HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) is used for accessing
and receiving web pages in the form of HTML files on the
Internet
HTTPS
HTTPS (secure protocol) encrypts the information so
that it cannot be understood if it is hacked
FTP
Used for sending or retrieving files to or
from a remote server or computer Works
just like Windows’ File Explorer
POP
POP will download entire
messages to your local device
and delete them from the server
IMAP
These email retrieval protocols fetch
message data and attachments from
your remote mail server
IMAP will only download the message
header until the message is opened and
will leave the message on the server This
means other devices checking the same
mailbox will also see the messages
SMTP
Email protocol used for transferring email between
remote email servers Client email software sends
message to outgoing mail server Mail server contacts
destination mail server to pass on email using SMTP
TCP/IP
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
Resends lost messages
Detects errors
Reassembles the packets at the other end
Breaks up messages sent over the Internet
into small chunks called packets
IP protocol
Routes the individual packets
The TCP/IP protocol stack sending
Application layer
The network applications you are using operate
on the Application layer The application selects
the correct protocol to use depending on which
application it is and what you are trying to do
Transport layer
The Transport layer creates the connection between
two computers, or ‘hosts’ The two computers agree
the communication settings and the size of the
packets they will send and receive
Data is then divided up into packets and numbered e.g. 1 of
6 Packets are reassembled by the recipient’s Transport layer
Lost packets are resent
Network layer
Routers operate on the Network layer
Destination addresses are written on
to the packets ready for transmission
Link layer
The Link layer is the physical
hardware that connects the two
hosts such as the NIC and the cabling
Layers are self-contained
The TCP/IP protocol stack receiving
The link layer removes the MAC address and passes packets up to the
Network layer The Network layer removes the IP addresses and passes
packets up to the Transport layer The Transport layer reassembles the
packets and passes the data to the Application layer The Application layer
uses the correct protocol to correctly display the data, web page or email
for the user
Email
How email works
Mail servers pass on or store emails until they are collected
You must log in to a mail server to collect mail Examples of
mail providers are Gmail or Yahoo
L1 The Internet
Internet Vs World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of
accessing information over the medium of the
Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is
built on top of the Internet. The Web uses the HTTP
protocol, only one of the languages spoken over the
Internet, to transmit data
The Internet
The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking
infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together
globally
Information that travels over the Internet does
so via a variety of languages known as
protocols.
IP address and MAC address
IP address
belongs to the router
can change
geographical location can be
determined by its IP address
Media Access Control (MAC) address
belongs to the Network Interface Card (NIC)
may have more than one
Format 3B:14:E6:39:0A:2C
never changes
Data packets
Each packet is given a header
containing
The IP (Internet Protocol) address it is going to
The IP address it has come from
The sequence number of the packet
The number of packets in the whole communication
Error checking data
Each data packet will contain the same number of bytes
Domain Name System (DNS)
DNS technology allows you to type a name such as
google.co.uk into your web browser It translates
the web address google.co.uk into an IP address
e.g. www.google.co.uk = 74.125.131.94
When a DNS server receives a request
not in its database, it will pass the
request on to another server until it
reaches one with the matching name
and IP address
L2 Local Area Networks
Network topologies
Star
Advantages
Fast data transfer as there are fewer data collisions
If one cable fails the other workstations are not
affected
Disadvantages
Requires additional hardware such as the central switch
If the central device fails the whole network goes down
Mesh
Partial Mesh
network
Full Mesh network
Wireless mesh
networks
The more nodes that use the network, the more the
signal can travel
Only one node needs a wired Internet connection – no
other cabling or infrastructure is required
Nodes act as routers for data in order to relay
and propagate data in the network
Partial mesh network model usually used, often in conjunction
with star topologies to create larger networks
Advantages
No single point of failure – It is a self-healing
network
Expansion and modification can be done without
disrupting the network
Data can be transmitted from different devices
simultaneously
Disadvantages
Can involve redundant
connections
Expensive to install cabling if using wired connections
Network maintenance and administration is
difficult
There are many
Ethernet protocols
Ethernet’ refers to a family of standard local
networking ‘protocols’ or rules
Two nodes attempting to transmit simultaneously will stop and each wait a random period before
reattempting
Two nodes attempting to transmit simultaneously will
stop and each wait a random period before
reattempting
Ethernet
transmission
Ethernet systems divide data into
frames, similar to Internet packets
Each frame contains source and
destination addresses and error
checking data Frames are broadcast
to all nodes – only the intended
recipient will open the frame.
