- In the world of computers, networking is the practice of
linking two or more computing devices together for the purpose of sharing
data/resources.
- Networks are built with a mix of computer hardware and computer
software.
The requirement of
Networking
/ Advantages
o A network isn't just a bunch of computers with wires running between
them. Properly implemented, a network is a system that provides its users with
unique capabilities, above and beyond what the individual machines and their software
applications can provide.
o
Networks allow computers, and hence their users, to be connected
together.
o Most of the benefits of networking can be divided into two generic
categories: connectivity and sharing.
o They also allow for the easy sharing of information and resources, and
cooperation between the devices in other ways.
o Connectivity and Communication: Networks connect computers and the users of
those computers. Individuals within a building or work group can be connected
into local area networks (LANs); LANs in distant locations can be
interconnected into larger wide area networks (WANs). Once connected, it
is possible for network users to communicate with each other using technologies
such as electronic mail, chatting, video conferencing etc.
o This makes the transmission of business (or non-business) information
easier, more efficient and less expensive than it would be without the network.
o
Data Sharing: One of the most important uses of networking is to allow the sharing of
data. Before networking was common, an accounting employee who wanted to
prepare a report for her manager would have to produce it on his PC, put it on
a floppy disk, and then walk it over to the manager, who would transfer the
data to her PC's hard disk. True networking allows thousands of employees to
share data much more easily and quickly than this.
o
Intranets and intranets can be used to
distribute corporate information between sites and to business partners.
o Hardware Sharing: Networks facilitate the
sharing of hardware devices. For example, instead of giving each of 10
employees in a department an expensive color printer, one printer can be placed
on the network for everyone to share. Same way a hard high capacity disk can be
shared and shared data be kept therein.
o Internet Access: The Internet is itself an enormous network, so whenever you access the
Internet, you are using a network. The significance of the Internet on modern
society is known to all of us.
o Internet Access Sharing: Small computer networks allow multiple users to
share a single Internet connection. Special hardware devices allow the
bandwidth of the connection to be easily allocated to various individuals as
they need it, and permit an organization to purchase one high-speed connection
instead of many slower ones.
o Data Security and Management: In a business environment, a network allows the
administrators to much better manage the company's critical data. Instead of
having this data spread over dozens or even hundreds of small computers in a
haphazard fashion as their users create it, data can be centralized on shared
servers. This makes it easy for everyone to find the data, makes it possible
for the administrators to ensure that the data
is regularly backed up, and also allows for the implementation of security measures to control who can
read or change various pieces of critical information.
o Performance Enhancement and Balancing: Under some circumstances,
a network can be used to enhance the overall performance of some applications
by distributing the computation tasks to various computers on the network.
o Entertainment: Networks facilitate many types of games and entertainment. The Internet
itself offers many sources of entertainment, of course. In addition, many multi-player games exist that operate
over a local area network. Many home networks are set up for this reason, and
gaming across wide area networks (including the Internet) has also become quite
popular.
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