Basics of Computer Network

Background:

If you are beginner in computer networking field then you are on the right place to start learning as a fresher. Before starting some thing this is a very important point to make a proper plan and mentality to gain more accurate results. You are planning for CCNA certification ,Microsoft , HP you need to first proper plan and goal set.

Without goals you may make career progress, but you may not make the same progress, or end up where you really want to go. Simple enough. So I’ll take it on faith that you buy into the idea of goal setting for our purposes – now let’s talk about some particulars.

First, if you feel like you don’t do well at setting and achieving goals, take the time to learn from experts. That may be the best first step, even before you think about the technologies. For example, for this post, I actually ready a few chapters of Tony Robbins’ classic, “Awaken the Giant Within”. I was impressed with the contents, suggestions, and exercises there. No matter the book, if you’re serious about goal setting, now may be a good time to dig in and think about applying this to more parts of your life than just your career.

What is Computer Network?

A computer network is a collection of such networking devices which can perform communication and share resources between them.

computer network is a collection of two or more connected computers. When these computers are joined in a network, people can share files and peripherals such as modems, printers, tape backup drives, or CD-ROM drives. When networks at multiple locations are connected using services available from phone companies, people can send e-mail, share links to the global Internet, or conduct video conferences in real time with other remote users. When a network becomes open sourced it can be managed properly with online collaboration software. As companies rely on applications like electronic mail and database management for core business operations, computer networking becomes increasingly more important. However, in this day and age simply having internet is not enough, you need to be able to get high speeds that all companies from HCL to IBM should be able to provide.

Networking Devices Include:

1. Computer or Workstation
2. Network Interface card
3. Switch or router
4. connection media like Ethernet cable

Types of computer Network:

• LAN (Local Area Network)
• MAN (Metropolitan Area Network )
• WAN (Wide Area Network)

There are many ways in which different networks can be classified, such as their size, capabilities and the geographical distance they cover. A network is simply a group of two or more computer systems linked together in some way so that they can share data between them. Different types of networks provide different services, and require different things to work properly.

Most network types are known as different types of ‘area’ networks – this is due to the history of networks, and dates back to the time when computer networks were defined by their literal scale. This is no longer always the case due to new technology. Some of the most common types of network you are likely to encounter are detailed here below:

Local Area Network

A computer network spanned inside a building and operated under single administrative system is generally termed as Local Area Network (LAN). Usually,LAN covers an organization’ offices, schools, colleges or universities. Number of systems connected in LAN may vary from as least as two to as much as 16 million.LAN provides a useful way of sharing the resources between end users.The resources such as printers, file servers, scanners, and internet are easily sharable among computers.

LANs are composed of inexpensive networking and routing equipment. It may contains local servers serving file storage and other locally shared applications. It mostly operates on private IP addresses and does not involve heavy routing. LAN works under its own local domain and controlled centrally.

LAN uses either Ethernet or Token-ring technology. Ethernet is most widely employed LAN technology and uses Star topology, while Token-ring is rarely seen.
LAN can be wired,wireless, or in both forms at once.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

This is another of the original categories of network, and slightly more complex in nature. WAN networks connect computers together over large physical distances, remotely connecting them over one huge network and allowing them to communicate even when far apart. The Internet is a WAN, and connects computers all around the world together.

LANs connect to WANs, such as the internet, using routers to transfer data and information quickly and securely. WANs are usually too large to be controlled by one administrator, and so usually have collective ownership, or in the case of the internet, is publicly owned.

Metropolitan Area Network

A metropolitan area network, or MAN, consists of a computer network across an entire city, college campus or small region. A MAN is larger than a LAN, which is typically limited to a single building or site. Depending on the configuration, this type of network can cover an area from several miles to tens of miles. A MAN is often used to connect several LANs together to form a bigger network. When this type of network is specifically designed for a college campus, it is sometimes referred to as a campus area network, or CAN.