Computer Networking Equipment

1. Personal Computer-(PC) is a general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original

sale price make it useful for individuals, and is intended to be operated directly by an enduser with no intervening computer time-sharing models that allowed larger, more
expensive minicomputer and mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same
time

.
Software applications for most personal computers include, but are not limited to, word
processing, spreadsheets, databases, web browsers and e-mail clients, digital
media playback, games and many personal productivity and special-purpose software
applications. Modern personal computers often have connections to the Internet, allowing access
to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources. Personal computers may be
connected to a local area network (LAN), either by a cable or a wireless connection. A personal
computer may be a laptop computer or a desktop computer running an operating system such as
Windows, Linux (and the various operating systems based on it), or Macintosh OS

Computer hardware

An exploded view of a modern personal computer and peripherals:

1. Scanner
2. CPU (Microprocessor)
3. Memory (RAM)

4. Expansion cards (graphics cards, etc.)

5. Power supply
6. Optical disc drive
7. Storage (Hard disk or SSD)
8. Motherboard
9. Speakers
10. Monitor
11. System software
12. Application software
13. Keyboard
14. Mouse
15. External hard disk
16. Printer
2. Computer Cords
a) GA (Video Graphics Array)
Created way back in the 1980s, the VGA connection cable was the standard cable used to connect a
computer to a monitor. More recently, it has faded out of popularity due to the gradual shift towards digital
connections over analog. Still, if you look on any video card or display apparatus, there is a good chance
youll see a VGA port.

VGA connections can be identified by 15 pins arranged in 3 rows with 5 on each row. Each row
corresponds to the 3 different color channels used in display: red, green, and blue.
b) DVI (Digital Visual Interface)
The

DVI connection became the

moved

away from analog towards digital.

proved

to be higher quality, which soon became

pictures.

successor to VGA as technology

Digital displays, like LCD,
the market standard for home

DVI connectors come in 3 varieties.

DVI-A can transmit analog signals, allowing it to be

(useful for CRT monitors and LCDs of lower

backwards compatible with VGA

quality).

DVI-D can transmit the newer digital

signals.

DVI-I is capable of both analog and

digital.

In certain cases, you may need a

VGA-to-DVI or DVI-to-VGA

converter cable.

c)

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)

In the past decade, high-definition broadcasts became the new standard of what it means to be high
quality. Unlike VGA and DVI,
digital

HDMI sends both video and audio signals together. The signals are
only; thus, HDMI is only compatible with newer devices.

HDMI connectors come in 4 types:

Type

A is the most popular. This connector can be identified by its 19 pins on the
male head. Type A is compatible with single-link DVI-D connections.

Type B is larger than Type A, coming in at 29 pins on the male head. Type B is
compatible with dual-link DVI-D connections.

Type C is a 19-pin connector thats most often used with portable devices, like camcorders and
digital cameras.

Type D looks similar to a micro-USB cord. It also has 19 pins.

d) USB (Universal Serial Bus)

From left to right: micro USB, mini

USB, type B standard USB,
and type A standard USB
(both female and male).
The USB connection is
quite possibly the most pervasive connection type in todays world. Nearly every form of computer
peripheral device keyboards, mice, headsets, flash drives, wireless adapters, etc. can be connected
to your computer through a USB port. The design has evolved over the years, which means there are
multiple versions of USB available:

USB 1.0/1.1 can transmit data at speeds up to 12 Mbps.

USB 2.0 can transmit data at speeds up to 480 Mbps and is compatible with older versions of
USB. At the time of this article, USB 2.0 is the most common type found in the market.

USB 3.0 can transmit data at speeds up to 4.8 Gbps. It is compatible with previous versions of
USB.
The mini and micro USB variants are most often used with smaller, portable devices like PDAs, phones,
and digital cameras. The standard USB connectors are more often used on devices that tend to remain
plugged in, like external hard drives, keyboards, and mice.

e) IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)

IDE cables were used to connect storage devices to a motherboard. If youve ever opened up a an old
hard drive then you likely know what an IDE connector looks like. Its the wide cable that looks like a
ribbon with more than 2 plugs.
The connectors on an IDE cable have 40 pins; the smaller 2.5 drive
variety uses a form-factor version of the IDE that has 44 pins.

f)

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)

Newer

hard drives will likely use SATA ports over IDE ports. In fact, SATA
was designed to succeed IDE, and it has. Compared to IDE, SATA
provides higher data transfer speeds. Your motherboard needs to be
compatible with SATA, and nowadays most of them are.

