HOW TO SHARE FILE AND PRINTER IN A COMPUTER NETWORK?

First you need to do the PRELIMINARY STEPS

1^st : Create an IP Address

2^nd: Configure the IP Address

3^rd : Set windows firewall settings

            *Turn off Firewall*

4^th : Set up a home or small office network

            *Network Setup Wizard*

          

 SHARING A FILE

 To share  a file  that is connected directly to your computer with others on a network, follow these steps:

1^st: Place the file inside the folder.

2^nd : Right click the folder.

3^rd : Click Properties

4^th : Click Sharing

5^th : Click Share this folder on the network

6^th : Click Apply

7^th : Click OK

To access the shared file/ folder from another computer on a network, follow these steps.

1^st : Click Start Button

2^nd: Click Run

3^rd: Then type \\[IP Address of server]

SHARING A PRINTER

To share a printer that is connected directly to your computer with others on a network, follow these steps

1^st: Click Control Panel

2^nd :Click  Add Printer

3^rd : Right Click Printer

4^th : Click Sharing

5^th: Click Share this Printer

6^th: Click Apply

7^th: Click OK 

To access the shared printer from another computer on a network, follow these steps

1^st: Click Run

2^nd: Then type \\[IP Address of server]

3^rd: Double click Printers and Faxes

4^th: Right Click Printer

5^th: Click Connect

WHAT IS A NETWORK IP ADDRESS?

Internet Protocol address (IP address)

Is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. It is also known as Network Address. Is a set of numbers, called as "octets" or "dotted decimal" notation, that identifies any network device. Its development began in 1974, led by computer scientists Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf. It is frequently used in conjunction with the Transmission Control Protocol, or TCP. Together they are referred to as TCP/IP.

      

IP VERSIONS

IPv4 (IP version 4)

Is the standard version defines an IP address as a 32-bit number. IPv4 addresses are canonically represented in dotted decimal notation, which consists of four decimal numbers, each ranging from 0 to 255, separated by dots.

IPv6 (IP version 6)

Is the advanced version  using 128 bits for the IP address.An IPv6 address is represented as eight groups offour hexadecimal digits, each group representing 16 bits (two octets, a group sometimes also called a hextet). The groups are separated by colons (:).

IP ADDRESS CLASSES

With an IPv4 IP address, there are five classes of available IP ranges: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D and Class E, while only A, B, and C are commonly used. Each class allows for a range of valid IP addresses, shown in the following table.

Class A	1 to 126
Class B	128 to 191
Class C	192 to 223
Class D	224 to 239
Class E	240 to 255

127 – loopback function of a network

Class D – is for multicast

Class E – reserved for future or experimental purposes

CREATING IP ADDRESS

1.       Right click MY NETWORK PROPERTIES

2.       Click PROPERTIES

3.       Right click LOCAL AREA CONNECTION

4.       Click PROPERTIES

5.       Click TCP/IP

6.       Click PROPERTIES

·         Obtain an IP address automatically

·         Use the following IP address

IP ADDRESS

SUBNET MASK

7.       Click OK

 IP CONFIGURATION

1.     Click START BUTTON

2.    Click RUN

3.    Type cmd

4.    Type ipconfig

5.    Type ping [IP ADDRESS]

SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address 

https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/i/ip.htm

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF CABLE?

CABLE

What is Cable?

   It is a medium that connects computer in a network.

  

  

      
TYPES OF CABLE

   1. TWISTED PAIR

     Is the most common type of cable. Have eight individual copper wires bundled together and covered with an insulating material.

 A.      Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

STP

It is often used in “noisy” environments where a shield of metallic foil is wrapped around each of the wire pairs, with an additional overall shielding to protect against excessive electromagnetic  interference.

      B.         Unshielded Twisted Pair (STP)

It is the most 

common form 

of twisted pair 

wiring. It is less expensive 

and easier to work with than STP.

UTP

       UTP cable is a 100 ohm copper cable that consists of 2 to 1800 unshielded twisted pairs surrounded by an outer jacket. They have no metallic shield. This makes the cable small in diameter but unprotected against electrical interference. The twist helps to improve its immunity to electrical noise and EMI.

     2. COAXIAL CABLE

  It is the standard media used by cable TV operators. It consists of a plastic insulator that separates the solid copper inner conductor and the woven, copper braid outer conductor.  

COAXIAL CABLE

          3. FIBER-OPTIC CABLE

         It has a reflective coating that allows light beams to travel without outer interference.

