What is Computer Networking?

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. Host names and network addresses are used to identify them.

 

 

Types of Networks:

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.

 

Network Topology

1. Bus Topology:

    Every computer and network device is connected to a single cable in a bus topology network. Linear Bus topology is defined as having exactly two terminals.

2. Ring Topology:

    The topology is named ring topology because one computer is connected to another, with the final one being connected to the first. Exactly two neighbors for each device.

3. Star Topology:

    Each device in a star topology has a dedicated point-to-point link to a central controller, which is commonly referred to as the HUB. There is no direct connection between the devices. Traffic between the devices is not allowed in this topology. As an exchange, the controller is used.

4. Mesh Topology:

    Every device in a mesh topology has dedicated point-to-point connectivity to every other device. The term “dedicated” refers to the fact that the link exclusively transports data between the two devices it links. To connect n devices, a fully connected mesh network contains n *(n-1)/2 physical channels.

5. Tree Topology: 

    The topology of a tree is similar to that of a star. Nodes in a tree, like those in a star, are connected to a central hub that manages network traffic. It has a root node, which is connected to all other nodes, producing a hierarchy. Hierarchical topology is another name for it. The number of Star networks is connected via Bus in Tree Topology.