Reference no: EM132411305
Assignment - Data Link Layer
Review questions -
1. What are the primary functions of the data-link layer?
2. Ethernet is the most popular end-user technology at the data-link layer. What is ether in the context of computer networking?
3. What are the components of a typical Ethernet? What are the functions of each component?
4. What is broadcast in the context of Ethernet?
5. What are the advantages of broadcasting data in Ethernet? What are some other examples of communication in day-to-day life that use broadcast?
6. What are the limitations of broadcast as a method of sending data to the intended receiver of communication?
7. What is carrier sensing in Ethernet? What is multiple access? What is a collision and what is collision detection? How are collisions detected in Ethernet?
8. Describe some techniques you have used in the past to ensure error-free communication over the telephone.
9. Provide a lay person's overview of CRC.
10. Why is CRC preferred over simpler computational techniques?
11. With a divisor of 1101, perform the sender-side computation and calculate the CRC when the data is 1001010.
12. Check your computation by performing the receiver-side computation.
13. What is the size of the smallest Ethernet frame? The largest frame?
14. List the fields in the Ethernet header. What are the roles of each of these fields?
15. The start-of-frame and preamble fields are unique to the data-link layer in that they do not carry any useful information. What is the role of these fields?
16. The SFD field alerts the receiver about the beginning of a data frame. How does the receiver know when the frame ends?
17. What is the structure of a MAC address? What information can be gathered from a MAC address?
18. What is the MAC address of your computer? You can get this information by typing ipconfig /all in Windows, or ifconfig on mac/ linux.
19. What is the hexadecimal notation? How is the number 14 represented in hexadecimal?
20. Write the binary number 01010000 in hex (hint: break the number into two four-bit blocks and represent each four-bit block in hexadecimal notation).
21. What are hubs?
22. What are switches?
23. What are the advantages of switches over hubs in Ethernets? Under what conditions may you prefer to use a hub instead of a switch?
24. What is the spanning tree protocol? What is it used for?
25. What are the common data transfer speeds in Ethernet? What is the maximum possible speed of the network card on your computer? In Windows, you can right-click on the network adapter to check its speed (Control panel → Network connections → <select adapter>)
Hands-on exercise -
1. Show the output of the command ipconfig /all or ipconfig /all | more (if there
1. Show the output of the command ipconfig /all or ipconfig /all | more (if there are numerous adapters on your computer).
2. From q1 above, what are the Mac addresses of the different interfaces on your computer?
3. Express each of these Mac addresses as 48-bit binary addresses.
4. Look up the OUIs of each of these Mac addresses and list the names and locations of the manufacturers of these Mac cards.
Critical thinking exercise -
1. What are some situations in which we do use broadcast as a mechanism for locating targets in our daily lives?
2. Processing the million observations each second generates computational complexity. Imagine a future where all vehicles and pedestrians on the road could be guaranteed to have responders that would respond to queries from nearby cars. Can this simplify obstacle detection by autonomous vehicles? If yes, suggest some ways.
IT infrastructure design exercise -
Answer the following questions for TrendyWidgets, based on the Firm details provided at the end of chapter 1.
1. Assume that all locations use Ethernet for local connectivity within the buildings. Typically, each floor in each building will have its own Ethernet, and these Ethernets will be connected to other Ethernets in the same building through a switch. Draw the Ethernet diagram for the second floor of the AP service center.
Example case questions -
1. Checkout the websites of Field View and Seed Sense. What are some of the key features of these applications?
2. If you had to add a feature to each of these apps, what would they be?
3. Mining has historically been an important source of well-paid jobs for unskilled workers. Automation eliminates thousands of these jobs. You are the local elected representative in an area where copper has just been discovered and a miner is planning to invest in a heavily automated mine that will bring in few local jobs. Will you support this investment? Why, or why not?