optional · CSS study notes
Basic Concepts and Network Classification
- Network classification by scale: LAN (Local, small area, e.g., office), MAN (Metropolitan, city-scale), WAN (Wide, large geographic area, e.g., the Internet)
- Circuit Switching: a dedicated communication path is established and reserved for the entire duration of a call (e.g., traditional telephone networks) — guarantees bandwidth but wastes capacity during idle periods
- Packet Switching: data is broken into packets, each routed independently and possibly via different paths, reassembled at the destination (the Internet's model) — more efficient use of shared bandwidth but variable delay/no guaranteed path
- Multiplexing: TDM (Time Division Multiplexing): each signal gets the full channel for a scheduled time slot; FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing): each signal gets a dedicated frequency band simultaneously