What is a computer network?
A: A system where two or more devices are connected to share data, resources, and communicate.
What is a LAN?
A: Local Area Network – covers a small geographical area like a school or office, usually owned by one organisation.
What is a WAN?
A: Wide Area Network – covers a large geographical area, using third-party infrastructure (e.g. the internet).
What is bandwidth?
A: The amount of data that can be transferred per second, measured in Mbps/Gbps.
What factors affect network performance?
A: Bandwidth, number of users, interference, hardware quality, distance between devices.
What is a client–server network?
A: A central server provides resources/services, while clients request them.
What is a peer-to-peer (P2P) network?
A: All devices share resources directly without a central server.
What is a NIC?
A: Network Interface Card – hardware that allows a device to connect to a network (wired or wireless).
What is a switch?
A: A device that connects devices on a LAN and sends data only to the intended recipient.
What is a router?
A: A device that connects networks together and directs data between them (e.g. LAN to internet).
What is a WAP?
A: Wireless Access Point – provides Wi-Fi by connecting wireless devices to a wired network.
What hardware is needed to set up a LAN?
A: NIC, switch, router, WAP (for Wi-Fi), transmission media (Ethernet cables or wireless signals).
What is an IP address?
A: A unique address used to identify a device on a network. Can be IPv4 (e.g. 192.168.1.1) or IPv6.
What is a MAC address?
A: A permanent hardware address assigned to a NIC, used for sending data on a LAN.
What is DNS?
A: Domain Name System – translates website names (e.g. google.com) into IP addresses.
How does DNS work?
A: DNS (Domain Name System) translates a website’s domain name (e.g., google.com) into its numerical IP address. When you type a website name, your device sends a request to a DNS server. The DNS server looks up the matching IP address and returns it so your browser can connect to the correct web server. If it’s not found it looks in the high priority servers and returns an error if not found.
What is a network topology?
A: The layout/structure of how devices are connected in a network.
What is a mesh topology?
A: Devices are interconnected; multiple paths for data make it very reliable but costly.
What is a packet?
A: A small chunk of data sent across a network, containing payload + headers (address, order, etc.).
What is packet switching?
A: Data is split into packets which take different routes across the network and reassemble at the end.
What is an Ethernet cable?
A: A wired transmission medium used in LANs (Cat5e, Cat6). Fast and reliable.
What is Wi-Fi?
A: A wireless networking technology using radio waves to transfer data.
What is an SSID?
A: Service Set Identifier – the name of a Wi-Fi network.
What is encryption in networking?
A: Encoding data so only authorised users can read it (e.g. WPA2/WPA3 for Wi-Fi).
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Systems Architecture (CPU, FDE cycle, Embedded systems)22
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Memory and Storage34
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Computer Networks29
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Network Threats25
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Systems Software29
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Ethical, Cultural and Environmental Issues31
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Algorithms19
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Programming Fundementals27
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Robust Programming28
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Boolean Logic26
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Data Representation25
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Programming Languages and Translators17
