MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D.

CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Specifying the network and host numbers in IPv6

NOTE: Use the CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) prefix representation i.e. a slash followed by the
length of the network number (bits making up the network number) written after the IPv6 number.

e.g. 2002:db6:12::/48 means the first 48 bits are for the network number while the remaining (80bits) are
the host bits.

The :: at the end represents the remaining blocks are all zeros.

Comparison between IPv4(IP addresses version 4) and IPv6(IP addresses version 6)

1) The IPv6 has large address space (2128) unlike IPv4 which only has limited space (232)
2) When writing IPv4 addresses we use dotted decimal notation while when writing IPv6 we use
hexadecimal numbers separated by colons.
3) The IPv6 was designed with modern internet and gadgets technologies in mind hence it is more flexible
and extensible i.e. it caters for wired and wireless devices efficiently.

IP configuration on Networks
After connecting your computer to a network using transmission media, you need to configure it in order to
be able to communicate with other computers on the local network and also to access the internet.

To configure IP on windows 7 do the following:

i. Open Control Panel

ii. Click Network and Sharing Center (NSC) link
iii. There are several available connections you can configure their IP
iv. Click Change Adapter Settings link to see all available network connections if active or not.
v. Right-Click the connection you wish to configure then click Properties command from the shortcut
menu.
vi. Click on the Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click Properties button to see TCP/IPv4
properties.
vii. Enter the IP address and specify the default gateway. If the administrator installed a protocol called
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol(DHCP) then you do not have to specify the IP address, just
select the option “Obtain an IP address Automatically”
viii. Click Ok button

TOPIC: NETWORK APPLICATIONS

Networks are being used to provide a number of services nowadays. Previously people used to send and
receive messages through ordinary mail commonly known as snail mail (as it was slow). Today people are
using most efficient modes of communication such as mobile phones and the Internet.

The Internet and World Wide Web (www)

 Internet: refers to the global interconnection of computer networks for the purposes of sharing
resources and communication.
 World Wide Web (www): refers to the interlinked hypertext (web) documents (or websites) that are
accessed using a special software or program known as a web browser.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

The World Wide Web (www)

Note: the term web in www (adapted from spider web) refers to the interlinking of documents. These
documents are in various computers or devices connected together.

 A web: refers to a set of related hypertext (interlinked) documents that contain text, images and video.
 A Webpage: is a single document page connected to the World Wide Web containing text and other
items that can be viewed by everyone connected to the internet using a web browser. A webpage is
basically a file written in a language called Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) containing text,
images, video e.t.c
 A Website: is an addressed location that consist of a collection of related web pages hosted on one or
more computers linked together in a particular way.
 Web browser: is a special program that is used to view information on web pages on the Internet.
A web browser allows you to see contents on web pages such as text, images or videos. It also allows
you navigate between web pages using hyperlinks.
Examples of popular web browsers are:
 Google chrome
 Opera
 Microsoft internet explorer
 Mozilla Firefox
Purpose of web browser:
 Connecting to web servers
 Requesting web pages
 Properly formatting the web pages and displaying them to the user

Note: a Hyperlink is a link from a hypertext file to another file that is activated by clicking on the
highlighted word or icon. It helps you navigate from one page to another webpage.

 Hypertext document: is a web page that has links to the same page or other pages on the web. Clicking
on a link in a hypertext document takes you from a current page or section to another.
Note:To ensure easy access to information or resources on a website, each website has a unique
address called a uniform resource locator (URL).
The URL is the unique address of a webpage on the World Wide Web that provides access to the
required resource on the website or webpage.
e.g. to visit a site such as Google you type the URL http://www.google.com/images

Parts of the URL

The URL has 3 parts namely:

1. The protocol governing how to get the information e.g. HTTP( Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

2. The Internet Host name of the computer where the required content or resource is stored
e.g.www.google.com

3. The directory or location on the site where the content or resource is located. This usually
follows the forward slash. See below

http://www.google.com/images/akon.jpeg

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Note: HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a protocol that uses TCP to transfer hypertext requests and
information between servers and browsers.

