Computer Network

A network set up by connecting two or more computers and other supporting

hardware devices through communication channels is called a computer
network. It enables computers to communicate with each other and to share
commands, data, etc., including the hardware and software resources.

Uses of Computer Network:

o It allows you to share resources such as printers, scanners, etc.

o You can share expensive software and database among network users.
o It facilitates communications from one computer to another computer.
o It allows the exchange of data and information among users through a
network.

Popular Computer Networks:

o Local Area Network (LAN)

o Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
o Wide Area Network (WAN)

Local Area Network (LAN):

As the name suggests, the local area network is a computer network that
operates in a small area, i.e., it connects computers in a small geographical
area like within an office, company, school, or any other organization. So, it
exists within a specific area, e.g. home network, office network, school
network, etc.

A local area network may be a wired or wireless network or a combination of

both. The devices in a LAN are generally connected using an Ethernet cable,
which offers an interface to connect multiple devices like router, switches,
and computers. For example, using a single router, few Ethernet cables, and
computers, you can create a LAN at your home, office, etc. In this network,
one computer may act as a server and other computers, which are part of
the network, may serve as clients.

Topologies of LAN:
Topology: It refers to the arrangement of computers (nodes) in a computer
network. The main topologies of a local area network are as follows:

Ring Topology:

As the name suggests, in a ring topology, the computers are connected in a

circular and closed loop. The message in this topology moves only in one
direction around the ring from one node to another node and is checked by
each node for a matching destination address. So, the data keeps moving
until it reaches its destination. All nodes are equal; a client-server
relationship does not exist between them. As the nodes are in the form of a
ring, if one node fails to transmit the data, the flow of communication is
severed.

Star Topology:
In this topology, all the computers are separately connected to a central
node or connection point, which can be a server, a hub, a router, or a switch.
This topology offers an advantage that if a cable does not work, only the
respective node will suffer, the rest of the nodes will work smoothly. All data
or messages that one node sends to another passes through the central hub.

This topology is easy to design and implement as well as it is easy to add

additional nodes to the central node. The major drawback of this topology is
that it is prone to bottleneck or failure at the central connection point, i.e.,
failure at the central node will affect the entire communication.

Bus Topology:

In this arrangement, the nodes (computers) are connected through interface

connectors to a single communication line (central cable) that carries the
message in both the directions. The central cable to which all the nodes are
connected is the backbone of the network. It is called a bus. The signal in
this arrangement travels in both directions to all the machines until it finds
the recipient machine. It is easy to set up than other topologies as it uses
only a single central cable to establish the network.

Benefits of LAN:

o It offers a higher operating speed than WAN and MAN.

o It is less expensive and easy to install and maintain.
o It perfectly fulfills the requirement of a specific organization, such as
an office, school, etc.
o It can be wired or wireless or a combination of both.
o It is more secure than other networks as it is a small set up that can be
easily taken care of.

Primary Functions of LAN:

o Sharing of files: It allows you to share or transfer files from one

computer to another computer within the LAN. For example, in a bank,
it can be used to send a file with the details of transactions of a
customer from the server to clients.
o Sharing of printers: It also allows shared access to a printer, file
servers, etc. For example, ten computers that are connected through
LAN can use a single printer, file server, fax machine, etc.
o Sharing of Computational capabilities: It allows the clients to
access to the computational power of a server, e.g., an application
server as some applications which run on clients in a LAN may require
higher computational capabilities.
o Mail and message related services: It allows sending and receiving
mails between computers of a LAN. You are required to have a mail
server for this.
o Database services: It also allows storing and retrieving data with the
help of a database server.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN):

MAN is a high-speed network that spreads over a large geographical area
such as a metro city or town. It is set up by connecting the local area
networks using routers and local telephone exchange lines. It can be
operated by a private company, or it may be a service provided by a
company such as a local telephone company.

MAN is ideal for the people of a relatively large area who want to share data
or information. It provides fast communication via high-speed carriers or
transmission media such as copper, fiber optics, and microwaves. The
commonly used protocols for MAN are X.25, Frame Relay, Asynchronous
Transfer Mode (ATM), xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line), ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Network), ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line), and
more.

The area covered by MAN is larger than the LAN but smaller than a WAN. Its
network ranges from 5 to 50 km. Furthermore, it also provides uplinks for
connecting LANs to WANs and the internet. An organization can use a MAN to
connect all of its LANs located at its different offices across the city.

