NETWORK BASIC

What is a network?

• A network is a collection of computers and devices connected together via communications devices and transmission media 

 

Network Characteristics

In addition to these types, the following characteristics are also used to categorize different types of networks:

topology : The geometric arrangement of a computer system. Common topologies include a bus, star, and ring.

protocol : The protocol defines a common set of rules and signals that computers on the network use to communicate. One of the most popular protocols for LANs is called Ethernet. Another popular LAN protocol for PCs is the IBM token-ring network .

architecture : Networks can be broadly classified as using either a peer-to-peer or client/server architecture.

Computers on a network are sometimes called nodes. Computers and devices that allocate resources for a network are called servers.