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Networking

Networking actually is a group of similar but functionally different tasks. The four parts of a network are: topology, protocol, network device and cabling. This document discusses the basic concepts of networking, not the entire scope.

Topology is the arrangement of the various parts of the network. The types describe how information is handled across the system. Star topologies connect each computer to a central hub so data can travel quickly between computers. This formation is the easiest to manage and upgrade but will fail if the central hub is down. The Ring topology relies on the fact that all computers are connected in a ring and data is "passed" from system to system in relay fashion. Rings are more stable because data can only flow in one direction along a common path. However, travel is slower and prone to possible node bottlenecks. Lastly, bus topologies are laid out with each computer on a serial line with a terminator at each end.

Protocol is in fact the language communicated between devices. As in society, two people talking in two different langauges will be very confused and the dialog will be near impossible. The two most common protocols are CSMA/CD (Carrier-Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) and IBM Token-Ring. With the first, all computers may send and receive data, but when a collision occurs, one of the two computers will pause for a random amount of time and try processing again. The latter describes the process whereby a computer will only transmit its data load when it receives the "token" being passed, then passed the token with the data to the next computer in line. Ethernet, Appletalk and Token-Ring architectures further define how the data is packaged and transferred.

Network devices come in all shapes and sizes from network cards (commonly called Ethernet cards because of its more popular application) which physically connect computers to the cable lines, to hubs, routers, bridges, and gateways which police and transact the various data loads.

Between these devices is miles of cable (in the case of the Internet, millions of miles of cable). Cables are more than just wiring, they also provide protection for the data being carried within from electrical interference. Four types of cable are most often used: Twisted Pair (TP or BNC), Coaxial (same as TV cabling), Fiber-Optic (glass fiber encased in rubberized plastic), and Wireless. Twisted Pair is by far the least expensive of the four.

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