Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit the students should be able to:

• describe a modem and its purpose;
• state the difference between analogue data and digital data;
• explain the need for conversion between analogue and digital data;
• identify the advantages and disadvantages of using common network environments such as the Internet;
• describe what is meant by the terms user id and password, stating their purpose and use;
• identify a variety of methods of communication such as fax, e-mail, bulletin boards, and tele/video conferencing;
• define the terms Local Area Network (LAN), Wireless Local Area Network and Wide Area Network (WAN);
• describe the difference between LANs, WLANs and WANs, identifying their main characteristics;
• identify the different network topologies (including star, ring, bus and hybrid);
• describe the characteristics and purpose of common network environments, such as intranets and the Internet;
• describe common network devices (including hubs, routers, bridges, switches and proxy servers)
• discuss the problems of confidentiality and security of data, including problems surrounding common network environments;
• identify the need for encryption, authentication techniques, including the use of User identification and passwords, when using common network environments such as the Internet.