What Is A Network?
Stand-Alone Computers
The computer in my house is stand-alone. It is not connected to any other computers. It stands alone.
Networked Computers
When computers are joined together by a data cable, we say that they are networked.
LANs and WANs
When all the computers in a network are quite close together the network is called a LAN– for example in our campus, we call our computer network a LAN (a local area network).
When several LANs are joined together, we call the whole system a WAN. HCT has a WAN.
Networks Are For Sharing
Q. Why do we connect our computers together into a network?
A. To share resources.
Files from computer A can be saved on the hard disk of computer B.
Programs on computer A can be used by computer B.
Many computers can share one printer.
Sharing saves money:
If there were no network every computer in our lab would need its own printer.
Sharing has other advantages:
By
keeping our files on a server computer, we can access them from
any computer.
By
keeping all files on one server it is easy to make backups.
By
sharing application programs from one computer, they only need
to be installed once.
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