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The Art of Computer Networking
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Many people will have used a network, be it the World Wide Web, email, or another of the utilities that are starting to worm their way into our everyday lives. Some aspects of networks will be familiar to many, such as clicking in a Web browser, or deleting spam from our inbox. There is a lot of (mostly) hidden technology that drives this phenomenon we call the Internet, and this book aims to give a passing familiarity with some of it. A network is any means of connecting entities – usually computers – together so that they can communicate. The means of connection can be wire, optical fibre, radio, satellite, sound waves, string, semaphore or whatever, but the general idea is that we have channels capable of transmitting information between entities. Networks are useful for many reasons:
Resource sharing. The ‘traditional’ reason for having a network is so I can use that big supercomputer 100 miles up the road. Or I can use the department’s high-quality colour printer from the comfort of my office. Communication and collaboration. I can work with people on a different continent, sharing data, running experiments and writing papers. This includes video and voice conferencing and email. Information gathering. If I need information about the latest developments in CPU design, I can look through the Web or USENET. Reliability through replication. If my highly valuable database is replicated on another machine and if my machine crashes, then the data is safe. Note this is also a protection against malicious attack. Entertainment and commerce. From static content such as traditional newspapers and video on demand, to interactive applications like multi-player games or user participation quiz shows, and to the big wide world of consumerism that is inventing new and better ways to relieve us of our cash.
Russell Bradford - Personal Name
978-0-321-30676-0
NONE
Information Technology
English
2007
1-300
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