Computer network

A computer network or data network is

a digital telecommunications network which
allows communication endpoint(PC) to share resources.
Types of network
LAN -local area network is a computer network that
interconnects computers within a limited area such as
a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or
office building.
MAN-metropolitan area network is a computer
network that interconnects users with computer
resources in a geographic area or region larger than
that covered by even a large local area network.
WAN-wide area network is a telecommunications
network or computer network that extends over a large
geographical distance. Wide area networks are often
established with leased telecommunication circuit.
The Internet may be considered a WAN
Server
Server is a device that provides functionality for other
programs or devices, called clients. This architecture is
called the clientserver model, and a single overall
computation is distributed across multiple processes or
devices. Servers can provide various functionalities,
often called "services", such as sharing data
or resources among multiple clients.
Network models
The clientserver model is a distributed
application structure that partitions tasks or workloads
between the providers of a resource or service,
called servers, and service requesters, called clients.
A server host runs one or more server programs which
share their resources with clients. A client does not
share any of its resources, but requests a server's
content or service function.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is
a distributed application architecture that partitions
tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are
equally privileged, equipotent participants in the
application. They are said to form a peer-to-peer
network of communication endpoints. Peers make a
portion of their resources, such as processing power,
disk storage or network bandwidth, directly available to
other network participants, without the need for central
coordination by servers or stable hosts.
IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a
numerical label assigned to each device connected to
a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for
communication. IP addresses are usually written and
displayed in human-readable notations, such as
172.16.254.1 .
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer
networking technologies commonly used in local
area networks (LAN), metropolitan area
networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN).
Systems communicating over Ethernet divide a stream
of data into shorter pieces called frames. Each frame
contains source and destination addresses, and error-
checking data so that damaged frames can be
detected and discarded.
Basic network hardware
Switch
It is a multiport network bridge that uses hardware
addresses to process and forward data. Switch
forwards data only to the devices that need to receive
it. Each device connected to a switch port can transfer
data to any of the other ones at a time, and the
transmissions will not interfere.

Hub
It is a small, simple, inexpensive electronic device that
joins multiple computers together. A network hub is an
unsophisticated device in comparison with a switch. As
a multiport repeater it works by repeating bits
(symbols) received from one of its ports to all other
ports. A hub cannot further examine or manage any of
the traffic that comes through it: any packet entering
any port is rebroadcast on all other ports.

Router
is a networking device that forwards data
packets between computer networks. Routers
perform the traffic directing functions on
the Internet. A data packet is typically forwarded from
one router to another router through the networks that
constitute an internetwork until it reaches its
destination node.
A router may have interfaces for different physical
types of network connections, such as copper
cables, fibre optic, or wireless transmission.

Network cables
Coaxial Cables
Invented in the 1880s, "coax" was best known as the
kind of cable that connected television sets to home
antennas. Coaxial cable was also a standard for
10 Mbps Ethernet cables. Were replaced with
twisted pair cables.

Twisted pair cables

Twisted pair eventually emerged during the 1990s as
the leading cabling standard for Ethernet. Ethernet
twisted pair cables contain up to eight wires wound
together in pairs to minimize electromagnetic
interference.
Fiber Optics cables
Instead of insulated metal wires transmitting electrical
signals, fiber optic network cables work using strands
of glass and pulses of light. These network cables
are bendable despite being made of glass. They have
proven especially useful in wide area network
(WAN) installations where long distance underground
or outdoor cable runs are required and also in office
buildings where a high volume of communication traffic
is common.

Network Topology
Although it is usually easier to start connecting wires
and setting up your network, youll appreciate the level
of organization these models provide- especially when
your network grows in size. And if youre looking to do
well on networking exams, consider these topologies
essential to both learn and memorize.
Bus topology

The bus topology was fairly popular in the early years

of networking. Its easy to setup- not to mention
inexpensive. All devices on the Bus Topology are
connected using a single cable. If you need help
remembering how the Bus Topology operates, think of
it as the route a bus takes throughout a city.
It is extremely important to note that both ends of the
main cable need to be terminated. If there is no
terminator, the signal will bounce back when it reaches
the end. The result: a bunch of collisions and noise that
will disrupt the entire network.
The Bus Topology is less common these days. In
fact, this topology is commonly used to network
computers via coaxial cable- whens the last time you
can say youve done that?

Ring topology

The Ring Topology is a very interesting topology

indeed. It is a lot more complex that it may seem- it
looks like just a bunch of computers connected in a
circle! But behind the scenes, the Ring Topology is
providing a collision-free and redundant networking
environment.
Note that since there is no end on a Ring Topology, no
terminators are necessary. A frame travels along
the circle, stopping at each node. If that node wants to
transmit data, it adds destination address and data
information to the frame. The frame then travels
around the ring, searching for the destination node.
When its found, the data is taken out of the frame and
the cycle continues.
Star Topology

One of the most popular topologies for Ethernet

LANs is the star topology. It is easy to setup, its
relatively cheap, and it creates more redundancy
than the Bus Topology.
The Star Topology works by connecting each node to a
central device. This central connection allows us to
have a fully functioning network even when other
devices fail. The only real threat to this topology
is that if the central device goes down, so does
the entire network.