Main Themes of Convergence Technology
Discuss about the Convergence In Computer Network Technology.
Integration of two or more technologies or entities in a common network sis the very essence of convergence. Two unrelated technologies such as taking of pictures and communication can be converged in a mobile computer system. Similarly, there is a wide variety of computer networks that can be incorporated in a single network system to enhance the benefits of widespread and cheaper implementation of the mentioned technology (Allen, 2017).
The technology allows individuals to choose from multiple number of services from several providers. The computer network convergence also allows multiple service vendors to enter new markets, adopt innovative services and incorporate new business model.
In this report, the various number of convergence technologies with respect to computer networks has been discussed and evaluated. The main themes of the convergence has been discussed to understand the in-depth mechanism of the convergence technology. Moreover, the report also discusses several advantages that the convergence technology has provided to the existing technologies. The disadvantages to the technology has been mentioned to focus on the challenges that the technology is facing in the present times. Lastly, the report also discusses several challenges that the technology is facing to get a clear picture of the effect of the technology on the present technological scenario.
The coexistence of data communication, video and telephone in a single network efficiently is known as convergence within the technology of computer networking. Unlike separate infrastructures, flexibility and convenience are certain benefits why more than one communication nodes are used in a single network. The convergence in computer network is also known as media convergence (Miklaucic, Brewer and Stavridis, 2013).
For connecting to servers, different network infrastructures were used by services to connect with the servers. Nowadays, different institutions such as government agencies. Educational institutions, business and consumers use a collection of media types to carry out their daily activities.
Different computer networking convergence technologies are used which are written as follows:-
Texting- As directed by the wireless users, this technology involves sending alphanumeric conversations (short) between hand held devices, pagers and cell phones.
Web surfing- This technology involves the exploring of various websites in a random way or looking up a website to find a previous solution (Szegedy et al. 2016).
Voip or Voice over IP- This technology involves the sending of multimedia and voice content through the IP (Internet protocol) networks.
Advantages of Convergence Technology
Streaming of media- This technology involves the checking of audio and video content which are sent over the internet instead of saving the entire content in the hard drive of a computer.
Video conference applications- This technology involves the live connection between a number of people in real time who are living in different locations (Yu et al. 2014). This computer technology is increasingly used in meetings nowadays for communication purposes.
Online gaming- This technology involves the playing of games on a particular server where gamers from different locations and different consoles can play together in real time (Frank and Tseng, 2013).
E commerce- This technology involves the selling and buying of services and products over the internet and the transmission of funds electronically.
The convergence of the computer networks needs a lot of information to be transmitted through the network. The broadband which is sued to handle the transmissions should be able to handle huge amount of transactions in real time without any delay. For example, without a sufficient broadband threshold, an important presentation may get halted during a meeting where many people are using their mobile services on the same network.
The next requirement for maintain the converged computer networks is the availability of proper hardware and software tools that can handle the demands of the converged networks. With certain tools such as Quality of service systems or Qos, the maintenance and control of proper data flow needs to be maintained. The tools help the IT staffs to properly fix and diagnose and issue with minimal expense and time (Vasseur and Hui, 2014). The systems need to be built with HTML to reduce the training time and enhance the usage of various network protocols.
The third requirements for maintain the computer network convergence system is to use efficient architecture. The architecture needs to be designed in such a way that the convergence technology works for a long time in the respective firm. This will allow the system to have proper security measure and scalability functions.
Both the users and the businesses have different wants from the convergence of these technologies. The user particularly wants robustness, experience quality and proper service quality. The IT administrators and businesses want minima malware, privacy of security, ease of upgrading and modification, compatibility standards and moderate costs.
Computer network convergence favours the standardization of Wi-Fi, Ethernet and TCP/IP technologies that offers a proper consumer experience allowing the integration of various vendors and products. The convergence also assists the IT administrators to manage the network effectively.
Disadvantages of Convergence Technology
Another advantage due to the convergence of the computer networks is the savings factor. The converged computer networks allows for more cost savings in the mobile networks in international as well as long distance communications (Francois et al. 2016). These savings increase with the help of VoIP or Voice over Internet protocol which is an important aspect of the convergence system.
The scalability and flexibility of the converged networks is another benefit to the proposed system. The computers and mobile devices can be configured without involving the mobile companies due to the convergence aspect of the computer networks (Yi, 2013).
Simplicity is another benefit that can be provided by the integration of converged networks. The technology not only integrates the It systems and simplifies it but also makes it easier to handle one single network instead of handling multiple number of networks (Alexander-Bloch et al. 2013).
Instead of modifying and replacing individual separate networks, the converged network allows for easier modifications and growth prospects in the near future.
The convergence of various computer networks has its own share of disadvantages. Previously, the storage systems were present on different networks. The separated environments gave the administrator increased levels of manageability as the storage location and the applications were directly linked to the perspective of the server. The converged environment brings the added difficulty of managing the data storage and traffic separately (Lau, 2014). This results in the wrong bandwidth provision to the high priority traffic resulting in the decline of performance.
