计算机英语课件Unit 8 Computer Network Section C Network Connecting Devices.pptVIP

Section C Network Connecting Devices We can divide computer networks into three broad categories: local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and wide area networks (WANs). The three network types can be connected using connecting devices. The interconnection of networks makes global communication from one side of the world to the other possible. Connecting devices can be divided into four types based on their functionality as related to the layers in the OSI model: repeaters, bridges, routers, and gateways. Repeaters and bridges typically connect devices in a network. Routers and gateways typically connect networks into internetworks (Figure 8C-1). A repeater is an electronic device that regenerates data. It extends the physical length of a network. As a signal is transmitted, it may lose strength, and a weak signal may be interpreted erroneously by a receiver. A repeater can regenerate the signal and send it to the rest of the network. Figure 8C-2 shows a network with and without a repeater. Repeaters operate only in the physical layer of the OSI model. They do not recognize physical or logical addresses. They simply regenerate every signal they receive. Repeaters, popular when the dominant topology was the bus topology, often connected two buses to increase the length of the network. When a network uses a bus topology, the medium is shared between all stations. In other words, when a station sends a frame, the common bus is occupied by this one station, and no other station is allowed to send a frame (if it does, the two frames collide). This implies a degradation of performance. Stations need to wait until the bus is free. This is similar to an airport that has only one runway. When the runway is used by one aircraft, the other aircraft ready for takeoff must wait. A bridge is a traffic controller. It can divide a long bus into smaller segments so that each segment is independent tr