When navigating to a website, your computer sends a request to a server. If the server's IP address is not known, which system is responsible for translating the human-readable URL (e.g. www.google.com) into a machine-readable IP address?

Networking — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Networking, a key topic in the Computer Awareness section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

A computer network connects two or more computers so they can share data and resources. This topic covers types of networks (PAN, LAN, MAN and WAN), network topologies (bus, star, ring, mesh, tree and hybrid), transmission media (twisted pair, coaxial cable, optical fibre and wireless), and networking devices such as hubs, switches, routers, bridges, gateways, repeaters and modems. It also covers the OSI reference model and its seven layers, the TCP/IP model, and basic concepts such as IP addresses, MAC addresses, bandwidth and data transmission modes (simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex). Exam questions often ask which device works at which OSI layer, the advantages of a topology, or the difference between similar devices. A memory aid for the OSI layers from bottom to top is "Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away" (Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application). Practise the networking questions below. Each answer includes an explanation.