Computer Networking First-Step
Your First Step into the world of Computer NetworkingGain an understanding of internetworking basics with this reader-friendly guidLearn about LANs, WANs, remote access, and security in the first Cisco Press book any novice should readComputer Networking First-Step is an accessible, easy-to-understand introduction to the language of the Internet. While not everyone needs to understand how to configure a router, many people are setting up Local Area Networks in their own homes, utilizing routing
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Computer Networking Fundamentals
Article by Radhika Shah
A computer network is a collection of two or more computers with communication between them through a medium. The communication medium can be through radio waves, wires, infrared, optical fibers etc.
Computer network is an integral part of our daily lives, with the most important reason being that of communication. The use of computer networking is to share resources like fax machines, printers, modems, files etc., and its other uses are database server, computer server, email, chat, internet etc. The computer to which the resources are attached is called the server and the other computers that access the resource are called clients. In peer-to-peer computer networks there are no servers.
The sharing of fax machines, printers, and modems amongst many computers and users reduce the operational cost. A database on a computer network is a very important application as it stores and runs many important data and jobs. Emails and chats can be used for instantaneous communication and sending of files on a computer network.
The computer networks are classified, depending upon the size, as Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) and Personal Area Networks (PAN). The topology (topology is the way the computer networks and network resources are connected) of the networking can be classified as Bus Network, Ring Network and Star Network.
The networking hardware basically consists of wiring, network cards and a hub. Computer network cards are required so that one computer can understand what the other computer is “talking”. Network cards have a unique MAC address to identify computers on a computer network. Hubs connect all the computers in the network. Hubs can also be used to connect to other hubs to increase the size of the computer network. Two computers can be connected using Ethernet cards or phone lines or power lines for communication, with hardware kits available at roughly a cost of 0.
As the number of computers in an office or a home increases, so do the number of cables, so wireless networking is a viable solution. In wireless networking radio transreceivers or infrared signals are used to communicate between computers and devices. Examples of wireless networking include Wi-fi and Bluetooth technology, though there may be security issues involved in wireless networking. However there definitely is a stronger preference towards wireless networking nowadays among consumers.
Computer networks have added a new dimension to the 21st century. Today the cyber world is much faster and wider than the real world. This has all been made possible due to computer networks. Computer networks have revolutionized business, communication, travel, research, defense, society and almost all human endeavors. The evolution of computer networks has helped the technological revolution take a big leap forward.
About the Author
My name is manish shah. Am an avid blogger & social media representative. I am retailer by Profession & my blog is http://askradhika.com I keep updating my blogs regularly. Do visit me for the latest in Indian Retailing.I also have another wonderful article directory – where in you can check the latest articles across all the catagories. Do check out -http://articlebundle.com & http://articletrust.com & http://articleopen.com
Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach Featuring the Internet, James F. Kurose
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Computer Networking first-step (ISBN 1-58720-101-1),
Computer Networking first-step (ISBN 1-58720-101-1)
by: Wendall Odom
This book is very deceiving by the title. Computer Networking first-steps. At first glance you think this book is for people that have never been involved with this topic. However reading this book quickly dissolves your negative thoughts. I was really quite surprised at the detail presented in this book at a very easy to understand level. It can be used as a new learner book or an expert review book on the topic. The books author Wendell Odom is a very knowledgeable person with a gift of being able to present complicated material in layman terms and the author of a few other great titles. I’m impressed with his writing style and methods, I used his CCNA book a few years ago for my CCNA test, I recently read his DQOS book for another test I took, which is one of the reasons I chose this book to use as a review guide
Why should you read this book? I have a few reasons. First I let my computer illiterate Sr. VP of Operations read this book. His response was “thank you, now I finally understand some of what my engineers are talking about, and I can hold conversations and speak reasonably intelligently on the subject. The next reason is the book uses dinosaurs, cartoon characters and everyday examples that allow the reader to rapidly, learn easily and retain the material presented. This saves time in having to re-read the material multiple times to truly understand what the author is trying to say. I personally think this first-step series is a very smart idea to allow people new to any subject area to learn quickly in an entertaining environment.
My favorite things about this book are it is a medium sized book. The author presents things in order that builds on the previous chapter in order to help the reader follow along easier. The material is presented with enough material to help the reader gain knowledge and feel confident on what they just read. The last reason I like it is that it has everything form basic network concepts to more advanced topics, giving the reader a step up on a wide range of topics.
