Data Communication and Networks

PART I:

Objectives: In this lab you will learn basic network commands (such as ipconfig, net view, Ping, ARP and so on) which can be used to check status of a network. Student will also use Wireshark to capture network data and investigate captured data to understand practical use of various network terms they learn from Lecture 1.

Hands-On Project 1: Using Ipconfig, Ping, and ARP

Objective: Use Ipconfig, Ping, and ARP to view and test network addresses and connectivity.

Required Tools/Equipment: Your classroom computer

Description: In this project, you use command-line tools to view your network configuration and test your computer's capability to communicate with other computers. Ipconfig displays the IP address configuration of your network interfaces. Ping sends a message to a computer to verify the capability to communicate with it. ARP displays the MAC (physical) addresses your computer has discovered.

1. Click Start, type cmd, and press Enter to open a command prompt window. At the command prompt, type ipconfig and press Enter. You should see a screen similar to Figure 1, although the specific numbers you see will vary. Ipconfig lists the IP address configuration for your network interfaces as well as other network settings.

Figure 1: IP address configuration for your network

Identify the differences between your screen and Figure 1. Explain why are they different?

2. To see more details about your network configuration, type ipconfig /all and press Enter. You can scroll up the command prompt window to see all the output. Under the heading “Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection,” find the row labelled Physical Address (see Figure 2). The number you see in this row is the MAC address, a 12-digit hexadecimal value. Also, find the IP address in the IPv4 Address row. Write down these two addresses:

Figure 2: Using ipconfig /all to list physical (MAC) and IP addresses

3. Tell your partner what your IP address is and make note of your partner's IP address. At the command prompt, type ping IP address and press Enter (replacing IP address with your partner's IP address). You should see output similar to Figure 3.

Figure 3: Results of the ping command

4. Remember that your computer needs both the destination IP address and MAC address to communicate with another computer. You supplied the IP address by typing it at the command prompt. Your computer discovered the MAC address of your partner's computer by using Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). To see this address, type arp -a and press Enter. The output should be similar to Figure 4. You might see more lines of output, depending on what other devices your computer has been communicating with. ARP works automatically without user intervention.

Figure 4: The arp -a command displays MAC addresses

5. Use the ping command to communicate with other computers and devices on your network, and use ipconfig /all to find the addresses of your default gateway (a router in your network) and your DNS servers. Write the MAC addresses of your default gateway and your DNS servers:

1. Default gateway: _______________________________

2. DNS servers: ___________________________________

6. Close all open windows.

PART II:

1. You're the network administrator for a company that has just expanded from one floor to two floors of a large building, and the number of workstations you need has doubled from 50 to 100. You're concerned that network performance will suffer if you add computers to your existing LAN. In addition, new users will be working in a separate business unit, and there are reasons to logically separate the two groups of computers. What type of network should you configure?

a. WAN

b. MAN

c. Internetwork

d. Extended LAN

2. Which of the following best describes a client?

a. A computer's primary role in the network is to give other computers access to network resources and services.

b. A computer's primary role in the network is to run user applications and access network resources.

c. It's the software that responds to requests for network resources.

d. The OS installed on a computer is designed mainly to share network resources.

3. You work for a small company with four users who need to share information on their computers. The budget is tight, so the network must be as inexpensive as possible. What type of network should you install?

a. Server-based network

b. Peer-to-peer network

c. WPAN

d. Storage area network

4. Which of the following characteristics is associated with a peer-to-peer network? (Choose all that apply.)

a. Decentralized data storage

b. Inexpensive

c. User-managed resources

d. Centralized control

e. Uses a directory service

5. A device interconnects five computers and a printer in a single office so that users can share the printer. This configuration is an example of which of the following?

a. LAN

b. MAN

c. WAN

d. Internetwork

6. At Yavapai College, the Prescott and Prescott Valley campuses (8 miles apart) have LANs connected via the local phone company. This configuration is an example of which of the following? (Choose the best answer.)

a. MAN

b. WPAN

c. WAN

d. SAN

7. You have installed Windows Server 2008 on a new server and want to centralize user logons and security policies. What type of software should you install and configure on this server?

a. Naming services

b. Application services

c. Communication services

d. Directory services

8. Peer-to-peer networks aren't suitable in which of the following situations?

a. Tight security is required.

b. Five or fewer users need network access.

c. Budget is the primary consideration.

d. No one uses the network heavily.

9. Which of the following best describes a storage area network?

a. Provides a mechanism for users to access a network's storage resources remotely

b. Uses high-speed networking technologies to give servers fast access to large amounts of disk storage

c. Is a short-range networking technology designed to connect personal devices to exchange information

d. Provides secure centralized file storage and sharing and access to networked printers

10. Why might Windows 7 or Windows Vista require more RAM or disk space than Windows Server 2008?

a. They need to accommodate handling centralized logon.

b. They include a directory service and a naming service.

c. They run many background networking services.

d. They support a graphics-intensive user interface.

Case Project 1: Networking Gadgets, Inc. currently employs eight people but plans to hire 10 more in the next four months. Users will work on multiple projects, and only those users assigned to a project should have access to the project files. You're instructed to set up the network to make it easy to manage and back up yet still provide centralized storage for project files. Would you choose a peer-to-peer network, a server-based network, or a combination of both? Why?

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