Computer networking is the scientific and engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems. Such networks involves at least two computers, which can be separated by a few centimeters (e.g. via Bluetooth) or thousands of kilometers (e.g. via the Internet). Computer networking is sometimes considered a sub-discipline of telecommunications.

History

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Carrying instructions between calculation machines and early computers was done by human users. In September, 1940 George Stibitz used a teletype machine to send instructions for a problem set from his Model K at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire to his Complex Number Calculator in New York and received results back by the same means. Linking output systems like teletypes to computers was an interest at the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) when, in 1962, J.C.R. Licklider was hired and developed a working group he called the "Intergalactic Network", a precursor to the ARPANet. In 1964, researchers at Dartmouth developed a time sharing system for distributed users of large computer systems. The same year, at MIT, a research group supported by General Electric and Bell Labs used a computer (DEC's PDP-8) to route and manage telephone connections. In 1968 Paul Baran proposed a network system consisting of datagrams or packets that could be used in a packet switching network between computer systems. In 1969 the University of California at Los Angeles, SRI (in Stanford), University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah were connected as the beginning of the ARPANet network using 50 kbit/s circuits.

Networks, and the technologies needed to connect and communicate through and between them, continue to drive computer hardware, software, and peripherals industries. This expansion is mirrored by growth in the numbers and types of users of networks from researchers

Categorizing

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By scale

• Personal area network (PAN)
• Local area network (LAN)
  • HomePNA
  • Power line communication (HomePlug)
• Metropolitan area network (MAN)
• Wide area network (WAN)
• Human area network (HAN)

By functional relationship

• Active Networking (Low-level code movement versus static data)
• Client-server
• Peer-to-peer (Workgroup)

By network topology

• Bus network
• Star network
• Ring network
• Mesh network
• Star-bus network

By specialized function

• Storage area networks
• Server farms
• Process control networks
• Value added network
• SOHO network
• Wireless community network
• XML appliance

Protocol stacks

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Computer networks may be implemented using a variety of protocol stack architectures, computer buses or combinations of media and protocol layers, incorporating one or more of:

• ARCNET
• AppleTalk
• ATM
• Bluetooth
• DECnet
• Ethernet
• FDDI
• Frame relay
• HIPPI
• IEEE 1394 aka FireWire, iLink
• IEEE 802.11 aka Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi certification)
• IEEE-488
• IP
• IPX
• Myrinet
• QsNet
• RS-232
• SPX
• System Network Architecture
• Token Ring
• TCP
  • TCP Tuning for discussion of improving performance of same
• USB
• UDP
• X.25

For a list of more see Network protocols.

For standards see IEEE 802.

Suggested topics

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Further reading for acquiring an in-depth understanding of computer networks include:

• Communication theory

Layers

• Application layer

• Presentation layer

• Session layer

• Transport layer

• Network layer

• Data link layer

• Physical layer

OSI model	TCP/IP model
	Application layer
	Network Access Layers

Data transmission

Wired transmission

• Public switched telephone network
  • Modems and dialup
• Dedicated lines – leased lines
• Time-division multiplexing
• Packet switching
• Frame relay
• PDH
• Ethernet
• RS-232
• Optical fiber transmission
  • Synchronous optical networking
  • Fiber distributed data interface

Wireless transmission

• Short range
  • Bluetooth
• Medium range
  • IEEE 802.11
• Long range
  • Satellite
  • MMDS
  • SMDS
  • Mobile phone data transmission (channel access methods)
    • CDMA
    • CDPD
    • GSM
    • TDMA
  • Paging networks
    • DataTAC
    • Mobitex
    • Motient

Other

• Computer networking device
  • Network card
• Naming schemes
• Network monitoring

See also

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• Active Networking
• Computing
• Minimum spanning tree
  • Graph theory
  • Prim's algorithm
    • Robert C. Prim
    • Vojtěch Jarník
    • Joseph Kruskal
• ARPANET
• BITNET
• Internet
  • Internet networks:
    • Backbone
    • SITA and eQuant
    • Transit
    • Stub
• Ambient network

References

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• Larry Peterson, "Computer Networks" (ISBN 155860832X).
• Andrew S. Tanenbaum, "Computer Networks" (ISBN 0133499456).
• Important publications in computer networks

External links

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• Easy Network Concepts (Linux kernel specific)

• Computer Networking Lab
• Computer Networking Glossary
• Networking cables schematics

Computer networking | Communication engineering

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