 Search engine: is a special site or special type of website that helps users search and easily find
information from other websites. It is basically a website that searches for content in other websites.
Note: there is vast amount of information on the web such that it sometimes becomes frustrating to
users when they cannot get information they need. A solution becomes to use a search engine to
search for the required content from various websites.
Examples of search engines include Yahoo, Google, Bing, Excite, Alta Vista

How a search engine works?

A search engine consists of three components:
a. A web robot ( also known as the spider or crawler)
b. Indexing database
c. Query engine
The following are steps on how a search engine works:
i. Before you command the search engine to do the search, the program called Spider or crawler
searches for new items on the web to add to the search engine index database. This makes the
search faster (i.e. results are displayed faster)
ii. The search engine indexing database receives whatever the spider brings to it. It then scans
the documents for keywords and generates the indexes and stores them in an index database.
iii. The user submits the search string (a word or phrase). The query engine receives the indexing
database request and processes the request in two ways:
 Looks for the keywords specified in the user’s query from the index databases.
 Retrieves associated documents and ranks them according to some criteria or
preference such as the most visited page
iv. The results and time takes to search for the requested item are displayed on the web browser.

 Homepage (also known as website Index): is the first page for a website. Note: the homepage is
mostly loaded to be used for navigation to other pages or other websites.
 Web Server: is a computer on a network or intranet that delivers web pages and other files in response
to the web browser’s request.

Internet Services
Internet services are services offered on the internet (i.e. offered online).
Examples of Internet services include the following:
A. World Wide Web (www)
B. Electronic mail (e-mail) and fax
C. Instant messages
D. Electronic commerce
E. Electronic learning (e-learning)
F. Newsgroups
G. File transfer protocol (FTP)

A. World Wide Web (www)

This is a vast virtual space on the internet that provides people with a wide range of
information. This information is available on websites, web portals, blogs and multimedia sites.
 Website is a group of related web pages or other resources located on a web server.
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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

 Web portal is a site that provides an entry point to other websites. It provides
specialized services such as searching, e-mail, sports updates and links to other
selected websites.
 Blogs are websites that contains personal information which can be easily updated.
Blogs are mostly used for business, campaigns or advocacy.
 Multimedia sites are sites containing photos, music, video or web TV, Internet radio
and other content for entertainment e.g. malawi-music.com, you tube etc.

B. Electronic Mail and Fax

An electronic mail (e-mail) is a message transmitted electronically over the Internet.
Note: You need to have an e-mail account to be able to send and receive e-mails. E.g.
andrewchona87@gmial.com
Note that e-mail addresses or e-mail accounts must have small letters and must be typed with
no spaces.
A fax is also mail sent electronically from one fax machine to another receiving fax machine.

C. Instant Messages
This is a more improved messaging service that allows two or more people to communicate
directly in real time. Here you must register with an instant messenger e.g.
 Whatsapp
 Yahoo messenger
 Google+

D. Electronic Commerce (e-commerce)

This is the use of Internet to sell and buy goods and services.
Advantage of e-commerce
A company is able to access customers outside the borders so no limitation of market space.
Disadvantage/ problem of e-commerce is that there are no proper laws to govern e-commerce
since people deal with each other without ever meeting physically.

E. Electronic learning (e-learning)

This is learning conducted via electronic media especially the Internet. E.g. Open and Distance
Learning (ODL) where learning materials and lectures are made available online over the
internet. This helps to save transport and lodging money.

F. Newsgroups
These are organised groups of Internet users who wish to share ideas and interests. To
participate one has to join a newsgroup then he or she can contribute to discussions. E.g. Times
online news, zodiac online etc.

G. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

This is an online or Internet service that enables uploading and downloading of files.

