What is a Computer Network
Definition of a Computer Network: The Entire Concept
What is a Computer Network
Computer networking is simply the creation of a computer network. A
computer network can be defined as a collection of computers, printers,
devices and other connected devices (wired or wireless) with the ultimate goal of supporting communication between devices. The process of making this connection of devices is called computer networking.
Technically speaking, a computer network refers to the process of transporting
and exchanging data between points, called nodes, transmitted over a common
system implemented in a computer system. The overall concept of Computer
Networking is not just about the design, construction and operation of a
network.This also includes the technical management, maintenance and operation of the associated infrastructure, software and important guidelines.
In computer networks; Systems, endpoints, and other devices can be connected over a local area network (LAN) or a larger network.
The largest networks in this case are the Internet and the large private
network (WAN).
Every stakeholder (service providers, companies and consumers) has a role to play
in ensuring efficient resource allocation. This system of
stakeholders also ensures efficient use and delivery of services.
If the system includes a system that responds to control and information
from a remote location, this can only be enabled by a single form of computer network
. To make and receive phone calls, to stream video
over the Internet, on the Internet of Things. A network of
computers makes everything easier.
The level of complexity of a particular network determines the level of expertise required to manage and maintain it. For example, if an organization has many nodes with other security controls (e.g. end-to-end encryption), an advanced level of technical administration is required to effectively monitor them.The situation is different with the local network used in the computer room at School
Components of Networking
Computer Networking Components Defined
As mentioned earlier, creating a
a network requires the installation of hardware components. The basic components are cable, hub, switch,
network interface card (NIC), modem and router. No cables are required on the
wireless network; it is then eliminated.
The essential components required for a computer network are:
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Hub
Switch
Cables and Connectors
Router
Modem
Network Interface card (NIC)
This is also known as a network card. This is a device that enables
communication between a computer and other devices participating in the
network. This feature uses unique
hardware addresses (MAC addresses) encoded in the card chip. The
Data Link Protocol then uses MAC addresses to detect other systems on the
network and ensure that data is sent in the correct direction. There are two types of
network cards: wired and wireless
network cards.Wired network cards use cables and other connectors to transfer data. However, a wireless network card uses
radio frequency technology. Modern laptops are equipped with both types of
network cards.
Hub
It is a computer networking component whose main function is to divide network connections between multiple computers. Hub
is like a distribution center. When a
computer on the network requests information, the application is sent over the cable to the
hub. When the hub receives a command, it is sent throughout the
system. Once this is done, it becomes the responsibility of each computer on the network to decrypt whether the information is intended for it.
The use of hubs in computer networks was once very important. However, it has fallen out of use recently. These are now being replaced by improved His
communications systems for devices such as switches and His
routers.
Switch
A switch is a communications device that falls into category
and is referred to as a computer network component. The switch essentially replaces the
hub, but has a more advanced system. Unlike the
Center, which sends information to all computers on the network, the
Center itself must identify the owner of the message. The switch uses the address of the physical
device and uses this address to deliver the message to the correct
destination.
Deliver directly to the destination or port instead of sending to each computer. Thanks to the switch, a direct connection
exists between the source and the destination. This leads to a significant reduction in processing time. For this reason, today's computer networks connect and process data faster.
Some features are common to both hubs and switches. These are;
multiple RJ-45 ports, a power supply and a link light.
Cables and Connectors
Cables can carry both media and communications. A wired network uses special cables to connect different computers on a particular
network.
There are different connection types.
– Twisted Pair Cable: Divided into various categories. 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 5E, 6, 7. The last three types are high-speed cables that transmit data at speeds of 1 Gbps or higher.
– Coaxial Cable: This is an installation cable for televisions. More expensive than twisted pair cable. Therefore,
provides faster data transfer.
- Fiber optic cable: These are high-speed cables that transmit data
with the use of light beams through a glass bound fiber. These cables
are top data transmission portals, especially when compared to the
other cable types. These cables are super-fast. However, they are very
costly. These cables can only be purchased and installed by the
government.
Routers
Router is a commonly used term in computer networking, but the concept of what it is is often overlooked. Many people use this and call it
without knowing exactly what it does or how it works.
A router is a device used to connect a local network to the Internet. A
router is a device used to share a single connection
to the Internet with multiple computers on a local network.
Some switches are also present in routers. Today, modern
routers are known for having custom switches. So if you get a router, you don't need to get a switch, especially if your LAN only goes through your home or small business. There are two types of
routers. wired router and wireless router.
Modems
Modems are devices which enables the connection of your computer to the
internet over an existing telephone line. Just like the NIC, the modem is not
integrated into the computer`s motherboard. It is a separate device that is
connected to the device once it affixed to a PCI slot on the motherboard.
A modem in its real sense does not necessarily mean a LAN. It merely
connects the computer to the internet. There are different types of modems. The main difference between these types of modems is speed and transmission speed.
I have the following:
– Standard PC Modem or Dial-Up Modem
– Cellular Modem
– Cable Modem
– DSL Modem
Gateways
In most cases, gateways are mistakenly equated with a router.
However, the two units are different. A gateway can be defined as a data communication device that helps provide a remote network with the ability to connect to a host network.
gateways are designed to communicate with remote networks or standalone systems that are out of range of host network nodes. In simple terms, a gateway can be defined as an entry and exit point to a specific network.All data coming in and out of a given network of
computers first interacts with a gateway. This way they can be used for routing. Routers
are classified as gateway devices because they are designed to perform this function in computer networks.
