Computer Network

A group of computers that are connected together to share information.

Packet

A piece of a message transmitted over a packet-switching network.

Local Area Network

Network that connects devices that are near each other.

Wide Area Network

Network that connects devices that can be kilometers apart.

Node

 A node is anything that is connected to the network. While a node is typically a computer, it can also be something like a printer or CD-ROM tower.

Media Access Control

This is the physical address of any device -- such as the NIC in a computer -- on the network. 

IP Address

A unique address that everyone has whenever they are on a device. Each device comes with one unique ip address.

Bus Topology

All devices are connected to a central cable, called the bus or backbone. Bus networks are relatively inexpensive and easy to install for small networks. Ethernet systemsuse a bus topology.

Ring Topology

All devices are connected to one another in the shape of a closed loop, so that each device is connected directly to two other devices, one on either side of it. Ring topologies are relatively expensive and difficult to install, but they offer high bandwidth and can span large distances.

Network Token

A special series of bits that travels around a token ring network. In programming, it means a single element of the language such as a keyword, operator or punctuation mark.

Star Topology

All devices are connected to a central hub. Star networks are relatively easy to install and manage, but bottlenecks can occur because all datamust pass through the hub.

Tree Topology

A tree topology combines characteristics of linear bus and star topologies. It consists of groups of star-configured workstations connected to a linear bus backbone cable.

Protocol

An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices.

Peer Peer Architecture

Often referred to simply as peer-to-peer, or abbreviated P2P, a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities.

Client/Server Architecture

Network architecture in which each computer or process on the network is either a client or a server.