Browsing the Web (also called surfing the Internet)

Browsing (surfing) refers to exploring websites or navigating from one website to another in
order to find the required content.
Below is a simple description and demonstration of how to browse the Internet.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Understanding the web address (also called Uniform Resource Locator [URL])
The general format of the URL is as below:

Protocol://domain-name.top level domain

For example to visit the Malawi Polytechnic website type

http://www.polytechnic.ac.mw

wherehttpis the Protocol, www.polytechnic is the domain-name and .ac.mw is the top level domain

 The protocol: This is the rule that defines how to access the required resource. The two common
examples of protocols that work on Internet are the http:// (Hypertext transfer protocol and File
transfer protocol (FTP). The http is a standard used for accessing a website content from server and
submitting it to a web browser. FTP on the other hand is a standard used for uploading content to a
server and downloading of content from the web server.
 Domain name: This is the name of the server or computer where the website or the required
resource is located or kept on the Internet. E.g. www.polytechnic is a domain or resource name
located in www directory.
 Top level domain: This represents or indicates the type of service offered by the organisations. For
example .ac.mw means that this is an academic institution located in Malawi.

Below are some of the commonly used top level domains and the type of organisations they
represent

TOP LEVEL DOMAIN TYPE OF ORGANISATION

.edu Educational institution
.org Non-profit making organisation
.ac Academic institution
.mil Military organisation
.com Commercial institution
.net An institution providing networking services e.g. globemax.net

Note: some top level domains also have two letter extension added after the business domain part to
indicate the country in which the business or the site is located. e.g. www.tnm.com.mw see below

EXTENSION COUNTRY
.mw Malawi
.ke Kenya
.uk United Kingdom
.ug Uganda
.tz Tanzania
.au Australia
.jp Japan

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Use of Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks are links used to navigate from one webpage to another page or one section to another. To
use a hyperlink:
i. Move mouse pointer on the link. It will change to a pointing finger
ii. Click the hyperlink to jump to the required page or part specified by the link

Navigation Toolbar
You can also move from one part of website to another using buttons on the navigation tool bar
provided by the web browser. i.e. back, forward, refresh etc.
Below are the icons on the toolbar and their function:

BUTTON / BOX/ICON FUNCTION

Back Takes the user to the previously visited webpage
Forward This takes you to other visited pages after the current page
Stop This stops loading of the current webpage
Refresh This is used to reload a webpage
Search box This is a shortcut for searching information using Google search
engine
Home Takes the user to the homepage or index page of the website
Download Used to download the current webpage
Bookmark Used to bookmark a webpage (i.e. to save a link to a website
address in a web browser that will be used to facilitate quick
access to the website when you need it again)
History Displays a list of recently visited web pages

Printing a Webpage
1. Click File menu then click PrintOR press Ctrl + P
2. Set the Print properties you want e.g. copies, paper size etc.
3. Click Ok to start printing the web page

Using Electronic Mail (E-mail)

One needs to have e-mail application software such as outlook express, yahoo mail, Gmail to create,
receive and send electronic mails. You also need to register for a new e-mail account. This involves
providing required details such as name, date of birth and unique password.

Note: Web-based email accounts provide access to email services from anywhere as long as you have a
computer or mobile phone that has access to internet.

When creating e-mails choose a unique username

To create a Gmail account:

 Jump to Google homepage by typing http://www.google.com on any preferred web browser.

 Display the sign-in or create new account page and enter your details e.g. name etc
 Agree to the terms and conditions provided by Google.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

E-mail Address format

A typical e-mail address is always in lowercase (small letters) and has no spaces. e.g.
andrewchona87@gmail.com
In the example above:

 andrewchona87 is a name of the e-mail account defined by the user when registering for
an email account.
 The @ symbol separates the account name from the domain of the email service provider
in this case Google
 The period . is read as dot and is used to separate different parts of the e-mail address.
 The com defines the name of the nature of the business of e-mail service provider. I.e.
commercial entity
Creating a new e-mail message
Format of a standard e-mail message
A standard e-mail message has a format with the following:
1) Header information
The e-mail header has the following sections:
a. Address: This provides a textbox where you enter the e-mail address of the
recipient.
b. Subject: This specifies the content of the message in the message body.
c. Attachment: This is where you can add other files to accompany the e-mail
message such as documents, photo, and video to send via e-mail.

