Basics of Networking

Introduction
This document covers the basics of how networking works, and how to use different devices to build networks. Computer networking
has existed for many years, and as time has passed the technologies have become faster and less expensive. Networks are made
up of various devicescomputers, switches, routersconnected together by cables or wireless signals. Understanding the basics of
how networks are put together is an important step in building a wireless network in a community or neighborhood.
This module covers the concepts of:
1.

Clients and servershow services such as e-mail and web pages connect using networks.

2.

IP addresseshow devices on a network can be found.

3.

Network hubs, switches and cablesthe hardware building blocks of any network.

4.

Routers and firewallshow to organize and control the flow of traffic on a network.

Reading through this material should take between half an hour to an hour. Exploring the activities and details of the subject with a
group will take longer.

Clients and Servers

An important relationship on networks is that of the server and the client. A server is a computer that holds
content and services such as a website, a media file, or a chat application. A good example of a server is the
computer that holds the website for Googles search page: http://www.google.com. The server holds that page, and
sends it out when requested.
A client is a different computer, such as your laptop or cell phone, that requests to view, download, or use the
content. The client can connect over a network to exchange information. For instance, when you request
Googles search page with your web browser, your computer is the client.
In the example below, two computers are connected together with an Ethernet cable. These computers are able
to see each other and communicate over the cable. The client computer asks for a website from the server
computer. The website is delivered from the server, and displayed on the clients web browser.
Most requests and content delivery on networks are similar to, or are based on, a client to server relationship.
On a network, the server can be located almost anywhere, and if the client has the address, it can access the
content on the server.
Activity: What is one real world example of a client and server relationship?

Client: _________________

Server:_________________

Example:
client: radio receiver in your car
server: radio station

IP Addresses
In order to send and direct data across a network, computers need to be able to identify destinations and
origins. This identification is an IPInternet Protocoladdress. An IP address is just a set of four numbers
between 1 and 254, separated by dots. An example of an IP address is 173.194.43.7.
An IP address is similar to a street address. Parts of the address describe where in the world the building is
located, another part narrows it down to a state or city, then the area within that state or city, then the location
on the street.
Below we can see 192.168.1 Street. On it are three houses:

The complete addresses for each of these houses is: 192.168.1.20, 192.168.1.21, and 192.168.1.22.
There are different classifications, or types of IP addresses. A network can be public, or it can be private.
Public IP addresses are accessible anywhere on the Internet. Private IP addresses are not, and most are
typically hidden behind a device with a public IP address.
Here we can see an examplea street with two buildings with public IP addressesrepresenting computers
with addresses that are visible to the entire Internet. These buildings might be anywhere in the world, but their
addresses are complete, so we know exactly where they are and can send messages to them.
To see an example of how public and private IP addresses are commonly used, lets take another look
at 192.168.1 Street. We have a new building on the street. That building has a public IP address, and a private
IP address. There is also a fence that blocks the rest of the Internet from seeing and passing messages to
addresses on the street.
The postal building controls messages that travel between the Internet and the street, keeping track of
messages that leave the street, and directs return messages to the right house. On the street, it has the
address 192.168.1.1, and on the Internet it has the address 74.10.10.50.
Activity: Find the IP addresses assigned to your computer, and your network.

What is the IP address for your computer? ____________________

Browse to http://ip.mayfirst.org/
and write down the IP address it reports: ____________________

Are these numbers the same, or different? Why?

Network Hubs and Switches

Traditionally, computers are connected to each other using cablescreating a network. The cable used most
often is Ethernet, which consists of four pairs of wires inside of a plastic jacket. It is physically similar to
phone cables, but can transport much more data.
But cables and computers alone do not make a good network, so one early solution was to use a network hub.
The Ethernet cables from the computer connect to the device similar to the hub of a bike wheelwhere all of
the spokes come together in the center.
An example of how a hub works is shown below. Computer A wants to send a message to computer B. It
sends the message through the Ethernet cable to the hub, then the hub repeats the message to all of the
connected computers.
A network using a hub can slow down if many computers are sending messages, since they may try and send
messages at the same time and confuse the hub. To help with this problem, networks began to use another
device called a switch. Instead of repeating all messages that come in, a switch only sends the message to the
intended destination. This eliminates the unnecessary repetition of the hub.
Using a switch, computer A sends a message to computer Bthe other computers do not see the message.
Those computers can send other messages at the same time without interfering.
Switches do have a limitation thoughthey only know about the addresses of equipment that is plugged
directly into them. So, you can only send messages to a small number of deviceshowever many ports the
switch has! If you need to send a message to a computer on another network, it will need to be sent through a
router, which we discuss next.

