Network Topologies and their Advantages
Network connectivity in an important aspect in all businesses worldwide. Network connectivity in the process of join networks to one another. It is done with the use of switches, gateways and routers. Network connectivity is done in different topologies. The topologies include linear, hub, star and tree designs. Each topology has its advantages and disadvantages (Shifrin & Keslassy, 2009).
There are many role of network connectivity. As mentioned above network connectivity tends to be using in most businesses today. Network has made the world become a global village. Computer networks allows the computers to share data and the resources. The computer interact with each other. There a number of functions if the network. The function of computer networks include resource sharing, reliability of computers, communication medium, VoIP, e-commerce and efficiency in economic ability for a business.
First, computer networks are best known for resource sharing. The network allows data, equipment and programs available to everyone in a network. The data is shared in an effective manner. Software and programs within a network ca be accessed by computers linked to a network. The network also allows sharing of hardware equipment such as scanners, printers and other devices (“Uses of Computer Networking | Synonym”, 2018).
Secondly, the networks are useful in the reliability of computers and data. The network provides high reliability by having different alternative of data sources. The alternative data sources are helpful in cases of one hardware failure or data loss or corrupt data. The data reliability is very important in business such as air traffic control, banking or hospital applications. Thirdly, the computer networks are used in a communion medium. The computers have increased the speed and volume of communication via emails and live chat programs. Today email is used in sending texts, documents, videos and images. Computer networks have also helped in the VoIP. Voice over Internet protocol has changed the telecommunication systems. Finally, the networks are cost-effective systems. The networks have reduced the cost of establishment of computer systems in various organizations. The role and functions of the computer networks are very vital for any organization to ignore.
There are a number of principles to consider in the communication via networks. The principles include: Know the audience, the purpose of the communication, the communication media, information presentations and the feedback ways. One must understand the audience in the communication process. Understanding the person one is talking is very important. It could be an employer to the employees. It could be employees to employees. The types of communication between the two scenarios is different. Therefore one must ensure you understand your audience (Peterson & Davie, 2012). Secondly, one must know the purpose of the communication. After knowing the person involved in the communication, one should know the purpose of the communication. For example, in mails the subject is meant to state the purpose of the communication. When one reads the subject of the email, the person understands the purpose of the communication. The third principle is the information presentation. One should know how to use the communication media. For example, one should know how to use devices such as phones, laptops, mail clients, social media platforms used in the communication process in the networks. The information should be presented in an understandable way. If the information is a solution to a certain problem. The message should be clear and helpful to the recipient. Finally, the recipient should provide a response to the sender after receiving the message. Most device today notify the sender that the recipient of the message have received the message. The principles of communication ensure effective communication among people (Sixth IEEE International Conference on Networking, Architecture, and Storage, 2011).
Role and Functions of Network Connectivity
The networking hardware involve routers, switches, LAN cards, and cables. The routers are important physical component in networking. The router facilitates the movement of data between the devices used and the network. The router provides security in the network. The router acts as the gateway between two networks. The router ensure that data goes to the right destination. Data can’t go where it is not permitted. The router also enhance the security in a network buy preventing virus and malware (Trivedi, 2013). The switch is used to receive information from any source and dispatch the information to the intended destination. The switch relays information to the appropriate destination only. The LAN card is also referred to as the network interface card. The NIC is used to enable computers communicate with each other. The NIC allows a computer allows it to connect to other computers and storage device. NIC allows efficient transmission of data. The cables used such as CAT5 and CAT6 are used in LAN for connections (“What is Network Infrastructure? – Definition from Techopedia”, 2018).
The networking software involve operating systems, firewall and the network security applications. The operating system is used for processor management, memory management, device management, file management, security, error detecting and provide a user interface to allow one communicate with a computer. The firewalls has an important use in the network. The firewalls are used to block untrusted traffic. Traffic from only trusted networks are allowed to traverse the network and connect to the internet. Firewalls protect the networks against threats such as denial of service attacks. The network security application such as antirust are used to protect the network from attack by malware and viruses (“5 Reasons Why You Should Use a Firewall”, 2018).
The network protocols are the rules for communication devices between network devices. The protocols involves internet protocols, wireless network protocols and network routing protocols. The internet protocols integrate with other protocols such as TCP, UDP, HTTP and FTP. These are the r higher level protocols. The Internet protocol interact with lower level protocol such as ARP and ICMP. The Internet Protocol interacts with web browsers while the lower level protocols interact with the computer hardware. The wireless network protocols are used in wireless networks to support data roaming and network security. The network routing protocol are mainly used for the routers (“A Brief Explanation of Computer Network Protocols”, 2018). The network routing protocols identify other routers and manage the pathways.
Cloud computing offers broad network access. There is a lot of information that is available over the network with standard mechanism. One requires to use devices such as phone, laptops, tablets and workstation connected to the internet to access the data in cloud (Linthicum, 2018). Resource pooling is another aspect. The computing resources are pooled to server many consumers with different devices. This is independent of location. The resource to be shared include memory, processing and network bandwidth. Rapid elasticity is provisioned in some cases automatically. The rapid provision may be unlimited in any quantity. The cloud system tend to optimize the resource use by leveraging capability. The resource usage is monitored and controlled for the provider and the consumer (Healy, 2018).
The networking architecture should match with the organization computer network. A networking architecture should provide a view of all resources accessible to the company. The network architecture involves the hardware components, the network layout and the physical connections in an organization (2018). The networking architecture plans and layouts should enhance organization process efficiency. The software used should be up to date. The networking architecture should ensure security on the organization processes and data. A well laid out networking architecture will result to efficiency in a business processes within the organization (Tanenbaum & Wetherall, 2014).
References
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