In the business world, it's making connections with colleagues, clients and customers. In the computer world, it's about making connections between computers, printers, hard drives, and other devices. Before creating or updating your network, you should familiarize yourself with the terms and definitions particular to computer networking. This stands for Local Area Network, and describes a network that is localized as opposed to remote, like the Internet, for example. A LAN connects computers and other devices that are physically located near each other, such as in the same office or building.
Ethernet is the most common set of standards for network equipment to communicate with each other.
Network Adapter Cards, also known as Network Interface Cards or NICs connect individual computers to the network. They are more than a simple plug or adapter, however. The NIC converts data from the computer into a format that the Ethernet can recognize and accept. Node is the generic name for any device connected to a network. Nodes can be individual PCs, servers, printers, fax machines, auxiliary hard drives or another piece of hardware connected to the network device.