Intro to Computer Networking Intro to digital technology August 23, 2018

What is a network? Two or more computer systems connected together to share and exchange data Networks make better use of limited resources

Why do we network? Sharing information Sharing resources File sharing – data between computers Sharing resources Centralizing administration and support Better communication Synchronous-question/answer at the same time Asynchronous-questions have to wait on answer

Traits of a good network Reliable - dependable Scalable – hardware and software can grow up or down as organization needs change Redundant – anticipates disaster – duplicate data and resource to minimize downtime and data loss Secure Speed – critical

Parts of a Network Clients Computers that request or order information from a server Usually desktop computers with their own local storage and processing power Thin client – network computer with no local storage

Servers Computers that work behind the scenes to provide (serve) the resources requested by the clients Two types Non-dedicated – provides many different services to its client computers such as file retrieval, printing, and emailing Dedicated – provides only one type of resource to its clients, such as printing

Computer Networking Internet Network - A network is a group of computers connected together in a way that allows information to be exchanged between the computers.

Where are computer networks used? Home All Offices Schools The demand for computer and technology employees equates to about 350,000 unfilled jobs per year.

Computer Networking Node - A node is anything that is connected to the network. While a node is typically a computer, it can also be something like a printer or CD-ROM tower. Internet

Computer Networking Segment - A segment is any portion of a network that is separated, by a switch, bridge or router, from other parts of the network. Internet

Computer Networking Internet Backbone - The backbone is the main cabling of a network that all of the segments connect to. Carries 10x the megabits a segment can.

Router - A router connects at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and its ISP's network. Routers are located at gateways, the places where two or more networks connect, and are the critical device that keeps data flowing between networks and keeps the networks connected to the Internet.

Computer Networking Topology Topology - Topology is the way that each node is physically connected to the network

Common Networking Topologies Fully Connected Bus Star Ring Tree Mesh Hybrid Dual Ring Linear

Other network components Shared peripherals – a device that is connected to a computer and controlled by its microprocessor Media – physical pieces used to transport data from one computer to another computer or peripheral on the network Data - packets

Specialized Servers File Servers Print Servers Application Servers Mail Servers Communication Servers Directory Services Servers Backup Servers