Tuesday, July 28th visit to site
Outline
- Networking Basics (30-45 minutes)
- Wikis and Blogs (15 minutes)
- Alexandria
Topic: Networking Lesson
July 28, 2009
Opening Discussion:
- What comes to mind when I say a device is networked?
- What are some different parts of a network?
- Could things like refrigerators, washers, dryers and light switches be networked in your home? Why would that be good? Bad?
- Is there any use to have a community lab to exist if it doesn’t have high-speed Internet access?
General Parts of a Network:
1. Node: the device connected to a network. Name some devices you think might be nodes on a network. Each node must have a unique identifier.
MAC Address – the identifier assigned to a network card. Think CORE name. Think soul. Think fingerprint.
NetBIOS Name – the name assigned for Windows networking. Think birth name.
IP Address – the name and address assigned to a node on the Internet. Think street address.
2. Network Interface Card (NIC) – the computer hardware necessary for a node to connect to a computer network. Think of video cards or hardware installed in computer. Think Ethernet port.
3. Media – something that brings the nodes together. Think copper, fiber optics, radio waves, etc.
4. Interconnect Device – while it is possible for one device to connect directly to another, most modern networks use one or more devices to interconnect nodes. Think LAN. Router is a node AND an interconnect device.
Network Characteristics:
PAN (Personal Area Network) – a network used for communication between computer devices close to one person. Think 5-10′.
LAN (Local Area Network) – typically a high speed network covering a relatively limited geographical area using customer-owned lines. Think building with administrator.
WAN (Wide Area Network) – a network of networks potentially covering a broad geographical area using leased public lines. Think Internet. Regions. World. You know you’ve crossed from a LAN to a WAN if you are paying someone for access.
CAN or MAN (Campus Area Network or Metropolitan Area Network) – uses LAN technologies and WAN technologies. Spans buildings within a sphere of business.
Network Topology:
Bus – all nodes are connected to a central line.
Star – all nodes are connected to each other through a central node. LAN
Mesh network – all nodes are interconnected via multiple paths, allowing for reconfiguration around broken paths. WAN
Client-server:
How is the work of a network divided?
Client – an application that runs on a personal computer or workstation and relies on a server to perform some operations.
Example: n e-mail client is an application that enables you to send and receive e-mail.
Servers – manages and share resources such as files, printers, or network traffic.
Example – the server that directs traffic to the networked printer allows everyone on the network to print to one printer.
Network Protocols:
How do computers talk to each other?
They use an agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices. The protocol determines the following:
- the type of error checking to be used
- the data compression method, if any
- how the sending device will indicate that it has finished sending a message
- how the receiving device will indicate that it has received a message
Some protocols are more reliable, and some are faster.
Your computer or device must support the right protocols if you want to communicate with other computers.
Protocols can be the language used by software programmers:
Example:
When you go to a website, what do you see?
What is http? Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
When you enter a web address in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) – Establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source. The IP part provides the address where the information will go to.
Or it can be a piece of hardware that carries data
Ethernet Net – the lowest level protocol, and the primary interconnect device.
For any questions, you can use http://www.webopedia.com/ to look up terms.
Activity: Network Map
The goal of this activity is to map out the nodes of your network while creating a poster for your lab and using this poster to help you troubleshoot any networking problems.
(First group might only get through steps 1-3. Second group will finish the activity.)
1. Take out a piece of paper and pencil. Think of what you see when you walk into the Peer Ambassadors building. Draw
a map that shows the different rooms and areas in the building. (Lab, conference room, offices, etc.)
2. Indicate how many computers are in each area along with any other node on the network. (Interconnect device or port, printer, router, switch, etc.)
3. Compare maps and decide on one format that works the best.
4. Using the poster board as a guide for size, re-create the map. Use construction paper squares to represent the rooms. Use the printed icons to represent the computers, printer, etc.
5. Label everything.
6. Decorate. Make sure you include “Peer Ambassadors Network” on the poster.
Network Troubleshooting:
See handout on the wiki.
1. Click on the Network icon in the status bar of your computer.
2. Check the Ethernet cables from each computer workstation to the router.
3. Restart the network router.
4. Double check the Ethernet cables, looking for working lights.
5. Find out the IP address for each computer that is not connected to the network.
6. Use “ping” and “traceroute” to troubleshoot network connectivity.
Closing Discussion:
What happens if the network isn’t working?
What happens if the switch is powered down?
What happens if the router is powered down?
What are the major components needed to build a network?
Alternate Activity: Cable Making
The goal of this activity is to identify an Ethernet cable and to recognize that there are 8 individual wires used to make an Ethernet cable, and that each wire is responsible for carrying certain data.
(This activity is to be used only if time permits.)
1. Identify male and female ends.
2. Cut back insulation to access string.
3. Pull back string to expose an inch of clean wire.
4 . Carefully slice of remaining outer jacket.
5. Untwist pairs of wire and order them from left to right as follows:
green/white
green
orange/white
blue
blue/white
orange
brown/white
brown
or use (but remain consistent)
orange/white
orange
green/white
blue
blue/white
green
brown/white
brown
6. Bunch them together, in order, to create a flat fan.
7. Cut wires straight at about 1/2″.
8. Confirm the wires have gone fully into the end and butt against the front of the end.
9. Confirm outer jacket is slid into the male end and abuts the shoulder of the connector.
10. Crimp.
11. Test
Lesson: Wikis and Blogs
Note: We set up a wiki and blog ahead of time to save time and to be flexible enough to do the lesson without needing to be in front of a computer. We set up a gmail account for them in order to create the accounts.
Basic Lesson Outline: Wiki’s
1. Wiki Explanation
What is a wiki?
Have you ever used a wiki?
Hint: Have you ever used Wikipedia?
What is special about a wiki?
-
- easy to manage webpage
- contribute data
- edit data
- Here you can edit and save page data, even if you weren’t the one who wrote it (elaborate if we can’t use the video).
2. Watch Common Craft’s Wikis in Plain English (if possible): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY&feature=channel
(original source: http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english)
3. Peer Ambassador Wiki
First explain what the others did – blog. Blog will be for updating news things (not as organized – just updated like a newspaper. Discuss the pages the other group made? Wiki is going to be more organized for working on projects (i.e the movie with the camping trip), more like web pages information about an organization.
How could a wiki be useful for your club? How would it function?
(i.e communication/updates with all members…)
What kinds of information could you include? (note: their answers will become pages)
Who would be responsible for each section?
How often would you update it?
4. Use Peer Ambassador Wiki worksheet (see file) to explore their wiki on Wikispaces.
View their wiki here: http://peerambassadors.wikispaces.com/.
Basic Lesson Outline: Blogs
1. Blog Explanation:
What is a blog?
Do you have a blog? Friends?
Have you ever seen or read a blog?
What is special about a wiki?
- Easily contribute data
- Easy to use: creates a web page and allows you to customize it.
-Share data because it is publically available on the Internet.
-Others can comment on your data.
2. Watch Common Craft’s Blogs in Plain English (if possible): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI
(original source: http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs)
3. Peer Ambassador Blog
How could a wiki be useful for your club? How would it function?
(i.e communication/updates with all members…)
What kinds of information could you include?
What things will go on the blog vs. the wiki. Make a written list of ideas for pages.
- Blogs are dynamic, wikis can be more static.
- Blogs are for updating news/pictures, wikis are more like documents for each project (like a webpage of your organization), great for pages that everyone wants to update.
Who would be responsible for each section?
How often would you update it?
4. Use Peer Ambassador Blog Worksheet (See file) to explore their wordpress.com blog.
View their blog here: http://peerambassadors.wordpress.com/.