Chapter 1

Introduction

What is a computer network?

The term of computer networks means an interconnected collection of autonomous computers. Two computers are said to be interconnected if they are able to exchange information.

Uses of Computer Networks

Why are people interested in computer networks and what can they be used for?

Business Applications Home Applications Mobile Users Social Issues

Business Applications of Networks

Resource sharing High reliability Saving money: A network may consist of many powerful
small computers, one per user, with data kept on one or more shared file server machines, which offers a much better price/performance ratio than mainframes.In this model, the users are called clients, and the whole arrangement is called the client-server model.

A network with two clients and one server

The client-server model involves requests and replies

Home Network Applications

1. 2. 3. 4. Access to remote information Person-to-person communication Interactive entertainment Electronic commerce

Network Hardware
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Local Area Networks Metropolitan Area Networks Wide Area Networks Wireless Networks Home Networks Internetworks

Networks classification
Two important dimensions for classifying networks:

1. transmission technology, and 2. scale.

Two types of transmission technology

1. Broadcast links 2. Point-to-point links

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Local Area Networks

Three distinguishable characteristics for LANs:

1. Size: 2. Transmission technology 3. Topology

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Metropolitan Area Networks

MAN uses one or two cables but does not contain switching elements. It covers an entire city and may be related to the local cable TV network.

A metropolitan area network based on cable TV.

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Wide Area Networks

A WAN spans a large area, often a country or continent. A WAN consists of two parts: 1. Application part: Machines for running user programs are called hosts. 2. Communication part: The hosts are connected by the communication subnet, or just subnet, whose job is to carry messages from host to host.

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Wireless Networks
Categories of wireless networks: System interconnection Wireless LANs Wireless WANs

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