Routers and Firewalls

Routers do the majority of the hard work on a network - they make the decisions about all the messages that
travel on the network, and whether to pass messages to and from outside networks. There are three main
functions:
Separate and Bridge
Routers separate networks into sections, or bridge different networks together, as we see in the
example abovethe private network of 192.168.1 Street is bridged to the Internet with a public
IP address.
Assign IPs
They can assign IP addresses. In the example of 192.168.1 Street, if a new house is built on the
street, it would get whatever the next highest house number available. In the case of routers, they
assign IP addresses using DHCPDynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
Firewall and Protect
They can filter messages or keep users out of private networks. Most routers have a Firewall
built in. This is a software function that keeps unwanted messages from reaching the computers
on the inside, or private part, of the network.
Let us take another look at 192.168.1 Street, and the postal service building we included when it had a public
address for the entire street. As it turns out, that postal service building is acting as a Router.
In this case, the postal service building is routing messages between the rest of the Internet using its public
address and the street with private addresses.

Definitions
DHCPDynamic Host Configuration Protocol
It assigns IP addresses to client devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, and phones, when they
are plugged into Ethernet or connect to Wireless networks.
Ethernet
A type of networking protocolit defines the types of cables and connections that are used to wire
computers, switches, and routers together. Most often Ethernet cabling is Category 5 or 6, made up of
twisted pair wiring similar to phone cables.
Hub
A network device that repeats the traffic it receives to all connected devices.
Switch
A network device that sends traffic it receives to a specific connected device, such as a single desktop
computer or laptop.
Router
A network device that can bridge between different networks, determine what traffic can pass between
them, and perform other functions on a network, such as assigning IP addresses.
Firewall
A function typically performed by routers, this filters traffic between networks and can protect them
from interference or attacks.

Types of Networks
There are several different types of computer networks. Computer networks can be characterized by their size
as well as their purpose.
The size of a network can be expressed by the geographic area they occupy and the number of computers that
are part of the network. Networks can cover anything from a handful of devices within a single room to
millions of devices spread across the entire globe.
Some of the different networks based on size are:

Personal area network, or PAN

Local area network, or LAN

Metropolitan area network, or MAN

Wide area network, or WAN

In terms of purpose, many networks can be considered general purpose, which means they are used for
everything from sending files to a printer to accessing the Internet. Some types of networks, however, serve a
very particular purpose. Some of the different networks based on their main purpose are:

Storage area network, or SAN

Enterprise private network, or EPN

Virtual private network, or VPN

Let's look at each of these in a bit more detail.

Personal Area Network
A personal area network, or PAN, is a computer network organized around an individual person within a
single building. This could be inside a small office or residence. A typical PAN would include one or more
computers, telephones, peripheral devices, video game consoles and other personal entertainment devices.
If multiple individuals use the same network within a residence, the network is sometimes referred to as a
home area network, or HAN. In a very typical setup, a residence will have a single wired Internet connection
connected to a modem. This modem then provides both wired and wireless connections for multiple devices.
The network is typically managed from a single computer but can be accessed from any device.
This type of network provides great flexibility. For example, it allows you to:

Send a document to the printer in the office upstairs while you are sitting on the couch with your
laptop.

Upload the photo from your cell phone to your desktop computer.

Watch movies from an online streaming service to your TV.

If this sounds familiar to you, you likely have a PAN in your house without having called it by its name.
Local Area Network
A local area network, or LAN, consists of a computer network at a single site, typically an individual office
building. A LAN is very useful for sharing resources, such as data storage and printers. LANs can be built
with relatively inexpensive hardware, such as hubs, network adapters and Ethernet cables.
The smallest LAN may only use two computers, while larger LANs can accommodate thousands of
computers. A LAN typically relies mostly on wired connections for increased speed and security, but wireless
connections can also be part of a LAN. High speed and relatively low cost are the defining characteristics of
LANs.
LANs are typically used for single sites where people need to share resources among themselves but not with
the rest of the outside world. Think of an office building where everybody should be able to access files on a
central server or be able to print a document to one or more central printers. Those tasks should be easy for
everybody working in the same office, but you would not want somebody just walking outside to be able to
send a document to the printer from their cell phone! If a local area network, or LAN, is entirely wireless, it is
referred to as a wireless local area network, or WLAN.
Metropolitan Area Network
A metropolitan area network, or MAN, consists of a computer network across an entire city, college campus
or small region. A MAN is larger than a LAN, which is typically limited to a single building or site.
Depending on the configuration, this type of network can cover an area from several miles to tens of miles. A
MAN is often used to connect several LANs together to form a bigger network. When this type of network is
specifically designed for a college campus, it is sometimes referred to as a campus area network, or CAN.
Wide Area Network
A wide area network, or WAN, occupies a very large area, such as an entire country or the entire world. A
WAN can contain multiple smaller networks, such as LANs or MANs. The Internet is the best-known
example of a public WAN.

Private Networks
One of the benefits of networks like PAN and LAN is that they can be kept entirely private by restricting some
communications to the connections within the network. This means that those communications never go over
the Internet.