Advantages of a Computer Network

Helps you to connect with multiple computers together to send and receive information when accessing the network.

Helps you to share printers, scanners, and email.

Helps you to share information at very fast speed

Electronic communication is more efficient and less expensive than without the network.

Computer Network

a group of computers connected together in a way that allows information to be exchanged between the computers.

Local Area Network (LAN)

A computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A wide area network is a telecommunications network that extends over a large geographical area for the primary purpose of computer networking.

Peer-2-Peer Architecture

a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities. 

Client-Server Architecture

 network architecture in which each computer or process on the network is either a client or a server.

Bus Topology

Each node is daisy-chained (connected one right after the other) along the same backbone, similar to Christmas lights. Information sent from a node travels along the backbone until it reaches its destination node. Each end of a bus network must be terminated with a resistor to keep the signal that is sent by a node across the network from bouncing back when it reaches the end of the cable.

Ring Topology

Like a bus network, rings have the nodes daisy-chained. The difference is that the end of the network comes back around to the first node, creating a complete circuit. In a ring network, each node takes a turn sending and receiving information through the use of a token. The token, along with any data, is sent from the first node to the second node, which extracts the data addressed to it and adds any data it wishes to send. Then, the second node passes the token and data to the third node, and so on until it comes back around to the first node again. Only the node with the token is allowed to send data. All other nodes must wait for the token to come to them.

Star Topology

In a star network, each node is connected to a central device called a hub. The hub takes a signal that comes from any node and passes it along to all the other nodes in the network. A hub does not perform any type of filtering or routing of the data. It is simply a junction that joins all the different nodes together.

Mesh Topology 

Protocol

An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices.