We explain what a network is and what types of networks exist. Also, the different topologies and the elements that compose it.
What is a network?
In computing, a network (usually computer network or computer network) is understood to mean the interconnection of a certain number of computers (or networks, in turn) through wired or wireless devices that, through electrical impulses, electromagnetic waves or other physical means, allow them to send and receive information in data packets, share their resources and act as an organized group.
The networks have processes for sending and receiving messages as well as a series of codes and standards that guarantee their understanding by computers connected to the network (and not by any other). These communication standards are known as protocolsand the most common of them currently is TCP/IP.
Building a network allows you to manage internal communication, share the execution of programs or Internet access, and even manage peripherals such as printers, scanners, etc. These types of swarm systems currently support many of the information management and processing processes today, such as telecommunications networks, the Internet or the various business intranets or various organizations.
The emergence of networks revolutionized the way of understanding computing and opened a new field within this discipline to meet the needs for improvement, security and operability of computer communication.
See also: ICTs
Network types
The networks are classified according to their dimensions into:
- LAN. Local TOrea network (in English: “Local Area Network”). They are the smaller networks, like the ones we can install in our apartment.
- MAN Metropolitan TOrea network (in English: “Metropolitan Area Network”). These are medium-sized networks, optimal for a university campus or a multi-story library or business building, or even a portion of a city.
- WAN. Wide TOrea network (in English: “Wide Area Network”). This is where networks of greater size and scope come in, such as global networks or the Internet.
Networks can also be classified according to the physical method they use for connection, as follows:
- Guided media. Networks that link machines through physical cable systems: twisted pair, coaxial or fiber optics. It has the advantage of being faster, not having as much noise, but being less comfortable and practical.
- Unguided media networks. Networks that establish the connection through dispersed and area-range systems: radio waves, infrared signal or microwaves, such as satellite systems and Wi-Fi. They are a little slower but much more comfortable and practical.
Network topology
There are three models of topology or organization of a network:
- Bus networks. Also called linear, they have a server at the head of a successive line of clients, and they have a single communication channel called bus either backbone.
- Star networks. Each computer has a direct connection to the server, which is in the middle of all of them. Any communication between clients must first go through the server.
- In ring. Also called circular, they connect the clients and the server in a circular circuit, although the server maintains its hierarchy over the system.
Elements of a network
To install a computer network, the following elements are needed:
- Hardware Devices and machines that allow the establishment of communication, such as network cards, modems and routers, or repeater antennas if they are wireless.
- Software. Programs required to manage communications hardware, such as the Network Operating System (NOS: network Operating system), and communication protocols such as TCP/IP.
- Servers and clients The servers process the network data flow, responding to the requests of the other computers on the network called clients or workstations. These allow users to access information individually, sharing the resources managed by the server.
- Transmission media. This refers to the wiring or electromagnetic waves that, as the case may be, serve as a medium for the communication of the message.