Characteristics of Networks
Characteristics of computer networks include:
- Interoperability
- Capacity
- Security
Interoperability
- The extent to which a system is able to exchange information regardless of technology.
- In the context of networks, it refers to the set of standards and protocols that allow networks to communicate regardless of different implementations.
Standards and protocols
Definition
Network Protocol
Set of standards and rules that define how all networks format and transmit data.
- There are two main protocols used in modern networks:
- Transmission control protocol (TCP): Defines the origin and recipient of the data and breaks data into packets that must all be delivered for safe data transmission.
- User datagram protocol (UDP): Connectionless protocol that delivers data without safety checks to ensure faster delivery.
- In data transmission over the internet, protocols commonly use IP addresses and DNS servers.
- IP (internet protocol) address: Unique numeric address that is assigned to every device connected to the internet to identify it.
- Domain name server (DNS): A system that translates human-readable domain names into numeric IP addresses.
Capacity
- Two main components of network capacity are:
