Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Components of Computer Network:- As we know that networking needs some components to work
systematically, to make this possible some components come into play to perform a different
function and different task according to the requirement of the user and the communication system.
To know more about the Components of Computer Network, keep reading this article till the end.
themselves. Generally, these computers could be in the same building or located at various
distances. Through the sharing of information, a large number of tasks could be carried out, such as,
communication using email, videos, instant messaging; sharing of resources such as devices,
printers etc; sharing of software, applications and even computing power; sharing of files. Computer
networks also allow users to access and maintain information over the network.
Also, computer networks may be confined to a building, as in the case of LAN (Local Area Network),
or they may connect computers over a small geographical region such a city.
Host
In networking parlance, a host is a computer that is connected to other computers or machines
through a connection. The host has its own unique IP address. The host is responsible for storing
data so that it can be transmitted to other computers or machines. These end computers are called
Remote Terminals.
A host may also have programs, processing power, data or other resources which may be used by
Remote Terminals as per their needs. This way a Host serves the needs of many computers at
once, thereby increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the resources involved.
In the case of web hosting, a Host is a web-server. This server stores website files, various
programs and applications etc. In this context, a Host refers to the bundle of hardware, software and
Server
In a network, different client computers are connected to the Server. Network operating systems run
on the server-side. This gives the server the ability to provide and manage services to different
users, groups, security, applications, and similar networking functions. Most operating systems
Also, a single system may use and provide resources on a network at the same time. This implies
that the machine could act as a server and client at the same time.
Client
On a network, a client is a computer that is connected to and uses the resources of a remote-
computer or server. Many networks have client computer nodes connected to a main Server. The
server provides resources like files, information, internet and intranet access and processing power.
When the processing is done on the local client, then it is called as “client-side”.
Also, a client may be referred to as a program that runs on a local machine which requests some
service from the server. A client program is a finite program, which means that a service started by
Transmission Media
A communication channel which carries the information from a sender to a receiver is called a
Transmission Media. Here, the data is transmitted in the form of electromagnetic signals.
A transmission media mainly provides a physical path through which information is carried in the bit
form through a LAN. It is therefore, a physical path between a transmitter and receiver in the field of
data communication.
The signals can be sent through copper wire, fibre optics, atmosphere, water and vacuum. Basically,
transmission media is of two types, wired and wireless. In wired media, medium characteristics are
installed inside a computer which provides dedicated network connection to a computer. A NIC is
computers connected via LAN as well as communications over large scale networks through Internet
Protocol(IP).
In the OSI Model, NIC acts as both, a Physical Layer and Data-Link Layer device. In this way, it
provides the necessary hardware circuitry so that physical layer processes and some data link layer
Hub
In networking, a hub is a networking device which connects various Ethernet devices together
enabling them to act as a single network element. The hub contains multiple input/output ports. A
signal introduced at the input of any port appears as the output at every port. In simple words, a hub
simply broadcasts an input signal to all of its output ports. This way, the bandwidth is distributed
capability to find the best paths on a network to transmit the data; this leads to inefficiencies and
wastage.
Switch
A switch is also like a hub, but it takes in packets being sent by devices that are connected to its
physical ports and sends them out again, but only through the ports that lead to the devices the
packets are intended to reach. This way, inefficiency and wastage as was noted in the case of hub is
A network switch operates at the Layer 2 (the data link layer) of the OSI Model. They also occur at
the Layer 3 (the network layer) of the OSI Model where the routing takes place.
There are many ports in a switch. Computers are plugged-in in these ports. Upon arrival of a data-
packet to the port of a network switch, the switch examines the destination address, performs
required checks on them and sends the frame to corresponding devices. A switch allows unicast,
Router
A router is a networking device which forwards data packets between computer networks. It
performs the task of directing traffic on the internet. Any data which is sent over the internet is in the
form of data packets. A packet is typically forwarded from one router to another until it reaches its
destination. Then, using the information in the routing table, the packets are directed to the next
that it could be easily sent and received over a phone line, cable, or a satellite connection. The
signal carried over the phone line or such other medium is transmitted in analog form.
A Modulator converts information from digital to analog mode at the transmitting end. While a
Demodulator converts the same from analog to digital at the receiving end. Thus, in real-time, a
modem converts data between analog and digital formats to enable a two-way network
communication. These modems may occasionally develop a problem for which you will need
Firms like Micro Center (click for more information), for example, may be able to assist you in this
area.