     

       Difference between STRAIGHT THROUGH CABLE and CROSSOVER CABLE

Straight Through it is used to connect different type of devices.  

For Example:

 Computer - Switch

 Switch - Computer

A straight through cable is a type of twisted pair cable that is used in local area networks to connect a computer to a network hub such as a router. This type of cable is also sometimes called a patch cable and is an alternative to wireless connections where one or more computers access a router through a wireless signal. On a straight through cable, the wired pins match. Straight through cable use one wiring standard: both ends use T568A wiring standard or both ends use T568B wiring standard. 

    Crossover it is used to connect same type of devices.

For Example:

Computer - Computer

Switch - Switch

       Crossover cable is a type of Ethernet cable used to connect computing devices together directly. Unlike straight through cable, crossover cables use two different wiringstandards: one end uses the T568A wiring standard, and the other end uses the T568B wiring standard.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF NETWORK TOPOLOGY?

What is Network Topology?

Network Topology is refers to the layout or structure of the network in relation with the flow of data. It is the way in which the elements such as computers, printers, servers, and other computing appliances are arranged in a network.

TYPES OF NETWORK TOPOLOGIES

Linear Bus Topology

It uses a one long cable, referred to as a backbone, to which computers and other devices are attached. A terminator is placed at each end of the backbone to keep the signals from bouncing back and being received again by the nodes (such as clients, server, printer, scanner, and etc.) in the network. The advantage of this topology is that it requires less cable length than the star topology, which is the most commonly applied topology.

Star Topology

Star Topology uses a central device called a hub (a more efficient device called "switch" is also used) with cables extending in all directions. Each networked device is connected directly to the hub. Data from a computer passes through the hub or switch before it can reach the other target node.

Ring Topology

It is a type of network topology wherein nodes are connected to each other forming one contiguous pathway in a ring formation. In other words, data need to travel from one node to the next, with each one receiving data traffic and passing it along to the next until it reaches its final destination.

Mesh Topology

Mesh Networks are structures wherein all the nodes on the network can route data traffic on their own.

Hybrid Topology

It is simply a network that uses a mix of any two or more different topologies in such a way that the final network does not exhibit one of the characteristics of the standard topologies.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF COMPUTER NETWORKS?

What is Computer Network?

Computer Network is an interconnected group of computers normally classified based on its range or scale. And it is a set of computers connected together for the purpose of sharing resources.

                                                   
  

                                                                      What is Internet?

Internet

Internet is a collection of networks and a location for digital resources existing in a common medium with the ability to share information. The internet was created by the US Department of Defense when they started a project in 1969 to allow researchers and military personnel to communicate with each other in an emergency.

    
 What is Intranet and Extranet?

Intranet is a private network based on the standards and is similarly designed.

 

Extranet is an extension of some combination of corporate, public, and private intranet using World Wide Web technology to facilitate communication with the corporation’s suppliers, customer’s, and associates.

    
 TYPES OF COMPUTER NETWORKS

PERSONAL AREA NETWORK (PAN)

Personal Area Network

      Is a computer network used to interconnect devices centered on an individual workplace. PAN can be used for connecting personal devices, which typically involve a mobile cellphone, a cellphone, and/or a handheld computing device such as PDA (Personal Digital Assistant ).The network is used to transfer files including email, calendar appointments, digital photos, and music.

LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN)

A network of computers and devices in a single location designed for collaboration and sharing of files and resources. Is a type of network where two to as much as hundreds of computers are connected with each other using a network sharing device known as hub or switch to enable sharing of files, printers, and other resource. The most common type of LAN hardware is known as Ethernet It consist of a single cable with hosts attached to it through connectors, taps, or transceivers. 

Ethernet

 Is a link layer protocol in the TCP/IP stack, describing how networked devices can format data for transmission to other network devices on the same network segment, and how to put the data out on the network connection.  
Network Bridge connects different local area networks together. It is used to avoid congestion in the data network when there are too many users.  
It was popular when switches were still too expensive to use.        

           METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK (MAN)

Is a larger network than a LAN. It involves connecting several networks together that reside within a cit, town, or metropolis. On a MAN, users may be several miles apart, but resources appear on the network just as if they were located within the same building.

Metropolitan Area Network

WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN)

Is simply a network consisting of interconnected LANs. It is usually dispersed over a very wide area, and it is not uncommon to see WANs reaching across continents to link office networks with one another in several international branch offices.

Wide Area Network