Learn Computer Network “What is network?” “Why do our computer need network?” Lesson 1

What is network?

A network is two or more computers, or other electronic devices, connected together so that they can exchange data.

For example a network allows computers to share files, users to message each other, a whole room of computers to share a single printer, etc.

Let’s have look on network diagram. You can see many computers,server,printer are connected through cables for resource sharing.

Why do our computer need network?

There are some reasons why someone with more than one computers want to connect into a network. What the network will actually be used for ?, of course it will vary depending on the needs of the person or company who is creating the network.

Networks can be used for simple tasks, such as sharing a printer, or it can be used for more advanced applications such as worldwide video conferencing.

The list that follows some of the reasons for networking computers:

• File sharing. Networking makes it very easy for the users on the network to share application files. For an example when we are able to download a song from internet it means that song is stored on a particular computer over the internet and has been publicly shared over the internet that’s why we are able to download anything like movie/any document/songs etc by the use of internet. So this is known as file sharing
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• Hardware sharing. Users can share devices such as printers, CD-ROM drives, and hard drives.

Given picture tells you hardware resource sharing. As We know printer is hardware device and everyone is printing his/her document sitting in his desk/seat through the one printer. it means this printer is shared with everyone on the network. so this will be one example for hardware sharing

User communication- We mostly utilize internet for chatting/video conferencing. it means we are making use of computer network for our communication with friends/family etc who are in the different cities. it is only possible because of Computer network.

There are two types of computer networks

• LAN
• WAN
• Local Area Network (LAN): A LAN is two or more connected computers sharing certain resources in a relatively small geographic location (the same building, for example).

• Wide Area Network (WAN): A WAN typically consists of 2 or more LANs. The computers are linked by telephone lines, radio waves, satellites etc.The Internet is the largest Wide Area Network (WAN) in existence.