You
might work in a large enterprise in which many computers, printers, storage devices, and
servers communicate and store information from many departments over large geographic
areas. All of these networks share many common components.
Common Physical Components of a Network
The physical components are the hardware devices that are interconnected to form a
computer network. Depending on the size of the network, the number and size of these
components varies, but most computer networks consist of the basic components shown in
Figure 1-2.
Figure 1-2 Common Network Components
Internet
Home Office Mobile Users
Headquarters Branch Office
PC PC PC PC
Router Switch Switch
6 Chapter 1: Building a Simple Network
These are the four major categories of physical components in a computer network:
?– Personal computers (PCs): The PCs serve as endpoints in the network, sending and
receiving data.
?– Interconnections: The interconnections consist of components that provide a means
for data to travel from one point to another point in the network. This category includes
components such as the following:
??” Network interface cards (NICs) that translate the data produced by the
computer into a format that can be transmitted over the local network
??” Network media, such as cables or wireless media, that provide the means
by which the signals are transmitted from one networked device to
another
??” Connectors that provide the connection points for the media
?– Switches: Switches are devices that provide network attachment to the end systems
and intelligent switching of the data within the local network.
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