2) Message body
This is where you type the message you want to send mostly text.

3) Signature
This part provides additional information about the sender such as full name or telephone
number.
To compose an e-mail message:
i. Click New or Compose e-mail button
ii. Type the recipient e-mail address
iii. Type the subject of the message e.g. Annual Meeting Notice
iv. Type your message and attach any files if needed e.g. photos or video (less than 25mb)
v. Click Send button
Managing Contacts
To avoid errors when typing e-mail addresses, add contacts in the address book. To do this click
add to contacts link.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Social networking
Another example of network application is social networking.
Social networking refers to creation of social relationships to interact with other people on social
networks by uploading and downloading media content.
Social networking has helped people link or connect with their classmates, teachers, college mates
e.t.c. via various social networks. Social networking has been made possible by social networks
such as Facebook.
 Social networks are web-based sites that allow individuals to create a public profile to share
information with people they share interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.
Examples of Social networks

 Facebook
 Twitter
 Whatsapp
 Linked-in

 Social media: refers to the content that people upload on social network sites. e.g. music, videos,
photos e.t.c.

Advantages of Social networks

Social networks have come with a number of benefits as follows:

1. Global connections: social networks have helped people to make new friends and stay in
touch with them globally.

2. Marketing: social networks are being uses to advertise goods and services even beyond
borders.
3. Promotion of technology use: social networking uses accessible technologies like mobile
phones, computers and internet and this has motivated people to embrace and use such
technologies.
4. Social cohesion: social networks help people keep in touch (in contact) with their family
members in cases where physical meeting is impossible.
5. Career opportunities and employment opportunities: social networking has simplified job
searching. People now share job vacancies on social networks such as Whatapp groups and
Facebook pages.
6. Political campaigns: social networking has also become a powerful tool during political
campaigns. Politicians share their manifesto to the public and build support for them.
7. Security: security detectives also sniff into media content to track down cases of organized
crime and terrorism.
8. Promotion of Health and wellbeing: social networking has been helpful I to people in
obtaining medical/ health information from doctors and other medical experts. e.g. how to
cook health diets, how to prevent infections.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Disadvantages of Social networks

Social networks have presented the following disadvantages
a) Low productivity in the work place and home
Social networking can sometimes waste ones time leading to low productivity and job
losses as some people can be addicted to the social networks. E.g. Whatsapp

b) It has reduced face to face connections

Social networking has reduced the need for physical social interaction between people.
People sometimes get glued to their mobile phones during social meeting such as birthday
parties.

c) Cyber bullying and crimes against children

Social networks sometimes expose individuals especially children to sexual harassments
and other crimes (e.g. trafficking). It also exposes them to pornography and some other
inappropriate content which results in corruption of good morals (i.e. Moral decay)

d) Digital divide (technology gap)

Social networking has magnified (increased) the gap between people that have access to
computer technologies and those that do not have access to such services or those without
digital skills. This is social inequality.

e) It can compromise security and privacy

Social networking can compromise security or privacy of some individuals especially those
that give too much personal information about themselves. These people become an easy
target of organised criminals. For example; a parent’s post on Whatsapp status about their
trip to a lake may attract attention of robbers who may break into their home or may
attract kidnapers.

f) Social networking can also be used by individuals to organise themselves to destabilize

governments e.g. people use social networks such as Whatapp groups to organise mass
demonstrations.

g) Spread of corrupted language

Social networking sites are full of non-standard language and this has limited development
of standard language concepts

Warning: You must always exercise caution (care) before joining social networking sites.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Distributed Computing Systems and Applications

There are three important concepts that need to be discussed in distributed computing. These are:
 Distributed systems
 Distributed operating system
 Distributed applications(i.e. distributed application software)

A. Distributed systems
This refers to geographically separated networks of different computers and applications
(software) that are using shared resources.

