AS / A Level Computer Science
AS CS 2 - Communication
AS CS 2.1 Networks including the internet
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of the purpose and benefits of networking devices
Notes and guidance
N/A
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of the characteristics of a LAN (local area network) and a WAN (wide area network)
Notes and guidance
N/A
Candidates should be able to:
Explain the client-server and peer-to-peer models of networked computers
Notes and guidance
Roles of the different computers within the network and subnetwork models
Benefits and drawbacks of each model
Justify the use of a model for a given situation
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of thin-client and thick-client and the differences between them
Notes and guidance
N/A
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of the bus, star, mesh and hybrid topologies
Notes and guidance
Understand how packets are transmitted between two hosts for a given topology
Justify the use of a topology for a given situation
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of cloud computingÂ
Notes and guidance
Including the use of public and private clouds
Benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of the differences between and implications of the use of wireless and wired networks
Notes and guidance
Describe the characteristics of copper cable, fibre-optic cable, radio waves (including WiFi), microwaves, satellites
Candidates should be able to:
Describe the hardware that is used to support a LAN
Notes and guidance
Including switch, server, Network Interface Card (NIC), Wireless Network Interface Card (WNIC), Wireless Access Points (WAP), cables, bridge, repeater
Candidates should be able to:
Describe the role and function of a router in a network
Notes and guidance
N/A
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of Ethernet and how collisions are detected and avoided
Notes and guidance
Including Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detection (CSMA / CD)
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of bit streamingÂ
Notes and guidance
Methods of bit streaming, i.e. real-time and on-demand
Importance of bit rates broadband speed on bit streaming
Candidates should be able to:
Show understanding of the differences between the World Wide Web (WWW) and the internet
Notes and guidance
N/A
Candidates should be able to:
Describe the hardware that is used to support the internet
Notes and guidance
Including modems, PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), dedicated lines, cell phone network
Candidates should be able to:
Explain the use of IP addresses in the transmission of data over the internet
Notes and guidance
Including:
format of an IP address including IPv4 and IPv6 use of subnetting in a network
how an IP address is associated with a device on a network
difference between a public IP address and a private IP address and the implications for security
difference between a static IP address and a dynamic IP address
Candidates should be able to:
Explain how a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is used to locate a resource on the World Wide Web (WWW) and the role of the Domain Name Service (DNS)
Notes and guidance
N/A