A network allows many computers to share peripheral devices such as printers and facsimile machines. The two primary benefits of computer networks are sharing of devices and data. There are two basic types of networks: peer-to-peer and server-based. On a peer-to-peer network, any computer can act as a server to share resources with other machines and as a client to access these resources. On the other hand, server-based networks require a server computer whose job is to respond to requests for services or resources from clients elsewhere on the network. Server-based networks are used in most organizations today. There is an advantage to server-based networ

Cables are the medium that connects all the computers together and are frequently referred to as the networking media. There are many types of cables in the market today, but the three most commonly used are coaxial, fiber-optic and twisted-pair (TP) cable. Coaxial cable consists of two types: thin Ethernet (thinnet) and thick Ethernet (thicknet). The main differences between thinnet and thicknet are the maximum length of cable; bend radius, cost and etc. Over all, thinnet is a better choice out of the two. It is much simpler, more flexible and less expensive. The major drawback to thinnet is it’s significantly shorter reach as compared to thicknet. Fiber-optic cable is an excellent networking media but is very expensive. Fiber-optic cable eliminates any possibility of electronic eavesdropping, since no electric signals can ever pass though the cable. The maximum cable length is anywhere from 2 kilometers to 100 kilometers. Unlike fiber-optic cables, thinnet and thicknet cables have a maximum range of 185 to 500 meters. Fiber-optic cable is very complicated to install, and is also very sensitive to strain and bending. In addition, there is also the afore mentioned cost factor. All of this combined makes it a poor choice when compared to other options, such as TP. There are two basic types of twisted-pair cable: unshielded twisted pair (UTP) and shielded twisted pair (STP). Even though the maximum le

Some topics in this essay:
, ring topology, basic types, fiber-optic cable, connects computers, entire network, bus topology, server-based networks, twice amount money, network businesses spend, businesses spend twice, computers connected, amount money, star topology, spend twice amount,