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Networking 101
... continued
Ok, you
now know that you're going to be setting up what's commonly referred
to as a "Peer to Peer". Let's talk about the
components or hardware that it's going to take to make this little
network happen.
First,
there's the all important Network Interface Card. Anytime you
see someone use the acronym NIC, this is what they're referring to.
Here is a
picture of a common network card used today. This is what we
call a 10/100 card. Pronounced as Ten-One-Hundred. This refers
to the cards ability to work at different speeds. Either
10Megabits or 100Megabits. And of course, "faster is better".
Now,
those of you who are already familiar with networking are saying,
"this isn't the only way to connect computers together".
And your absolutely correct. Over the last few years, there
have been many new connection technologies to arrive on the scene,
some of which are;
-
USB
- HomePNA
(networking through home telephone wiring)
- PCMCIA
(Notebook ethernet adapters)
- 802.11
Wireless adapters
The
wireless is the latest craze for SOHO (Small Office / Home Office) networking.
The main reason is the recent fall (and I do mean fall) in prices.
Let's get
back on track with the "old-fashioned" wired solution for a
little while. When you decided that you're going to get "wired",
there is another very important component needed to tie all your computers
together. A "Hub"! Albeit, most of the time
now, what you buy is called a "Switch".
 
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