Answer The Following Questions In Your Own Words: 1. What Ar ✓ Solved

Answer the following questions in your own words: 1. What ar

Answer the following questions in your own words: 1. What are the classification areas of a computer network? Describe LAN, MAN, and WAN. 2. What is the purpose of a computer network? 3. What is a network topology? Describe each of them. 4. What is a protocol? 5. Compare and contrast a server based network and client based network.

Programming project: Implement an application that reads a file, modifies its content, and writes the modification back to the same file. The file includes three lines of integers: the first line indicates the number of integers on the third line; the second line indicates which integer on the third line is selected (active); the third line lists all integers (maximum of 10). Your application should display a menu constantly, show the list of integers and which is active, and support the following operations with the given key mappings: Select Down: "1" or Down Arrow; Select Up: "2" or Up Arrow; Move Down: "3" or Page Down; Move Up: "4" or Page Up; Insert: "5" or Insert; Delete: "6" or Delete; Sort: "7" or F2; Jump from: "8" or Right Arrow; Jump to: "9" or Left Arrow; Cancel Jump: "q" or Esc; Exit: "x" or F1. Select Down cycles to the first item when at the end; Select Up cycles to the last item when at the beginning. Move operations swap the active item with the adjacent item unless at the list boundary. Insert adds an integer before the active item and makes it active (reject invalid input and refuse insertion if list is full). Delete removes the active item. Sort orders the list ascending while preserving which item is active. Jump from marks the active item to be moved; Jump to moves the marked item to the new active location; Cancel Jump clears the mark. Use top-down design with functions (at least one function per task), do not use global variables, handle special cases (e.g., empty or full list), copy file contents into arrays and variables at startup, modify the array during the program, and write back to the file on exit.

Paper For Above Instructions

Part A — Network Fundamentals (Questions 1–5)

1. Classification areas of a computer network: LAN, MAN, WAN

Computer networks are commonly classified by geographic scope and purpose. A Local Area Network (LAN) connects devices within a limited area such as a home, office, or building; it offers high data rates and low latency and is often implemented using Ethernet or Wi‑Fi [2][4]. A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) spans a city or campus and links multiple LANs; MANs are used by municipalities or large organizations to share resources across sites and typically use higher‑capacity links or metropolitan fiber rings [4][2]. A Wide Area Network (WAN) covers large geographic regions — from countries to global scale — and uses public or private telecommunication links, including leased lines, MPLS, or the Internet backbone; WANs focus on long‑distance connectivity rather than the very high speeds typical of LANs [1][2].

2. Purpose of a computer network

The primary purpose of a computer network is to enable communication and resource sharing among devices. That includes sharing files and printers, accessing centralized servers and databases, enabling distributed applications, and supporting real‑time communication (VoIP, video) and remote management [1][3]. Networks also provide redundancy and centralized administration, improving efficiency and scalability for organizations [2].

3. Network topology — definition and descriptions

Network topology describes how nodes (computers, switches, routers) are arranged and how connections flow. Common topologies include:

  • Bus: Single shared medium connecting all devices; simple but suffers collisions and limited scalability [2].
  • Star: All devices connect to a central hub or switch; easy to manage and troubleshoot; central device is a single point of failure [4].
  • Ring: Nodes connect in a closed loop; data passes sequentially; historically used in token ring systems and some MAN implementations [2].
  • Mesh: Every node (or many nodes) interconnect for redundancy; full mesh is expensive but provides high fault tolerance; partial mesh used in WANs [1].
  • Tree (hierarchical): Combination of star and bus with layered branches; used to scale LANs with departmental segmentation [2].

Topology affects performance, reliability, and cost; real networks often combine topologies to balance tradeoffs [2][7].

4. What is a protocol?

A protocol is a formal set of rules that defines how devices communicate: message formats, timing, error handling, and state transitions. Protocols exist at different layers (e.g., TCP and IP for transport and internetworking); they guarantee interoperability across devices and vendors by standardizing behavior [6][8].

5. Server‑based vs client‑based network (comparison)

In a server‑based network (client‑server), dedicated servers provide centralized services (authentication, file storage, databases). This model simplifies management, centralizes security and backups, and scales well for many users, but requires reliable servers and administration [2][5].

In a client‑based (peer‑to‑peer) network, each node can act as client and server, sharing resources directly. This model reduces central infrastructure costs and is simple for small groups, but is harder to manage, less secure, and less suitable for many users [2][5].

Key contrasts: client‑server emphasizes central control, scalability, and administrative overhead; peer‑to‑peer emphasizes simplicity and decentralization with tradeoffs in security and manageability [5].

