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1.0 Networking Fundamentals

1.2 Explain the characteristics of Network Topologies and Network Types

Makiel [Muh-Keel]

Last edited 537 days ago by Makiel [Muh-Keel]

Network Topologies are useful in the planning and designing of networks.

Topologies can define the characteristics of the network such as where all the workstations and other devices are located and even the precise arrangement of the physical media.

There are two different types of topologies

Physical

Defines and shows all workstations and any other devices located as well as the physical cables

Logical

These delineate exactly how data moves through the network; shows how digital signals travel throughout the layout

Different Topology Types

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The Basics.⁠

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Network Types and Characteristics

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The Basics.⁠

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Service Related Entry Point

Service Related Entry Point or Demarcation Point, is the physical point where your network connects to the outside world. It’s where the internet service providers connects you to the world wide web.

Physical Point where your internet network → your provider’s network. Whenever someone has to create a new WAN connection, they are sent to the Demarc Point.

ISPs will utilize devices called Smart Jacks; these devices allow them to run diagnostics up to the physical point where the customer’s network connects.

Smart Jacks (NIU) can be more than just a simple interface; it can be an entire circuit board with a lock and chassis.

It’s locked because this Smart Jack is owned by the ISP.

It can be used to determine whether or not the network issue is with some internal network problem or a problem directly with the ISP.

Service Provider Links

There are many different technologies used to provide internet services.

Satellite Networking

Satellite Link on a space station connects to satellites on earth to provide networking services as well.

It’s quite high cost due to how much overhead is required to get this up and working

Metrics

50mbs down and 3mbs up are common metrics

Latency tends to be High as well — 250ms up to space & 250ms back down to earth

Operates at high frequencies 2Ghz; also tends to be intermittent during heavy showers.

It’s commonly used for very remote and barren sites; sites that are difficult to network

Copper

Copper Types

Regular Copper

Easy Installation

Easy to install and maintain, also pretty cheap too!

Copper can be limited as well; often times it can only provide a limited amount of bandwidth

Very Common to see in WANs

Cable Modem Broadband

It’s Called Cable Broadband because their are many different frequency signals being transmitted across the coax cable; there are many different data types being sent over the cable: internet connectivity, voice, digital television, and video services.

Literally means “Cable Broad Bandwidth.”

Modems convert analog signals to digital signals and vice versa.

Uses DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) as the type of connectivity over a cable modem.

Uses High-Speed Networking, including 50mbits/sec up to 1000mbits/sec

DSL

Digital Subscriber Line or DSL, is used in conjunction with extensive copper connections to homes to provide last hop speed digital services; uses telephone lines to do this.

DSL used to be a very popular method of connecting to the internet and a solid alternative to cable and fiber connections. DSL used telephone lines to provide network connectivity.

Metrics

Download speed is faster than upload speed, and their tends to be a 10K foot limitation from the central office (CO) or provider source.

200mbits downstream and 20mbits upstream are common; faster speeds are common the closer you get to the central office (CO).

Fiber

Fiber optics is the fastest form of data communication available at this time and it uses light fiber to send frequencies of data; it’s slowly becoming more of the standard as it’s being implemented into more and more homes/business daily.

Higher Installation Cost

Normally more expensive to set up and more difficult to repair than other connection types, but the pro is you’re able to communicate data over MUCH larger distances.

Highest Bandwidth

Metro Optical

Metro Optical Ethernet is commonly used whenever a company has multiple locations in the same city and want to keep higher speeds.

Usually within a very small geographic area; Metro Ethernet is just ethernet and commonly uses fiber optics to ensure high speeds in a small geographic area

Leased Line

A Fiber or copper termination that interconnects two end points and is exclusive to the customer

There is no shared bandwidth and leased lines are very secure as they are dedicated exclusively for the customer.

Virtual Network Concepts

It is now common to provide networking services without the use of actual hardware! By hardware, I mean switches or routers; it’s all done in software aka virtual.

NFV (Network Function Virtualization)

The process of taking networking functions such as routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and controllers into a virtual environment

This allows all of these functions to be controlled by a single device.

Companies can now provide the ethernet switch and routing functions on the hypervisor technology by using a vSwitch, therefore eliminating hardware.

Just like a normal device needs a NIC (Network Interface Card) to connect to the network, virtual switches need to be installed to connect the virtual device to the hypervisor.

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