STRUCTURED CABLING AND

PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKING

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE ON HOW TO DESIGN AND BUILD A BASIC ETHERNET PEER-TO-PEER LOCAL AREA NETWORK.

Hosts

Backbone Switch

Workgroup Hub

DSL Router

Horizontal Cabling

DSL Router

ISP

Internet

PTSN

Vertical Cabling

PEER-TO-PEER LOCAL AREA NETWORK.

• Learn the fundamentals of Ethernet LAN, its physical topology• Decide whether to use Ethernet Hubs or Switches in

designing/building LANs.• Understand the importance of Cabling Standards• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different Ethernet

LAN media• Describe the TIA/EIA 586A Ethernet LAN cabling standards and

illustrate their primary specifications• Assemble Ethernet LAN cables such as Straight-Through, Cross-

Over, and Roll-Over cables based on TIA/EIA 586-A standard.• Build a practical Small Office/Home Office peer-to-peer LAN on

Win XP platform .• Configure the peer-to-peer network and test its functionality.• Setup a “residential Gateway” to implement a basic internet café

network.

OBJECTIVES:

Why Build A Computer Network?

• What is a Computer Network?– Are group/s of computers, peripherals,

devices, physically or logically interconnected by a common media.

• What is the purpose of building a network?– networks are built primarily so that

organizational resources such as computers, software applications, printers, files … can be shared among users.

– Other reasons such as to enhance the organization’s capability to communicate effectively at the least cost.

Computer Network Classification

• Computer networks are generally classified as:– Wide Area Network (WAN)

• A network that covers a large geographical area (e.g. regional, national, global)

– Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)• A network that covers a metropolitan area

– Local Area Network (LAN)• A network that covers a certain locality (e.g. school campus,

industrial plant compound)

Network Physical Topology

• Physical topology refers to the physical arrangement or the manner by which the network devices are connected.