Networks allow information to be exchanged directly between numerous computers without having to be transcribed by hand. They may use telephone lines, dedicated cables, radio waves or other media to link computers that can be thousands of miles apart. See Figure 3.1 to view a sample district network design. The geometric configuration of the computers is called the topology of the network. The standards and rules by which the computers communicate on a network are called protocols.
Networks require a variety of different types of equipment.
You may have hubs or switches , where all the cables linking client computers to the server come together. Perhaps the ultimate WAN is the Internet, which is a matrix of networks. The Internet connects quite literally millions of supercomputers, mainframes, workstations, personal computers, laptops and more. It is the primary navigation tool for using the Internet. Education organizations can connect to the Internet via one computer or many.