Network - A network is a group of computers connected together in a way that allows information to be exchanged between the computers.

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

Local area network (LAN) technologies connect many devices that are relatively close to each other, usually in the same building. 

Wide area network (WAN) technologies connect a smaller number of devices that can be many kilometers apart. 

Networking Basics-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 (MAC) address-This is the physical address of any device -- such as the NIC in a computer -- on the network. The MAC address, which is made up of two equal parts, is 6 bytes long. The first 3 bytes identify the company that made the NIC. The second 3 bytes are the serial number of the NIC itself.

IP address - Internet Protocol-An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network.

Bus Topology-Each node is daisy-chained (connected one right after the other) along the same backbone, similar to Christmas lights. Information sent from a node travels along the backbone until it reaches its destination node. 

Ring Topology-Like a bus network, rings have the nodes daisy-chained. The difference is that the end of the network comes back around to the first node, creating a complete circuit. In a ring network, each node takes a turn sending and receiving information through the use of a token.

Token-in programming languages, a single element of a programming language. For example, a token could be a keyword, an operator, or a punctuation mark.

Star Topology-In a star network, each node is connected to a central device called a hub. The hub takes a signal that comes from any node and passes it along to all the other nodes in the network. 

Tree Topology-The shape of a local-area network (LAN) or other communications system. Topologies are either physical or logical.

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

peer-to-peer architecture-a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities.

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