Others will be discarded Frames
which are detected to contain
transmission errors are dropped or
resent
Routers, hubs and switches
Routers
Sends data packets on their way in the best
direction
hubs
Central, multi-plug adaptor
for computers and printers
in a network
When a packet of data is received, it broadcasts the packet to all
devices on the network
switches
Smart multi-plug adaptor only sends packets to the intended recipient,
using its MAC address
Reduces network traffic and increases
speed
L4 Client-server and peer-to-peer
networks
client-server structure
client
Role of the client
The client sends requests to the server
Waits for a reply
Receives the reply
Server
A print server
may organise printing on different printers
A file server
holds all the data files and databases and manages backups
An email server
may receive emails, detect and block spam, distribute emails to users
A web server
may host an external website
Role of the server
The server waits for requests from a client
Acknowledges the request
The server may need to pass the request (e.g. for a web page) to another server – in which case, it
becomes the “client”
The requested data is sent back to the client
Client-server networking
A central server is used to manage security
Some files are held on the central server
Some processing tasks are performed by the server
Clients issue requests to the server for services such as email, file storage, backup and printing
Suitable for many different types of organisation, small and large
Can require specialist IT staff to administer the network
In a school network, there may be dozens or
even hundreds of clients and several servers
Peer-to-peer (P2P) structure
Peer-to-peer networking
Suitable for a small companies with fewer computers
No central server controls files or security
All computers can easily see files on all other computers
All computers can communicate with each other without going through a server
If a computer is switched off, data cannot be retrieved
Peer-to-peer on a WAN
The P2P configuration can also be used
for file-sharing websites
This means that with thousands of people
downloading, data can be passed between
computers rather than just from the server
L3 Wireless
networking
Wireless access point
A wireless Access Point (AP) is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network
using Wi-Fi
The AP usually connects to a router (via a wired network) as a standalone device, but it can also be
an integral component of the router itself
Wi-Fi Frequencies and
channels
The 802.11 standard uses five frequencies: 2.4GHz, 3.6 GHz, 4.9 GHz, 5 GHz, and 5.9 GHz
Each frequency is subdivided into various channels: Each channel has a central frequency and
bandwidth
802.11 standards
802.11b/g/n uses the 2.4GHz frequency 802.11a/n/ac uses the 5GHz frequency
2.4GHz
Advantages
Greater range and coverage
Disadvantages
More interference from other devices, and only three non-overlapping
channels
5GHz
Advantages
Less crowded space with 23 non-overlapping channels with higher data transmission rates
Disadvantages
Fewer devices can use the 5GHz frequency, less able to penetrate through
walls
Encryption
Encryption
terminology
Plaintext: the original message to be encrypted
Ciphertext: the encrypted message
Encryption: the process of converting plaintext into ciphertext
Key: a sequence of numbers used to encrypt or decrypt, often data using a mathematical formula
Encryption algorithm : the formula for encrypting the plaintext
Encryption techniques
Private key (Symmetric encryption)
This is more secure as it means that you never have to send or reveal your decryption key
Two keys are used - one to encrypt and the other to decrypt data
Public key (Asymmetric encryption)
A single key is used to encrypt and decrypt a message and must be given to the recipient of your
message to decrypt the data
Caesar shift cipher
A to B to C
Cryptanalysis
Brute-force attack
Every possible key is tried On average, half of all possible keys need to be tried, so the longer the key,
the more time it takes to find it
Non-brute-force attack (cryptanalytic attack)
eg: One important clue was that some messages always started with the words “Heil Hitler”
Frequency analysis
Modern ciphers
using two very large prime numbers
multiplied together