Scribd
Upload
2 views

Introduction to Computer Networks

A computer network is a group of interconnected computers that share resources such as files, hardware, and applications. Networks can be classified by geographical span (e.g., PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN), administration (private or public), and architecture (client-server or peer-to-peer). Each network type has its own advantages and disadvantages, impacting cost, security, and performance.

Uploaded by

owekesa361
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2 views

Introduction to Computer Networks

A computer network is a group of interconnected computers that share resources such as files, hardware, and applications. Networks can be classified by geographical span (e.g., PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN), administration (private or public), and architecture (client-server or peer-to-peer). Each network type has its own advantages and disadvantages, impacting cost, security, and performance.

Uploaded by

owekesa361
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

What is a Computer Network?

Computer Network is a group of computers connected with each other through wires, optical
fibres or optical links so that various devices can interact with each other through a network.
The aim of the computer network is the sharing of resources among various devices.
Why Configuring Computer Networks?
 File sharing. Networking computers makes it very easy for the users on the network to
share application files
 Hardware sharing. Users can share devices such as printers, CD‐ROM drives, and hard
drives.
 Program sharing. Applications such as spreadsheets and word processors can be run
over the network.
 User communication. Network allows users to take advantage of communication media
such as electronic mail, newsgroups, and video conferencing.
Definition of terms
Segment ‐ Any portion of a network that is separated, by a switch, bridge or router, from
other parts of the network.

Backbone ‐ The main cabling of a network that all of the segments connect to. Typically, the
backbone is capable of carrying more information than the individual segments.

A client ‐ computer that allows a user or users to log on to the network and take advantage of
the resources available on the network. The purpose of the client is to get user onto the
network; therefore, client computers don’t usually have the processing power, the storage
space, or the memory found on a server because the client does not have to serve up
resources to other computers on the network.
A server, on the other hand, is typically a much more powerful computer that runs a
network operating system. The server provides centralized administration of the network
and serves up the resources that are available on the network, such as printers and files. The
administrator of the server decides who can and cannot log on the network and which
resources the various can access.
Classification of Computer Networks
The following are criteria in which we classify Computer network:
a) Geographical span or categorized by their size. Using this criteria a Computer network is
mainly of four types; namely
Personal Area Network (PAN):
 Personal Area Network is a network arranged within an individual person, typically
within a range of 10 meters.
Local Area Network (LAN)
 Local Area Network is a group of computers connected to each other in a small area
such as building, office, college or a school.

1
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
 MAN is a network that covers a metropolitan area or a city. It can go up to a maximum
of 50 km.
 MAN is a network physical area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city.
A MAN is typically owned and operated by a single entity such as a government body or
large corporation.

Wide Area Network (WAN)


 WAN is a network that covers the whole world or entire continent.
 WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the
Earth. A WAN is a geographically‐dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called
a router connects LANs to a WAN.

b) Administration: Network can be private network which belongs a single autonomous


system and cannot be accessed outside its physical or logical domain. Also a network can
be public which is accessed by all.
c) Network Architecture or Network Models: in this criteria a network is either a Client‐
Server or peer‐to‐peer
 Peer‐To‐Peer network
 Client/Server network
Peer‐To‐Peer network
 Peer‐To‐Peer network is a network in which all the computers are linked together with
equal privilege and responsibilities for processing the data.
 Peer‐To‐Peer network is useful for small environments, usually up to 10 computers.
 Peer‐To‐Peer network has no dedicated server and all Computers are in their
workgroup.
 In Peer‐To‐Peer networking, all computers have client operating systems.
 Every user maintains his own credentials and backup

Advantages of Peer‐To‐Peer Network:


 It is less costly as it does not contain any dedicated server.
 If one computer stops working but, other computers will not stop working.
 It is easy to set up and maintain as each computer manages itself.
Disadvantages of Peer‐To‐Peer Network:
 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.
 It has a security issue as the device is managed itself.

2
Client/Server Network
 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.
 The central controller is known as a server while all other computers in the network are
called clients.
 A server performs all the major operations such as security and network management.
 A server is responsible for managing all the resources such as files, directories, printer,
etc.
 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.
 All Computers are in a domain
 Some Computers have client operating systems while others have server operating
systems.
 Credentials and backup are maintained by the server

Advantages of Client/Server network:


 A Client/Server network contains the centralized system. Therefore we can back up the
data easily.
 A Client/Server network has a dedicated server that improves the overall performance
of the whole system.
 Security is better in Client/Server network as a single server administers the shared
resources.
 It also increases the speed of the sharing resources.
Disadvantages of Client/Server network:
 Client/Server network is expensive as it requires the server with large memory.
 A server has a Network Operating System (NOS) to provide the resources to the clients,
but the cost of NOS is very high.
 It requires a dedicated network administrator to manage all the resources.

You might also like