Networking

A network is comprised of two or more connected computers that share information and other resources. One can have a network by connecting two computers from home together or be conntected to the biggest network out there, the Internet. The first is an example of a local area network (LAN) and the latter is an example of wide area network (WAN). With networking, it is possible to share webpages, play online games, perform distributed computing, and a host of other activities that require the use of two or more connected computers.

To connect to a network, first you need some hardware. A typical network will have at least the following components: a computer, a network identification car (NIC), a router, and RJ45 cables. A NIC card is used to identify the computer in the network. It has a specific address 'burned' in by the manufacturer. It plugs right into the back of the computer. The card consists of a jack that you can plug the RJ45 cable into. The same cable than can be connted to the router. The router's purpose is to keep a record of all the computers connected to it. So if a computer needs to communicate with another one in the same network, the router will 'route' the traffic to that particular computer using the know naddress. Essentially, the router facility the ease of communication between all the computers connected to the network.

A Guide to Networks - An easy to read introduction to networking technology and terminology.

Networking Tutorial - Just read the first 5 sections of this; Introduction, Network Topology, Hardware Connections, TCP/IP Ports and Addresses, Network Protocol Levels