Networking Concept

 

What is Computer Networking?

A computer network is a system that connects numerous independent computers in order to share information (data) and resources. The integration of computers and other different devices allows users to communicate more easily.

A computer network is a collection of two or more computer systems that are linked together. A network connection can be established using either cable or wireless media. Hardware and software are used to connect computers and tools in any network.

A computer network consists of various kinds of nodes. Servers, networking hardware, personal computers, and other specialized or general-purpose hosts can all be nodes in a computer network. Hostnames and network addresses are used to identify them.

Types of Networks:

Generally, there are 4 types of computer networks are present. These are;

1.       Division based on the communication medium

2.       Division based on area covered

3.       Based on types of communication

4.       Based on types of architecture

Let’s discuss each of them briefly:

1. Division based on the communication medium 

• Wired Network: As we all know, “wired” refers to any physical medium made up of cables. Copper wire, twisted pair, or fiber optic cables are all options. A wired network employs wires to link devices to the Internet or another network, such as laptops or desktop PCs.
• Wireless Network: “Wireless” means without wire, media that is made up of electromagnetic waves (EM Waves) or infrared waves. Antennas or sensors will be present on all wireless devices. Cellular phones, wireless sensors, TV remotes, satellite disc receivers, and laptops with WLAN cards are all examples of wireless devices. For data or voice communication, a wireless network uses radio frequency waves rather than wires.

2. Division based on area covered

• Local Area Network (LAN): A LAN is a network that covers an area of around 10 kilometers. For example, a college network or an office network.
• Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): MAN refers to a network that covers an entire city. For example : consider the cable television network.
• Wide Area Network (WAN): WAN refers to a network that connects countries or continents. For example, the Internet allows users to access a distributed system called www from anywhere in the globe.

3. Based on types of communication 

• Point To Point networks: Point-to-Point networking is a type of data networking that establishes a direct link between two networking nodes.
  A direct link between two devices, such as a computer and a printer, is known as a point-to-point connection.
• Broadcast networks: In broadcast networks, a signal method in which numerous parties can hear a single sender. Radio stations are an excellent illustration of the “Broadcast Network” in everyday life. The radio station is a sender of data/signal in this scenario, and data is only intended to travel in one direction. Away from the radio transmission tower, to be precise.

4. Based on type of architecture 

• P2P Networks: Computers with similar capabilities and configurations are referred to as peers.
  “Peer to Peer” is the abbreviation for “peer to peer.” The “peers” in a peer-to-peer network are computer systems that are connected to each other over the Internet. Without the use of a central server, files can be shared directly between systems on the network.
• Client – Server Networks: Each computer or process on the network is either a client or a server in a client-server architecture (client/server). The client asks services from the server, which the server provides. Servers are high-performance computers or processes that manage disc drives (file servers), printers (print servers), or network traffic (network servers)
• Hybrid Networks: The hybrid model refers to a network that uses a combination of client-server and peer-to-peer architecture. Eg: Torrent.