See diagram below:A Sample Airtel company distributed system

Site 1: Lilongwe Branch Site 2: Songwe Border Branch

Internet

Site 3: Mzuzu Main Branch

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Examples of distributed systems and services include the following:

i. internet
This is a vast interconnection of computer networks and large distributed system
components with a large number of services.
E.g. the World Wide Web, file transfer services, instant messaging, chat rooms,
newsgroups e.t.c. Note: most hardware and software manufacturers are providing
hardware and software access through an internet service called Cloud computing.

ii. intranet
This is a subset of internet that is privately administered by an organisation to ensure
access to organisation’s services and information.
For example, a Banks intranet provides a real –time access to the Bank’s customer
database any time of the day. The Bank’s employees can carry out some other tasks while
at home using computers and mobile phones e.g. updating customer records.

B. Distributed Operating System

This is a special type of operating system that controls, integrates and equalises use of
different hardware and software in a distributed system.Distributed operating systems are
installed in Servers.
Examples of distributed operating systems are:
 UNIX
 Windows Server
 Mach
 Chorus
Note: the main responsibility of Servers on distributed systems is to coordinate and
provide efficient access to shared information, application software and other services.

C. Distributed application
This is an application program that is distributed across several Servers in a distributed
system.
Below are some examples of distributed applications and services:
 Online flight-reservation application: This application enables real-time booking
and payment for flights.

 Distributed cash dispensing machine application: This application enhances access

to cash withdrawals and deposits through ATMs.

 Video conferencing applications: These provide quality real time transmission of

sounds and videos even across continents.

 World Wide Web: This is a distributed service that is accessible anywhere using
computers and mobile phones. It provides people with vast amount of information
in various formats i.e. text, sounds, pictures and videos.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

Responsibilities/ Functions of Distributed Systems

Distributed systems perform the following main responsibilities or functions:
1. Hardware management and control
The distributed system controls and coordinates allocation of hardware resources (such as
processors, memory and storage media) and software.

2. Load balancing (balancing workloads)

The distributed system divides processing task to available processors in order to optimize
processing speed. (I.e. to increase processing speed).Note: The distribution of processing
tasks across multiple (many) processors is referred to as load balancing.

3. Ensuring data access

Distributed systems and applications provide efficient and convenient access to data since
a copy of data is accessed from nearest Server when a request is made. For example; when
you are downloading a file, the result is displayed fast as it is fetched from a nearby mirror
server be it in Malawi or Tanzania.

4. Enforcing security and reliability

Distributed systems and applications enforce security in data transmission and reliability
against errors in input or hardware failure.
For example: when you are trying to access a bank statement and the initial Server fails,
the system immediately switches to the nearest available mirror Server that is able to
provide access to the copy of the account record.

Advantages (benefits) of Distributed Systems and Applications

a) They are more reliable: The distribution of record copies to multiple Servers and
distributed applications guarantees availability of resources and faster access to them. It
also ensures security to data since copies are available in other computers which can be
used in case of data loss.
b) Shared use of resources: Distributed systems promote sharing of files, hardware and
software resources such as printers, hard disks and other software. This helps to reduce
expenditure.
c) Improved communication: Distributed systems provide services that enhance
communication such as social networks (e.g. Facebook, Whatsapp), e-mails and video
conferencing. These have enabled people to work together on a project thereby improving
productivity.

Disadvantages (challenges) of Distributed Systems and Applications

a. Poor network performance. This may delay operations such as cash withdrawal on an ATM
which causes frustrations in users.
b. Poor implementation of distributed applications exposes users to more security risks due
to multiple access points for intruders. There is also high chances of communication with
insecure systems .e.g. exposure to hackers as they may get access to your computer via the
network.

