computer network

A computer network is a set of computers connected together for the purpose of sharing resources. The most common resource shared today is connection to the Internet.

packet

a mode of data transmission in which a message is broken into a number of parts that are sent independently, over whatever route is optimum for each packet

local area network (lan)

a computer network that links devices within a building or group of adjacent buildings.

wide area network (wan)

a computer network in which the computers connected may be far apart, generally having a radius of half a mile or more.

Node

In communication networks, a node (Latin nodus, 'knot') is either a redistribution point (e.g. data communications equipment), or a communication endpoint (e.g. data terminal equipment). The definition of a node depends on the network and protocol layer referred to.

Media Access Control (MSC)

a sublayer of the data link layer (DLL) in the seven-layer OSI network reference model. MAC is responsible for the transmission of data packets to and from the network-interface card, and to and from another remotely shared channel.

IP Address

a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.

Bus Topology

a specific kind of network topology in which all of the various devices in the network are connected to a single cable or line. In general, the term refers to how various devices are set up in a network.

Ring Topology

A ring network is a network topology in which each node connects to exactly two other nodes, forming a single continuous pathway for signals through each node

 Network Token

A token ring network is a local area network (LAN) in which all computers are connected in a ring or star topology and pass one or more logical tokens

 Star Topology

Star topology is a network topology where each individual piece of a network is attached to a central node

 Tree Topology

tree topology - Computer Definition. A network structure in the form of a multipoint electrical circuit, with multiple branches off the trunk of the central, or root, bus

Protocol

a set of guidelines for implementing networking communications between computers.

 Peer-Peer Architecture

Peer-to-peer architecture (P2P architecture) is a commonly used computer networking architecture in which each workstation, or node, has the same