Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Networking and
Internet Basics
Learning objectives
Our Connected World:
Communication Systems
◽
Identify communications networks in daily life
◽
Distinguish among types of networks
Ways of Classifying
Networks
◽
Identify common types of network hardware
Network Hardware
◽
Understand the Internet and choose a connection method
Understanding and
Connecting to the
Internet
When computing first
began, each computer was separate, and data was moved
between computers only with difficulty. Today, however, computers connect to
both local and global networks that make information sharing easy, whether you're
sharing data with your brother's computer in the next room or with a file server
halfway around the world.
This chapter explains the basics of modern networking, both large and small
networks, both wired and wireless, and both private and public. You will learn how
networks are structured, how network resources are identified, and how network
security helps keep your data safe. You'll also learn how to troubleshoot some
common network-related problems.
Our Connected World: Communication
Systems
Networking is everywhere, and many of our everyday activities are enabled or
assisted by computer networking, even the activities that might not on the sur-
face seem to have anything to do with it. For example, when you withdraw funds
at your local bank branch, the bank verifies your account balance on the bank's