Computer networks (LAN or WAN) always have a limited range. Basically, they can easily interact with other computers in the system.
Whenever you need to interact with another computer or node in another
system, you need a gateway. Routers are specific because they are
portals through which a computer network communicates with the Internet.
Gateways can be portals to another local network. In addition to forwarding data packets, gateways are also designed to have information about the host network's internal paths and the learning paths of other networks. If a network node
needs to communicate with another external network, the data packet
must pass through the gateway
Network bridges
Network bridges are computer networking devices that are designed to create the aggregation of the network from different communication networks. This is a process known as network bridging. This might be confused with routing; however, there are fundamental differences. Routing as a process involves the communication of different networks,
communication of separate networks, carried in a manner that depicts singularity.
The term “wireless bridge” is omitted if one or more of the connected networks are wireless. There are three types of network bridging. These include single bridging, multiport bridging and learning bridging.
while they remain distinct. However, bridging consists of the
Learning or transparent bridging
In a transparent or learning bridge, a table called the Forwarding Information Base
is used to control frames between network segments
. At the start of the network, the tables are empty, but then fill up over time as frames are received.
If no destination address is found in the table, the frame is forwarded
to the remaining ports of the bridge. They are flooded by
ports other than the one from which they depart. During this
flooding process, a host is created on the target network and then a
entry is created in the forwarding database.
In order for this process to complete, the source and destination addresses must be known
. The source address is stored in a table and the table is searched for destination addresses, which are then matched with the corresponding segment sent to the frame.
This system is designed as a kind of filter. When the target frame
is read, the bridge decides whether its next action is to transmit it or
filter it. The bridge only transmits data if the destination is on another
network segment. However, if the target is in the same section as the source, it will be filtered out. This filtering process prevents the date from entering another segment; it won't matter.
This technology was developed by Digital
Equipment Corporation in 1980. This type of bridging can be used on
devices with more than two ports.
Simple bridging
Simple bridging involves connecting two networks. This
connection is achieved through transparent operation in which the bridge decides, frame by frame, what information should be sent from one system to another.
The simple bridging process is made as simple as possible using a storage and transfer
model.
During handover, the source network is checked,
and CSMA/CD delays occur in the destination network. Another effect of this bridge is that a collision domain is created on both sides of the bridge.This significantly reduces collisions.
Multiport bridging
This type of bridging connects multiple networks and also works without any problems. This includes determining the frame-by-frame basis on which
traffic is transmitted. This system is also needed to determine the destination of Forward
traffic. Like simple bridging, a multiport
system also uses store-and-forward operations. The 's multi-port bridge function takes on the role of network switching
Methods of Forwarding
Handoff is the process by which a bridge transmits a data connection from source to destination for
consecutive frames. The bridge can use four forwarding methods:
Store and Forward: This method buffers and checks frames before transmission. However, in this case
the entire structure is first received and then forwarded to the destination
Cut: To perform the cut, the switch starts forwarding
frames and immediately obtains the information about the destination
. This method is fast but error-free control.
However, if there is too much traffic on the outgoing port,
the store-and-forward method is resorted to. Another
case in which a bridge uses the store-and-forward method is when there is a higher processing speed at the output port than at the input port.
Without Fragmentation: This method is designed to maximize the
advantage of the two originally established methods. This
bridge controls the first 64 bytes of the frame. The address information is stored in these first 64 bytes
.According to the Ethernet
specification, collisions should also be detected in this
interval. So if a collision occurs in the first 64
frames, the frame will not be transmitted. The error check is
but depends on the end device.
Adaptive Switching: This is a more advanced method where the
bridge automatically selects one of the above
methods.
Networking Topologies
You may be wondering what network topologies are. It is simply a term that describes a schematic representation of a network.
Used to describe different types of node connection.
Here you will find an overview of the different ways to connect computers to a network.
Bus Topology
In a bus topology, all computers on the network are connected with a single
cable.When this connection is made so that there are only two
endpoints, it is called a linear bus topology.
Properties of the bus topology
- The bus topology ensures data transmission in one direction only
- All computers are connected to a single cable.
Advantages of Bus Topology
- Bus topology as we know it is very convenient
- This topology system requires the least amount of cables unlike the others
- This is enough for small networks
- A layman can easily understand this system
- You can also quickly expand this network.
Disadvantages
- If a problem occurs in one part of the cable, the entire network
is down.
- When traffic occurs on the network, the performance of the entire network is reduced.
- The resistance of the cable is limited.
- This topology is not as speed efficient as the ring topology.
Ring Topology
As the name suggests, the connection between computers
causes them to form a ring. The last computer in this circle has the number
and is therefore connected to the first. Therefore, each computer
has two neighbors.
Features of Ring Topology
– Ring topology uses multiple nodes, repeaters.
– In this case the transmission is unidirectional. In some cases it can also be bidirectional, with 2,
connections between each node in the network. This is called a double ring topology.
– Dual ring topologies create networks with two
rings. Here the data flows in the opposite direction.If one ring fails, the other ring acts as a backup. This way the network doesn't fail, which is different from a bus topology.
– A sequential data transfer is in progress. The data
transmitted in this network passes through each node of the network until it reaches its destination
.
Advantages of ring topology
- In this case, heavy traffic does not affect data transmission.This is
because data transfer is only possible on nodes with tokens.
– This computer system is very inexpensive to install.
Disadvantages of ring topology.
– It's not easy to troubleshoot this computer network.
- When it comes to adding or removing computers, network activity
is always interrupted
- The failure of one computer interrupts the functioning of the entire network
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