Infotainment Ltd. is an event management company with its prime office located in Bengaluru. The company is pl

Question 38 of 50

Q. Infotainment Ltd. is an event management company with its prime office located in Bengaluru. The company is planning to open its new division at three different locations in Chennai named as - Vajra, Trishula and Sudershana. You, as a networking expert need to suggest solutions to the questions in part

(i) to (v), keeping in mind the distances and other given parameters. Distances between various locations: Vajra to Trishula 350 m Trishula to Sudershana 415 m Sudershana to Vajra 300 m Bengaluru Office to Chennai 2000 km Number of computers installed at various locations: Vajra 120 Sudershana 75 Trishula 65 Bengaluru Office 250

(i) Suggest and draw the cable layout to efficiently connect various locations in Chennai division for connecting the digital devices.

(ii) Which block in Chennai division should host the server? Justify your answer.

(iii) Which fast and effective wired transmission medium should be used to connect the prime office at Bengaluru with the Chennai division?

(iv) Which network device will be used to connect the digital devices within each location of Chennai division so that they may communicate with each other?

(v) A considerable amount of data loss is noticed between different locations of the Chennai division, which are connected in the network. Suggest a networking device that should be installed to refresh the data and reduce the data loss during transmission to and from different locations of Chennai division.

Puducherry CbseCBSE Class XII Board 2024Subjective· 5mImportance★★★★★

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Concept understanding — Network Configuration

Network Definition: A First Look

Think about the last time you called a friend, sent a WhatsApp message, or even just walked into a crowded room. In each case, you were part of a network — a structure of connections. The phone call connects two people; the WhatsApp group connects many; the room connects everyone in it through sight and sound. A network is simply any collection of nodes (the things being connected) and the links (the connections between them).

In everyday life, you already know dozens of networks. Your family is a network of people connected by blood or marriage. Your school is a network of students, teachers, and staff connected by classes and activities. The roads you travel form a network of intersections and highways. Even your own body has a network of blood vessels and nerves. The idea is so natural that you have been using it your whole life without giving it a name.

The Precise Meaning

Formally, a network is defined by two things:

Nodes (also called vertices): the individual units or points in the system. In a friendship network, each person is a node. In a transport network, each city or bus stop is a node.
Links (also called edges or connections): the relationships or pathways that join nodes together. A link exists between two nodes if they are directly connected — two friends who know each other, two cities with a direct flight, two computers that can exchange data.

The key insight is that a network is not just a random collection of connections. It has a structure — a pattern of who is connected to whom — and that structure determines how the network behaves. A tightly-knit group of friends behaves differently from a loose chain of acquaintances, even if both have the same number of people.

Note

In some subjects, you will hear the word graph used instead of network. They mean the same thing: nodes and links. "Graph theory" is the mathematical study of networks, but in a prose subject like commerce or humanities, we stick with the term network.

Why It Matters

Networks are everywhere, and understanding them changes how you see the world. Consider a few examples:

Social networks (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) are built on the idea that people are nodes and "friendship" or "follow" is a link. The structure of these networks determines how information spreads, how trends go viral, and how influence works.
Supply chains are networks of companies, factories, warehouses, and stores connected by the flow of goods. A disruption at one node — a factory fire, a port strike — can ripple through the entire network.
Communication networks (the internet, telephone systems) are networks of devices and transmission lines. The design of these networks determines whether your call drops or your video streams smoothly. …

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This question tests your understanding of network fundamentals — cabling, server placement, long-distance connectivity, local networking devices, and signal regeneration — all within the context of a real-world business scenario.

Let’s walk through each part step by step, as a networking expert would think through the problem.

(i) Cable layout for Chennai division

The three locations in Chennai — Vajra, Trishula, and Sudershana — are all within a few hundred metres of each other. The distances are: Vajra to Trishula 350 m, Trishula to Sudershana 415 m, and Sudershana to Vajra 300 m. Since all distances are well under 1000 m, we can use twisted pair cable (Ethernet cable, typically Cat5e or Cat6) for local connections. The most efficient layout is a star topology — each location connects directly to a central switch or hub. But which location should be the centre? Look at the distances: Vajra is 300 m from Sudershana and 350 m from Trishula, while Trishula and Sudershana are 415 m apart. So Vajra is the most central point. The cable layout would be:

Vajra to Trishula: 350 m
Vajra to Sudershana: 300 m

This uses the least total cable length (650 m) compared to any other arrangement. A simple diagram would show Vajra at the centre, with lines radiating to Trishula and Sudershana.

Note

In a star topology, if one cable fails, only that location is affected — the rest continue working. This is more reliable than a daisy-chain (bus) layout.

(ii) Which block should host the server? Justify.

The server should be placed at Vajra. Why? Because Vajra has the highest number of computers (120) among the Chennai locations, and it is centrally located — closest to both Trishula (350 m) and Sudershana (300 m). Placing the server at the busiest and most central point reduces the average distance data must travel, minimises cable costs, and makes network management easier. Also, if the server were at Trishula or Sudershana, the connection to the farthest location would be longer (415 m or 350 m), increasing signal degradation risk.

Important

In any network, the server should be placed where it can serve the maximum number of users with the shortest possible cable runs. Vajra satisfies both conditions.

(iii) Wired medium to connect Bengaluru (2000 km away) to Chennai

The distance between Bengaluru and Chennai is 2000 km — far beyond the range of copper cables (which work only up to about 100 m without repeaters). The only practical wired medium for such long distances is optical fibre cable. Optical fibre uses light pulses to transmit data, offers extremely high bandwidth, is immune to electromagnetic interference, and can carry signals over hundreds of kilometres with minimal loss. For a company like Infotainment Ltd., a leased fibre line (or a dedicated fibre optic link) would be the standard solution.

Note

While satellite or microwave links could also cover 2000 km, the question specifically asks for a wired medium. Optical fibre is the only wired option that works over such distances.

(iv) Device to connect digital devices within each Chennai location …

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