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Computer Networks Study Cards
Free Computer Science Cards on Flashcard Maker
From network topologies and the OSI model to protocols, IP addressing and cyber security, these free Computer Science flashcards cover everything you need on networks for GCSE and A Level.
Question
What is a computer network?
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Answer
Two or more computing devices connected together to share resources and communicate. Can be wired (Ethernet) or wireless (Wi-Fi).
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Question
What is the difference between a LAN and a WAN?
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Answer
LAN (Local Area Network): covers a small geographic area (building or campus) — fast, privately owned. WAN (Wide Area Network): covers a large area (country/global) — uses public infrastructure. The internet is the largest WAN.
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Question
What is a client-server network?
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Answer
A network where central servers provide services/resources to client devices. Servers manage user accounts, security, and storage centrally. Easier to manage but expensive and dependent on the server.
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Question
What is a peer-to-peer (P2P) network?
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Answer
All devices have equal status — any can be a client or server. Cheaper to set up, no central point of failure, but harder to manage and less secure. Example: home networks, file sharing.
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Question
What are the main network topologies?
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Answer
Star: all devices connect to a central switch/hub — most common. Bus: all on a single cable — cheap but slow. Ring: devices in a ring. Mesh: each device connects to many others — resilient but expensive.
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Question
What is a router?
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Answer
A device that forwards data packets between networks — directing traffic from a home/office network to the internet. Operates at the network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model.
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Question
What is a switch?
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Answer
A network device that connects devices within a LAN and forwards data only to the specific destination device (using MAC addresses) — more efficient than a hub (which broadcasts to all).
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Question
What is an IP address?
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Answer
A unique numerical label assigned to each device on a network. IPv4: 32-bit (e.g. 192.168.1.1). IPv6: 128-bit — created to expand the address space as IPv4 addresses ran out.
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Question
What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
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Answer
IPv4: 32-bit addresses (~4.3 billion). IPv6: 128-bit addresses (~340 undecillion). IPv6 was introduced to address IPv4 exhaustion.
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Question
What is DNS (Domain Name System)?
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Answer
Translates human-readable domain names (e.g. google.com) into IP addresses that computers use to communicate. Acts like a phone book for the internet.
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