Network Components Component What does it do? Image

File Server • Attached to a network• Provide location for shared disk access• i.e: computer files, documents, sound files

Network Interface Card

• Contains electronic circuitry required to communicate using a wired connection

• Translates computer data into electrical signals, prepare, send and receive

• aka NIC

Network Cables • typically called cat 5 (or category 5 cables)• designed for high signal integrity• a connector for hardwares to transmit data

Hub • connects multiple twisted pair of fibre optic devices together

• sends files to all connected to devices, weather relevant or not

Router • devices that read address information to determine the final destination of a packet

• can be used in wired or wireless networks

Switch • connects multiple twisted pair of fibre optic devices together

• sends files to all connected and relevant to devices

• inspects packets of data , therefore forwarded to the correct device

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Modem • device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information

• demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information

Network operating system

• operating system that is oriented to computer networking

• allow shared file and printer access among multiple computers in a network, to enable the sharing of data, users, groups, security, applications, and other networking functions

Firewall • designed to block unauthorized access while permitting outward communication

• configured to permit, deny, encrypt, decrypt, or proxy all computer traffic between different security domains based upon a set of rules and other criteria

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