Components of a basic computer network
In this section, we will learn about the different components of a computer network. In computer network literature, you will often see the term node being used to represent a computer in a network. In networking domains, a specific nomenclature is used to identify particular devices in a network. We will look at these terms next.
Node
A node is usually a device that is connected to the central device. In a sense, it is a computer that takes part in a communication network. This works for simple and small networks, but as more and more devices get added to a network, different devices start taking up different roles, so we can only simplify a device's role in a network as a node up to a certain point. In qualifying scenarios, nodes can be your laptop, desktop PC, printer, tablet, phone, or any other network connected device.
Server
Servers are computers that hold some information that can be shared over the network to devices...