Networking : Basics of computer Network

A network is nothing more than two or more computers conneted together by a cable so that they can exchange information. WIth a computer network, all the computers in the office are hooked together with cables, install a special network adapter card (an electronic circuit card that goes inside your computer-ouch!) in each computer so you'll have a place to plug in the cable, set up and configure special network software to make the network work, and viola, you have a working network,

node : Every computer connected to the network is said to be on the network. The technical term for the computer that is on network is node.

online and offline : When a computer is turned on, using computer on and off button, and is able to access the network the computer is said to be online. On the other hand if a computer is unable to access the network despite connectd to it, is called offline. A computer can be offline for several reasons, it could be unplugged, it could be broken, the cable that connects computer to network is damaged, or there could be wad of gum jammed into the disk drive.

computer network : In general terms a computer network is an interconnection of various computer systems located at the same/different places. The interconnection is done through a communication link also known as the physical layer of the network and the link is such that it is totally transparent to the users of the network. The transparency of the communication link is brought about by the interfacing software known as protocols which enables a user in one location to freely access a computer system/database/process/software in another location.

However, if the computers in the network operate together as a single unit which to user appears as a single computer, albeit physically dispersed, then the complete system is more accurately described as a distributed system. Therefore, although, any interconnected set of computers is often conveniently referred to as "computer network", the use of the term often implies as interconected set of independent computers and not a distributed system. However, it may be useful when considering a distributed system to be able to recognize the particular type of network on which it is based.

Computer networks are collection of computers and intelligent periperal equipment (e.g., automatic teller machines and point-of-sale terminals equiped with microprocessors) that are inteconnected by telephone lines, microwave relays, and other high speed communication links for the purpose of exchanging data and sharing equipment. Networking has been developed on all levels, from local to international, in diverse sectors of society. Examples are networks used by government organizations for rapid retrieval of information form databases at central locations and those used by banks and retail merchants for the transfer of funds or credit verification. If telephone lines adopted for a computer network, each computer in the network must be connected to a telephone line via a ,modem (modulator/demodulator)

Modem  is a device which converts digital pulses from a computer into analog signals to be transmitted over telephone lines and vice versa. When a machine in a network communicates with another computer, both follow a predetermined potocol (i.e set of procedures), according to which data are exchanged.

LAN A local-area network (LAN)  is a communication network consisting of many computers (mostly personal computers and workstations) that are placed within a local area, such as single building or company.

Servers: Since mid-1980's , LANs have become widespread becuse personal computers and workstations are used extensively in offices, enabling individual users to run their specific programs easily and to have their own files at hand on floppy disks. Individual users can also share data or files on LAN as if the data or file reside on their respective computers; computers that are designed or used for this purpose are called servers.

Laser Printers and other peripheral rquipment also can be connected to a network for common use. Coaxial cables or fibre optic cables are popular communication lines because they provide fast data transmission and are easy to install within buildings. In the case of LANs, there are a few different protocols, such as Ethernet and Token Ring, developed by Xerox and IBM, respectively.

Network Components
The key network components and alternatives are:

• Media: Twisted pair wire, coaxial cable, fibreoptics, Microwave, satellites, cellular radio, point to point transreceivers.
• Processors: Modems, Multiplexers, concentrators, routers, bridges, gateways, Front-end processors, client and server computers.
• Software: Communication software, Network operating system Netware, Slip or PPP, POP, smtp, MSN internet explorer or Netscape Navigator, middleware.
• Channels: Analog/digital, switched/non-switched, circuit/message/packet switching, simplex/duplex, synchronous/ asynchronous, speed and baud rate.
• Topology: Point-to-Point, multidrop, star, ring, mesh, Ethernet
• Architecture: OSI, IEEE, ISDN, PSTN

Frankly, computer networks are a bit of pain to set up. So why bother? Because the benifits of having a network make the pain of setting one up bearable.

Related Posts:

• Advantages of Networking
• Disadvantages of a Network
• Need of Networks