Network Connectivity

Network Connectivity

1. Communication Medium- Helps connect files to pieces of equipment.

   • Coaxial cable- consists of a center conducting wire surrounded by insulation and then braided wire.
   • Twisted-pair wire- consists of four twisted pairs of copper wires that are insulated and bundled together.
   • Fiber optic cable- uses glass threads to transmit data on the network. It is much faster than its metal counterparts, but it is more expensive and more fragile.
   • Wireless connection- becoming more commonplace as technology continues to improve. Connection is made using infrared or radio frequencies from a reciever as means of communication.

2. Network Interface Card- Provides the physical connection between the network and the computer. Most NIC's plug directly into the motherboard as an expansion card.

3. Network Hub- Simplest device that can be used to connect several pieces of equipment together for network communication purposes. The Hub does not read or recognizes data, so it simply forwards the bits of information.

4. Network Switch- Similar to a Hub, but only sends data only to those devices to which the data are directed to.

5. Network Bridge- Physical wired connection from one network segment to another. Also created so that larger networks can be broken up into smaller networks to reduce traffic within that network.

6. Network Router- Can read portions of messages and direct them to their intended target, even if the device is on a different network.

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