What Is Computer Network?
A network consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share resources (such as printers and CDs), exchange files, or allow electronic communications. The computers on a network may be linked through mediums such as,cables, telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, or infrared light beams.
Types of network
- LAN(Local Area Network)
- WAN(Wide Area Network)
- MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
- CAN(Campus Area Network)
- HAN(Home Area Network)
LAN :- A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network that is confined to a relatively small area. It is generally limited to a geographic area such as a writing lab, school, or building. Computers connected to a network are broadly categorized as servers or workstations. It is very simple to understand that the multi pal network resources are connected in same same network segment is called local area network.
WAN:- Wide Area Networks (WANs) connect networks in larger geographic areas, such as India, the United States, or the world. Dedicated transoceanic cabling or satellite up-links may be used to connect this type of global network. It uses multiplexers, bridges, and routers to connect local and metropolitan networks to global communications networks like the Internet.
CAN - The computers are within a limited geographic area, such as a campus or military base or school campus.
HAN:- A network contained within a user's home that connects a person's digital devices such as, Laptop, TV, Mobile,Printers etc. You may connect personal digital devices through broadband connection.
Advantage of networking
User access control.
Modern networks almost always have one or more servers which allows centralized management for users and for network resources to which they have access. User credentials on a privately-owned and operated network may be as simple as a user name and password, but with ever-increasing attention to computing security issues, these servers are critical to ensuring that sensitive information is only available to authorized users.
Information storing and sharing.
Computers allow users to create and manipulate information. Information takes on a life of its own on a network. The network provides both a place to store the information and mechanisms to share that information with other network users.
Connections.
Administrators, instructors, and even students and guests can be connected using the campus network.
Services.
The school can provide services, such as registration, school directories, course schedules, access to research, and email accounts, and many others. (Remember, network services are generally provided by servers).
Internet.
The school can provide network users with access to the internet, via an internet gateway.
Computing resources.
The school can provide access to special purpose computing devices which individual users would not normally own. For example, a school network might have high-speed high quality printers strategically located around a campus for instructor or student use.
Flexible Access.
School networks allow students to access their information from connected devices throughout the school. Students can begin an assignment in their classroom, save part of it on a public access area of the network, then go to the media center after school to finish their work. Students can also work cooperatively through the network.
Work-group Computing.
Collaborative software allows many users to work on a document or project concurrently. For example, educators located at various schools within a county could simultaneously contribute their ideas about new curriculum standards to the same document, spreadsheets, or website.
Disadvantage of networking
Expensive to Install.
Large campus networks can carry hefty price tags. Cabling, network cards, routers, bridges, firewalls, wireless access points, and software can get expensive, and the installation would certainly require the services of technicians. But, with the ease of setup of home networks, a simple network with internet access can be setup for a small campus in an afternoon.
Requires Administrative Time.
Proper maintenance of a network requires considerable time and expertise. Many schools have installed a network, only to find that they did not budget for the necessary administrative support.
Servers Fail.
Although a network server is no more susceptible to failure than any other computer, when the files server "goes down" the entire network may come to a halt. Good network design practices say that critical network services (provided by servers) should be redundant on the network whenever possible.
Cables May Break.
The Topology chapter presents information about the various configurations of cables. Some of the configurations are designed to minimize the inconvenience of a broken cable; with other configurations, one broken cable can stop the entire network.
Security and compliance.
Network security is expensive. It is also very important. A school network would possibly be subject to more stringent security requirements than a similarly-sized corporate network, because of its likelihood of storing personal and confidential information of network users, the danger of which can be compounded if any network users are minors. A great deal of attention must be paid to network services to ensure all network content is appropriate for the network community it serves.
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