Part B — Programming Project Design and Implementation Plan (C++ Console Application)

Overview and goal

The program is a console menu application that loads a simple integer list file (three lines), allows interactive editing with the specified commands, maintains an in‑memory data model, and writes the updated file on exit. Top‑down design mandates breaking the problem into clear functions without using global variables [9].

Data model

Use a small struct to uniquely identify list items so the active item can be tracked through sorting:

struct Item { int value; int id; };

Store items in std::vector list; maintain int activeIndex (index into list), int nextId (for unique ids), and optional int jumpId (id of marked item or -1 if none). Maximum capacity = 10 [9].

Key functions (top‑down decomposition)

  • loadFile(const std::string& path, vector& list, int& activeIndex, int& nextId): read three lines, parse count, active position, and values; validate constraints.
  • saveFile(const std::string& path, const vector& list, int activeIndex): write count, active position, and values on exit.
  • displayMenu(): print menu and current list with active highlighted.
  • handleInput(...): read key or numeric commands and dispatch to operations.
  • selectUp/Down(), moveUp/Down(), insertBeforeActive(int value), deleteActive(), sortList(), jumpFrom(), jumpTo(), cancelJump().
  • validateIntegerInput(): ensure user enters a valid integer within allowed ranges.

Preserving active item on sort

To preserve the active item after sorting, track its unique id before sort, perform stable sort on item.value, then find the index of the stored id and set activeIndex to that new index. Using unique ids ensures correct identification even with duplicate values [9].

User interaction rules and edge cases

  • Selection wraps for Select Down/Up as specified.
  • Move operations swap with adjacent item; disallow move if at boundary.
  • Insert is only allowed if list size < 10; reject non‑integer input.
  • Delete adjusts activeIndex: if deleting last element, move activeIndex to previous item; if list becomes empty set activeIndex = -1 and disable most operations.
  • Jump workflow: Jump From sets jumpId and marks the item visually; Jump To moves the item with jumpId to new activeIndex; Cancel Jump clears jumpId.

File format handling and validation

On load, verify the first line equals number of integers present on third line (or trust file but enforce limits). Validate that active position is within the range [1..n] or set to 1 if invalid. Use std::ifstream and std::ofstream for robustness and exception handling [9].

Testing and robustness

Test cases: empty list file, full list (10 items) insertion attempt, duplicate values and sorting, boundary moves, jump + cancel sequences, malformed files. Unit‑testable functions (e.g., move, sort preserve active id) make verification straightforward [9].

Sample pseudocode for insert

if (list.size() >= 10) show "List full"


else {


int val = readInteger();


Item it{val, nextId++};


list.insert(list.begin() + activeIndex, it);


activeIndex = (int)(distance(list.begin(), find_by_id(it.id)));


}

All user input and display are managed from main loop; state changes affect only in‑memory structures until saveFile() on exit [9].

Implementation notes and references

Follow C++ best practices: no global variables, pass containers by reference, keep functions small and focused, and comment code. Use stable_sort for predictable sorting behavior and track unique ids to keep item identity across operations [9].

Conclusion

This plan answers the networking questions concisely and provides a clear top‑down design for the programming task. The network section defines LAN/MAN/WAN, topologies, protocols, and compares server and client models with citations. The program design uses a unique id per item to preserve the active item through sorts, adheres to the menu and key mappings, enforces limits (max 10), and outlines modular functions to satisfy the assignment constraints and testing needs.

References

  1. Tanenbaum, A. S., & Wetherall, D. J. (2011). Computer Networks (5th ed.). Pearson. [Book covering network classifications and protocols]
  2. Kurose, J. F., & Ross, K. W. (2017). Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (7th ed.). Pearson. [Topology and protocol layering concepts]
  3. Forouzan, B. A. (2013). Data Communications and Networking (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill. [Networking fundamentals]
  4. Cisco Systems. (n.d.). LAN vs. WAN vs. MAN. Cisco.com. https://www.cisco.com. [Vendor overview of LAN/MAN/WAN]
  5. CompTIA. (n.d.). Network+ Exam Objectives and Study Resources. https://www.comptia.org. [Comparison of network models and roles]
  6. Postel, J. (1981). RFC 791 — Internet Protocol. IETF. https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc791. [Protocol specification example and role of protocols]
  7. IEEE Communications Society. (n.d.). Network Topologies and Architectures. IEEE Xplore / overview articles. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org. [Topology design considerations]
  8. Microsoft Docs. (n.d.). Protocols and Network Architectures. https://docs.microsoft.com. [Protocol behavior and implementation notes]
  9. cppreference. (n.d.). C++ Reference — , , vector and stable_sort. https://en.cppreference.com. [C++ file I/O and container handling]
  10. Webopedia. (n.d.). Network Fundamentals Study Guide. https://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/network_fundamentals. [Introductory resource used as contextual reference]

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