There are few computer users who have never used a network. Whether to send a message or to find certain information, increasingly more people are using networks. Both for people, as well as for business, currently being connected to a network is to be able to communicate.
Computers can perform independent almost anything, but it is more effective if available resources are shared. When it is desired that all people in an office to be able to print the documents they drafted, each person can buy a printer. It is a solution, but certainly not the happiest. It’s much easier and cheaper to buy one printer that is attached to a single computer and are shared by all others as would be connected to their computer.
It can be said that the main purpose of computer networks is to share resources. These resources are very diverse, among them are modems, printers, storage space for files, and information such as that contained in the database. From this point of view, the computers on a network are divided into servers (that serves resources), and customers who use them.
A network is more than two computers connected. It is the equipment, software and the people who created them. Principles of networks, however, are simple enough. Networks are classified primarily by geographical area which can be from a few meters to thousands of kilometers.
Most commonly encountered type of network is in offices or universities, called Local Area Network (LAN). This may include computers of a department or an entire company or institution. Common area that have such a network is hundreds of square meters.
To connect each headquarters of a company or institution is required to cover much greater distances. Larger networks, which realizes the connection of equipment at great distances are called MAN or WAN, ie Metropolitan Area Network or Wide Area Networks.
The technology used for computer networks somewhat resembles that used for phone. Developments in technology will most likely that in the near future the two technologies converge. Theoretically, phones could be connected directly with each other, but in practice this never happens, because it would be impossible. Instead there must be a connection cable with every other subscriber, there is a central one, which has encapsulated functionality to link any of the two (or more) of its users.
This happens for computers too. There are devices that are designed as centrals, coordinating groups of computers and are generally classified depending on the functionality they offer. Among these devices are routers, switches, access points and hubs.
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