1. Data Transfer The Kingsway School

2. Transfer Speed Data Transfer is measured in bits per second (bps) 1 Kilobit per second is 1000 bps 1 Megabit\per second is 1,000,000 bps

3. Networks Networks are sometimes slow This can be seen by software being slow to load Saving and retrieving data takes a long time Logging on is slow Many things can affect the performance of the network: Topology – the way the network is set out. Hardware – the slowest component sets the network speed Server – needs a lot of RAM and a fast hard drive Location of the files and software – if they are all on the server it creates a lot of traffic on the network.

4. Bottlenecks These occur on networks. They are caused by too much data and hardware that cannot cope. Bottlenecks usually occur at the location of the oldest components eg Hubs

5. Web Pages Most home users still use modems that transfer data at 56 or 112Kbps This can mean downloading is very slow. When designing web pages care must be taken to keep file sizes as low as possible. Graphics should be kept to a minimum.

6. Transferring Images and Sound Images and sound tend to be larger files. To reduce download time they are often compressed to make them smaller. Compression Standards JPEG (Joint Picture Experts Group) often used on the internet compresses images down to one tenth their original size. GIF(Graphics Interchange Format) This is often used for web page buttons. MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) Used for moving pictures