Six laptops, six versions of the data
A data team of six has six laptops. Each holds its own copy of the sales file. Sam fixes a mistake in his copy. The other five still have the mistake. Each laptop also has its own printer and its own internet line.
Then the team joins the laptops together. One file. One printer. One internet line. What did they gain, and what did they risk?
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Network | computers and devices joined so they can share things |
| Share | to let many users use the same file, printer or line |
| Central | kept in one place that everyone can reach |
| Malware | software made to harm a computer or steal data |
| Server | a computer that gives a service to others |
| Backup | a spare copy of data |
| Bandwidth | how much data a link can carry each second |
| Firewall | a utility that allows or blocks network traffic by rules |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can give the benefits and the drawbacks of joining devices to form a network.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Networks let people share
A network lets devices share things. This saves money and time.
Staff share one printer and one internet line. Data files live in one central place, so everyone sees the newest copy. A backup of one place covers everybody. People can send messages and work on the same file. Rules and updates are set once for all computers.
Benefits of a network
| Benefit | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Share hardware | Many users use one device | One printer for six laptops |
| Share files | One central copy | One cleaned sales file |
| Share an internet line | One connection serves all | One broadband line |
| Communicate | Messages and shared work | Email, chat, shared documents |
| Central backup and control | Back up and update in one place | Back up one server each night |
| Work from any computer | Log in anywhere and see your files | An analyst at any desk |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Worked example: the shared printer
| Plan | Printers | Cost of each | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| No network: one for each laptop | 6 | 120 pounds | 720 pounds |
| Network: one shared printer | 1 | 200 pounds | 200 pounds |
| Saving | 520 pounds |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.