Computer network

A computer network is a group of computers that are connected to

each other for the purpose of communication. Networks may be
classified according to a wide variety of characteristics. This article
provides a general overview of some types and categories and als
Introduction
A computer network allows computers to communicate with many
other computers and to share resources and information. The
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) funded the design of
the "Advanced Research Projects Agency Network" (ARPANET) for
the United States Department of Defense. It was the first operational
computer network in the world.[1] Development of the network began
in 1969, based on designs developed during the 1960s.
Network classification
What is networking? The following list presents categories used for
classifying networks. In the world of computers, networking is the
practice of linking two or more computing devices together for the
purpose of sharing data. Networks are built with a mix of computer
hardware and computer software
Network topology
Computer networks may be classified according to the network topology
upon which the network is based, such as bus network, star network, ring
network, mesh network, star-bus network, tree or hierarchical topology
network. Network topology signifies the way in which devices in the
network see their logical relations to one another. The use of the term
"logical" here is significant. That is, network topology is independent of the
"physical" layout of the network. Even if networked computers are
physically placed in a linear arrangement, if they are connected via a hub,
the network has a Star topology, rather than a bus topology. In this regard
the visual and operational characteristics of a network are distinct; the
logical network topology is not necessarily the same as the physical layout.
Networks may be classified based on the method of data used to convey the
data; these include digital and analog networks.
 Types of networks
Local area network
A local Area Network (LAN) is a computer network covering a small
physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a
school, or an airport. Current wired LANs are most likely to be based on
Ethernet technology, although new standards like ITU-T G.hn also provide a
way to create a wired LAN using existing home wires (coaxial cables, phone
lines and power lines)[2].
The defining characteristics of LANs, in contrast to WANs (Wide Area
Networks), include their higher data transfer rates, smaller geographic range,
and lack of a need for leased telecommunication lines. Current Ethernet or
other IEEE 802.3 LAN technologies operate at speeds up to 10 Gbit/s. This
is the data transfer rate. IEEE has projects investigating the standardization
of 40 and 100 Gbit/s.[3]
Metropolitan area network
A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a network that connects two or more
local area networks or campus area networks together but does not extend
beyond the boundaries of the immediate town/city. Routers, switches and
hubs are connected to create a metropolitan area network.
Wide area network
A wide area network (WAN) is a computer network that covers a broad area
(i.e. any network whose communications links cross metropolitan, regional,
or national boundaries [1]). Less formally, a WAN is a network that uses
routers and public communications links. Contrast with personal area
networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), campus area networks
(CANs), or metropolitan area networks (MANs), which are usually limited
to a room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area (e.g., a city)
respectively. The largest and most well-known example of a WAN is the
Internet. A WAN is a data communications network that covers a relatively
broad geographic area (i.e. one city to another and one country to another
country) and that often uses transmission facilities provided by common
carriers, such as telephone companies. WAN technologies generally function
at the lower three layers of the OSI model|OSI reference model: the physical
layer, the data link layer, and the network layer.
Internetwork
An Internetwork is the connection of two or more distinct computer
networks or network segments via a common routing technology. The result
is called an internetwork (often shortened to internet). Two or more
networks or network segments connect using devices that operate at layer 3
(the 'network' layer) of the OSI Basic Reference Model, such as a router.
Any interconnection among or between public, private, commercial,
industrial, or governmental networks may also be defined as an
internetwork.
In modern practice, interconnected networks use the Internet Protocol. There
are at least three variants of internetworks, depending on who administers
and who participates in them:
• Intranet
• Extranet
• Internet
Intranets and extranets may or may not have connections to the Internet. If
connected to the Internet, the intranet or extranet is normally protected from
being accessed from the Internet without proper authorization. The Internet
is not considered to be a part of the intranet or extranet, although it may
serve as a portal for access to portions of an extranet.
Intranet
An intranet is a set of networks, using the Internet Protocol and IP-based
tools such as web browsers and file transfer applications, that is under the
control of a single administrative entity. That administrative entity closes the
intranet to all but specific, authorized users. Most commonly, an intranet is
the internal network of an organization. A large intranet will typically have
at least one web server to provide users with organizational information.
Extranet
An extranet is a network or internetwork that is limited in scope to a single
organization or entity and also has limited connections to the networks of
one or more other usually, but not necessarily, trusted organizations or
entities (e.g., a company's customers may be given access to some part of its
intranet creating in this way an extranet, while at the same time the
customers may not be considered 'trusted' from a security standpoint).
Technically, an extranet may also be categorized as a CAN, MAN, WAN, or
other type of network, although, by definition, an extranet cannot consist of
a single LAN; it must have at least one connection with an external network.
Internet
The Internet consists of a worldwide interconnection of governmental,
academic, public, and private networks based upon the networking
technologies of the Internet Protocol Suite. It is the successor of the
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) developed by
DARPA of the U.S. Department of Defense. The Internet is also the
communications backbone underlying the World Wide Web (WWW). The
'Internet' is most commonly spelled with a capital 'I' as a proper noun, for
historical reasons and to distinguish it from other generic internetworks.
Participants in the Internet use a diverse array of methods of several hundred
documented, and often standardized, protocols compatible with the Internet
Protocol Suite and an addressing system (IP Addresses) administered by the
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and address registries. Service
providers and large enterprises exchange information about the reachability
of their address spaces through the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP),
forming a redundant worldwide mesh of transmission paths.