Nowadays, in the era of high speed digital modems, the signals are much simpler and don’t require
analog-to-digital conversions.
Repeater
In any network, a signal is attenuated due to the transmission media or the limitations of transmitting
technology. This poses a limit on the coverage area of a LAN or cellular networks. To solve this
Repeaters simply amplify or regenerate an input signal and then retransmits it. They are networking
devices which operate at physical layer of the OSI Model. They help to expand the network
Bridge
In a network, different LANs can be connected to form a larger LAN. This form of aggregating
networks is called as network bridging. The bridge connects different LANs so that they appear as a
part of single network. Thus, a bridge connects two or more different LANs which have similar
A network bridge acts to divide a network into such logical segments that the collision between the
data packets being sent over the network is reduced. This leads to improvement in performance of a
network.
Gateways
In a network, a Gateway is a translator between two systems that use different communication
protocols, data formats or architectures. Thus, they serve a transitional task. They help in the
conversion of one type of protocol into another. A gateway could be used for both, LAN and WAN
A Gateway can be defined as a node which acts as an entrance for other nodes in the network. It is
also responsible for enabling traffic flow within the network. It uses more than one protocol for
communication, therefore, its activities are much more complex than a switch or a router.
on the server side. This gives the server the ability to provide and manage services to different
The basic purpose of NOS is to enable file sharing, hardware access such as printer access among
Some examples of NOS are UNIX, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 etc. All
operating systems have a set of commands that work intricately together to perform functions such
as turning on your system, running simultaneous programs etc. You can opt to know more about the
various commands and functions on different articles like the ones provided by Linode.
There are certain advantages of NOS on a server such as stability, better security management,
easy and integrated upgrade of new hardware and technology in the system etc.
CPU
The CPU (Central processing unit) functions to process data. It is the place where data processing
such as calculating, sorting, searching etc takes place according to some set of stored instructions.
Whatever work we do on our computers, CPU makes the processing of data possible.
The CPU has Three components. They are: Control Unit (CU), Immediate access store (IAS), and
The CU controls the flow of data within the system. The IAS holds all the data and programs
currently being used by the CPU. The ALU performs all arithmetical and logical operations such as
calculations, comparison, logical evaluation etc. Every task carried out by the computer is performed
here.
Memory
A Memory is a place where data and instructions are stored inside a computer. The data to be
processed or already processes, instructions required for processing data are all stored in the
memory.
Main memory is the place where only currently worked data and instructions used by the computer
Cache memory is the highspeed semiconductor memory which acts as a buffer between CPU and
Secondary memory is slower than main memory. They are used for permanent data storage. The
CPU uses the contents of secondary memory through main memory and input-output routines.
RAID Card
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a hardware or software, and virtualises physical
A RAID card manages a computer’s hard disk drives or solid-state drives (SSDs). This enables the
disk devices to work together to improve their performance and reduce redundancy. A RAID can be
hardware or software.
Hard Disk
As seen above, in the memory part(SN17), Hard disk are the secondary memory for a computer.
The data and information stored on a Hard disk are not lost even after power is turned off.
The CPU doesn’t directly access the information stored on the Hard Disk. It does it through various
At the Hard disk are physically located the information contained in our files and folders. A Hard Disk
can now store hundreds of GB. It is a stack of disks placed inside a solid/protective encasement
where the data is magnetically stored. The disks can spin extremely fast in order to enable data
stored the current instructions and data being used by the CPU.
Here, the data is randomly accessed and retrieved unlike the case of Hard disk, Compact disks etc
which makes access time faster. Access time in RAM is independent of the address,
RAM is a volatile memory. This means that it needs power supply to maintain and keep the data
accessible. Once, the power is turned off, all the data stored in RAM is lost.
RAM is small, both in terms of physical size and amount of data it can store.
ROM
ROM (Read only memory), is a memory storage medium which stores information permanently. We
can only read programs and data stored on the ROM but cannot modify it or modify it with extreme
difficulty. Thus, ROMs are non-volatile, which means its content is intact even if there is no power as
opposed to RAMs.
