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Networking Concepts. Simulating Network Communications. Lesson Objectives. Introduce fundamental networking concepts Motivate the need for managed networks to achieve effective communication. Remote Communications Evolution. Smoke Signals Telegraph Telephone Email Shared Devices
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Networking Concepts Simulating Network Communications
Lesson Objectives • Introduce fundamental networking concepts • Motivate the need for managed networks to achieve effective communication
Remote Communications Evolution • Smoke Signals • Telegraph • Telephone • Email • Shared Devices • Instant Messaging
Infrastructure • Cables and Wireless • Messaging Protocols • Device Addressing
Exercise #1 • In our first exercise, each person will play the role of a network node • Our initial network only supports direct (node-to-node) physical connections • Set up a connection to each node with which you would like to communicate • Communicate by sending your message across the wire to the receiver
Objectives For #1 • Sense the empowerment (and security) at being able to directly connect (no middle-man) • Gain an appreciation for the lack of scalability of a point-to-point solution • Understand the basic flow of communications in this most basic network configuration
Improvement Opportunities • Q: How many wires would be needed to connect everyone to everyone? • Telephone operators and switchboards • The concept of a router creates new possibilities
Exercise #2 • In our second exercise, we introduce the concept of a router • To facilitate communication from anywhere – to anywhere, all communication goes from a node to the router then on to the destination node • Communicate by sending your message to the router (the router will pass it on to the receiver
Objectives For #2 • An appreciation for the expanded number of communication opportunities • An appreciation for the reduced complexity and reduction in connections • Sympathy for the poor router
Improvement Opportunities • Q: Now how many wires would be needed to connect everyone to everyone? • Much more scalable, but how can we make life easier for the router? • Unique addressing removes some of the router’s burden
Exercise #3 • In our third exercise, we introduce the concept of addressing • To improve the efficiency of our network, each node is given a unique address • Communicate by addressing your message then sending it to the router
Objectives For #3 • An basic understanding of addressing • An appreciation for the efficiency improvements it brings to the router • A sense of the confusion it can bring to the users
Lesson Summary • Communications networks quickly grow in complexity • Routers provide a means for scaling efficiently • The abstract concept of addressing makes the router’s job easier