Quality of service Vs Best effort
The greatest difference between various types of computer networks is the performance metrics. New technologies try to implement improved performance with the technological architecture. The best effort model do not take into consideration the needs of the applications so the system is also known as resource cheap model where certain applications are given more system performance during high demands at the expense of the performance of other applications (White, 2015). The Qos model is exactly opposite ti the best effort model. The Qos model provides appropriate resources to the model that is acceptable to the user but not more than that. Assuming that resources are costly and expandable, the Qos model provides resource conserving mechanisms (Donoso and Fabregat, 2016). It provides extra mechanisms to reduce the bitways to prevent the system from bottlenecking considering the complexity and speed in today’s electronics. The Qos theme thus provides the benefits of bit rate (the bits are generated symmetrically and asymmetrically depending on the evolution of the rate), improved latency (the time required for the packets ton accumulate at the source by buffering the processing and buffering delays of the computer networks) and improved reliability (improves the corruption of the bit errors in the payload and packet loss).
Quality of service Vs Best Effort
The desire to increase the number of users in a single network depends on the scalability of the networks. The convergence in computer networks allows the utility to increase with the increase d number of users (Jo et al. 2014).
The various computer networks require a precise coordination between the terminals of the network as well as the terminals of the applications. The coordination can occur from the signalling phase, establishment protocols and setup phase. With the integration of various computer networks in a single network, the debate arises whether the out of band or in band model will be employed or not. This coordination of networks arise dynamically from the session phase of the application with the help of a control or flow control mechanism (Kuila, Gupta and Jana, 2013). The convergence is initiated through the model of network reactive signalling which involves the mechanism of making a configuration request through the networking and signalling channel for performing the appropriate internal configuration. If the convergence is not appropriately done, then it may result in the declination of the network due to the absence of proper provisional resources (admission control and telecommunication blocking)
Earlier, the single architectural frameworks that used the computer networks individually use connection oriented transport mechanism to transfer the information from the source to the destination. Through active Qos control, the resource were accordingly associated with the route (Gubbi et al. 2016). The convergence of the computer networks will allow for connectionless transport that dynamically allocates resources according to the availability and congestion.
With the evolution of network convergence, the network developers confront some major challenges. As all the networks work in a single network, the bandwidth demand is the most significant challenge for effective convergence (Singh, Tripathi and Jara, 2014). The converged computer networks can get increasingly overwhelmed with the rise in demands of users for more data and rich content. Hence, for effectively maintain the network convergence, the need for better hardware, maintenance and installation and design is necessary. To support all the services that are present in the network and to provide the devices with enough bandwidth, the companies need to take appropriate measures (Chávez-Santiago et al. 2015). Steps should be taken so that during the hour of critical failure, the mission critical apps keep on running with the help of redundancy feature that is built in the network.
Another challenge for the computer network convergence is hacking. Earlier, when an attacker hacked into a particular infrastructure they could access only a selected network such as PCs, Closed circuit television and telecommunication (Allen, 2013). With the rise in convergence in computer networks, the attacker can hack in all the infrastructures at the same time as all the resources are present under the same network.
Requirements for Maintaining the Converged Network
The third challenge is that with the implementation of new technologies, it takes a massive investment form the tax payers and concerned bodies (Kizza, 2017). If the concerned bodies are not willing to support the technology, then it becomes quite difficult to appropriately maintain the technology.
Another challenge is with the introduction of evolving communication mode and various end user platforms, the need for a seamless standard is necessary for seamlessly operating the technology. The new technologies can bring other challenges to the existing networks such as unnecessary pressure on the software, resources, operating systems and networking hardware (He et al. 2013). To prevent this from happening, appropriate hardwares and devices needs to be installed as well as effective configuring of the network needs to be handled by a professional.
Conclusion
It can be conclusively stated that the convergence of computer networks is the amalgamation of internet services and telecommunication broadcasting. The technology has immense potential of transmitting data and signals giving the user a choice of transmitting them through their own choice of transmission paths.
Earlier, these benefits were not enjoyed by users as wirelines and broadcasting mechanisms were situated with the same line. With the rise in digitization and fierce competition, the different communication services has converged into a single entity allowing users to access different networks on their own will to carry data along distinct networks. Moreover, the new technology allows the users to enjoy more flexible and better service.
To conclude the report, it can be stated that the report has conclusively discussed the convergence aspect of the computer networks in detail. The report has also discussed the advantages that are provided by the convergence technology with respect to the previous technologies that were used. The report deliberately mentions the benefits that are provided by the mentioned technology over the single network architectural systems and discusses the various themes of the mentioned technology. The disadvantages of adopting this technology has been mentioned conclusively in the report. The report also mentions the various challenges that this technology needs to address before it is adopted securely by the mainstream people over the single networking architecture.
References
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