi-Fi’s latest version is many times faster than DSL or cable connections, and literally hundreds of times faster than those old dial-up connections. That’s particularly handy when you’re working on the run, on the road, or from home: If you’ve ever watched seconds tick by while watching Web pages load, you’ll appreciate the potential productivity gain.
It’s convenient.
As soon as a Wi-Fi-equipped device is within range of a base station, it’s online. With no wires, you can move your laptop computer from place to place — for instance, from your office to a conference room down the hall, without losing your network connection. When traveling, you can set up shop anyplace equipped with a Wi-Fi network: another company’s office, a hotel room, or a convention center.
It’s everywhere.
Public Wi-Fi access sites — or “hot spots” — are multiplying faster than rabbits on Viagra. They’re in bookstores, airport lounges, fast-food restaurants (including some McDonald’s and Schlotzky’s Deli outlets), and coffee shops. In addition, local merchants from Cincinnati to Athens, Ga., to Portland, Ore., are footing the bill for bigger hot spots, accessible throughout a business district or neighborhood.
? Drawbacks:
Range:
Wi-Fi networks have limited range. A typical Wi-Fi home router using 802.11b or 802.11g with a stock antenna might have a range of 32 m (120 ft) indoors and 95 m (300 ft) outdoors. Range also varies with frequency band.
Although you lose the wires, you’re still limited to the base station’s range, typically 75 to 150 feet indoors and a few hundred feet outdoors, depending on equipment, radio frequency, and obstructions.
Power drain:
Networks using early versions of Wi-Fi technology tend to quickly gobble power - a disadvantage for battery-dependent laptop users.
Security:
Here’s the downside of providing fast, easy access. Outsiders can sometimes get into your wireless networks as fast and easily as you can. Check with hardware vendors about the latest security precautions and products. The Wi-Fi Alliance currently recommends using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) technology, which both authenticates users and encrypts data.
To know more about New Mobile & Wirless Products & technology Visit on Smart Devices Direct: Posted in Networks | Leave a Comment »
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Connecting Lines: Computer Networking Explained
Saturday, July 4th, 2009 by adminBenedict Smythe asked:
In a nutshell, computer networking is basically a cluster of computers linked together in a way that it can transmit data and share resources. These sets of connections do not necessitate that the computers bear the same operating systems (OS); it does not even require that similar types of gadgets be used. A perfect example is a personal data assistant (PDA). One may connect a PDA to a laptop over a network. Even kitchen appliances like the internet enabled refrigerator uses networking to activate its surfing functions.
How Is Networking Done?
There are various methods to link computers and other gadgets to a network. And among the plethora of ways and means, the most common networking method is the use of cables. The market provides an assortment of cables from copper-wired to fiber optics each with its advantages and disadvantages.
Copper Wire: Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP)
The UTP is one of the frequently utilized cables for a local area network (LAN) connection, which is essentially linking a few computers within a small geographical area (thus the name, LAN). Going back to the UTP, this is composed of two unshielded and insulated copper wires coiled and twisted together to diminish electrical interference. This type of cable is often opted due to its flexibility, easy maintenance and low cost. The downside, it can (and will) possibly receive severe blows from electrical interference.
Fiber Optics
Data is exchanged by sending voltages along the wire. But for fiber optics, the data is transmitted through light pulses. While the UTP has copper, fiber optics has threadlike strands of glass, or silica. The process goes like this: the laser translates digital signals into pulses of light and conveys it down the series of glass strands. Fiber optics offer rapid data correspondence, though this speed comes with a price, a pocket burning price. With that said, this kind of connection is often seen being utilized by huge internet service providers (ISP) and data centers, not in office or home networks.
Network Topology: Bus Network
Simply put, network topology is the physical formation of the network. And the bus network is the most straightforward among the various network topologies. Let us begin with the bus. All the machines link up to a linear transmission channel, or the bus.
In operation, when a computer sends off data through the bus, all connected machines can see the data, otherwise known as packet. These packets possess pieces of information tagged as packet headers. And these headers, in turn, reflect the recipient or to which computer or machine the data is intended for. The bus inspects the header: if it is for that computer then the whole packet is recognized and received, but if it is not, it will be merely ignored.
