Part II

The design of a network, including how it is set up physically, is called its architecture. Client/Server Network. In this type of architecture, one or more computers on the network acts as a server. The server manages network resources. Depending on the size of the network, several servers might be connected. A print server manages the printing and database server manages a large database. In most instances, a server is a high-speed computer with considerable storage space. The network operating system software and network versions of software applications are stored on the server. All the other computers on the network are called clients. They share the server resources and other peripheral such as hub s, firewalls, and route rs.

Hub. Is a small, simple, inexpensive device that joins multiple computers together. Users access the server by entering a user name and password. Some networks use a switch, which performs the same tasks as a hub and is much faster.

Peer-to-Peer Network. In a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, all the computes are equal. No computer is designated as the server. People on the network each determine what files on their computer they share with others on the network. This type of network is much easier to set up and manage. Many small offices use P2P networks. Some types of P2P networks allow you to download different parts of file s imultaneously from several computes at the same time. Using this format, you can potentially get much faster downloads and get larger files more quickly.

A network topology represents its layout or structure from the point of view of data flow. In so-called bus networks, for example, all of the computers share and communicate across one common conduit, whereas in a star network, all data flows through one centralized device. Common types of network topologies include bus, star, ring networks and mesh networks.

Classification of Networks. Networks are also classified by the type of technology they use to share information. Most networks use the Internet Protocol (IP) technology to share data and resources. Intranet. Is designed for the exclusive use of people within an organization. Many businesses have implemented intranets. Documents such as handbooks and employee manuals, newsletters, employment forms, and other relevant company documents are the types of files stored on an intranet server. Extranet. Is similar to an intranet, but allows specific users outside of the organization to access internal information systems. Like the Internet, intranets and extranets use and support Web technologies, such as hyperlinks and Web pages coded in hypertext markup language (HTML). Internet. Is a worldwide system composed of thousands of smaller networks. This global network allows computers worldwide to connect and exchange information.The Web and electronic mail are two of the more popular components of the Internet.

The popularity of computer networks sharply increased with the creation of the World Wide Web (WWW) in the 1990s. Public Web sites, peer to peer (P2P) file sharing systems, and various other services run on Internet servers across the world.