Components of a network
Hardware (basic)
Fileserver - this is the main controlling computer in a Novell network (client/server networks in
general). On it resides the Networking Operating System (NOS), the majority, if not all of the
programs that the users will want, and usually the data that users need and/or produce. It will
have a large amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) and a large hard drive. It also handles
the network security.
Workstation - Nowadays this is a computer which is connected to the network
Printers - These are either connected to the Fileserver or to a computer connected to the network
and shared by other users.
Cable (Interconnecting Wires)
Coax (thick and thin)
Thin coax cable is likely to be the wiring type used in your network. It supports data
transmission rates of 10Mbits/s (less in practice). Also you can have segments of 180m
in length and 30 connections per segment. A cable segment is a length of cable between
two terminators that contain 50Ohm resistors.
Thick coax offers greater distance, more connections and greater transmission speeds but
is more difficult to work with and connectors for computers are much more expensive.
UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair)
This is called twisted pair as the cable is made up of several pairs of wires, and each wire
in the pair is twisted about the other. Telephone cable is category three UTP and can be
and has been used in networking, but you will have less problems if category 5 or better
quality UTP is used. This cable can support data transmission rates of 10MBits/s to
100MBits/s for Ethernet. Usually UTP cabled networks are Star networks although some have been cabled using a bus topology
STP (Shielded Twisted Pair)
The same as the above but has a shielding around it to help reduce electrical and magnetic interference
Fibre Optic Cable
This type of cable supports the longest cable runs and speed of transmission of data, but
is also the most difficult to work with and most costly. You can mix and match cable types.
HUB - this device is used to individually connect many workstations to one cable. One cable
comes in (usually from the Fileserver) and as many cables as workstations come out. HUBs can
also be intelligent. This means that they know the address of each computer connected to each
cable, and will only pass data to the workstation if it is addressed to it.
NIC (Network Interface Card) - This is typically a circuit board which is plugged into one of
the slots inside a computer. If your computer doesn’t have slots (e.g. Notebook or Mac), then plug
in LAN adapters are available which will plug into one of the ports on the computer. The NIC or
plug connects the computer to the cable and allows the high speed data transmission between
computers.
Bridges and routers - These are devices with two or more network cards in them. They form the
bridge between two network segments or networks and allow computers on these segments to
communicate with each other. You will most likely have a Fileserver acting as a router if you have
more than one segment in your network or have multiple servers. Routers simply take a packet of
data coming down one segment and readdress it to the correct computer on the other segment.
Physical arrangement of computers or networking topology.
Linear Bus network - a main cable (called the backbone) runs for the length of the network cable
segment and each computer (or another Fileserver etc) connect to this cable. The ends of the
cable are terminated using 50 Ohm resistors. The computers are effectively connected in a daisy
chain, from one computer to the next.
Star network - Each workstation computer on the network is directly connected to the central
Fileserver computer, via a junction device called a HUB, in a star fashion. Problems on this type
of network arrangement are easier to find as computers are individually connected, but it is more
expensive to connect computers in this way. You can also have more complicated forms of star
networks where the Fileserver is connected to several junction devices (or hubs) in a star fashion,
and then several computers are attached to each hub in the form of a star..
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