Requirement of Networking


Every network requires specialized hardware and software to make them work. Following are the essential components for network:

Client computers

End devices that users use to access the shared resources. Usually they run desktop version of OS such as Window 10, Window 7, and Window XP. Client computers are also known as workstations.

Server computers

Computers that provide shared resources. Usually they run sever version of OS such as Window Server 8 or 2003, Linux and NetWare. Server computers run many specialized services to control the shared resources.

Network interface card

NIC is an interface that enables the computer to communicate over the network. Every computer must have a NIC in order to connect with the network. In earlier time it was a separate card and need to be installed on motherboard. All modern computers have it as the integral part of motherboard.

Communication links

Communication links are physical media. Every computer network needs some sort of media to transmit the data.

Switches

When we have more than two computers in network, we cannot connect them directly. We need a mediator device that allows us to connect all computers together. Switches do this job happily. Each switch contains a certain number of ports. We can use an eight port switch to connect eight computers.

Routers

Router is an intermediate device that speaks all language of network. It makes communication between two different networks.

 

Benefits of Networking


Networking is all about sharing. Networking allows us to share three main things: information, resources and applications.

Information sharing


Networking makes it easy to share the information across the network. We can send or receive data files from other computers. We can communicate with each other in network via messaging application for example email service, chat service etc. We can store data in a centralized sever for easy management.

Resources Sharing


Certain computer resources can be shared in the network such as hard disk, printer, scanner, modem etc. This allows us to track down the uses of resources. For example a network administrator can setup a printer server and share it in network. Then user can use printer server for printing. Now administrator needs only to monitor the print server instead of individual workstations.

Application Sharing


Application sharing is the most common in companies. Companies may have business application that needs to be update by several users. Sharing make it possible. It allows several users to work together on a single application.

That's all for this article. I hope you may know understand the basic terms of networking. In next articles of this section we will explorer networking concepts in more details.