A comprehensive overview of the developments and architectures of modern-day computer networking
Bringing gamers together, congregating wide stretches of workplaces and sharing tons of data from one PC to another—networking has changed the face of communication and data transfer. Whether it be sharing music between two friends, transmitting information from one branch to another in a multinational company or simply connecting to the world via the Internet, networking has played a pivotal role in knitting individual parties together. We bring you a brief overview of the developments and architectures of modern-day computer networking.
To Cite This: Dhaubhadel, Prabal Man and Shrestha, Prabhat. “NETWORKING BASICS.” The Kathmandu Post, 23 Aug. 2012, p.8.
Bringing gamers together, congregating wide stretches of workplaces and sharing tons of data from one PC to another—networking has changed the face of communication and data transfer. Whether it be sharing music between two friends, transmitting information from one branch to another in a multinational company or simply connecting to the world via the Internet, networking has played a pivotal role in knitting individual parties together. We bring you a brief overview of the developments and architectures of modern-day computer networking.
Hardware and Devices
The most crucial and fundamental aspect of any new technology is its hardware components. Let’s take a look at the primary components of computer networks.Modem:
Used as an analog to digital data converter and vice versa, this device transcodes the data from your telephone lines to a digital code that can be comprehended by a computer. Available at various ranges of bandwidth capacity, the modem determines at what rate your data can be transferred. The transfer rate also depends equally on your ISP. The standard cable used for this type of networking is called RJ 11. The modem is known as a ‘dial up modem’ because it dials to the ISP through your PSTN line in order to establish an Internet connection. Currently dying, this form of Internet service was very popular about a decade ago when other Internet solutions were unavailable. Back in the day, ISPs Usually offered a 56 Kbps modem which relayed to the PC using a communication port (COM1) exiting the modem in case of an external modem, and later morphing into internal modems to be directly slotted in the motherboard.Router:
A router can be actually communicate with computers as well as ISPs. Considered to be the central device of any home network, all individual computers and data from the Internet rely upon the router to transmit and receive information. Available for various Internet services such as DSL, ADSL, cable, and broadband, the router relays packets of data from ISP to the computer. The second function it performs is in creating a link among all the computers connected to the network which allows data transfer without actually having to upload it on the Internet. Referred to as ‘Local Area Networking’ or ‘LAN’, the router can be used to create a client server or a peer-to-peer network. Depending on whether or not your router contains a wireless transmitter, you can create a wired and/or wireless network simultaneously. While picking a router, a few things that one needs to keep in mind are the range of the wireless router, Internet bandwidth and the LAN bandwidth, which indicate the amount of data that the router can handle across the local network.Hub:
Another additional component which isn’t mandatory but is required in most cases is the hub, also known as an ethernet hub, repeater hub, multiport repeater or simply hub, for the multiple features it possess. Usually used as a permission control device and a router mediator within the network, the hub is placed after the router in case of an available network or simply beyond the server for connecting a large number of computers. A typical router would usually suffice for four computers on LAN so numbers exceeding it would require a hub device. A hub device provides additional slots diverging from a master. For small labs and offices, 8/16 port hubs are used while larger offices install hubs with upto 64 ports or more. At astounding speeds of 100 Mbps, hub devices are capable of sharing large amounts of data in a very limited time.Cable:
After discussing the roles of routers and hubs, it is necessary to understand the cable used in between devices. In amongst LANs and router-based Internet networking, the standard IEEE cable commonly used is known as RJ45. The 8P8C connector used on cat5 cables is a jack comprising of a maximum of eight smaller wires. In terms of cabling methods—parallel cabling and crossover cabling used for device, and device to computer respectively.Wireless Adapter:
Required for establishing a wireless connection to the network, this adapter should be present in your motherboard. A must in modern day notebooks and netbooks, the wi-fi adapter is the last piece of the networking puzzle. For a wired connection, any laptop is equipped with LAN port too. In term of desktops, if you wish to turn your PC into a wireless machine, you can do so by adding a wireless adapter internally or using a USB adapter. The ethernet card or the wireless adapters of today are available for various speeds such as gigabit 10 Mbps, and 100 Mbps, among others.To Cite This: Dhaubhadel, Prabal Man and Shrestha, Prabhat. “NETWORKING BASICS.” The Kathmandu Post, 23 Aug. 2012, p.8.
