Networks

I am going to explain to you once and for all what a "network" is. Very important concept. Very nebulous term. But there are some very exact meanings in there, someplace. Trust me....

On a "network" we have "nodes," which are, lets face it, mostly computers of some sort, but more importantly they are computers which run protocols which let them send IP packets to other computers (who must speak the same protocols of course). Now the language they all speak (we are speaking Internet-ese here) is called IP (for, what else, "Internet Protocol"), and each and every "node" has an "address" - an IP address. In a network, each and every node is capable of sending IP packets to any other node using the IP protocol. I said capable, not always enabled. In order to speak to other nodes, besides speaking their language, we must also know how to get to the other nodes. For most nodes like your PC, this is simple - they just send the communication up to the next guy in the chain, mostly called a "router," who possess more intelligence than the average PC in the ways of networking. These routers run "routing" protocols which help them learn where all the nodes are that all these computers want to send IP packets to.

Now it is important to understand that "networks" are composed of the intelligent intermediate points, the "routers," as much as the endpoints, the "nodes." The "network" is a very intelligent, actively participating element in the whole process of networking between all the computer nodes.

That is the simple explanation of "networks" - just an assembly of nodes who know how to route IP packets to one another.

There are some other important concepts we will have to understand, but not right now. I have to get to bed!

TCP/IP STUFF

WIRELESS STUFF

PC STUFF

ADSL/CABLE MODEM STUFF