I plan on buying all the first-step series books to either quickly learn a new subject or to review long forgotten or seldom used information If only they had the CCIE first-step series, I would have passed my lab the first time.
If you need a fun, and proven way of learning anything in the IT field, I would highly recommend looking for it in the first-step series. The first-step series continues the awesome Cisco Press tradition of providing of getting knowledgeable authors to write outstanding books, which help people learn.
BW
Senior Network Engineer
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|Network Introduction for the Whole Family,
In addition to my regular network engineering job, I am also a networking instructor at a local university branch campus. As such, I am always on the lookout for good analogies I can use in the networking courses I teach. When you explain networking to beginners, you really have to step back to the first principles ever so often, in order to make sure you have the basic in your head, as well as the complex. For this reason, I decided to check out Computer Networking First-Step (ISBN 1-58720-101-1) from Cisco Press. The first thing I noticed when I picked up the book was the author. I first discovered Wendell Odom a few years ago when I was recertifying my CCNA certification. I like how he uses examples and humor to explain concepts and has an easy, conversational style to his writing which makes it easy to read. With a lot of technical authors, reading their books can seem like a job, but not with Odom. I recommend everything he’s written.
The book itself is substantial, at over 400 pages, and is priced quite reasonably, at just $24.95. It’s broken down into 18 chapters which can each be read in a short sitting. Since each chapter encapsulates a single topic, you reach a feeling of accomplishment and completion at the end of each one. This is good for people new to computer networking. If you make the chapters too long, they can easily feel overwhelmed. These chapters are just right. In the intro, the book says that it is divided up into bite sized pieces for easy digestion. I thoroughly agree with that assessment.
The chapters are grouped together into sections covering networking basics, LANs, protocols, routing, WANs, and security. As you can see, the book covers a lot of ground. The thing that impressed me most was that at no point does it get overly technical. Odom picks an analogy (networks = roads) and sticks with it throughout the entire book. In the early chapters, it works perfectly. In some of the later chapters, it’s a stretch, but he makes it work. I will be using the analogies from this book in teaching my beginning networking courses and would recommend it as a textbook, or at least as suggested reading for a freshman level networking course. I am also recommending this book to spouses of computer geeks (my wife, in particular). She’s never really tried to understand what I do, saying that it’s far too technical. I think the easy-to-read style and the bite-sized information may make this the book that gets my wife into networking. My son, who’s an exceptional 2nd grader, has begun picking up this book during his reading time at night (the scary part is that he understands the material). While I don’t recommend this book to the average 2nd grader, I do think that it could be used to help teach networking to middle and high school students. The review questions at the end of each chapter provide a good way for students to check their learning and the answers at the back of the book provide good explanations.
On my 5 ping rating scale, I give this book a rating of 5 pings.
!!!!!
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|Great Book,
You are ready for this book. If you are just beginning your career in the networking arena or are just thinking about networking this is the book to start off with. This is a very good first read book for an introduction to these networking topics. Wendell Odom gives you the basics. Wendell Odom takes the mystery out many things like terminology and gives you an easy to understand analogy to go along with the meaning. How many times have you wondered what one of those acronyms mean? Read this book and find out what some of those terms that you hear people throwing around mean. Reading through this book was fun and easy. Getting the knowledge that came with it is incredible. Have you ever asked yourself what is all of this networking stuff all about? Wendell Odom goes through the step by step process and shows you the start to the finish line. Connectivity and security are the end results that you want to have. This is a good introduction to those topics. You will want to learn more once you are finished with this book. Many of the industry concepts are in this book. He takes you from the point that you can connect to the network through the things that help keep your network safe and running. How things move through the and get from place to place. If you are looking for an easy to read book that gives you the information that you want. Here it is. Let this be the beginning of your advancement to greater heights. This is a good foundation to get you going and keeps your focus throughout the book. The novice will enjoy this book and the simple to understand terms and pictures. The review questions help solidify the topics that you just finished reading about. Everyone can use the knowledge in this book, even if you are not in the industry. It is a good collection of topics for the power user or someone who wants to know more about networking. Do yourself a favor and get this book and read it.
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