INTRODUCTION TO BASIC COMPUTER

NETWORKING
COMPUTER NETWORK

A collection of computing devices that are connected in various ways in order to

communicate and share resources

Usually, the connections between computers in a network are made using physical
wires or cables

However, some connections are wireless, using

radio waves or infrared signals

TYPES OF NETWORKS
1. Local Area Network (LAN)
A network that connects a relatively small
number of machines in a relatively close
geographical area.
Most LANs
connect workstations and personal computers. Each node (individual
computer) in a LAN has its own CPU with which it executes programs.
The PHYSICAL TOPOLOGY of a network is the actual geometric layout of workstations.
There are several common physical topologies, as described below and as shown in the
illustration.
1. Bus Network Topology
All nodes are connected to a single communication line that
carries messages in both directions.
2. Star Network Topology
A configuration that centers around one node to which all
others are connected and through which all messages are sent.
3. Ring topology
A configuration that connects all nodes in a
closed loop on which messages travel in one
direction intermediate nodes.
2. Wide Area Network (WAN)
A network that connects two or more localarea networks over a potentially large
geographic distance

 Often one particular node on a LAN is set up to serve as a gateway to handle

all communication going between that LAN
and other networks
Communication between networks is called
internetworking
The Internet, as we know it today, is
essentially the ultimate wide-area network,
spanning the entire globe
3. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
The communication infrastructures that have been developed in and around
large cities.
A network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic
area or region larger than that covered by even a large local area network
(LAN)

but

covered

by

smaller
a

wide

than
area

the

area

network

(WAN).
CLIENT AND SERVER COMPUTER ROLE IN
NETWORKING
O Server computer is a core component of the network, providing a link to the
resources necessary to perform any task.
O A server computer provides a link to the resources necessary to perform any task.
O Client computers normally request and receive information over the network client.
Client computers also depends primarily on the
central server for processing activities
O Computer networks have opened up an entire
frontier in the world of computing called the
CLIENT/SERVER MODEL.
O FILE SERVER - A computer that stores and
manages files for multiple users on a network
O WEB SERVER - A computer dedicated to responding
to requests (from the browser client) for web pages.

PEER-TO-PEER NETWORK
A peer-to-peer network is a network where the computers act as both workstations
and servers. It is great for small, simple, and inexpensive networks. In a strict peer-topeer networking setup, every computer is an equal, a peer in the network. Each
machine can have resources that are shared with any other machine.
There is no assigned role for any particular device, and each of the devices usually
runs similar software. Any device can and will send requests to any other.

Client/Server Networking
In this design, a small number of computers are designated as centralized servers and
given the task of providing services to a larger number of user machines called clients