Computer networking

Is the study of engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices.

• Networking, routers, routing protocols, and networking over the public Internet have their specifications defined in documents called RFCs or "Request for Comments"

• Computer networking is sometimes considered a sub-discipline of telecommunications, computer science, information technology and/or computer engineering

• Computer networks rely heavily upon the theoretical and practical application of these scientific and engineering disciplines.

A computer network is any set of computers or devices connected to each other with the ability to exchange data.

Types of Networks

Examples of networks are:

• Local Area Network (LAN), which is usually a small network constrained to a small geographic area.

• Wide Area Network (WAN) that is usually a larger network that covers a large geographic area.

• Wireless LANs and WANs (WLAN & WWAN) is the wireless equivalent of the LAN and WAN

All networks are interconnected to allow communication with a variety of different kinds of media, which including twisted-pair copper wire cable, coaxial cable, optical fiber, and various wireless technologies.

• The devices can be separated by a few meters (e.g. via Bluetooth) or nearly unlimited distances (e.g. via the interconnections of the Internet)

  • Most LANs connect together multiple devices so that users can use, for example, one printer or one set of applications instead of having an individual printer or application on each personal computer.

  • LANs are capable of transmitting data at very fast rates, much faster than data can be transmitted over a telephone line; but the distances are limited, and there is also a limit on the number of computers that can be attached to a single LAN.

Benefits

• Information can be easily shared allowing for quick and informed decisions to be made, saving time and money.

  • A more productive and competitive environment is achieved through greater teamwork within the organization.

• Network-based communication such as email is considerably cheaper than using the phone or fax and sharing resources such as printers gives more efficient use of equipment at lower costs.

  • Standard versions of procedures and directories can be made accessible to everyone.

• IT administration can be centralized.

  • Data can be backed-up from a single point on a scheduled basis ensuring consistency.

• Everyone is working from real-time shared information and so reducing the risk of error