Basics of Computer Network

A computer network is a collection of computers that are linked together via wires, optical fibre or wireless technology allowing diverse devices to communicate with one another. The goal of a computer network is to share resources among different devices. There are numerous sorts of networks in computer network technology, ranging from simple to sophisticated. Lets us learn basics of computer network.

History of Computer Networks

Russia launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957.USA established the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA), and its first satellite was launched 18 months after its creation. The information was then shared to another computer through ARPANET. USA’s Dr. Lie Lieder had full responsibility for this.

ARPA began sponsoring the design of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) for the United States Department of Defense. On the basis of concepts established in the 1960s, the network began to evolve in 1969, and eventually became the foundation of what we today know as the internet.

Data Communication

• Data Communication is the exchange of data between two devices over a transmission channel.
• The information is transmitted in the form of 0s and 1s.
• Wire cable is used as the communication medium.
• The communication device must be a component of a communication system for data communication to take place. There are two forms of data communication: local and remote.

Parts of a Computer Network required for Data Communication

Every computer network has these five most basic components:

1. Message

It refers to the data or information that must be moved from one device to another over a computer network.

2. Sender

The sender is the device that has the data and needs to transfer it to another device on the network.

3. Receiver

A receiver is a device that waits for data from another device on the network.

4. Transmission Media

To transport data from one device to another, we require a transmission medium such as wires, cables, radio waves, and so on.

5. Protocol

A protocol is a set of rules that both the transmitter and the receiver agree on; without a protocol, two devices can be linked but cannot interact. To create dependable communication or data exchange between two separate devices, we require a set of rules known as a protocol.

Uses of Computer Network

1. Resource Sharing

• Resource sharing is the sharing of resources such as computer programs, printers, and data across network users without regard to the actual location of the resource and user.

2. Client-Server model

• The server-client architecture takes advantage of computer networking.
• A server is a central computer that is managed by the system administrator and is used to store information.
• Clients are the machines that are used to remotely view the information stored on the server.

3. Communication medium

• A computer network serves as a means of communication between users.
• For example, a firm with several computers may have an email system that employees utilise on a regular basis.

4. E-commerce

• A computer network is also useful in business. We can conduct business over the internet.
• For example, amazon.com does business via the internet.

Criteria by which networks are judged

1. Performance

• It is quantifiable in the following ways:
  • Transit Time:
    • Transit time is the amount of time it takes for a message to transit from one device to another.
  • Response Time:
    • Response time is defined as the amount of time that elapses between an inquiry and a response.
  • Other methods of measuring performance include:
    • Software efficiency
    • Number of users
    • Connected hardware capability

2. Reliability

• It determines the frequency with which network failures occur.
• The greater the number of failures, the worse the network’s dependability.

3. Security

• It refers to the protection of data from any unauthorised user or access.
• While travelling through a network, data passes many layers of network, and data can be traced if attempted.
• Hence security is also a very important characteristic for Networks.

Summary

In this article, we looked at a brief introduction of Computer Networks, starting right from the history of networks and then covering the parts and uses of computer networks. We also looked at the criteria used to evaluate a computer network, and the key metrics used in them.