Networks can be categorized in several different ways. One approach defines the type of network according to the geographic area it spans. Local area networks (LANs), for example, typically reach across a single home, whereas wide area networks (WANs), reach across cities, states, or even across the world. The Internet is the world’s largest public WAN.
Area Networks
Networks can be categorized in several
different ways. One approach defines the type of network according to the
geographic area it spans. Local area networks (LANs), for example, typically
reach across a single home, whereas wide area networks (WANs), reach across
cities, states, or even across the world. The Internet is the world’s largest
public WAN.
Network Design
Computer networks also differ in their design.
The two types of high-level network design are called client-server and
peer-to-peer. Client-server networks feature centralized server computers that
store email, Web pages, files and or applications. On PP peer-to-peer network,
conversely, all computers tend to support the same functions. Client-server
networks are much more common in business and peer-to-peer networks much more
common in homes.
A network topology represents its layout or
structure from the point of view of data flow. In so-called bus networks, for
example, all of the computers share and communicate across one common conduit,
whereas in a star network, all data flows through one centralized device.
Common types of network topologies include bus, star, ring and mesh.
Network Protocols
In networking, the communication language used
by computer devices is called the protocol. Yet another way to classify
computer networks is by the set of protocols they support. Networks often
implement multiple protocols to support specific applications. Popular
protocols include TCP/IP, the most common protocol found on the Internet and in
home networks.
Wired vs Wireless Networking
Many of the same network protocols, like
TCP/IP, work in both wired and wireless networks. Networks with Ethernet cables
predominated in businesses, schools, and homes for several decades. Recently,
however, wireless networking alternatives have emerged as the premier
technology for building new computer networks.