Computer Network

A network is a group of computers connected together in a way that allows information to be exchanged between the computers.

Packet

A piece of message transferred over a network.

Local Area Network(LAN)

A network that connects devices that are relatively close to one another.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network that connects devices that are relatively far to one another.

Node

Nodes are devices or data points on a larger network. Devices such as a personal computer, cell phone, or printer are nodes. When defining nodes on the internet, a node is anything that has an IP address.

Media Access Control (MSC)

This is the physical address of any device.

IP Address

IP address is short for Internet Protocol (IP) address. An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. 

Bus Topology

Each node is daisy-chained (connected one right after the other) along the same backbone

Ring Topology

 Like a bus network, rings have the nodes daisy-chained. The difference is that the end of the network comes back around to the first node, creating a complete circuit.

Network Token

a token is a special series of bits that travels around a token-ring network. As the token circulates, computers attached to the network can capture it.

Star Topology

 In a star network, each node is connected to a central device called a hub.

Tree Topology

A tree topology combines characteristics of linear bus and star topologies. It consists of groups of star-configured workstations connected to a linear bus backbone cable.

Protocol

An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices. 

Peer to Peer Architecture

a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities.

Client to Server Architecture

Client-server architecture (client/server) is a network architecture in which each computer or process on the network is either a client or a server.