What is a computer network? And how does it work?
A computer network is a combination system of two or more computer (computing) devices that connect to each other and share their data and resources. A computer network can transmit data between its devices and share its software and hardware resources between all users. In this text, we want to explain computer networks in detail. You can learn many useful things about computer networks here.
How does a computer network work?
A computer network is an integrated interconnection system of two or more computer devices. These devices can send and receive data on the network and share their resources with other devices.
The ARPANET project shaped the first concept of computer networks in the late 1960s. ARPANET was a U.S. Department of Defense project and wasn’t designed for commercial goals. However, many of its basics later have been used in computer networks.
Computer networks can have different shapes, sizes, and usages. Each business makes a proper computer network based on its needs and structure. Computer networks and the Internet are two primary parts of any contemporary and modern firm and organization.
Computer networks are a combination of computer science and digital telecommunication. In the following part of this text, I’ll explain the key components of a computer network and their duties in the networks.
Key computer network components
In a nutshell, computer networks are formed with two essential components: First, all computing and digital devices are called “Nodes,” and second, mediums are used to transmit data between these nodes, which are called “Links.” Although this definition is very simple, but all other concepts of computer networks get around these two simple concepts.
Moreover, we use the “network protocols” to facilitate the sharing data and resources on the network. In addition, network and communication protocols help us to protect our network against cyber-attacks, hacks, and other vandalism activities. So, to make a computer network, we should have three components: nodes, links, and protocols. We’ll explain these parts in more detail in the future.
Nodes in computer network
Nodes are all computer (or computing) and digital devices that process, transmit, control, and store data on our networks. Nodes can have different forms and shapes. Some of them come in the below:
Computing devices
Many digital devices have CPUs or can process data in any way. They can process input data and give out their results. Your personal computer (PC), smartphone, TV, and many consumer devices are computing nodes on the network. Moreover, there are servers, switches, routers, and storages process data on an industrial scale. In Itbaz.net, you can find comprehensive information about different kinds of servers.
Servers
Servers are members of computing devices. Servers are your computer network heart. Servers run our network mainframe and process, answer, and store all user (client) requests. Nowadays, we use modern and powerful servers on our network.
Servers can be of any size and have different capabilities and equipment. You can find various types of servers on Itbaz.net.
Routers
These devices manage and improve data packet movement on the network links. A router processes the paths into a network and then passes input data packets on these paths. These devices are a critical part of the large network.
Switches
Similar to routers, switches manage, strengthen, and manage data packets movement on the network. A Switch can work with different input and output ports. It can accept data packets from an input port and then share it between multi-output ports. Switches are important devices on many networks. In Itbaz.net, we define several models of switches and their related technical information. You can learn a lot about them here.
Gateways
These devices allow you to combine different networks with each other and transmit data between them. Gateways can be firewalls, routers, or servers. Differences between devices return back to our network topology, needs, and security requirements.
Links in computer networks
Links or mediums are used to transmit data between different devices. We use two different types of links:
- Wired links: This type of link is the basic and traditional form of network links. Some well-known wired links are coaxial cables, twisted pair cables, and optical fiber.
- Wireless links: These days, using of radio and other electromagnetic signals is normal. For example, your smartphone, Wi-Fi modem, and TV remote control use of these signals. Because wire cable isn’t used, we call this type of link “Wireless.” The wireless link gives us a more flexible network structure. Therefore, many modern network devices use these links to connect devices.
