Nodes: Computers on a network are sometimes called nodes. Computers and devices that allocate resources for a network are called servers. |
Topology: The geometric arrangement of any network is its topology. The most common topologies are the bus, star and ring topologies. |
Protocol: To operate efficiently, any communications-based system must have established rules to govern its operation. This set of rules is its protocol. Popular protocols for LANs are Ethernet, token ring and FDDI. |
Data Packets: Data, messages, and tokens that are transmitted on any network must conform to the size and format prescribed under the network's protocol. Data packets can also vary between network operating systems (NOS) on the same protocol. |
Architecture: Any network can be classified as either a peer-to-peer or client/server architecture. When all nodes on a network are equal and resources are shared equally, the network is a true peer-to-peer network. When one computer is designed to host programs or files for the rest of the network, it is a server, and the other nodes are the clients. |
Media: Nodes on a network are connected by twisted-pair copper wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, or wireless radio wave connections. |