We are All connected

Computer Network

Networks , a common term we hear and see pretty everywhere , but what are computer networks ??

Computer Networks are defined a group of computers connected to each other electronically. This means that the computers can "talk" to each other and that every computer in the network can send information to the others. 

Types of computer Networks :

1. A local area network  (LAN) connects two or more computers, and may be called a corporate network in an office or business setting.
2. Personal Area Network (PAN)  short range networks which connect one or two computers with short distance.
3. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) a network which covers a metropolian area.
4. Wide Area Network (WAN) connects two or more smaller networks together. The largest internetwork is called the Internet.
5. Enterprise Network a network that is found in companies which contains various LAN and WAN. Such network has a backbone which operates as server to the network.

How Networks Work ?

Networks transmit information with two basic types of signals :

• Analog Signals > waves that constantly transfer information by altering characters of the waves. its two main parameters are amplitude (the higher it is the louder is the sound)  and frequency (how closely are the waves packed) , Egs ; Human Voice.
• Digital Signals > binary signals that transmit information in 0's and 1's. These signals are interpreted by a computer

Network connections (media and channels)

Three types of Cabled connections :

• Twisted-pair wire: mostly used in electrical appliances. 
• Coaxial cable: Mostly used in TVs.
•  Fiber optics: Considered the fastest between the three types.

Broadcast connections comprise of  microwaves and electromagnetic based transmitting means such as : satellite , infrared , microwaves and wireless.

Transmission Technologies

Digital Subscriber Line: a high-speed, digital data transmission technology using existing analog telephone lines.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode: data transmission technology that uses packet switching and allows for almost unlimited bandwidth on demand.

Synchronous Optical Network: an interface standard for transporting digital signals over fiber optic lines that allows users to integrate transmissions from multiple vendors.

T-Carrier System: digital transmission system that defines circuits that operate at different rates, all of which are multiples of the basic 64 Kbps user to transport a single voice call.

Network Protocols

A protocol is the set of rules and procedures governing transmission across a network.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)  is a file transfer protocol that can send large files of information across sometimes unreliable networks with assurance that the data will arrive uncorrupted.

usually data is transferred on the internet by this process (shown in picture) 

Internet 

its wide area network that connect many computers and devices globally. Individuals can acccess the internet through :

• Internet kiosks
• Dial-up
• DSL
• Cable Modem
• Satellite
• Wireless
• Fiber to the Home 

WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW) :

A system of universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information via a client/server architecture.

• Home page: a text and graphical screen display that usually welcomes the user and explains the organization that has established the page.
• Uniform resource locator: the set of letters that points to the address of a specific  resource on the Web.

Domain names consist of multiple parts, separated by dots, which are red from right to left.

Top-level domain: the rightmost part of an Internet name; common top-level domains are .com, .edu, .gov     www.business.auburn.edu

Name of the company: the next section of the Internet name  www.business.auburn.edu

Name of the specific computer: the next section of the Internet name www.business.auburn.edu

 Network Applications

Search engines are computer programs that search for specific information by key words and report the results.

Metasearch engines search several engines at once and integrate the findings of

     the various search engines to answer queries posted by users.

Portal 

Its a Web-based, personalized gateway to information and knowledge that provides relevant information from different IT systems and the Internet using advanced search and  indexing techniques. 

 Types of Portals

• Commercial (public) portals offer content for diverse communities and are most popular portals on the Internet.
• Affinity portals support communities such as a hobby group or a political party.
• Mobile portals are accessible from mobile devices.
• Corporate portals offer a personalized single point of access through a Web browser
• Industry wide portals for entire industries. 

Electronic mail  is the largest-volume application running on the Internet.

Web-based call centers  are services that provide effective personalize customer contact as an imporant part of Web-based customer support.

Electronic chat room is a virtual meeting place where groups of regulars come to “gab”.

Collaboration

refers to efforts of two or more entities (individuals, teams, groups, or organizations) who work together to accomplish certain tasks.

• Virtual group (team) is when group members are in different locations.
• Virtual collaboration is the use of digital technologies that enable organizations or individuals to collaboratively plan, design, develop, manage and research products, services and innovative applications.
• Workflow technologies facilitate the movement of information as it flows through the sequence of steps that make up an organization’s work procedures. Includes workflow management and workflow systems.
• Teleconferencing is the use of electronic communication that allows two or more people at different locations to hold a simultaneous conference.
• Video conference is when participants in one location can see participants at other locations and share data, voice, pictures, graphics and animation by electronic means.
• Web conferencing is videoconferencing conducted over the Internet.

E-learning and distance learning

1. E-Learning refers to learning supported by the Web.
2. Distance learning (DL) refers to any learning situation in which teachers and students do not meet face-to-face.

Benefits of E-learning:

• Self-paced learning increases content retention.
• Learning time generally is shorter, and more people can be trained due to faster training time.
• Training costs can be reduced.

Drawbacks of E-learning: 

Instructors may need training to be able to teach electronically.

The purchase of additional multimedia equipment may be necessary.

In conclusion  Networks have many benefits through it  people build relationships It brings a strong purpose to your business building and personal development efforts, really making for a pleasant experience.