To understand a network one should know
what really makes up a network.
We will try to brief you as much as possible on how to establish a
network , what is necessary and what's not .
We'll make you familiar with the basic connectivity components, such
as cables and communication tools, which are used to build networks.
3 Types of Cables Exists:
-Twisted Pair : UTP
(Most Popular) & STP (Shielded
to Avoid Interference)
-Coaxial : 10Base2 (ThinNet) & 10Base5
(ThickNet)
-Fiber Optic.
|
Network Adapters: |
Corresponding Cables |
Maximum Cable Length |
Speed Range |
| Wireless Network Cards |
Wireless |
300 Meters WIFI |
11/22-54MB/s - 108MB/s -125MB/s &300MB/s |
| Fiber-Optic Special Cards |
Fiber-Optic |
2 Km |
100Mbs Or More |
| 10BaseT / 100BaseT / 1000BaseT |
UTP Cable
(8 Wires) |
100 Meters |
10 Mbps Up to 1Gbps |
| 10Base2 |
Coaxial Cable
ThinNet |
185 Meters |
10 Mbps |
| 10Base5 |
Coaxial Cable
ThickNet |
500 Meters |
10 Mbps |
Note that the maximum cable length is the cable length that the signal
can travel without suffering from attenuation (degradation). Several types
of devices can be used in order to boost the signal and thus increase the
cable length i.e.. Repeaters, Hubs, Bridges, Switches, Routers and Gateways.
| Types Of Connections :
Point to Point Connection (Between 2 Computers
):
a- Coaxial Cable can be used with terminators at
the end of each side of the cable.
b- UTP Cable can be used with a Crossed Wire (Crossover) configuration,
no the need to use a Hub.
A UTP cable is composed of 8 wires, 4 of
them carry the signal and the remaining four are Grounded.
Crossover Configuration Connects the Transmit wires
to the Receive wires on the other side .
Point To Point Connection
|
|
.
| Multipoint Connection
(Between Several
Computers ):
a- Coaxial Cable can be used on small scale networks
by using T-Connectors at each computer and Terminators at each end of the
cable .
b- With UTP Cable a Hub is needed , Hubs comes
with several numbers of ports and the UTP cables should not be Cross-Wired
(Straight-Through). Hubs Usually act both as a signal booster and as signal
links between the connected computers. |
 |
Coaxial Cable With Terminators
|
Hub Using UTP Cables
|
|
Network Cards :
The Two Most Popular interfaces are : USB and PCI , the
difference between the two is that each one fits in a specific slot on
the mainboard of the computer .
Both Network Cards are Plug-and-play enhanced which
facilitates installation .
Protocols :
A set of rules or standards that enables communication
between computers on a network.
TCP/IP is the one used to connect to the internet .
Advantages :
a- Information Sharing : One can share practically
everything from information (HDD, FDD, Cd-Rom, DVD) to printers and
even a Modem , without forgetting the ability to play Network Games and
the increasing popularity they met lately.
b- Centralized Administration :
Especially applicable
in large scale networks where a Server (Computers that provide services
and data to other computers requesting it) is must and an administrator
can manage all the information available on that server .
Servers can be specialized and dedicated for a single
task i.e.. File and Print Server, Mail Server, Database Server, Domain
Name Server (DNS) ...
Basically this is what the internet is all about, Servers
and Routers ( Helps in Guiding the data from the Client Computer
requesting it to its destination = Server ).
Direct Application :
As far as end user is concerned , one can share data
/ play games with a friend living in the same building or a couple of blocks
away.
Note that the connection can be Wireless also , data
transfer speeds may range up to 11MB/s in a wireless network.
One can even share also the Hole Desktop and Computer
Resources if using the appropriate software like PC Anywhere .
Sharing a single connection to the internet is becoming
more popular especially with a lot of people having two or more computers
at home.
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