With the popularization of the Internet, new terms have emerged, especially related to the field of computer science. One of them are computer networks, which have a greater presence in our day-to-day life than we think.
However, if you have no idea what these are, don't worry, then we are going to tell you everything you need to know about it.
What are computer networks?
To start with the article, it is important that you know what the computer networks. These can be defined as all those networks that allow the communication of information with a group of computer systems that are connected to each other, and it is thanks to all of these that it is possible to share information in data packets that are transmitted by means of tiny electrical impulses. .
Believe it or not, wireless networks have the same elements to be carried out as the other communication methods that we know, since they have a transmitter, receiver and a message. However, the main difference is that those who are responsible for sending and receiving these messages are computer systems.
Today, and in this world full of computers, computer networks are in all aspects of our lives, especially those related to resource management.
An interesting detail is that, if you see it correctly, we could say that the entire Internet that we access through our devices is a large computer network on a global scale. All this connection between computers is carried out through TCP / IP models.
All this that we have told you is just the tip of the iceberg, since there are several types of computer networks that you should know, so that you have a clearer and more accurate vision of everything that this entails.
Types of computer networks
To classify computer networks into types, we must do so by means of their size and technology. What we should know is that in a simpler way, we will tell you about it below.
The types of computer networks, we are going to know them classified by their size.
LAN networks
Also known as Local Area Network or Local Area Network, it is a set of networks, the smallest, and that exist in small places, such as a department, cyber cafe, among others.
The LAN network, as its name implies, are local area connections, that is, on a smaller scale.
MAN networks
They are the acronym for Metropolitan Area Network, also known as the Metropolitan Area Network. You may not know them, but it is the name given to those networks whose size could be considered intermediate. We could consider as an example those that are present in large libraries or university campuses, in some companies and among other examples.
WAN networks
Its acronym comes from Wide Area Network, translated from English to Wide Area Network, which refers to those that have a greater reach, such as the Internet.
The simplest example about the latter type of networks, WAN, is the Internet, as it represents a set of computer networks on a global scale, where the whole world is interconnected.
Then, we also have that computer networks can be classified depending on the technology through which computers are connected.
Guided media networks
This is the type of network in which computers are connected through some set of physical cables, such as fiber optics, twisted pair, among others. It is one of the most limited in terms of size, too.
Unguided media networks
Unlike the previous type, where cables and physical systems were used to achieve the connection, we have that in this case the computers are connected by means of very dispersed ways and that have a great range, such as microwaves, infrared and radio waves .
These are the most common types of computer networks, although they are not the only ones, as there are others that are characterized by their functional relationship, types of network topology, address of the data, among other things. But we have focused on telling you those that are most common to find you on a day-to-day basis.
If you want to deepen this knowledge, you could choose to enroll in a networking course, with which you could fine-tune your learning.
Why do we need computer networks?
Computer networks help network users to share resources and in communication. Can you imagine a world now without emails, online newspapers, blogs, chat, and the other services that the Internet offers?
The following are the important uses and benefits of a computer network:
- Share files: Networking of computers helps network users share data files.
- Sharing the hardware: Users can share devices such as printers, scanners, CD-ROM drives, hard drives, etc. Without computer networks, device sharing is not possible.
- Share applications: The applications can be shared over the network, and this allows to implement client / server applications.
- Communication with the user: Networks allow users to communicate using email, newsgroups, and video conferencing, etc.
- Network play: There are many network games available, which allow multi-users to play from different locations.
- Voice over IP (VoIP): Voice over Internet Protocol (IP) is a revolutionary change in telecommunications that allows phone calls (voice data) to be sent using the standard Internet Protocol (IP) instead of the traditional PSTN.
Video definition of computer networks
Elements of the computer network
In general, computer networks have the elements that we are going to mention below.
Servers
They are in charge of carrying out the entire process of data flows, in the same way that they serve the computers on the network and centralize the control of it. Although in networks, computers do not always have the same hierarchy, it could be said that servers are a fundamental part of it.
Clients or Workstation
Workstation translates to workstation, and these are the names given to those computers that do not act as servers, but rather as part of the entire network itself, thus allowing users to have access to it.
The means of transmission
This is the name given to those physical or invisible media that are used to achieve the successful transmission of information. Some examples are cables or electromagnetic waves.
Hardware elements
At this point, we understand hardware elements as those physical elements that also make the connection possible, such as WiFi chips in computers, Internet modems or routers, antennas that bounce the connection, among others.
In other words, it is all that physical medium that allows said connection to the Internet or to networks.
Software elements
Finally, and unlike the previous one, we have the elements related to computer programs that are necessary to achieve the connection.
The most important example we can mention is the Network Operating System, which is responsible for maintaining the network connection, supporting antivirus, firewall and Internet protocols, which allow computers to understand each other.