Networking is one of the most significant steps in the electronic evolution since the invention of the PC. A computer network is a group of connected computers that allow the sharing of information and peripherals. The most basic network is made up of two computers connected by some kind of cable in order to exchange information more quickly and efficiently. A standalone computer is very useful to many businesses, but without a network, those businesses would have to spend twice the amount of money on computerization than they would have to by implementing a network.
A network allows many computers to share peripheral devices such as printers and facsimile machines. The two primary benefits of computer networks are sharing of devices and data. There are two basic types of networks: peer-to-peer and server-based. On a peer-to-peer network, any computer can act as a server to share resources with other machines and as a client to access these resources. On the other hand, server-based networks require a server computer whose job is to respond to requests for services or resources from clients elsewhere on the network. Server-based networks are used in most organizations today. There is an advantage to server-based networks such that it centralizes user accounts and eases maintenance with less need for administration. There are some disadvantages as well. Two of the largest and most common disadvantages are server failure and initial start up cost. When the server fails, the whole system is considered useless until the server is fixed. Servers can also be very expensive, ranging from $5000.00 to $150,000.00. Also, in order to cut down on server failure, special-purpose server software, hardware and expert staff is required. This will increase cost, but in the long run networks have proven to be very profitable by cutting down on day-to-day office expenditures.
Before a server can be incorporated into a business, a network layout and the topology of the network must be determined.