The Downside: One at a Time
Unfortunately, the bus can only handle a single data at any given time. In here, two is a crowd. Imagine what could happen if three computers in the network simultaneously transmit data. Well, you will certainly have a few network problems if this collision happens. Speaking of collision, if and when two computers concurrently send data, the main computer (or the first one that notices the collision) will transmit a blocking sign onto the bus. This will trigger a standstill among the linked computers preventing any further data exchange.
Network Interface Cards (NIC)
NICs usually control the ‘to and fro’ or the transmission of packets across the wires bridging the computers in a single network. It also provides a venue of communication among the computers.
Hub
Hub is intended for small-scale computer networking. The problem with this is that it does not sort packets, meaning the data may be sent to the wrong recipient. Another is that the data will be open for everyone in the network. Security wise, this is not the way to go.
Router
To speed things up, this is a network device that diffuses data packets between two networks bearing different protocols. Yes, it is that blinking box that allows you to connect to the web.
There you go. This is simply scratching the surface of networking. You may opt to scour the internet for more information.
Kansieo.com
In a nutshell, computer networking is basically a cluster of computers linked together in a way that it can transmit data and share resources. These sets of connections do not necessitate that the computers bear the same operating systems (OS); it does not even require that similar types of gadgets be used. A perfect example is a personal data assistant (PDA). One may connect a PDA to a laptop over a network. Even kitchen appliances like the internet enabled refrigerator uses networking to activate its surfing functions.
How Is Networking Done?
There are various methods to link computers and other gadgets to a network. And among the plethora of ways and means, the most common networking method is the use of cables. The market provides an assortment of cables from copper-wired to fiber optics each with its advantages and disadvantages.
Copper Wire: Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP)
The UTP is one of the frequently utilized cables for a local area network (LAN) connection, which is essentially linking a few computers within a small geographical area (thus the name, LAN). Going back to the UTP, this is composed of two unshielded and insulated copper wires coiled and twisted together to diminish electrical interference. This type of cable is often opted due to its flexibility, easy maintenance and low cost. The downside, it can (and will) possibly receive severe blows from electrical interference.
Fiber Optics
Data is exchanged by sending voltages along the wire. But for fiber optics, the data is transmitted through light pulses. While the UTP has copper, fiber optics has threadlike strands of glass, or silica. The process goes like this: the laser translates digital signals into pulses of light and conveys it down the series of glass strands. Fiber optics offer rapid data correspondence, though this speed comes with a price, a pocket burning price. With that said, this kind of connection is often seen being utilized by huge internet service providers (ISP) and data centers, not in office or home networks.
Network Topology: Bus Network
Simply put, network topology is the physical formation of the network. And the bus network is the most straightforward among the various network topologies. Let us begin with the bus. All the machines link up to a linear transmission channel, or the bus.
In operation, when a computer sends off data through the bus, all connected machines can see the data, otherwise known as packet. These packets possess pieces of information tagged as packet headers. And these headers, in turn, reflect the recipient or to which computer or machine the data is intended for. The bus inspects the header: if it is for that computer then the whole packet is recognized and received, but if it is not, it will be merely ignored.
The Downside: One at a Time
Unfortunately, the bus can only handle a single data at any given time. In here, two is a crowd. Imagine what could happen if three computers in the network simultaneously transmit data. Well, you will certainly have a few network problems if this collision happens. Speaking of collision, if and when two computers concurrently send data, the main computer (or the first one that notices the collision) will transmit a blocking sign onto the bus. This will trigger a standstill among the linked computers preventing any further data exchange.
Network Interface Cards (NIC)
NICs usually control the ‘to and fro’ or the transmission of packets across the wires bridging the computers in a single network. It also provides a venue of communication among the computers.
Hub
Hub is intended for small-scale computer networking. The problem with this is that it does not sort packets, meaning the data may be sent to the wrong recipient. Another is that the data will be open for everyone in the network. Security wise, this is not the way to go.
Router
To speed things up, this is a network device that diffuses data packets between two networks bearing different protocols. Yes, it is that blinking box that allows you to connect to the web.
There you go. This is simply scratching the surface of networking. You may opt to scour the internet for more information.
Kansieo.com
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