Chapter 4: Telecommunications and networking. In this chapter, the learning objectives are: Compare and contrast the major types of networks, describe the wireline communications media and transmission technologies, describe the most common methods for accessing the internet, explain the impact that discovery network applications have had on business and everyday life. | CHAPTER 4 Telecommunications and Networks CHAPTER OUTLINE What Is a Computer Network? Network Fundamentals The Internet and the World Wide Web Network Applications LEARNING OBJECTIVES Compare and contrast the two major types of networks Describe the wireline communications media and transmission technologies Describe the most common methods for accessing the Internet Explain the impact that networks have had on business and everyday life for each of the six major categories of network applications What Is a Computer Network? Broadband Local Area Networks Wide Area Networks Enterprise Networks Network Fundamentals Analog and Digital Signals Communications Media and Channels Transmission Technologies Network Protocols Types of Network Processing Transmission Technologies Digital subscriber line (DSL) Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) Synchronous optical network (SONET) T-carrier system Network Protocols Ethernet Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Types of Network Processing Client/server computing Peer-to-peer processing Types of Peer-to-Peer Processing First Type Second Type Third Type The Internet and the World Wide Web Accessing the Internet The Future of the Internet The World Wide Web Accessing the Internet Connecting via an online service Internet kiosks Dial-up DSL Cable Modem Satellite Wireless Fiber to the home Addresses on the Internet Domain names Top-level domain Name of the organization Name of the specific computer The World Wide Web Home page Uniform resource locator Browser Competition Network Applications Discovery Communication Collaboration E-Learning and Distance Learning Virtual Universities Telecommuting Discovery Search engines Metasearch engines Discovery of material in foreign languages Portals Portals Commercial (public) portals Affinity portals Mobile portals Corporate portals Industrywide portals Communication Electronic mail (e-mail) Web-based call centers (customer call center) Electronic chat room Voice Unified Collaboration Work group Virtual group (team) Virtual collaboration Collaboration software Electronic Teleconferencing E-Learning and Distance Learning Benefits of E-Learning Self-paced learning increases content retention. Online materials deliver high-quality, current content. Students have the flexibility of learning from any place at any time at their own pace. Learning time generally is shorter, and more people can be trained due to faster training time. Training costs can be reduced. Drawbacks of E-Learning Instructors may need training to be able to teach electronically. The purchase of additional multimedia equipment may be necessary. Students must be computer literate and may miss the face-to-face interaction with instructors. There are issues with assessing students’ work, as instructors really do not know who completed assignments. Telecommuting Benefits For Employees Reduced stress, improved family life Employment opportunities for single parents and persons with disabilities For Employers Increased productivity Ability to retain skilled employees Telecommuting Disadvantages For Employees Feelings of isolation No workplace visibility Potential for slower promotions For Employers Difficulties in supervising work Potential information security problems Additional training costs Closing Case #1 The Problem The Solution The Results Closing Case #2: The Problem The Solution The Results
