Networking
Computer Network
A computer network is a collection of interconnected
computers that are equipped to exchange information and
share resources with each other.
Advantages of a Computer Network
Resource sharing: All the computers on a network
can access and share programs, data, devices, etc.
For example:
– A computer network in an office helps sharing of
files among colleagues
– A high-speed Internet connection can also be shared
among computers on a network
Reliability: Data can still be accessed from
another computer on the network, if one
computer is unavailable for some reason.
Advantages of a Computer Network
Financial benefits: A computer network is
cheaper than equal number of centralized
computers.
Better communication: In an organization with a
number of branches located at far off places,
networking offers a cheap and easy mode of
communication through internal chat and mail
programs, teleconferencing and internet
telephony.
Advantages of a Computer Network
Access to a remote database: The ability to
access a database from any location helps in
tasks like e-banking, e-reservation, e-shopping,
etc.
Improved storage capacity: With networking,
your computer’s limitation of memory can be
overcome by using the network storage space.
Components of a Computer Network
A network communication on a computer network
comprises of the following three essential
components.
1. Sender: computer that initiates communication by
sending a request to the network through a program
such as a web browser.
2. Receiver: computer that accepts the incoming request
through a program such as a file server.
3. Media: It is the physical path of communication that
joins the two components(Sender and receiver) at its
two ends. It can be wired or wireless or a combination
of both.
Components of a Computer Network
Server and Client
Server: A server is a computer or a program that
manages access to shared resources of a
network. A server provides services to other
devices on the network.
