N
early everything surrounding communications involves a network of one kind or
another these days. The telephone system, technically the Public Switched Tele-
phoneNetwork(PSTN),andthePCcanbeusedtogethertoconnecttoothercom-
putersusinglocalandglobalnetworks.TherapidgrowthoftheInternethasdramatically
increased the use of computer-based communications in several forms.
This chapter discusses the common means used to connect a PC to networks, including
dial-u pnetworks, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet,
and takes a brief look at wireless networks.Network Basics
Networking has a language all of its own and, depending on how much you want to get
into its technology, you can learn what amounts to a foreign language. So, before getting
into the specifics of networking, a quick overview of some general network terms and
concepts is a good idea.What Is a Network?
In its most basic form, a network is two or more computers that are connected with a
communications line for purposes of sharing resources. Figure 20-1 illustrates a basic
network that connects Tom’s PC to Sally’s PC so that they can share each other’s files. So,
if two (or more) computers connect to each other over a telephone line or through a piece
of cable or even through a wireless connection and the users are able to access ad share
files and peripheral devices on the other computers, a network is formed. Most networks
are a little more complicated than this, but essentially the arrangement just described is
all that is really necessary.(^510) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
Figure 20-1. A simple network structure