How Computer Networking Can Benefit a Company

Technology is advancing at a rapid pace in today’s world. Businesses are constantly in high demands of technicians that understand the ebb and flow of information through technical devices and that is able to keep up with the growth and new innovations of demanding vendors. Computer networking is one of the many and perhaps most efficient way that information enters and leaves in the complex world of business.
Like any profession, computer networking is an art and science combined. A graphic designer can strike up a beautiful piece of artwork, but like any artist, whether it be a musician or the next Picasso, passionate artists can capture your emotions or attention. Most of the time, find themselves lost in the zone of their passion. This can be applied to computer networking as well, understanding how a business actually functions and fluctuates from day to day, month to month, and year to year is the first step in determining how to set up a network that is suitable for it. Through planning and drafting sketches, you can produce the best possible routing table and in the process, while keeping in mind how your vendor will use information, you can locate and weed out any possible conflicts or problems you may encounter in setting up this beautiful piece of network master piece. Combined with science and the results are unlimited, that’s why there are many more networking schemes to yet be discovered.
Like chemistry and biology, scientists are still researching on new medicines and cures for existing illnesses and diseases. For example, AIDS and HIV are one of the many researches taking place as one speaks. There are many computer scientists today, researching and developing new innovations in the lab and then test running them on current existing businesses to gain feedback and insights on the next big networking scheme. When implemented correctly, businesses can function properly with information being delivered on time, efficiently, and consistently; most definitely contributing to the success of a business and at the same time, giving them the upper hand in competition. We all know
that when things run smoothly, we can channel our focus on something else; in this case, the ROI of a business. So not only does efficient networking contribute to a business success, it allows it to direct its focus elsewhere, for example; push on sales and focus on net profit for a better return on investment and performance inclination. These are just a few major benefits businesses can gain through use of computer networking; it’s no wonder they spend millions of dollars for technology every year. Take Microsoft Sharepoint for example, last year alone, they spent over millions of dollars on innovations but made over hundreds of millions of dollars back on their returns of investments and profits. Sharepoint, a web-development platform has really proved indispensible to any business owner or business in need of a quick, professional, and functional website. About 5 years ago and the years preceding, you had to fully understand computer language, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScripts, and PHP to create a website Now, you just do it with the dragging and click of a button. Most likely, not as easy as 1, 2, 3, but it’s almost as easy as coloring a book. Although this may prove negatively on current professional designers, it has proved indispensible to businesses around the world, and that’s what new innovations ought to do; make life easier. It has also made the job a lot easier and reduced the cost of spending for website designers to most companies. One can reckon the force of how powerful technology can be, but at the same time how dangerous it could be to society.
In health and pharmaceuticals research, some corrupted scientist could invent a dose of drug that could be harmful or detrimental to society, or in the worst case scenario, wipe out the human population. Computer scientist must always be aware that an innovation of theirs could possibly be the vice versa outcome they had expected. This is where the movies and films such as iRobot and Frankenstein came about. Like all professions, good morals and values is essential to every step in research and development, let alone, life itself.
The ebb and flow of information isn’t just the presence and absence of information. It’s art and science combined, whether complex or compound, its value is crucial and vital on businesses all around the globe. For some it could mean a lot of money, but for the ones that truly have a passion in it, nothing is impossible. It’s the boundary between science and art, like the law of time, gravity, and the universe according to Albert Einstein. Time can only tell, but when solved, cracked, or broken; possibilities and new innovations are endless. For the time being though, they are just floating around, patiently waiting to yet to be discovered by a passionate artist/scientist.

A closer look at the Network Layer

The network layer manages devices addressing, tracks location of devices on the network, and determines the best way to move data, which means the Network layer must transport traffic between devices that aren’t locally attached.

Lets take a closer look at it’s function

1. Checks a packet when it is first received on a router interface.
2. If the packet isn’t destined for that particular router, it will look up the destination network address in the routing table.
3. Once the router chooses an exit interface, the packet will be sent to that interface to be framed and sent out on the local network.
4. If the router is unable to locate an interface; the packets will be dropped.

Key Terms

Router – a router is a network layer device (layer 3 device) and provides the routing services within an internetwork.

Data packets – are used at the network layer to transport data through the internetwork.

Routed Protocols – are used to support data traffic.

Route Update Packets – are used to update neighboring routers about the networks connected to all routers within the internetwork.

Routing Protocols – are used to send out route updates packets.

Network Address

1. A protocol specific network address.
2. A router must maintain a routing table for individual routing protocols because each routing protocols keep track of a network with a different addressing scheme (ex. IP, IPv6, and IPX).

Interface – is the exit interface a packet will take when destined for a specific network.

Metric – is the distance to the remote network.

Understanding how flow control operates at the Transport layer

A quick overview of the Transport layer and its function:

• Reliable networking is used at the transport layer
  • Reliable networking = using acknowledgements, sequencing, and flow control in the network.
• Segments and reassembles data into a data stream from the upper application layer and unites the information into the same data stream for further processing.

Flow Control

• Flow control prevents a sending host on one side of the connection from overflowing the buffers in the receiving host.
  • an event that can result in data loss
• Reliable data transports and employs a connection oriented communications sessions between systems and the protocols involved, to ensure that the following will be achieved:
  • Segments delivered are acknowledged back to the sender upon their reception.
  • Any segments not acknowledged are re-transmitted.
  • Segments are sequenced back into their proper order upon arrival at their destination.
  • A manageable data flow is maintained in order to:
    • avoid traffic congestion
    • overloading
    • data loss
• The purpose of flow control is to provide means for the receiver to be able to govern the out of data sent by the sender.

Tips on network, routers, and switches

1. Plan your network design carefully.

2. Use network bridge in network to reduce collisions within broadcast domains and to increase the number of collision domains in your network.

3. Using hubs can contribute to traffic congestion.

4. Routers break up collision domains as well as broadcast domains.

5. Although bridges/switches are used to segment networks, they WILL NOT isolate broadcast or multicast domains.

6. Even though you have a switched network, you still need a router to provide your inter-VLAN communication or internetworking.