Computer network

A network of computers, also called network computer or computer network, is a set of equipment (hardware and / or devices) connected by wires, signals, waves or any other method of transporting data, they share information (files) , resources (CD-ROM, printers, etc..), services (Internet access, e-mail, chat, games, etc.).

A communications network is a set of technical means of distance communication between autonomous teams (non-hierarchical -master/slave-). This is usually transmit data, audio and video by electromagnetic waves through different media (air, vacuum, copper cable, fiber optics, etc.).

Classification of networks

In scope:

Personal Area Network (PAN)

Local Area Network (LAN)

Campus Area Network (CAN)

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Simple Area Network (SPL)

Storage Area Network (SAN)

For the connection method:

Guided media: coaxial cable, twisted pair, fiber optic and other cables.

Unguided media: radio, infrared, microwave, laser and other wireless networks.

For functional relationship:

Client-server

Peer-to-peer (P2P)

Network Architectures

For network topology:

Bus network

Star network

Ring network (or double ring)

Mesh network (or fully connected)

Red Tree

Red Mixed (any combination of the above)

On the directionality of the data (transmission rate)

Simplex (unidirectional): Data terminal equipment transmits and another receives. (eg. streaming)

Half-duplex (bidirectional): only one computer transmits at a time. Also called Semi-Duplex (eg. Communication by radio, if teams are not full duplex, you could not transmit (speak) if the other person is also transmitting (talking) because his team would be receiving (listening ) at the time).

Full-duplex (bidirectional): both can transmit and receive the same information simultaneously.(eg. videoconferencing).

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Network types .

Public: a public network is defined as a network that anyone can use and not the networks that are configured with personal password. It is a network of interconnected computers capable of sharing information and allows users to communicate regardless of geographical location.

Private Network: A private network would be defined as a network that can use only some people and they are set to personal password.

Personal Area Network (PAN): (Personal Area Network) is a computer network used for communication among computer devices (phones, including personal digital assistants) close to a person. The devices may or may not belong to the person in question. The scope of a PAN is typically a few meters. PANs can be used for communication between personal devices themselves (intrapersonal communication) or to connect to a high level network and the Internet (an uplink). Personal area networks can be connected to cables with computer buses such as USB and FireWire. A network wireless personal area (WPAN) can also be made possible with network technologies such as IrDA and Bluetooth.

Local Area Network (LAN): a network that is limited to a relatively small spatial area such as a room, a single building, a ship or an airplane. Local area networks are sometimes called single-location network. Note: For administrative purposes, large LANs are often divided into smaller logical segments called Workgroups. A Workgroups is a group of computers that share a common set of resources within a LAN.

Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN): A Virtual LAN or VLAN commonly called, is a group of computers, with a common set of shared resources and requirements that communicate as if attached to a logical division of networks computers in which all nodes can reach out to others through broadcast (broadcast domain) in the data link layer, despite their different physical location. This can be logically grouped computers to the network location is no longer so closely associated with and restricted to the physical location of each computer, as with a LAN, also providing security, flexibility and resource savings. To achieve this, it has been established as the IEEE 802.1Q standard designed to address the problem of how to separate physically very large networks into smaller pieces and provide a high level of security between segments of internal networks have the freedom to manage without of their physical location

Campus Area Network (CAN): The drift to a network that connects two or more LANs which should be connected in a specific geographic area such as a university campus, an industrial park or military base.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): A network that connects the networks of two or more local area together but does not extend beyond the immediate city limits, or metropolitan area.Routers (routers) multiple switches (switch) and the hubs are connected to create a MAN.

Wide Area Network (WAN) is a data communications network covering a relatively broad geographic area and often uses transmission facilities provided by common carriers such as telephone companies. WAN technologies generally function at the lower three layers of the OSI reference model: the physical layer, the data link layer and network layer.

Storage Area Network (SAN): A network designed to connect servers, arrays (arrays) disks and supporting libraries. It is mainly based on technology of fiber or iSCSI. Its function is to connect in a fast, secure and reliable storage of the different elements that constitute it.

Irregular network: A system of wires and buses that connect through a modem, and resulting in the connection of one or more computers. This network is similar to mixed with one that does not follow the parameters set out in it. Many of these cases are widely used in most networks.

Bachiller : Luisa Nuñez C.I: 21.146.188