Basic Network terms and definition

                           Basic Network terms and definition

 

  
Internet Protocol (IP)  (Logical address used for addressing )
A protocol by which data is sent from one network-enabled 
device to another on the Internet.  Each network-enabled
device has at least one IP address that identifies it from all
other devices on the network.  An address may be either a
ìpublicî address or a ìprivateî address.  Public Addresses
are generally unique.  Private Addresses are only unique
within the context of the local network.  

LAN(local area network):
A small network used in a room , building , campus  for sharing the data and used the resources(Printers).
we can use switches, hub , pc ,laptop in a lan.

WAN(Wide area network)
Provide communication between different different geographically location.One city to another city or one country to another country.  

IPv4
Internet   Protocol  Version 4.Most widely used version of IP.


IPv6
Internet Protocol  Version  6.The latest level of the 
Internet Protocol.  IPv6 is also referred to as IPng (IP Next
generation).  IPv6 provides an evolutionary set of
improvements to IPv4.  The most obvious improvement is
that IP addresses are lengthened from 32 bits to 128 bits. 
This extension anticipates considerable future growth of the
Internet, and provides relief for what was perceived as an
impending shortage of network addresses.

TCP/IP
A specification for computer network protocols.  TCP/IP is 
sometimes called the Internet Reference Model.TCP/IP
defines a set of rules by which network-enabled devices
communicate over a network.

SNMP (Simple Network management protocol)
This protocol basically used for monitering
A protocol governing network management and the
Management Protocol)
monitoring of network-enabled devices and their functions.


Network-Enabled Devices
A computer, server, router, printer, firewall, switch, input/ 
output device, sensor or hub that is connected to an
Ethernet network or the Internet. This type of devices used for sharing in the internet.
Dial-up
 modems, are provided with a
common connection point to higher speed,
IP-based
 local
(LAN) or wide area networks (WAN).
Serial-to-IP
Serial data transfer connections of devices are provided with 
a common connection to higher speed,
IP-based
 local area
networks (LAN) or wide area networks (WAN). 
  Network Devices

Client-server Model
An architecture (system design) that divides processing 
between clients and servers such that processing tasks can
run on the same machine or on different machines on the
same network.

Client
A network-enabled device that accesses a remote service on 
a server by way of a network.

Server
A network-enabled device that provides a specific kind of 
service to client software running on other computers on a
network. 

Communication Server
A hardware device that provides computers, printers, 
terminals or other devices with a common connection point
to a local or wide area network.  Hubs, Switches, Terminal
Servers, Device Servers, and Transaction Servers are all
types of communication servers.

Device Server
A Communication Server that converts serial transmission to 
Ethernet IP packets, enabling serial-based devices to
communicate over an Ethernet LAN instead of a dedicated
cable.  The devices connect to the device server from their
RS-232, RS422 or RS485 serial port.  The other side of the
device server can connect through a network interface port
to an Ethernet local area network or wide-area network, or
through a modem to a telephone-based wide area network.
The use of a device server means that each device does not
need its own network interface port or modem.  The
terminology ìterminal serverî has been replaced with
ìdevice serverî to reflect that serial to IP communication
now encompasses far more than the connection of dumb
terminals to a host computer.

Terminal Server
A Communication Server that converts serial transmission to 
Ethernet IP packets, enabling serial-based terminals to
communicate over an Ethernet LAN instead of a dedicated
cable.  The terminals connect to the terminal server from
their RS-232, RS422 or RS485 serial port.  The other side of
the terminal server connects through a network interface
port to an Ethernet local area network or wide-area network,
or through a modem to a telephone-based wide-area
network. The use of a terminal server means that each
terminal does not need its own network interface port or
modem.  The name ìterminal serverî originated during a
period when users logged onto and accessed computers
from dumb terminals.  At that time, terminal servers
provided the connections from the dumb terminal to the
host computer.

Hub
A hardware device that serves as a central point for
connecting devices over a local area network.  Hubs
broadcast frames to all network-enabled devices on the
Ethernet network and therefore create more collisions than a
switch.  Hubs are rarely used today due to preferences for
switches.

Switch
A hardware device that serves as an efficient central point 
for connecting network-enabled devices over a local area
network.  A Switch has several advantages over hubs.  For
example, switches allow the division of a network into
multiple segments to reduce the number of data collisions. 
Further, a switch only forwards frames to the network-
enabled device that connects to the intended destination of
the data.

Managed Switch
Provides additional control over the network than can be 
provided over an unmanaged switch.  A Managed Switch
also collects and reports information about the performance
of the switch.  Additional functionality can include the ability
to set up broadcast domains; set up VLANs; limit the
bandwidth rate of a segment; and provide for QoS, SNMP;
Port Mirroring; and/or Trunk redundancy.

Transaction Server
A server designed to work in a financial transaction 
environment.  A card scanner, ATM or modem connects to
one side of the transaction server.  The other side of the
transaction server can connect through a network interface
port to a local area network, WAN or modem.

Print Server
Software or hardware that manages one or more printers.

Commercial Server
A server designed to work in a standard administrative or 
business transaction facility environment.

Industrial Server
A server designed to work in an operating facility 
environment.

Gateway
A network point that acts as an entry point to another 
network, or a connecting point between two dissimilar
networks.

Router
A network device that forwards packets from one network to 
another.  Based on internal routing tables, routers read each
incoming packet and determine how to forward it.  The
destination address in the packet governs the line (interface)
to which the router directs an outgoing packet.
Serial-based Device