Local Area Networks

Local Area Networks

Learning Steps

LAP CC-5

Instructions: Checkout the Computer Concepts textbook and CD. Check off each step as you complete it.

_____ 1.Read:Chapter Five, Local Area Networks, beginning on page

244.

_____ 2.Do:Quick Checks at the end of each section. Check your

answers with the proof book at the back of the room.

_____ 3.Do:Interactive Summary. . Check your answers with the

proof book at the back of the room.

_____ 4.Turn In:LAP to be graded.

_____ 5.Go To:CH Web. Business Office Technology, and click on tab

that says test. Take test.

_____ 6.Continue:To next LAP.

INTERACTIVE SUMMARY

Chapter 5

SECTION A:

a)Networks can be classified by geographical, scope as PANs, 1.______, MANs and WANs.

b)LANs allow people to share network resources, such as files, printers, and Internet connections. LAN technologies are standardized by the 2.______organization.

c)Each connection point on a network is referred to as a(n) 3.______and can contain computers, networked 4.______, or network devices.

d)Computers connected to a network require network circuitry, often housed on a network 5.______card (NIC).

e)Network nodes are linked by communications channels. High-bandwidth channels are referred to as 6.______, whereas low-bandwidth channels are referred to as 7.______.

f)Communications 8.______, such as TCP/IP, divide messages into 9.______, handle addressing, and manage routing.

g)Most computer networks use packet-switching technology, rather than 10.______- switching technology.

h)Computers on a network have a variety of addresses; the two most common are IP and 11.______addresses can be assigned or they can be automatically distributed by 12.______

SECTION B:

a)Wired networks are fast, secure, and simple to configure, but installing 1.______can be a nuisance.

b)2.______is a fast and secure wired network technology defined by IEEE 802.3 standards.

c)Most wireless routers transport data using 3.______frequency signals.

d)The most popular wireless technology is WI-FI, but 4.______is used for PANs and other short-range connections.

e)WI-FI is defined by the IEEE 5.______standards, and there are versions denoted by the letters a, b, g, n, and y.

f)Computers on a WI-FI network must have wireless circuitry, such as a WI-FI adapter. Wireless networks can be set up as 6.______networks in which devices broadcast directly to each other.

g)Alternatively, a wireless 7.______network uses a centralized broadcasting device, such as a wireless 8.______point or a wireless router.

h)The speed of a router is measured in 9.______

i)Many routers use 10.______technology to boost signals and spread them over a wider coverage area.

SECTION C:

a)Most LANs support both wired and wireless connections because they include a(n) 1.______that has a WI-FI antenna and 2.______ports.

b)LANs can include other network devices, such as hubs, switches, gateways, bridges, and repeaters. After you plug in a router and connect it to a computer, you should configure the router by changing the default administrator 3.______.

c)To access the configuration utility, open a(n) 4.______and enter the router’s IP address.

d)You should also create a(n) 5.______so your network has a name.

e)If your network uses a wireless router, you should also activate wireless 6.______to enhance security.

f)Once the router is configured, you can connect it to an Internet modem. WI-FI equipped computers and handheld devices can join your LAN, but they have to enter the wireless encryption 7.______.

SECTION D:

a)You can access other computers in a ALN, and those computers can see yours if network 1.______is turned on.

b)In addition, global setting for file 2.______has to be turned on.

c)If you have permission, you can open files from other computers on the network, view them, edit them, and save them back to the original location. You can also 3.______files to your own computer and work with them there.

d)You can share folders and files on your own computer if you want to allow other workstations to access them, but sharing is a(n) 4.______risk.

e)You should assign 5.______to limit who can access your files and whether they are allowed to modify and delete them.

f)Windows users can set up a(n) 6.______to create a trusted collection of computers that can share files.

g)If you have many files that need to be accessed from various workstations, you might want to add a(n) 7.______server to the network.

h)Network problems can stem from a variety of sources. Symptoms of network malfunctions are slow response time, intermittent outrages, failure to access files from one workstation, and non-availability of network services to all workstations. To trouble shoot network problems, you have to consider the possibility of a problem with a workstation’s hardware or settings; network links including cables and wireless signal strength; or network devices such as routers, servers, or NICs. Network problems can sometimes be solved if you 8.______the network by turning off the router and Internet modem, then restarting them.

SECTION E:

a)Compared to wired networks, wireless networks are much more susceptible to unauthorized access and use. Hackers have an easy time intercepting signals by cruising through a business district or neighborhood with a WI-FI enabled laptop computer. Software tools help hackers identify the type of 1.______you have, the channels on which it transmits, and the type of security you have in place.

b)Hackers use exploits such as the evil 2.______to steal passwords and account numbers. If a hacker can guess the administrator password, your network could get hijacked and be used to spread spam and malware.

c)An original message-one that has not yet been encrypted-is referred to as 3.______or cleartext.

d)An encrypted message is referred to as 4.______.

e)Messages are encrypted by a cryptographic 5.______, which is a specific procedure for encrypting or decrypting a message.

f)A cryptographic 6.______is a word, number, or phrase that must be known to encrypt of decrypt a message.

g)7.______key encryption uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt a message.

h)8.______key encryption eliminates the key-distribution problem by using one key to encrypt a message, but another key is used to decrypt the message.