Computer Network Assignment A131144 & A134659

1.BACKGROUND
Computer networks have existed for more than thirty years ago, but only relatively recently have they become popular in homes. In 1999, only a few hundred thousand households in the United States possessed a home network, although many more "expressed interest" in having one.

Today, many millions of households in the U.S. and worldwide have adopted home computer networking. Millions more have yet to build their first home network. Even those who've previously taken the plunge are now beginning to revamp their networks for wireless - the current wave of useful technology for home networking.

2.BENEFITS

 * file sharing - Network file sharing between computers gives you more flexibity than using floppy drives or Zip drives. Not only can you share photos, music files, and documents, you can also use a home network to save copies of all of your important data on a different computer. Backups are one of the most critical yet overlooked tasks in home networking.


 * printer / peripheral sharing - Once a home network is in place, it's easy to then set up all of the computers to share a single printer. No longer will you need to bounce from one system or another just to print out an email message. Other computer peripherals can be shared similarly such as network scanners, Web cams, and CD burners.


 * Internet connection sharing - Using a home network, multiple family members can access the Internet simultaneously without having to pay an ISP for multiple accounts. You will notice the Internet connection slows down when several people share it, but broadband Internet can handle the extra load with little trouble. Sharing dial-up Internet connections works, too. Painfully slow sometimes, you will still appreciate having shared dial-up on those occasions you really need it.


 * multi-player games - Many popular home computer games support LAN mode where friends and family can play together, if they have their computers networked.


 * Internet telephone service - So-called Voice over IP (VoIP) services allow you to make and receive phone calls through your home network across the Internet, saving you money.


 * home entertainment - Newer home entertainment products such as digital video recorders (DVRs) and video game consoles now support either wired or wireless home networking. Having these products integrated into your network enables online Internet gaming, video sharing and other advanced features.

2.WHAT IS NETWORK CLASSIFICATION
Definition: The word "cluster" is used broadly in computer networking to refer to a number of different implementations of shared computing resources. Typically, a cluster integrates the resources of two or more computing devices (that could otherwise function separately) together for some common purpose.

A Web server farm (a collection of networked Web servers, each with access to content on the same site) function as a cluster conceptually. However, purists may debate the classification of a server farm as a cluster, depending on the details of the hardware and software configuration. It is important to recognize that network clustering involves a long past history of research and development with many offshoots and variations.

Also Known As: Farm, Network of Workstations (NOW), distributed system, parallel system.

3.TWO TYPES OF NETWORKS BASED ON PHYSICAL SCOPE
One way to categorize the different types of computer network designs is by their scope or scale. For historical reasons, the networking industry refers to nearly every type of design as some kind of area network. Common examples of area network types are: LAN and WAN were the original categories of area networks.
 * LAN - Local Area Network
 * WAN - Wide Area Network

LAN - Local Area Network
A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked office building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings. In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not always implemented as a single IP subnet.

In addition to operating in a limited space, LANs are also typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization. They also tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Ring.

WAN - Wide Area Network
As the term implies, a WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth.

A WAN is a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called a router connects LANs to a WAN. In IP networking, the router maintains both a LAN address and a WAN address.

A WAN differs from a LAN in several important ways. Most WANs (like the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under collective or distributed ownership and management. WANs tend to use technology like ATM, Frame and Relay and X.25 for connectivity over the longer distances.

4.BASIC HARDWARE COMPONENTS
Basic networking gear used in a wireless home network can include network adapters, routers and/or access points. -Home Network routers

-Wireless Access Point

-Wireless Network Adapter

-Wi-fi Cameras

5.CONCLUSION
We've all become much smarter about computer networking as the past few years of Internet time have passed. Expect the next five years to also bring their share of surprises and advances. Besides that, the new breed of NAS networking products has succeeded in providing a reasonable alternative to traditional file servers in client/server networks. Entry-level NAS products containing 20-50 gigabytes of storage can be purchased for $500 (USD) or less, whereas mid-range and high-end NAS systems can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. Besides cost, a NAS promises reliable operation and easy management. Look for the Network Attached Storage technology to keep evolving as the field matures over the next several years.

6.REFRENCES
1.About.com:wireless/networking

2.About.com:search results

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_appliance