Examples of MAN:

o Cable TV Network
o Telephone service provides that provide high-speed DSL lines
o IEEE 802.16 or WiMAX
o Connected fire stations in a city
o Connected branches of a school in a city
Advantages of MAN:

o Less Expensive: It is less expensive to set up a MAN and to connect it

to a WAN.
o High Speed: The speed of data transfer is more than WAN.
o Local Emails: It can send local emails fast.
o Access to the Internet: It allows you to share your internet
connection, and thus multiple users can have access to high-speed
internet.
o Easy to set up: You can easily set up a MAN by connecting multiple
LANs.
o High Security: It is more secure than WAN.

Wide Area Network (WAN):

WAN extends over a large geographical area. It is not confined within an

office, school, city, or town and is mainly set up by telephone lines, fiber
optic, or satellite links. It is mostly used by big organizations like banks and
multinational companies to communicate with their branches and customers
across the world. Although it is structurally similar to MAN, it is different from
MAN in terms of its range, e.g., MAN covers up to 50 Kms, whereas WAM
covers distances larger than 50 Km, e.g., 1000km or more.

A WAN works by using TCP/IP protocol in combination with networking

devices such as switches, routers, firewalls, and modems. It does not
connect individual computers; rather, they are designed to link small
networks like LANs and MANs to create a large network. The internet is
considered the largest WAN in the world as it connects various LANs and
MANs through ISPs.

The computers are connected to the wide area network through public
networks, such as telephone systems, leased lines or satellites. The users of
a WAN do not own the network as it is a large setup connecting the remote
computer systems. However, they are required to subscribe to a service
provided by a telecommunication provider to use this network.

Advantages of a WAN:

o Large Network Range: It spans a large geographical area of 2000

km or more, e.g., from one country to another countries.
o Centralized data: It allows your different office branches to use your
head office server for retrieving and sharing data. Thus, you don?t
need to buy email servers, files server and back up servers, etc.
o Get updated files and data: It provides an ideal platform for
companies who need a live server for their employees to exchange
updated files within seconds.
o High bandwidth: It offers high bandwidth than a normal broadband
connection. Thus, it can increase the productivity of your company by
offering uninterrupted data transfer and communication.
o Workload Distribution: It helps distribute your workload to other
locations. You can hire employees in different countries and assign
them to work from your office.

Examples of WAN:

Internet
US defense department
Stock exchanges network
Railway reservation system
Big Banks' cash dispensers' network
Satellite systems

Internet
 *******************
Internet is a global network that connects billions of computers across the
world with each other and to the World Wide Web. It uses standard internet
protocol suite (TCP/IP) to connect billions of computer users worldwide. It is
set up by using cables such as optical fibers and other wireless and
networking technologies. At present, internet is the fastest mean of sending
or exchanging information and data between computers across the world.

It is believed that the internet was developed by "Defense Advanced Projects

Agency" (DARPA) department of the United States. And, it was first
connected in 1969.

Why is the Internet Called a Network?

Internet is called a network as it creates a network by connecting computers
and servers across the world using routers, switches and telephone lines,
and other communication devices and channels. So, it can be considered a
global network of physical cables such as copper telephone wires, fiber optic
cables, tv cables, etc. Furthermore, even wireless connections like 3G, 4G, or
Wi-Fi make use of these cables to access the Internet.

Internet is different from the World Wide Web as the World Wide Web is a
network of computers and servers created by connecting them through the
internet. So, the internet is the backbone of the web as it provides the
technical infrastructure to establish the WWW and acts as a medium to
transmit information from one computer to another computer. It uses web
browsers to display the information on the client, which it fetches from web
servers.

Advantages of the Internet:

o Instant Messaging: You can send messages or communicate to

anyone using internet, such as email, voice chat, video conferencing,
etc.
o Get directions: Using GPS technology, you can get directions to
almost every place in a city, country, etc. You can find restaurants,
malls, or any other service near your location.
o Online Shopping: It allows you to shop online such as you can be
clothes, shoes, book movie tickets, railway tickets, flight tickets, and
more.
o Pay Bills: You can pay your bills online, such as electricity bills, gas
bills, college fees, etc.
o Online Banking: It allows you to use internet banking in which you
can check your balance, receive or transfer money, get a statement,
request cheque-book, etc.
o Online Selling: You can sell your products or services online. It helps
you reach more customers and thus increases your sales and profit.
o Work from Home: In case you need to work from home, you can do it
using a system with internet access. Today, many companies allow
their employees to work from home.
o Entertainment: You can listen to online music, watch videos or
movies, play online games.
o Cloud computing: It enables you to connect your computers and
internet-enabled devices to cloud services such as cloud storage, cloud
computing, etc.
o Career building: You can search for jobs online on different job
portals and send you CV through email if required.