Networking - General Information
In this post we will go through some general stuff regarding Networking. This is important, because it’s a common thing that in every household we have more than one computer, and most of the time we need them networked. In future posts we will go through different types of network setups.
Technical Words
Node: A terminal and/or workstation on a network
Host: A computer that is controlling the network
Topology: The way the nodes are connected and set up together forming a network
Subnet: Communication system within a certain network
Each network topology has it’s own limitations and the things to consider before implementing it. Because not every topology can be used in any situation.
Things to consider
- Maximum number of nodes
- Connections required
- Redundancy
- Efficiency
- Controlled degradation under a heavy load
Point-to-Point Transmission
Data is exchanged between 2 nodes / hosts only. Usually this is a two way communication.
Broadcasting
A channel that is shared between all the devices on a network. The data sent over the network will be read by all devices. The destination address is read by all the devices and if the destination address matches the one of the machine the data will be accepted, if not it will be ignored. Usually this is used in a one way communication.