Computer Networking : Zer0 To Her0...

Network is simply different things connected together. Like power supply unit is connected to all the houses through wiring over electric polls. But more specifically, in computing, networking is the same idea, just dispersed to technological devices. Take your phone as an example; the reason that you have it is to access things.

The internet definition of Network is:

A set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. Computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are made up of telecommunication network technologies, based on physically wired, optical, and wireless radio-frequency methods that may be arranged in a variety of network topologies.

What is internet?

Internet is one massive network which contains all the computer networks like that of personnel computers , public servers , company networks etc . All these small networks connected together will result in information sharing and data transfers across the globe i.e. INTERNET.

So in short we can say that the network can be of two types: Private Network (Your home network i.e. all the devices connected to the home WIFI routers) Public Network (The collection of private networks collectively working as one.)

Communication in a Network:

When we talk to a person we remember him/her we remember them by their name , face etc which are unique in the same way when two devices commute in a network they identify themselves through unique values called IP and MAC address.

IP address: INTERNET PROTOCOL

In short IP address is a set of 4 octets theoretically unique for every device on a network. Example 192.171.64.23.

MAC address: MEDIA ACCESS CONTROL

Devices on a network will all have a physical network interface, which is a microchip board found on the device's motherboard. This network interface is assigned a unique address at the factory it was built at, called a MAC (Media Access Control ) address. The MAC address is a twelve-character hexadecimal number (a base sixteen numbering system used in computing to represent numbers) split into two's and separated by a colon. These colons are considered separators. For example, a4:c3:f0:85:ac:2d.

PAN LAN MAN WAN

PAN stands for personal area network. It is simple group of all the devices that are connected with a very few range most likely over a single WIFI router.

LAN stands for local area network. It is a group of network devices that allow communication between various connected devices. Private ownership has control over the local area network rather than the public. LAN has a short propagation delay than MAN as well as WAN. It covers smaller areas such as colleges, schools, hospitals, and so on.

MAN stands for metropolitan area network. It covers a larger area than LAN such as small towns, cities, etc. MAN connects two or more computers that reside within the same or completely different cities. MAN is expensive and should or might not be owned by one organization.

WAN stands for wide area network. It covers a large area than LAN as well as a MAN such as country/continent etc. WAN is expensive and should or might not be owned by one organization. PSTN or satellite medium is used for wide area networks.

TOPOLOGIES

Topology is a design or structure of how devices are connected to each other over a LAN network. Over a topology we have arrangements of nodes{end computers} and links{connection} which are connected via switches/hubs.

Types:

PEER TO PEER Topology.
STAR Topology.
BUS Topology.
RING Topology.
MESH Topology.
TREE Topology.
HYBRID Topology.

Peer to Peer:

Point-to-point network topology is the simplest method. This type of network topology involves connecting two devices directly each other.

Star Topology:

The main premise of a star topology is that devices are individually connected via a central networking device such as a switch or hub. This topology is the most commonly found today because of its reliability and scalability - despite the cost.

Bus Topology

This type of connection relies upon a single connection which is known as a backbone cable. This type of topology is similar to the leaf off of a tree in the sense that devices (leaves) stem from where the branches are on this cable. Because all data destined for each device travels along the same cable, it is very quickly prone to becoming slow and bottlenecked if devices within the topology are simultaneously requesting data. This bottleneck also results in very difficult troubleshooting because it quickly becomes difficult to identify which device is experiencing issues with data all travelling along the same route.

Ring Topology

The ring topology (also known as token topology) boasts some similarities. Devices such as computers are connected directly to each other to form a loop, meaning that there is little cabling required and less dependence on dedicated hardware such as within a star topology.

A ring topology works by sending data across the loop until it reaches the destined device, using other devices along the loop to forward the data. Interestingly, a device will only send received data from another device in this topology if it does not have any to send itself. If the device happens to have data to send, it will send its own data first before sending data from another device.

MESH :

A mesh topology is a network setup where each computer and network device is interconnected with one another. This topology setup allows for most transmissions to be distributed even if one of the connections goes down. It is a topology commonly used for wireless networks.

TREE :

Tree network topology connects star networks by integrating bus networks to create a parent-child hierarchy. In this configuration, each node is either directly or indirectly connected to the primary bus cable.

HYBRID : A hybrid topology is a kind of network topology that is a combination of two or more network topologies, such as mesh topology, bus topology, and ring topology. Its usage and choice are dependent on its deployments and requirements like the performance of the desired network, and the number of computers, their location.

Hybrid topology have a few types in it too... Star-Ring hybrid topology Star-Bus hybrid topology

Network Devices:

Switch:

Switches are dedicated devices within a network that are designed to aggregate multiple other devices such as computers, printers, or any other networking-capable device using ethernet. These various devices plug into a switch's port. Switches are usually found in larger networks such as businesses, schools, or similar-sized networks, where there are many devices to connect to the network.

Routers:

It's a router's job to connect networks and pass data between them. It does this by using routing (hence the name router!).

Routing is the label given to the process of data travelling across networks. Routing involves creating a path between networks so that this data can be successfully delivered.