Computer network

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
• metropolitan 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 network 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, computer buses or combinations of media and protocol layers, incorporating one or more of:

• ARCNET
• DECNET
• Ethernet
• IP
• TCP
• Appletalk
• Token Ring
• IPX
• FDDI
• HIPPI
• Myrinet
• ATM
• RS-232
• IEEE-488
• USB
• IEEE 1394, aka Firewire, iLink
• X.25
• Frame relay
• Bluetooth
• IEEE 802.11
• System network architecture

For a list of more see Network protocols

For standards see IEEE 802.

Suggested topics:

• communication theory
• data transmission
  • PSTN the Public Switched Telephone Network
    • Modems and dialup

• • wireless transmission[?]
    • short range
      • Bluetooth
    • medium range
      • WiFi, 802.11
    • long range
      • MMDS[?]
      • SMDS[?]
      • cellular telephone data transmission[?]
        • CDMA
        • CDPD
        • GSM
        • i-Mode[?]
        • GSM
        • TDMA
      • paging networks[?]
        • DataTAC[?]
        • Mobitex[?]
        • Motient[?]
  • Wired Transmission[?]
    • dedicated lines[?] (leased lines)
    • Time-division multiplexing
    • packet switching
    • Frame relay
    • PDH
    • Ethernet
    • RS-232
  • Fiber optic transmission
    • SONET / SDH
• Routing
• Bitnet

References

Andrew S. Tanenbaum, "Computer Networks" (ISBN 0133499456).

See also computing, internet, routing