Networking concepts

A network is an interconnected collection of autonomous computers that can share and exchange information. The communication over the network involves the exchange of text/picture/audio/video data through wired or wireless transmission medium. Major reasons that emphasize the need for networks are:

1. Resource Sharing: Through a network, data, software, and hardware resources can be shared irrespective of the physical location of the resources and the user.
2. Reliability: A file can have its copies on two or more computers of the network, so if one of them is unavailable, the other copies could be used. That makes a network more reliable.
3. Reduced Costs: Since resources can be shared, it greatly reduces the costs.
4. Fast communication: With networks, it is possible to exchange information at very fast speeds.