Network Architectures

Overview

Standards are an important part of computer networking and are critical to understanding the functionality of all parts of a network. The standardization process is often obscure, but can often shed light on the decision making process. One of the more important standards is the network architecture standard and there are two of those, the Open Systems Interface and the Arpanet (Internet) models.

Objectives

• Know the major standard setting bodies.
• Understand the architecture of the Internet administration process.
• Know the OSI and Internet protocol architecture structures.
• Understand the components of protocol architectures.

Preparation

Read section 1.3 in the text.

Look at the following web sites for more information.

ISOC
IETF
IAB
ICANN
Internic
IANA
ISO

Terms

Be able to define the terms and answer the questions.

• ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
• CCITT
• encapsulation
• Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
• Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
• Internet Domain Name
• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
• Internet (Arpanet or TCP/IP) Model
• Internet Society (ISOC)
• International Standards Organization (ISO)
• multiplexing
• Open Systems Interface Model (OSI Model)
• protocol
• service (interlayer service)

Questions

1. How would you go about getting a domain name and address space (check out www.internic.org)?
2. What is the difference between an service and a protocol?
3. What are the major advantages of the layered protocol stack architecture? The major disadvantages?
4. Compare the layers in the OSI and Internet models.
5. Which layer in the OSI model would be responsible for encrypting a message?
6. Which layer in the OSI and Internet models would responsible for insuring that an email message sent by you is actually received?
7. Which layer in the OSI and Internet models would be responsible for routing a message through a complex internetwork?

1. Why are standards so important in computer networking?

2. What would you need in the protocol header to provide the services provided by the network layer? The transport layer?

3. Using the example of getting a pizza ordered and delivered; identify the layers and draw a diagram with the responsibility of each layer identified; identify the protocols and the services and describe each; can you identify an example of encapsulation; of multiplexing? Explain.

4. What methods would you expect to find in the services API for a network layer in a protocol stack?