Data Networks and What You Can Do with Them

The alternative to sneakernet is a network consisting of physical links that connect two or more computers and related equipment. These links can use wires, radio signals, or a combination of both to move computer data (and any other information that can be converted to and from computer data) between any pair of network nodes.

Every computer connected to a network sends and receives data through a connector or radio antenna. Depending on the data transfer speed and the network's specific requirements, the computer might use a parallel port, a serial port, an Ethernet port, a USB or FireWire port, or a Wi-Fi antenna. Because these connectors and antennas move data in both directions, they are input/output ...

Get Network Know-How now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.