Network Definition

` A network can be defined as two or more computers connected together in such a way that they can share resources. A resource may be:  A file  A folder  A printer  A disk drive  Or just about anything else that exists on a computer.  A network is simply a collection of computers or other hardware devices that are connected together, either physically or logically, using special hardware and software, to allow them to exchange information and cooperate.  Networking is the term that describes the processes involved in designing, implementing, upgrading, managing and otherwise working with networks and network technologies. purpose  Sharing files FTP, NFS,  Communicating E-Mail, instant messaging  Executing programs remotely rlogin, telnet

properties  Scope: A network should provide services to several applications  Scalability: A network should operate efficiently when deployed on a small-scale as well as on a large-scale  Robustness: A network should operate in spite of failures or lost data  Self-Stabilization: A network, after a failure or other problem, should return to normal (or near normal) without human intervention  Autoconfigurability: A network should optimize its own parameters in order to achieve better performance  Safety: A network should prevent failures as well as prevent failures from affecting other areas of the network  Configurability: A networks parameters should be configurable to improve performance  Determinism: Two networks with identical conditions should yield identical results  Migration: It should be possible to add new features to a network without disruption of network service

Advantages of networking
Connectivity and Communication Data Sharing Hardware Sharing Internet Access Internet Access Sharing Data Security and Management Performance Enhancement and Balancing Entertainment

The Disadvantages (Costs) of Networking Network Hardware, Software and Setup Costs Hardware and Software Management and Administration Costs Undesirable Sharing Illegal or Undesirable Behavior Data Security Concerns

communication is the transfer of information between geographically separated points. The information transferred can be digital like a string of bits constituting an image file or it can be analog like a voice signal. The systems which are used to achieve communication are called communication systems. Communication between two communication systems can either be in one direction or in both directions. When communication is possible between two communication systems, they are said to be connected and a connection or a communication link is said to exist between them. A communicationnetwork is a collection of communication systems and the communication links which connect them.

A Communications Model
z Source
y generates data to be transmitted

z Transmitter
y Converts data into transmittable signals

z Transmission System
y Carries data

z Receiver
y Converts received signal into data

z Destination
y Takes incoming data

Key Communications Tasks

z Transmission System Utilization z Interfacing z Signal Generation z Synchronization z Exchange Management z Error detection and correction z Addressing and routing z Recovery z Message formatting z Security z Network Management

Applications of Computer Network Resource Sharing Hardware (computing resources, disks, printers) Software (application software) Information Sharing Easy accessibility from anywhere (files, databases) Search Capability (WWW) Communication Email Message broadcast Remote computing Distributed processing (GRID Computing)