Contents

NIC (Network Interface Card)................................................................................................................................. 1

Computer Network...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Network Protocol......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Home Network and SOHO network.................................................................................................................... 5

Now in this course we're going to use a lot of terms that may be new to you. If you're not
sure about any of the terms that I'm using in this course or you would simply like more
explanation please feel free to send me a message and I'll either answer it through the
messages or create a new video explaining the terms in more detail.

NIC (Network Interface Card)

The first one to start off with is a network interface card or NIC.
 This is also called a network interface controller
 Network adapter
 LAN adapter or local area network adapter or
 Physical network interface.
This is essentially a computer hardware component that connects a computer or a device
such as an iPad to a computer network.

In this example, we are connecting to a physical network. So, our computer is connected via
a cable plugged into a network interface called on NIC to give it access to the network.
More and more these days, we have a wireless network interface cards that connect us to
networks running in the air rather than copper or fiber cabling

Computer Network

Computer networks allow us to connect to Web sites on the Internet. You may have
connected to many web sites on the Internet and just taking it for granted, that those Web
sites are available from almost any way in the world.

In this example I'm connecting to Facebook in California from the United Kingdom.
Complex networks such as the internet, enable this ability but in its most basic form what is
a network.
At its most basic level, a computer network could simply be two computers connected via
cable sharing information with each other.
 you may have a file on a PC as an example and want to share that with someone
else.
 So, you could connect to devices such as a laptop and PC, using what's called an
ethernet cable to the network interface cards or interface adapters on the computers
and allow them to share information with each other.
 That's all a computer network is, in its simplest most basic form. It's essentially two
devices sharing information with each other.

Network Protocol

What is a network protocol.

 Well a network protocol is essentially a set of rules and conventions that governs the
communications between network devices or as an example between computers on
a network.
  In order for two computers to talk to each other as an example, they must be
speaking the same language. If I only speak English and you only speak French we're
not going to communicate effectively.
 In the same way when two computers communicate with one another. There needs
to be a set of rules governing how those computers exchange data and effectively
communicate with one another.

 In our everyday lives we follow guidelines or rules when we communicate with one
another.
 As an example, when you drive on the road you follow a set of rules, when a traffic
light is green means go, when it's red it means stop.
Now in networking there are many types of networking protocols and standards to ensure
that computers can effectively communicate with other devices which may be right next to
them, or on the other side of the world.
Later in this course you'll learn about the OSI model or Open Systems Interconnection
reference model which defines seven layers of networking protocols.

For now, simply understand that a network protocol is essentially a language that governs
the communications between networking devices.

Home Network and SOHO network

So, building on our example of a simple network consisting of two PCs.

At home you may have a network connecting you to the Internet using an DSL or cable or
some other type of broadband connection, which allows you from your laptop or desktop
to access the internet.

You may have ADSL Router connecting to a modem or directly to your Internet service
provider or ISP, that router may provide wireless connectivity so that you can access the
Internet from your iPad or iPhone or a laptop anywhere in your house or it may have a
wired connection where you physically cable a PC such as a desktop into the router.

Now in its most simple terms, a router essentially receives data from a PC or an iPad and
then determines which to forward it. So, it may receive a message from your PC on one
interface and then it needs to make a decision where am I going to send those traffic or
data, do I send it on to the wireless network so that it can be sent to the laptop or do I send
it onto the Internet, because you trying to access a website such as Facebook.com

At a very basic level, a router or other devices such as switches simply move data or
information from one interface to another interface based on some kind of decision criteria
 in the same way as you may make decisions every day about which way to drive or
which bus route or train route to take. Router make decisions based on some kind of
criteria to determine the best path to a destination.
The Internet consists of many thousands of routers, that are making decisions all the time
about the best path or route to a destination.
 If you were driving from San Francisco to New York you would make a decision on
which way to drive. You'd have to decide which path to take, if you are driving as an
 example from San Francisco to San Jose. You probably wouldn't decide to drive via
New York because the distance is far greater via a New York than it would be simply
driving from San Francisco to San Jose.
In the same way a router will make a decision based on distance or what's called a cost of a
route to determine the best path to a destination.
So, your home network may consist simply of a router with some iPads or laptops and
desktops or you may have a large home network or work in a small business environment
or Soho environment

SOHO is small office home office and in an environment like this you may have a router
connected to a device called a switch. A switch essentially gives you multiple ports or
interfaces that you can connect devices to.
So, in this example we have a network printer and two PCs that are connected physically via
a cable to a switch which in turn is connected to the router.
Now in a lot of home environments the switch is built into the router, so you won't have
two physical devices, there'll be one device. The router may provide wireless connectivity
once again so that your wireless laptop or iPad can connect to the Internet without cables.