Chapter 3. Introduction to Networking
What is a Network? This is a difficult question to answer. A network can consist of two computers connected together on a desk or it can consist of many Local Area Networks (LANs) connected together to form a Wide Area Network (WAN) across a continent.
The key is that two or more computers are connected together by a medium and are sharing resources. These resources can be files, printers, harddrives, or CPU number-crunching power.
Networking: The Big Picture
Many individuals have asked to see the "Big Picture" of networking: How does everything . Where does Microsoft NT fit in with routers and the OSI layers? What about UNIX, Linux and Novell? The following page has a graphic showing The Big Picture. It attempts to show all areas of networking and how they tie into each other. The following key describes the graphical symbols used:
Circles Network Operating Systems
Squares Communication & cabling protocols (OSI Transport to Physical Layer)
Storm Clouds Telecommunications media or Information Providers that connect to the Internet
Machine symbol Network "linker" can be a bridge, router, brouter or gateway
Jagged haphazard dotted line - the Internet
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