The Basics of Networking and Fundamentals of Network Devices
Networking means all the hardware mess right? Nobody likes this hardware stuff! Why do you even need to learn about these things? What do all these little things do? What will happen if I do not know about the basics of networking?
These are the few interesting questions that you might be asking while you consider networking as a hardware only and do not understand it’s importance in the real world.
We do not think about those networking devices that connect our computer, iPhones, iPads, printers and everything else to each other and of course to the internet that we use on daily basis.
There are some topics you need to keep in mind all the time like the OSI MODEL, Types of Networks, Cloud Computing, Network Devices details, Subnetting of IP address, etc. If you want to master Networking.
The first thing I am going to talk about is a diagram of the basics of networking devices that are work together and where the different component fit in. The first and most important thing you should learn is the internet cloud if you are planning your career in this genre.
INTRODUCTION:
Before going into the detailing I must give some overview of the basics of networking. So let me give you a clear concept of what network really means.
Internet Could:
Everything that you think of is on the internet. Whether its websites, VPN, Email, and anything else you associate with the internet reside in the internet cloud.
So why do we call it a cloud? Might you be wandering that right? So let me explain a bit. The internet is an insanely sophisticated system of network and nobody does not understand how it works. It’s a very complicated thing to understand for most of the people. 
So in an easier way, if I tell you, it would look like this, the Internet is the cloud and The cloud is the Internet. Every single thing is connected to each other through the internet reside in the cloud.
Physical vs Logical Networking:
Before we go any further, I want to go with two basic concepts of networking that always confuses everybody and make everybody a little frustrated. Hopefully, this overview will help you in some way.
In the computer world, you must have heard of these two terms very often which is Physical and Logical. So what this is actually about?
So in the computer world, computer devices are connected with each other in two different way, one is the Physical way one is the Logical way. These two things are not necessarily the same thing, rather most of the time it is very much different from each other in many prospects.
Let’s assume you have 10 computers, and the computers are physically connected to a switch with cables, then the switch is connected to the router and so on.
Within the computer world, we can also split things logically. So the earlier 10 computers you have, we can split half of them into two different networks logically, although they are connected to each other physically, they can not communicate with each other. Because they are divided into to separate networks.
Private vs Public Network:
As the name suggests, the private network is not accessible for everyone publically. It has an implementation of access rules and restrictions. It also uses private IP so that no one can access it from outside.
But on the other hand, the public network is accessible from the internet. So anonymous user can access it from anywhere. It uses public IP and access rules are not applied generally.
TYPES OF NETWORKS:
The more you learn about Network, it gets more interesting. So let me put some more fuel to it.
Anyway, let’s get to the topic. There are so many types you will come across in your career. Some of them are listed below.
Local Area Network (LAN)
It is a kind of network that interconnects computers and other devices within a limited area, such as school, residence, college, etc.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
A Metropolitan area network is such a kind of networks that connects users with computer resources in a region. But it is larger than Local Area Network but not larger than a Wide Area Network.
Wide Area Network (WAN)
A WAN network is a network that extends over a large geographical distance. Although it might be within a boundary of a state or a country. It is a telecommunications network.
Personal Area Network (PAN)
PAN computer network helps interconnecting different devices around a person’s workspace. It connects an individual’s personal computers, smartphones, printers, and other devices.
Storage Area Network (SAN)
SAN is a network that connects storage devices to the servers. It provides access to a block level storage. RAID is an example of a storage area network.
Controller Area Network (CAN)
Controller Area Network is basically a network that is designed for microcontrollers and different devices in a region of the low radius to communicate with each other without any help of a host computer.
NETWORK DEVICES:
As a Definition of Networking, I have already mentioned that it is a medium of communication between two or more devices which follow some certain protocols.
So apart from the computer, there are some important devices that you need to know about like the Switch, Router, Hub, Repeater, etc.
NIC
NIC stands for Network interface controller. It is basically a hardware component that helps a computer to connect to a network.
CABLE
Network cables are also a kind of hardware component that allows one network device to connect with other.
REPEATER
A repeater is an electronic device that is used to generate signals. It receives a signal and then retransmits it to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances.
HUB
A hub can concentrate connections. In other words, they allow the network to see a group of hosts as a single unit. This is done passively without causing any effect on the data transmission. It is basically a multiport repeater.
BRIDGE
A network bridge device helps to create a single network from multiple communication networks by creating a bridge between them.
SWITCH
A switch is a computer networking device that connects multiple host computers and devices that resides in the same network. Although these devices may be physically connected with each other by the help of a switch they still can be logically be residing in different networks.
ROUTER
A router is a networking device that connects different networks and helps to establish communication between them. It also forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers also provide NAT (Network Address Translation) options, it is a feature that is to implement security to your network.
MODEM
A modem is a networking device that allows a computer to send and receive data over a telephone line (cable) or satellite connection. A computer information is stored digitally but on the other hand, a telephone cable transmits data in an analog way. So, the modem helps to convert to analog transmission to digital and the other way around.
Conclusion:
So, guys, Although this a basic overview about a CDN. But I have tried my best to simplify things about Content Delivery Network so that you can have a better understanding and user experience. Now it’s your turn to pay me back.
Now I am expecting your responses. If you like this content or even dislike, just leave a comment. Your responses will motivate me to do better and deliver better. I will try my best to enrich my skill.
So thank you guys, Have a good day.
