In this tutorial, we will teach you what are the components of a computer network
Components of computer networks establish a network that connects the devices between the client and server or to the other computer devices to share the piece of information.
Client
A Client is a computer or a user who is using the computer machine and who requests from the server computer for network services.
As you are using the computer and using the Internet network by requesting from the server to read this article.
Actually, a Client is a simple program or a user like you with a whole computer that requests services from the server side.
Server
A Server is a computer machine, which provides services to clients.
Whenever a computer provides a network and shares its resources with a client computer, they are known as servers. They are also known as Host Computers, which are very powerful machines, that give you facilities to use the network and its resources.
Servers have the facilities to provide resources and services to many clients in a single piece of time, which means servers can connect to many computer clients at the same time, that’s why you are using the Internet because the server that is providing you services is handling many clients at a single time.
There are different types of Servers:
- DNS Servers
- Application Servers
- Proxy Servers
- Mail Servers
- Web Servers
- Database Servers
- Print Servers
Modem
The modem is the network of hardware devices that provide us the Network signal from one computer to another.
It’s just like a translator that translates signals from one host to another computer by using telephone lines that are wireless.
The modem is also called a Modulator+Demodulator
MO + DEM = Modulator + Demodulator
It is called a modulator and demodulator because the signal waves of digital information in it are encoded and decoded for sending and receiving data.
Signals are of two types Analog and Digital Signals, and computer understands only digital signals whereas on the Internet Analog signals are used So, there is a need for a Modulator and Demodulator that converts the analog signals into digital signals, therefore, it is easy for a computer to understand the signals coming from the internet, with the help of Modem.
Routers
The router is the network device that receives data packets from one network and forwards them to another network.
The router works on Layer-3 of OSI Model Network Layer which helps to connect the different computer networks. It provides us the facility to connect to the internet where there are multiple groups of networks. It’s a device that forwards packets from one network to the other networks.
Routers are connected to computers and use a routing table that stores the router of various nodes in a computer network. The routing table is a list of routes stored in a router. whenever the data is sent from one node to another on the network, then routers are used and routers use routing tables to find the best possible route to send the data packets on it.
In other terms, a router is used to send data from one node to another by finding the best possible networks.
Switch
The switch is the device on a computer network that is used to connect the multiple devices on it and create a network. The switch has multiple Ports through which multiple computers are connected to it.
The switch layer is a layer-2 device as it forwards the data from one computer to another using their MAC addresses. It uses its storage capacity, which is maintained by a table, through which each and every device is identified and is connected to a switch on the basis of their MAC Addresses.
HUB
Hub is a networking device used to connect multiple devices like a switch but not function as same as a switch.
It’s not the same as the Switch because it doesn’t have any storage area for storing the device information. If the no of computers is connected to each other with Hub, they will broadcast information also but the information will broadcast to all the computers connected to it, whereas in a switch it only sends information to the particular device which the sender wants to send.
It’s not an Intelligent Device, because of its insecure broadcasting.
Channels
Channels are sources of the medium through which the data is sent from one device to another device. It’s an information carrier that carries information from the transmitter(sender) to the receiver.
Network Interface Card (NIC)
Network Interface Cards is the hardware component that is used to make the connection from one network to another network.
For example:
If you want to connect the computer to the network, or you want any type of connection like an internet connection and want to share any information from one computer device to another then you need a NIC card to establish the network.
In every laptop and computer, there is a NIC card that contains a unique MAC address which is never and can never change as they are assigned during manufacturing in the factories, through which they are uniquely identified. And if we want to connect the network from one computer to another then there is a requirement of NIC.
You can also read these topics:
What are Transmission Mediums?
Components of Computer Network
What is Network Topology? and its types
Different Types of LAN, MAN, PAN, WAN
What is a Computer Network and why do we need it?
What is Data Transmission Modes? Types of Transmission Modes
What is Switching in Computer Networks? and types of Switching