Computer network components consist of 2 parts - the items that are to be connected and the equipment that connects them

 

The equipment to be networked are those components that you want to be able to communicate with each other or hardware that you want to share

A network is defined as a group of interconnected computers but it really is more than that. The connected computers communicate with each other and share resources on the network. Common resources include printers, disk storage, databases and access to other networks such as the internet. The diagram below illustrates some typical components.

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Hardware that connects the computers and peripherals Something is needed to carry the electronic signals between your computers and whatever they connect to. You can use a wired or wireless connection. Network cable that looks like thick telephone wire can be used to carry the data packets to and from your computer. These packets can also be transmitted like radio signals from a wireless transmitter to a wireless receiver.
The following devices connect the members of the network:

1. network hub
2. network switch
3. broadband modem
4. computer network router
5. router/switch
6. nic card

1. Network Hub - The hub or network hub connects computers and devices and sends messages and data from any one device to all the others. If the desktop computer wants to send data to the lapop and it sends a message to the laptop through the hub, the message will get sent by the hub to all the computers and devices on the network. They need to do work to figure out that the message is not for them. The message also uses up bandwidth (room) on the network wires or wireless radio waves and limits how much communication can go on. Hubs are not used often these days.

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2. Network Switch - The switch connects the computer network components but it is smart about it. It knows the address of each item and so when the desktop computer wants to talk to the laptop, it only sends the message to the laptop and nothing else. In order to have a small home network that just connects the local equipment all that is really needed is a switch and network cable or the switch can transmit wireless information that is received by wireless receivers that each of the network devices have. 3. Computer Network Router - A router is a device that connects 2 networks. If you happened to have 2 LANs (local area networks) in your home or office and wanted to connect them, the router is the device that you would need. For more information about routers see What does a router do?. The network that most home networks connect to is the world's biggest WAN (wide area network), the Internet.




4. Router/Switch - In order to let all the computers on the local network communicate with each other and the Internet, most routers sold today include a switch. The router part connects your network to the Internet. The switch part lets the computers talk to each other and to the internet.



5. Broadband Modem - Most everyone wants to connect to the internet. A broadband modem is used to take a high speed Internet connection provided by an ISP (Internet Service Provider) and convert the data into a form that your local network can use. The high speed connection can be DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) from a phone company or cable from a cable television provider.



In order to be reached on the Internet, your computer needs a unique address on the internet. Your ISP will provide this to you as part of your Internet connection package. This address will generally not be fixed which means that they may change your address from time to time. For the vast majority of users, this makes no difference. If you have only one computer and want to connect to the Internet, you strictly speaking don't need a router. You can plug the network cable from the modem directly into the network connection of your computer. However, you are much better off connecting the modem to a router. The ip address your ISP provides will be assigned to the router. The router will assign a hidden addres (non routable) to each of the computers on the network. This is strong protection against hackers since they scan ip addresses for computers that are open to being attacked. The router is not a general purpose computer and will not be visible to them.
6. NIC card - In order to use your phone service you need to have a phone. Similarly to be able to talk on the network a computer or printer needs a NIC (network interface card) card (sort of redundant :-)) otherwise known as a network adapter. They come in 2 varieties, wired or wireless. Most modern desktop computers come with a wired nic and laptops come with both a wired and a wireless nic.
If your computer doesn't have a built in nic card, you can get a USB based adapter that you can plug into the USB port of your computer. This is portable and can be moved from computer to computer. You can get a wireless lan USB adapter or a wired one

Operating systems

Operating system ABCs

An operating system, or OS, is a software program that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer would be useless.

Operating system types

As computers have progressed and developed so have the operating systems. Below is a basic list of the different operating systems and a few examples of operating systems that fall into each of the categories. Many computer operating systems will fall into more than one of the below categories.

GUI - Short for Graphical User Interface, a GUI Operating System contains graphics and icons and is commonly navigated by using a computer mouse. See the GUI definition for a complete definition. Below are some examples of GUI Operating Systems.

• System 7.x

• Windows 98

• Windows CE

Multi-user - A multi-user operating system allows for multiple users to use the same computer at the same time and different times. See the multi-user definition for a complete definition for a complete definition. Below are some examples of multi-user operating systems.

• Linux

• Unix

• Windows 2000

Multiprocessing - An operating system capable of supporting and utilizing more than one computer processor. Below are some examples of multiprocessing operating systems.

Linux
Unix
Windows 2000

Multitasking - An operating system that is capable of allowing multiple software processes to run at the same time. Below are some examples of multitasking operating systems.

