Computer networking

A computer network is a system for communication among two or more computers.

Computer networks may be categorized with respect to range:

• personal area network (PAN)

• • wireless PAN

• local area network (LAN)

• • wireless LAN

• metro area network (MAN)

• wide area network (WAN)

Computer network applications may be categorized with respect to

the functional relationships between components:

• client-server

• multitier architecture

• peer-to-peer

Computer networks may be categorized with respect to connective topologies:

• star network

• grid network

• toroidal networks and hypercubes

• tree and hypertree networks

Computer networks may be implemented using a variety of protocol stack

architectures, or combinations of media and protocol layers,

incorporating one or more of:

• Ethernet

• IP

• TCP

• Appletalk

• Token Ring

• IPX

• FIDDI

• HIPPI

• Myrinet

• ATM

• RS-232

• RS-488

• IEEE-4888

• UDP

• ICMP

• USB

• IEEE 1394, aka Firewire, iLink

• SCSI

For standards see IEEE 802.

Suggested topics:

• communication theory

• data transmission

• • PSTN the Public Switched Telephone Network

• • [[[dedicated data lines]]

• • wireless transmission

• • • short range

• • • • WiFi, 802.11

• • • • Bluetooth

• • • long range

• • • • MMDS

• • • • SMDS

• • • • cellular telephone data transmission

• • • • • CDMA

• • • • • CDPD

• • • • • GSM

• • • • • i-Mode

• • • • • GSM

• • • • • TDMA

• • • • paging networks

• • • • • DataTAC

• • • • • Mobitex

• • • • • Motient

• • Wired Transmission

• • • Ethernet

• • • SONet

• • • RS-232

• Bitnet

An often cited reference is Andy Tannenbaum, "Computer Networks".

see also computing, internet, routing