Network

NETWORK:

Network is a collection of computers and devices connected together via communications devices and transmission media.A network can be internal to an organization or span the the world by connecting to the Internet. Many home and business users create a network to facilitate communications, share hardware, share data and information, share software, and transfer funds.

Network

NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
The configuration of computers, devices, and media on a network.


Categories of Network Architecture:

• Client/Server network
•  Peer-to-peer network

Client/Server: One or more computers act as a server, and the other computers on the network request services from the server

Peer-to-peer: Each computer, called a peer, has equal responsibilities and capabilities, sharing hardware(such as a printer), data, or information with other computers on the peer-to-peer network.

NETWORK TOPOLOGY:

A network topology refers to the layout of the computers and devices in a communications network.

It refers to both the physical and logical layout of a network.

• Physical Topology - The physical layout of nodes, workstations and cables in the network.
• Logical Topology - The path that data travels between computers on network.

Bus Network - A bus network consists of a single central cable(backbone), to which all computers and other devices connect.

Bus Network

Star Network - All the computers and devices(nodes) on the network connect to a central device, thus forming a star

Star Network

Ring Network - On a ring network, a cable forms a closed loop(ring) with all computers and devices arranged along the ring.

Ring Network

NETWORK CLASSIFICATION:

1.  Local Area Network(LAN) : A local area network(LAN) is a network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area.
2. Metropolitan Area Network(MAN) : A metropolitan area network(MAN) is a high-speed network that connects local area networks in a metropolitan area.
3. Wide Area Network(WAN) : A wide area network(WAN) is a network that covers a large geographic area (such as a city, country, or the world) using a variety of wired and wireless transmission media.