What
is a...
...?
Definition:
A network is a number of computers connected together to share information and hardware.
Explanation:
A Local Area Network (LAN) is small, perhaps a few computers sharing a printer. A Wide Area Network (WAN) is large, with many computers linked between towns or countries. The Internet is a network of networks that circles the globe.
Sentence:
"Let's get on the network and send e-mail to Jane."
Notes: To be more accurate, a network is actually a system which can consist of many things, including:
1. the computers and peripherals
2. special networking cards inside each computer and peripheral
3. the cables and communications lines which link all the computers and peripherals together
4. central hardware devices which connect computers and route data to the right places on the network (hubs, patch panels, routers)
5. network operating system software
6. networking software in each computer and peripheral that lets them "talk" to each other
7. an "address" system to identify each part of the network to all the other parts
8. often, a main computer or computers usually called servers or hosts
The Network Administrator:The person who takes care of the network is called a Network Administrator. In a medium-sized network, this person is in charge of setting up and keeping hundreds of pieces of information set correctly in dozens of computers, with hundreds of cables all needing to be identified and plugged in the exact right spots, for the network to keep working correctly. Obviously, this job requires somebody who likes taking care of details.
If the network has a server, the Network Administrator is also in charge of keeping the server and its software configured and running correctly 24 hours a day and making frequent backups of the information on it. When the server fails or crashes, the Network Administrator is in charge of getting it up and running properly again, carefully restoring any lost information anywhere on the network. You can see that this job also requires good problem-solving skills and lots of patience and persistence.
The people who use the network are called Users. If a User accidently changes even one piece of networking information in the User's computer, or accidently unplugs a cable, that computer may not be able to get on the network, and the Network Administrator will have to figure out how to reconnect that computer - sometimes a time-consuming task. What skills do you think the Network Administrator requires when a well-meaning User innocently "undoes" part of the network?
If your school or building has a network, then someone is the Network Administrator, even if they don't have that exact same title. Do you know who your Network Administrator is?
[The building where TekMom taught has over 20 Local Area Networks (LANs) and a building-wide network, which is connected to a county Wide Area Network (WAN), which is connected to the Internet.]
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