What is computer network?

 What is computer network?

A computer network is a mesh that interconnects thousands of computer systems for data transmission. Also known as nodes, these interconnected devices send, receive and exchange data, voice and video traffic, thanks to the hardware and software that make up the environment. Computers, servers, cell phones and modems are examples of nodes connected to a network. 

These equipments are everywhere, such as in our homes, companies and public agencies. Discover the Asus server rang. The computer network breaks down geographic barriers and allows information to be shared between people and companies around the world, making information available locally or globally, and is useful for the provision of several essential services. Applications such as sending and receiving emails, watching video on TV, or receiving audio on the cell phone and other services that involve data transmission are only possible over a network. Other examples of applications for the network:

 File Sharing: Allows you to share data files over a network; Access and use of applications: allows accessing and using applications over the network; 

 Share Hardware: Enables users on a network to share hardware devices such as printers and hard drives.

 Client-Server Model: Allows data to be stored on servers, where end-user devices (clients) can access this information. Voice over IP (VoIP): allows users to send voice data over Internet protocols; 

 Communication: may include video, images, text and voice; E-commerce: allows users to sell and buy products and services over the internet; 

Games: allows users to play games simultaneously, even if they are in different locations.

How does a network work? 

How does a network work? Network devices use a variety of hardware and software to specify and standardize how data is sent or received. The two types of networks most known and used in our daily lives: 

The Local Area Network (LAN) and the Wide Area Network (WAN). Any computer network requires equipment and rules to establish communication between nodes, such as cables, modems, routers, cards and communication ports. In addition, some protocols (rules) govern the communication between these systems and guarantee that the data transmission will occur without problems, through standards for the transmission, verification and sending of data. The ethernet standard, for example, establishes a common language for communication in wired networks (LANs) and the 802.11 standard does the same for wireless local area networks (WLANs). 

The TCP/IP protocol 

A network protocol is the language used for two computers to be able to communicate. For communication between two nodes it is necessary that they are on the same network and “speak the same language”. This need led the engineers of the US Department of Defense to fund research for the construction of standards in network communication, carried out by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in 1969. 

This initiative gave rise to the TCP/IP protocol (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), establishing communication standards through a set of protocols for data transmission. Five years after the creation of the TCP/IP protocol, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) created the OSI model, which establishes a standard to facilitate the process of interconnectivity between machines from different manufacturers.

What is IP Address? 

Each device on a network has a unique identifier, which serves to indicate the source or destination of the transmission: This identifier is called a network address. The IP address is the most common identifier for a network device, but there are also other identifiers such as the MAC address (Media Access Control Address), which are used in more advanced configurations.