Computer Networking Basics

Computer Networks

• Computer networks can use both wired and wireless connections for interconnections.
• Hostnames are not frequently changed after initial assignment in computer networks.

Network Classification

• Computer networks can be classified by the transmission medium used to carry signals.

Nodes in a Computer Network

• Networking hardware is considered a node in a computer network.

Access to the World Wide Web

• Computer networks do support access to the World Wide Web.

Protocol Data Unit (PDU)

• In the context of packet switching data networks, PDU is best understood in relation to a service data unit (SDU).
• The PDU at the Internet layer in the Internet protocol suite is called a packet, not a segment.
• TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) uses segments, not datagrams, as the protocol data units for connection-oriented communication.

Network Layers

• The physical layer sends bits (frames) across a wire or fiber in a computer network, not ones and zeros.
• The transport layer delivers the data to the right software application at the destination in a computer network.