Different Types Of Computer Network HardwareA computer network is established in order to facilitate the sharing of data and resource across two or more computers that make the network. The resources that are shared may include modems, printers, hard disks, CD Rom or DVD Rom drives, files of any sort, and even databases. There are different types of computer network hardware that help to establish different types of network. For example a Local Area Network (LAN) that usually comprises of computers in a single office (even if it is spread across floors) requires different computer network hardware than what is required for a Wide Area Network (WAN) that typically span across postcodes and even cities. The internet is nothing but a global WAN that connects LANs and individual computers all over the world using all sorts of computer network hardware. Establishing WAN connections require a computer network hardware component known as a router. Routers are what keep the internet going as they connect the internet servers to each other through gateways and other servers. Depending on the sort of computer network hardware used the network may be wired or wireless or a bit of both. Technically, computer network hardware is not considered part of the computer in the way software often is. This is because the internet hardware in a computer for network purposes is typically a LAN card, also known as network adapter, which rarely requires changing because it is quite a solid device. Nowadays most motherboards come with network capabilities on the main board itself, so there is no need to purchase a LAN card for any computer. However, computer network hardware is also used in devices not recognized as computers. Automobiles with GPS, CD Players, and many household appliances rely on computer networks to perform their tasks. Besides computer network hardware, the typical desktop has many other parts as well. The motherboard has many other slots for other components besides network cards that may used for installing video or audio cards or SCSI/RAID cards. The CPU also resides on the motherboard along with the RAM (Random Access Memory). The various slots mentioned earlier use the PCI bus and are known as PCI cards. Commonly found network cards are mostly PCI. Newer bus types include PCI-E and AGP types. The power supply, also known as SMPS, not only provides the power to the computer but also regulates it by sending the right voltages to the various devices connected to it. The computer also has many storage devices like floppy drives, hard disks that may be IDE, SCSI, SATA, or ATA and also the various CD-ROM or DVD-RAM drives. The video unit may be loaded on the motherboard like the network card or it may be installed separately. |