CS 200 Fundamentals of Information Technology
Module 3 Data Communications and Networks
Assignment 6
Types of Architectures & Networks
1. (20 pts) Compare and contrast a switch versus a router. What are their respective functions?
What layer does each of them operate at? How does each of them make decisions, and what do
they use to make these decisions?
Switches are datalink layer devices that only process frames whereas a router is a internet layer
device and processes packets. A router connects separate networks and routes packets given to
it by a switch from the LAN or ISP.
2. (20 pts) Summarize the advantages and disadvantages of a peer-to-peer network (at least 3 of
each). (Perform some Internet research to answer this question.) Describe (technical operation
illustrating that it is P2P) 2 popular P2P networks.
Having a peer-to-peer network can be advantageous by the fact that having peer-to-peer
networking allows for more processing power that is split between the various connected peers
since each peer acts as the client and server. The various connected peers also share computing
power so there is potential cost savings because of the use of idle processing. P2P also has the
advantage of being connected to several servers that potentially have the same file you are
wanting to acquire so there is less time waiting for ad hoc needs.
Some disadvantages of a P2P network are management of the network since there are various
connected clients/servers and also there is security risks due to the various number of peers and
potential viruses since there is no one person to manage or take care of viruses. Another
disadvantage is that in order to use the P2P connections everyone has to be using the same
client/server software.
2 popular P2P networks are Skype which allows users to video chat and make calls over VOIP and
Gnutella which allows for the sharing of files such as audio or video.
3. (20 pts) What type of network extends the security of a private company intranet over a
public internet? Why do some employers require employees to use this type of connection
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when working remotely? The security acronym CIA was discussed in the lecture. Which aspects
of CIA can be addressed by using this type of network, and why?
A Virtual Private Network or VPN. Some employers require staff to use this kind of network
because it enables them to implement a stronger network security for employees working from
home or offsite. Certain aspects of the security acronym CIA also by protecting organizational
data through the use of security protocols which is part of the Confidentiality portion of CIA, as
well as the Integrity portion of CIA by use of backup systems to ensure that there isn’t any loss of
data
4. (20 pts) Authentication is based on something that a person knows, has, or is. Do some Internet
research to determine an example of an authentication mechanism for each of these three
criteria (something a person knows, something a person has, and something a person is).
An example of something a person knows for authentication could be something like a
password.
An example of something a person has for authentication could be something like a smart card
or the new microchip credit cards.
An example of something a person is for authentication could be a finger print or retinal scan
since a finger print or the structured of the eye do not change.
5. (20 pts) Draw a picture of how a computer on one LAN is connected to another computer on a
different LAN. Your diagram should be your original work and not something that you cut/pasted from
another source. Be sure to label all devices and connections clearly.
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Note: Please name your assignment submission according to our naming convention, i.e.,
FirstnameLastnameAssign6. Remember, we only accept Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx file
extensions) or PDF files.
Rev 2 2014
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