CCNA – Semester1

Chapter 1- Living in a Network Centric World

CCNA Exploration 4.0

Objectives
• Describe how networks impact our daily lives.
• Describe the role of data networking in the human network.
• Identify the key components of any data network.
• Identify the opportunities and challenges posed by
converged networks.
• Describe the characteristics of network architectures: fault-
tolerance, scalability, quality of service and security.
• Install and use IRC clients and a Wiki server.
 Communication in a
Network-Centric World
How Networks Impact Daily Life

• Communication is almost as important to us as our reliance on air,

water, food, and shelter.
• The communication method changes and evolves constantly.
• Early data network: limited to exchanging character-based information
between connected computer systems.
• Current networks have evolved to carry voice, video streams, text, and
graphics between many different types of devices.
How Networks Impact Daily Life
The way we live
How Networks Impact Daily Life

Some popular communication media:

• Instant messaging: Real time communication
between 2 or more people based on typed text
• Weblogs (Blogs): Web pages created by an
individual, easy to update and edit
• Wikis: Web pages created by anyone, likes weblogs
but more public
• Podcasting: Website that contains audio files
available for downloading
• Collaboration Tools: give people the opportunity to
work together on shared documents.
How Networks Impact Daily Life
The way we learn
• Communication, collaboration, and engagement are
fundamental building blocks of education. The learning
materials include interactive activities, assessments, and
feedback.
• Traditional learning methods: student can obtain
information only from the textbook and the instructor.
• E-learning courseware: contain voice, data, and video; any
time, anywhere; online discussion. Combine instructor-led
classes with online courseware.
• Access to high quality instruction.
• Removed geographic barriers
How Networks Impact Daily Life
• The Cisco Networking Academy Program is an example of
a global online learning experience.
• Online courseware and delivery offer many benefits:
– Current and accurate training materials.
– Availability of training to a wide audience.
– Consistent quality of instruction.
– Cost reduction.
How Networks Impact Daily Life
The way we work
• Many different types of information services: e-mail, video,
messaging, and telephony.
• Intranets for private, extranets for suppliers, vendors, and
customers.
How Networks Impact Daily Life
The way we play
• Supported by services delivered by the data network
 Communication –
An essential Part of Out Lives
Communication
• Basic characteristics of communication
– Rules or agreements are 1st established
– Important information may need to be repeated
– Various modes of communication may impact the
effectiveness of getting the message across.
Quality of Communications
• Communication is successful when the meaning of the message
understood by the recipient matches the meaning intended by the
sender.
• Many factors can prevent the message from reaching the recipient or
distort its intended meaning: external and internal.
External Factors
• The quality of the pathway between the sender and the recipient
• The number of times the message has to change form
• The number of times the message has to be redirected or readdressed
• The number of other messages being transmitted simultaneously on
the communication network
• The amount of time allotted for successful communication
Internal Factors
• The size of the message
• The complexity of the message
• The importance of the message
Quality of Communications
The Network as a Platform
Data Networking Role
• Data or information networks: used for delivering of the
millions of messages; vary in size and capabilities, but have
four basic elements in common: Rules, The messages,
Medium, Devices
Data Networking Components

• Devices: these are used to communicate with one another

• Medium: this is how the devices are connected together
• Messages: information that travels over the medium
• Rules: governs how messages flow across network
The Elements of a Network
• Common devices:
– Switch
– Firewall
– Router
– Wireless Router
– Cloud
– Serial Link
The Elements of a Network
Network Connections
The Elements of a Network
• Human beings often seek to send and receive a variety of
message using computer applications; these applications
require services be provided by the network.
• Protocols are the rules that the networked devices use to
communicate with each other.
Sending an Instant Message: Example
Converged Networks
• Multiple networks:
each service has its
own individual
version of four basic
network elements

• Converged networks:
can carry voice, video
& data over the same
network
Converged Networks
• Intelligent Information Networks: offer so much more
than basic connectivity and access to applications.
• Planning for the Future
The Architecture of the Internet
Network Architecture Characteristics
• Network architecture: refers to both the technologies
that support the infrastructure and the programmed
services and protocols that move the messages
across that infrastructure. Four basic characteristics that
the underlying architectures need to address in order to
meet user expectations: fault tolerance, scalability,
quality of service, and security.
Four Characteristics
Fault Tolerant Network Architecture
• DoD (the United States Department of Defense): research a
communications medium that could withstand the destruction of
numerous sites and transmission facilities without disruption of
service fault tolerance.
• Circuit switched Connection-oriented Network: telephone systems
Fault Tolerant Network Architecture
• Packet Switched Connectionless Networks
Scalable Network Architecture
• The Internet: is able to expand, has a hierarchical layered
structure for addressing, for naming and for connectivity
services. Maintain peering relationships with other at the
same level.
Quality of service
Quality of service
• Quality of Service (QoS): to prioritize which types of data
packets must be delivered at the expense of other types of
packets that can be delayed or dropped. Two steps:
Classification and Assigning priorities
Quality of service
• Examples of priority decisions: time-sensitive; non time-
sensitive; high importance; undesirable communication.
Network Security
• The network infrastructure, services, and the data are
crucial personal and business assets. Compromising the
integrity of these assets could have serious business and
financial repercussions.
• Consequences of a network security breach could include:
– Network outage that prevents communications and
transactions occurring, with consequent loss of
business
– Misdirection and loss of personal or business funds
– Company intellectual property (research ideas, patents
or designs) that is stolen and used by a competitor
– Customer contract details that become known to
competitors or made public, resulting in a loss of market
confidence in the business
Network Security
Network Security
• Ensure confidentiality:
– User authentication
– Data encryption
• Maintain communication integrity:
– Digital signatures
• Ensure availability:
– Firewalls
– Redundant network
architecture
– Hardware without a
single point of failure
Trends in Networking
Trends in Networking
• There are three major trends that are contributing to the
future shape of complex information networks:
– Increasing
number of mobile
users
– Proliferation of
network capable
devices
– Expanding range
of services
Networking Career Opportunities
• Information Technology and networking careers are growing and
evolving as fast as the underlying technologies and services. As
networks increase in sophistication, the demand for people with
networking skills will continue to grow.
• Traditional IT positions like programmers, software engineers, data
base administrators and network technicians are now joined by new
titles, such as network architect, e-Commerce site designer,
information security officer, and home integration specialist.
Opportunities for forward thinking entrepreneurs are unlimited.
• Even non-IT jobs, like manufacturing management or medical
equipment design, now require a significant amount of knowledge
about network operation in order to be successful.
• Chief Technology Officers in many large organizations list the lack of
qualified personnel as the primary factor delaying the implementation
of innovative new services.
Summary