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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

c. Software complexity: It is complex (difficult) to make distributed applications run on

different platforms (i.e. different operating systems in different computers). This makes it
difficult and time consuming to troubleshoot such systems when there is failure.
For example, a video conferencing software may fail to run on one’s computer while
operate perfectly on another’s computer since the computers’ operating systems may have
different capabilities to handle it.

Self-test questions
1. Define a computer network (1m)
2. Describe any four types of computer networks(6m)
3. With the aid of labelled diagrams describe any three types of network topologies(9m)
4. Give and explain any four uses of networks(8m)
5. Explain briefly any four benefits of networks(8m)
6. Explain any four limitations/disadvantages of networks(8m)
7. Give and describe five elements of a communication system(10m)
8. Give two broad categories of communication network devices(2m)
9. Define the following terms:
a. Data signal(1m)
b. Amplitude (1m)
c. Signal modulation(1m)
d. Signal demodulation(1m)
e. Multiplexing(1m)
f. Bandwidth(1m)
g. Attenuation(1m)
10. Give and explain three classes of communication networks(6m)
11. Give one major disadvantage of packet switching.(1m)
12. Give and describe two categories of data communication media(4m)
13. Give and briefly describe any three types of physical data transmission media(6m)
14. With the aid of labelled diagrams describe the difference between Shielded twisted pair
cable(STP) and Unshielded twisted pair cable(UTP) (6m)
15. Give one major advantage and one major disadvantage of twisted pair cables.(1m)
16. Give any two advantages of fibre optic cables over coaxial and twisted pair cables(2m)
17. Give any three types of wireless transmission media.
18. Give any two advantages or wireless communication systems over wired communication
systems (2m)
19. State one major disadvantage of wireless communication systems(1m)
20. Describe the following data transmission modes:
a. Parallel transmission mode(1m)
b. Serial transmission mode(1m)
c. Simplex transmission mode(1m)
d. Half-duplex transmission mode(1m)
e. Full duplex transmission mode(1m)
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MSCE COMPUTER STUDIES NOTES-BY A.D. CHONA-BRAINS MUST WORK

21. Differentiate between:

a. Personal Area Network (PAN) and Local Area Network(LAN) (2m)
b. Metropolitan Area Network(MAN) and Wide Area Network(WAN)(2m)
c. Server computer and client computer(2m)
22. Give two classes of network software(2m)
23. Define Network Operating System(NOS)(1m)
24. State any three functions of Network Operating System(3m)
25. Define network protocols(2m)
26. Give any two examples of network protocols(2m)
27. Give two differences between OSI and TCP/IP network reference models.(2m)
28. Give any two similarities between OSI and TCP/IP network reference models.(2m)
29. Differentiate between:
a. internet and intranet(2m)
b. Classiful and classless IP addressing systems(2m)
30. Give any three methods of internet access(3m)
31. Give and briefly describe two types of IP addresses(4m)
32. How many bits make up the network ID in the IP address 192.168.100.3/24 (1m)
33. Differentiate between:
a. World wide web(www) and webpage(2m)
b. Website and homepage(2m)
c. Web browser and web server(2m)
d. Search engine and blog(2m)
34. Give any two examples of search engines(2m)
35. What are Internet services(1m)
36. Describe and three Internet services(6m)
37. Write down any URL showing the protocol, domain name and top level domain.(3m)
38. Describe three parts that make up the e-mail.(3m)
39. What is a social network(1m)
40. Give any two examples of social networks(2m)
41. Define Social networking(1m)
42. Describe any three advantages and three disadvantages of social networks(6m)
43. Define “Distributed systems”(2m)
44. Give and describe any four examples of distributed systems and services(8m)
45. Explain any three responsibilities of distributed systems(6m)
46. Give and explain any three advantages and three disadvantages associated with distributed
systems.(12m)

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