Computer Network: a set of computers connected together for the purpose of sharing resources.

Packet: the unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network.

Local Area Network (LAN): is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link to a server.

Wide Area Network (WAN): its a telecommunications network or computer network that extends over a large geographical distance.

Node: a piece of equipment, such as a PC or peripheral, attached to a network.

Media Access Control (MSC): is a sublayer of the data link layer (DLL) in the seven-layer OSI network reference model.

IP Address: a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.

Bus Topology: a specific kind of network topology in which all of the various devices in the network are connected to a single cable or line.

Ring Topology: a network topology in which each node connects to exactly two other nodes, forming a single continuous pathway for signals through each node - a ring.

Network Token: a local area network (LAN) in which all computers are connected in a ring or star topology and pass one or more logical tokens from host to host.

Star Topology: a network topology where each individual piece of a network is attached to a central node (often called a hub or switch).

Tree Topology: consists of groups of star-configured workstations connected to a linear bus backbone cable.

Protocol: a set of rules governing the exchange or transmission of data between devices.

Peer-Peer Architecture: a commonly used computer networking architecture in which each workstation, or node, has the same 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.