A standard SATA cable can be identified by two connectors, each having 7 pins and an empty notch. It
looks like a subtle L-shape.

g) eSATA (External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)

eSATA
makes
not much

technology is an extension of, or improvement on, the SATA cable it

SATA technology available in an external form. In reality, eSATA is
different from SATA, but it allows connections to devices like
external hard drives and optical drives. This is useful because
eSATA offers speeds much faster than most FireWire and USB

alternatives.

h) FireWire

The purpose of FireWire is similar to that of USB: high speed data transfer for computer peripherals. High
bandwidth devices, like

printers and scanners, will benefit from FireWire. For whatever reason,
FireWire is not as widespread as USB. FireWire cables come in two
forms: 1394a (which has a transfer speed of 400 Mbps) and 1394b
(which has a transfer speed of 800 Mbps).

i)

Ethernet

Ethernet cables are used to set up local area networks. In most cases, theyre used to connect routers to
modems and

computers. If youve ever tried to install or fix a home router, youve likely
dealt with an Ethernet computer cable. Nowadays, they come in
three varieties:

Cat 5 cables are the most basic type and provide speeds of either 10
Mbps

or 100 Mbps.

Cat 5e, which means Cat 5 Enhanced, allows for faster data transmission
than its

predecessor. It caps at 1,000 Mbps.

Cat 6 is the latest and offers the best performance of the three. Its capable of supporting 10 Gbps

speeds.
3. Minicomputer and Small Mainframes
Minicomputer
Minicomputers are used by small businesses & firms. Minicomputers are also called as Midrange
Computers. These are small machines and can be accommodated on a disk with not as processing and
data storage capabilities as super-computers & Mainframes. These computers are not designed for a
single user. Individual departments of a large company or organizations use Mini-computers for specific
purposes. For example, a production department can use Mini-computers for monitoring certain
production process.
Popular Minicomputers

K-202

Texas Instrument TI-990

SDS-92

IBM Midrange computers

Mainframe computer

Although Mainframes are not as powerful as supercomputers, but certainly they are quite expensive
nonetheless, and many large firms & government organizations uses Mainframes to run their business
operations. The Mainframe computers can be accommodated in large air-conditioned rooms because of
its size. Super-computers are the fastest computers with large data storage capacity, Mainframes can
also process & store large amount of data. Banks educational institutions & insurance companies use
mainframe computers to store data about their customers, students & insurance policy holders.
Popular Mainframe computers

Fujitsus ICL VME

Hitachis Z800

4. Hubs, Multiplexers, Routers

Hub is the most basic networking device that connects multiple computers or other network

devices together. A network hub has no routing tables or intelligence on where to send
information and broadcasts all network data across each connection.
Hubs provide a central location for attaching wires to workstations. There are two types:
passive and active.

Multiplexers- A multiplexer is a device that takes multiple analog signals and forwards the selected input
into a single line. These devices are used to increase the amount of data that can be transmitted over a
network. A network multiplexer is used with a variety of signal types like digital, video, analog, and
optical. They also support different transports mechanisms, such as wireless and wired. Like other types
of network equipment, network multiplexers support specific network protocols like Ethernet.

A route

r is hardware device designed to receive, analyze and move

incoming packets to another network. It may also be used to convert

the

packets to another network interface, drop them, and perform other

actions relating to a network.
A router has a lot more capabilities than other network devices, such
as a hub or a switch that are only able to perform basic network functions.

Kinds of router

Brouter
Short for Bridge Router, a brouter is a networking device that serves as both a bridge and a router.

Core router
A core router is a router in a computer network that routes data within a network, but not between
networks.

Edge router
An edge router is a specialized router residing at the edge or boundary of a network. This router ensures
the connectivity of its network with external networks, a wide area network or the Internet. An edge router
uses an External Border Gateway Protocol, which is used extensively over the Internet to provide
connectivity with remote networks.
A virtual router is a backup router used in a VRRP setup.

Wireless router
A wireless router is a device that performs the functions of a router and also includes the functions of
a wireless access point. It is used to provide access to the Internet or a private computer network. It can
function in a wired LAN (local area network), in a wireless-only LAN (WLAN), or in a mixed wired/wireless
network, depending on the manufacturer and model.
5. Peripheral device

A peripheral device is generally defined as any auxiliary device such as a computer

mouse or keyboard that connects to and works with the computer in some way. Other examples of
peripherals are image scanners, tape drives, microphones, loudspeakers, webcams, and digital

cameras. Many modern devices, such as digital watches, smart phones and tablet computers, have
interfaces that allow them to be used as a peripheral by desktop computers, although they are not
host-dependent in the same way as other peripheral devices.
Common input peripherals include keyboards, computer mice, graphic tablets, touch
screens, barcode readers, image scanners, microphones, webcams, game controllers, light pens,
and digital cameras. Common output peripherals include computer displays, printers, projectors, and
computer speakers.

Human Machine Interface (HMI) peripherals.

6. Large Central Unit

7. System

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/computer-cable-types-user/
http://www.byte-notes.com/four-types-computers
http://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/networking_communication_equipment/networking_equipment/net
working_equipment
http://www.pcconnection.com/category/multiplexers/202944
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/r/router.htm
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/3164/edge-router

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral