PC Hardware A Beginner’s Guide

(^514) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide

Cabling

The part of a network cable that carries data is normally one of two materials: copper or

glass. Both copper and glass are relatively inexpensive and abundant, but more impor-

tantly they are excellent conductors. A conductor is a material through which electricity

easily passes. Copper is a great conductor of electricity, and glass is a very good conduit

for light.

In order for one computer to carry on a conversation with another computer, both

computers must be able to transmit and receive electrical impulses representing commands

or data. In a networked environment, the computers and peripherals of the network are

interconnected with a transmission medium (usually a cable—more on this later) to

enable data exchange and resource sharing. Cable media is the foundation on which

networks exist—literally.

Cable Types

A network typically uses one of three standard cable types: coaxial, twisted pair, or fiber

optic. Twisted pair is by far the most commonly used network medium, but the other

cable types have their place as well.

Function Description

File server A centralized computer that stores common

network files and users’ data files

Print server A centralized computer that manages the

printers connected to the network, the print

queues, and the printing of user documents

on the network printers

Communications server A centralized computer that handles common

communications functions for the network,

such as e-mail, fax, dial-up modem, or

Internet services

Application server A centralized computer that shares network-

enabled versions of common application software,

eliminating the need for the software to be installed

on each workstation

Database server A centralized computer that manages a common

database for the network, handling all data storage,

database management, and requests for data

Table 20-1. The Common Server Types Implemented on a Local Area Network