Unix
Windows 2000

Multithreading - Operating systems that allow different parts of a software program to run concurrently. Operating systems that would fall into this category are:

Linux
Unix
Windows 2000

Troubleshooting

Common questions and answers to operating systems in general can be found on the below operating system question and answers. All other questions relating to an operating system in particular can be found through the operating system page.

Linux / Variants
MacOSMS-DOS
IBM OS/2 Warp
Unix / Variants
Windows CE
Windows 3.x
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows 98 SE
Windows ME
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista 

Windows 7

The Computer Hardware

Personal computer hardware are component devices which are typically installed into or peripheral to a computer case to create apersonal computer upon which system software is installed including a firmware interface such as a BIOS and an operating system which supports application software that performs the operator's desired functions. Operating systems usually communicate with devices through hardware buses by using software device drivers.

Hardware of a modern personal computer

• 1. Monitor
• 2. Motherboard
• 3. CPU
• 4. RAM
• 5. Expansion cards
• 6. Power supply
• 7. Optical disc drive
• 8. Hard disk drive
• 9. Keyboard
• 10. Mouse

Component of Computer

A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem.
Conventionally a computer consists of some form of memory for data storage, at least one element that carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control element that can change the order of operations based on the information that is stored. Peripheral devices allow information to be entered from an external source, and allow the results of operations to be sent out.
A computer's processing unit executes series of instructions that make it read, manipulate and then store data. Conditional instructions change the sequence of instructions as a function of the current state of the machine or its environment.
The first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). Originally, they were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs).

Information Technology

1. A Definition :

We use the term information technology or IT to refer to an entire industry. In actuality, information technology is the use of computers and software to manage information. In some companies, this is referred to as Management Information Services (or MIS) or simply as Information Services (or IS). The information technology department of a large company would be responsible for storing information, protecting information, processing the information, transmitting the information as necessary, and later retrieving information as necessary. 

 

2. History of Information Technology :

In relative terms, it wasn't long ago that the Information Technology department might have consisted of a single Computer Operator, who might be storing data on magnetic tape, and then putting it in a box down in the basement somewhere. The history of information technology is fascinating! Check out these history of information technology resources for information on everything from the history of IT to electronics inventions and even the top 10 IT bugs.

 

3. Modern Information Technology Departments :

In order to perform the complex functions required of information technology departments today, the modern Information Technology Department would use computers, servers, database management systems, and cryptography. The department would be made up of several System Administrators, Database Administrators and at least one Information Technology Manager. The group usually reports to the Chief Information Officer (CIO). 

 

4. Popular Information Technology Skills:

Some of the most popular information technology skills at the moment are:

• Computer Networking
• Information Security
• IT Governance
• ITIL
• Business Intelligence
• Linux
• Unix
• Project Management

 

 

 

Computer science

Computer science or computing science (abbreviated CS) is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. Computer scientists invent algorithmic processes that create, describe, and transform information and formulate suitable abstractions to model complex systems.
Computer science has many sub-fields; some, such as computational complexity theory, study the fundamental properties of computational problems, while others, such as computer graphics, emphasize the computation of specific results. Still others focus on the challenges in implementing computations. For example, programming language theory studies approaches to describe computations, while computer programming applies specific programming languages to solve specific computational problems, and human-computer interaction focuses on the challenges in making computers and computations useful, usable, and universally accessible to humans.
The general public sometimes confuses computer science with careers that deal with computers (such as information technology), or think that it relates to their own experience of computers, which typically involves activities such as gaming, web-browsing, and word-processing. However, the focus of computer science is more on understanding the properties of the programs used to implement software such as games and web-browsers, and using that understanding to create new programs or improve existing ones.

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Information and communications technology

Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology (IT), but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers, middleware as well as necessary software, storage- and audio-visual systems, which enable users to create, access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. In other words, ICT consists of IT as well as telecommunication,broadcast media, all types of audio and video processing and transmission and network based control and monitoring functions.The expression was first used in 1997  in a report by Dennis Stevenson to the UK government and promoted by the new National Curriculum documents for the UK in 2000. The term ICT is now also used to refer to the merging (convergence) of audio-visual and telephone networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system. There are large economic incentives (huge cost savings due to elimination of the telephone network) to merge the audio-visual, building management and telephone network with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling, signal distribution and management. This in turn has spurred the growth of organizations with the term ICT in their names to indicate their specialization in the process of merging the different network systems.