NETWORK

A network is a set of devices (often referred to as nodes) connected

by communication links. A node can be a computer, printer, or any
other device capable of sending and/or receiving data generated by
other nodes on the network.
“Computer network’’ to mean a collection of autonomous computers
interconnected by a single technology. Two computers are said to be
interconnected if they are able to exchange information.
The connection need not be via a copper wire; fiber optics,
microwaves, infrared, and communication satellites can also be used.
Networks come in many sizes, shapes and forms, as we will see
later.They are usually connected together to make larger networks,
with the Internet being the most well-known example of a network
of networks.

USES OF COMPUTER NETWORKS

Some of its main uses are as follows −

 Information and Resource Sharing − Programs and software in any computer

can be accessed by other computers linked to the network. It also allows sharing of
hardware equipment, like printers and scanners among varied users.
 Retrieving Remote Information − Through computer networks, users can
retrieve remote information on a variety of topics.
 Speedy Interpersonal Communication − Electronic Mail (email) is extensively
used for sending texts, documents, images, and videos across the globe. Online
communications have increased by manifold times through social networking services.
 E-Commerce − buy or sell items, pay bills, manage bank accounts, pay taxes,
transfer funds and handle investments electronically.
 Highly Reliable Systems − This makes the system highly reliable. All of us
exchange our data with each other maintaining our privacy.
 Cost–Effective Systems – we can exchange our data on network by paying
minimal cost as compare to traditional way of communication.
  VoIP − VoIP or Voice over Internet protocol has revolutionized
telecommunication systems. Through this, telephone calls are made digitally using
Internet Protocols instead of the regular analog phone lines.

Computer Network Architecture

Computer Network Architecture is defined as the physical and logical design of the
software, hardware, protocols, and media of the transmission of data. Simply we can say
that how computers are organized and how tasks are allocated to the computer.

The two types of network architectures are used:

o Peer-To-Peer network
o Client/Server network

Peer-To-Peer network
o Peer-To-Peer network is a network in which all the computers are linked together
with equal privilege and responsibilities for processing the data.
o Peer-To-Peer network is useful for small environments, usually up to 10 computers.
o Peer-To-Peer network has no dedicated server.
 o Special permissions are assigned to each computer for sharing the resources.

Advantages Of Peer-To-Peer Network:

o It is less costly as it does not contain any dedicated server.

o If one computer stops working but, other computers will not stop working.
o It is easy to set up and maintain as each computer manages itself.

Disadvantages Of Peer-To-Peer Network:

o In the case of Peer-To-Peer network, it does not contain the centralized system .
Therefore, it cannot back up the data as the data is different in different locations.
o It has a security issue as the device is managed itself.

Client/Server Network
o Client/Server network is a network model designed for the end users called clients,
to access the resources such as songs, video, etc. from a central computer known
as Server.
o The central controller is known as a server while all other computers in the network
are called clients.
 o A server performs all the major operations such as security and network
management.
o A server is responsible for managing all the resources such as files, directories,
printer, etc.
o All the clients communicate with each other through a server. For example, if
client1 wants to send some data to client 2, then it first sends the request to the
server for the permission. The server sends the response to the client 1 to initiate
its communication with the client 2.

Advantages Of Client/Server network:

o A Client/Server network contains the centralized system. Therefore we can back up

the data easily.
o A Client/Server network has a dedicated server that improves the overall
performance of the whole system.
o Security is better in Client/Server network as a single server administers the shared
resources.
o It also increases the speed of the sharing resources.

Disadvantages Of Client/Server network:

o Client/Server network is expensive as it requires the server with large memory.

 o A server has a Network Operating System(NOS) to provide the resources to the
clients, but the cost of NOS is very high.
o It requires a dedicated network administrator to manage all the resources.

Goals of Computer Networks: The following are some important

goals of computer networks:
1. Resource Sharing –
Many organization has a group of office workers can share a common
printer, fax, modem, scanner, etc.

2. High Reliability –
If there are alternate sources of supply, all files could be replicated on two or
more machines. If one of them is not available, due to hardware failure, the
other copies could be used.

3. Inter-process Communication –
Network users, located geographically apart, may converse in an interactive
session through the network. In order to permit this, the network must
provide almost error-free communications.

4. Flexible access –
Files can be accessed from any computer in the network. The project can be
begun on one computer and finished on another.

5. Other goals include Distribution of processing functions, Centralized

management, etc.

Computer Network Types

A computer network is a group of computers linked to each other that enables the
computer to communicate with another computer and share their resources, data, and
applications.

A computer network can be categorized by their size. A computer network is mainly

of five types:

o PAN(Personal Area Network)

o LAN(Local Area Network)
 o CAN(Campus Area Network)
o MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
o WAN(Wide Area Network)

LAN(Local Area Network)

o Local Area Network is a group of computers connected to each other in a small
area such as building, office.
o LAN is used for connecting two or more personal computers through a
communication medium such as twisted pair, coaxial cable, etc.
o It is less costly as it is built with inexpensive hardware such as hubs, network
adapters, and ethernet cables.
o The data is transferred at an extremely faster rate in Local Area Network.
o Local Area Network provides higher security.

PAN(Personal Area Network)

 o Personal Area Network is a network arranged within an individual person, typically
within a range of 10 meters.
o Personal Area Network is used for connecting the computer devices of personal
use is known as Personal Area Network.
o Personal Area Network covers an area of 30 feet.
o Personal computer devices that are used to develop the personal area network are
the laptop, mobile phones, media player and play stations.

There are two types of Personal Area Network:

o Wired Personal Area Network

o Wireless Personal Area Network
Wireless Personal Area Network: Wireless Personal Area Network is developed by
simply using wireless technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth. It is a low range network.

Wired Personal Area Network: Wired Personal Area Network is created by using the
USB.

Campus Area Network (CAN)

CAN is a group of interconnected Local Area Networks (LAN) within a limited
geographical area like school campus, university campus, military bases, or
organizational campuses and corporate buildings etc. A Campus Area Network
is larger than Local Area Network but smaller than Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
and Wide Area Network (WAN).

MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)

o A metropolitan area network is a network that covers a larger geographic area by
interconnecting a different LAN to form a larger network.
o Government agencies use MAN to connect to the citizens and private industries.
o In MAN, various LANs are connected to each other through a telephone exchange
line.
Uses Of Metropolitan Area Network:

o MAN is used in communication between the banks in a city.

o It can be used in a college within a city.
o It can also be used for communication in the military.

WAN(Wide Area Network)

o A Wide Area Network is a network that extends over a large geographical area such
as states or countries.
o A Wide Area Network is quite bigger network than the MAN.
o A Wide Area Network is not limited to a single location, but it spans over a large
geographical area through a telephone line, fibre optic cable or satellite links.
o The internet is one of the biggest WAN in the world.
o A Wide Area Network is widely used in the field of Business, government, and
education.