13-02-2013, 04:26 PM
Networking
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Why use a Network?
Quite simply explained we use networks for communication between computers, sharing of data and peripherals. In the business world we use networks for ease of administration and to cut costs.
Sharing data example imagine an office with 5 secretaries working on 5 different computers, one requires a file from another computer in a non networked office this file would have to be written to a portable media then loaded onto the computer. In a networked office the file could be accessed via the network from a shared folder.
Sharing peripherals example the same office with 5 secretaries working on 5 different computers, in order to print their work each computer would need to have a printer attached. In a networked office you could have one shared printer, cutting costs.
What do you need?
A common language or protocol (TCP/IP IPX/SPX, APPLE TALK) is a convention or standard that controls or enables the connection, communication, and data transfer between two computing endpoints.
A common language or protocol (TCP/IP IPX/SPX, APPLE TALK) is a convention or standard that controls or enables the connection, communication, and data transfer between two computing endpoints.
Network Interface Card
A network card, network adapter, network interface card or NIC is a piece of computer hardware designed to allow computers to communicate over a computer network. It has a MAC address. Every network card has a unique 48-bit serial number called a MAC address, which is written to ROM carried on the card. Every computer on a network must have a card with a unique MAC address. The IEEE is responsible for assigning MAC addresses to the vendors of network interface cards. No two cards ever manufactured should share the same address.
Hubs
An Ethernet hub or concentrator is a device for connecting multiple twisted pair or fibre optic Ethernet devices together, making them act as a single segment. It works at the physical layer of the OSI model, repeating the signal received at one port out each of the other ports (but not the original one). The device is thus a form of multiport repeater. Ethernet hubs are also responsible for forwarding a jam signal to all ports if it detects a collision. Hubs also often come with a BNC and/or AUI connector to allow connection to legacy 10BASE2 or 10BASE5 network segments. The availability of low-priced Ethernet switches has largely rendered hubs obsolete but they are still seen in older installations and more specialist applications.
Switches
A network switch or switch for short is a networking device that performs transparent bridging (connection of multiple network segments with forwarding based on MAC addresses) at full wire speed in hardware. As a frame comes into a switch, the switch saves the originating MAC address and the originating (hardware) port in the switch’s MAC address table. This table often uses content-addressable memory, so it is sometimes called the “CAM table”.