ROMs store firmware, which is a permanent software stored in integrated circuits. A manufacturer
creates a specifically designed ROM chip into a device during the building process.
Conventionally used ROMs are pre-programmed to suit its intended hardware. It often controls
functions that are both integral to the utility of the device and unlikely to need modification or
personalization. One kind of data usually stored in a ROM chip is the Basic Input-Output System
(BIOS).
Hostname
In networking, a hostname (or computer name) is what a certain device is called on the network.
This helps in distinguishing devices within the LAN. Also, with the help of hostnames, computers
could be found by others in the network, thereby enabling data exchange within a network.
Hostnames are used on the internet, but as a part of the fully qualified .
For example, if Computer Alpha had two computers on its network named “bravo” and “charlie,”
a network and to the people. They describe physical addresses and network nodes, which have
If a computer is available on the internet as well as locally, then computers can be uniquely assigned
a combination of Hostname and Domain.
IP Address
IP (internet Protocol) address is the address of our computer on a network. It is associated with a
specific device or computer network. It helps in connecting our computer to other devices on our
All devices connected to the internet have a unique IP address. There are billions of IP addresses
There are two IP versions, IPv4 and IPv6 (newer and more spacious version). IPv6 fulfils the
address needs of all internet users and devices. However, your IP address can be traced, so if
you’re looking to protect your privacy, you might want to learn how to easily avoid being blocked
DNS Server
A server is a computer which hosts some service(s) which can be accessed over a network or the
internet. For instance, mail servers, which hosts and manage email services.
Domain Name Service (DNS) is just like a phone book. Each device connected to internet has a
unique IP address (in the form of digits or hexadecimals, so as to enable other devices to find a
specific device on the internet). It is not easy or inconvenient for humans to remember IP addresses.
So, humans access websites on the internet through the DNS. DNS servers translates domain
MAC Address
MAC (Media Access Control) address is a hardware identification number (48-bit serial number) that
uniquely identifies each device on a network. It is manufactured onto every network card, such as
Since there are millions of network devices, unique MAC addresses are provided by using six two-
digit hexadecimal numbers which are separated by colons. For instance, 01:0e:76:c2:b0:7a.
A user need not know the MAC address but it is automatically recognised by most networks.
Media Access Control Address is a physical address which works at Data Link Layer of the OSI
Model.
Port
In networking, a port is a programmatic docking point through which information flows from a
In common usage, a port is a physical docking point through which an external device could be
In the parlance of Internet protocol suite, such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), a network
Network Protocols
In a network, different devices are connected. To enable transmission of data and communication
between the devices in the same network, an established set of rules is required. These established
Network protocols allows the devices connected in a network with each other regardless of the
It is due to Network protocols, one is easily able to communicate with other people and devices all
In order to exchange information with the help of Network protocols, an understanding of how a
network is logically organised or designed is needed. One of the most popular models used to
establish communication between two systems is the OSI (Open Systems Interface) Model.
The different types of Network Protocols are: TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), IP (Internet
components in any network. They enable communication, connection, transfer of data and
There are various types of communication cables. The suitable type of cable to use depends on the
The most common Network cables are “twisted pair cable” widely used in LANs. Other types of
network cables are Fibre optic, coaxial cable, multipair cables etc. These cables vary in their
There are some hardware components of networking that helps in building a network to make
Client: a client is a computer that uses and accesses the network and shared resources. Basically,
the client sends the request to the server and the server performs according to the user request.
Server: It is the computer that stores all the data information in one place and when the client
request any data or information which is stored in then the server serves according to the client
request.
NIC: It stands for Network Interface Card (NIC) that holds the physical address of the computer. It
also prepares and sends, receives and controls the data in the network. It passes and receives the
NOS: The NOS stands for Network Operating System is a program that runs on computers and
servers and allows the computers to communicate with each other over the network.
Switch: Switch is a networking device that performs the task like data flow and control and error
detection. It is an advanced version of Hub and it is a layer two device that operates at the Data
carries multiple collision domains. It covers the frame in bit/ byte or in the electrical signal.
Router: Router is a device that allows connecting multiple computers of the different networks
simultaneously and they able to share the data, information, and resources to each other.
Cables: It is the medium through which data and information are carried from one device to another
device. The wires which are used as a medium are coaxial cable, shielded twisted pair cable,