Best Tutorial on Fundamentals of Networking
Explain the network’s fundamental characteristics and components.
Introduction
A computer network, or simply a network, is a collection of computers and other hardware components interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information.[1] Where at least one process in one device is able to send/receive data to/from at least one process residing in a remote device, then the two devices are said to be in a network. Simply, more than one computer interconnected through a communication medium for information interchange is called a computer network. Each of the devices on the network can be thought of as a node; each node has a unique address.
Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics, such as the medium used to transport the data, communications protocol used, scale, topology, and organizational scope.
Communications protocols define the rules and data formats for exchanging information in a computer network, and provide the basis for network programming i.e. for data communication between multiple networks, as well as host-to-host data transfer, and application-specific data transmission formats.
Characteristics of computer networks:
Facilitate communications
Using a network, people can communicate efficiently and easily via email, instant messaging, chat rooms, telephone, video telephone calls, and video conferencing.
Permit sharing of files, data, and other types of information
In a network environment, authorized users may access data and information stored on other computers on the network. The capability of providing access to data and information on shared storage devices is an important feature of many networks.
Share network and computing resources
In a networked environment, each computer on a network may access and use resources provided by devices on the network, such as printing a document on a shared network printer. Distributed computing uses computing resources across a
Introduction
A computer network, or simply a network, is a collection of computers and other hardware components interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information.[1] Where at least one process in one device is able to send/receive data to/from at least one process residing in a remote device, then the two devices are said to be in a network. Simply, more than one computer interconnected through a communication medium for information interchange is called a computer network. Each of the devices on the network can be thought of as a node; each node has a unique address.
Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics, such as the medium used to transport the data, communications protocol used, scale, topology, and organizational scope.
Communications protocols define the rules and data formats for exchanging information in a computer network, and provide the basis for network programming i.e. for data communication between multiple networks, as well as host-to-host data transfer, and application-specific data transmission formats.
Characteristics of computer networks:
Facilitate communications
Using a network, people can communicate efficiently and easily via email, instant messaging, chat rooms, telephone, video telephone calls, and video conferencing.
Permit sharing of files, data, and other types of information
In a network environment, authorized users may access data and information stored on other computers on the network. The capability of providing access to data and information on shared storage devices is an important feature of many networks.
Share network and computing resources
In a networked environment, each computer on a network may access and use resources provided by devices on the network, such as printing a document on a shared network printer. Distributed computing uses computing resources across a
References: 1. James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross: Computer Networking: A Top-down Approach (4th ed.), Addison-Wesley, 2008. 2. Tanenbaum, A. Computer Networks, 4th ed, Prentice Hall, 2003.ISBN: 0-13-066102-3 3 4. Comer, D., Internetworking with TCP/IP, Volume 1: Principles, Protocols, and Architectures, 4th ed, Prentice Hall, 2002. ISBN: 0-13-018380-6. 5