Terminology of Networking

Basic Terminology of Networking

Computers on a network typically fall into one of three roles. Usually a computer is considered either a workstation (sometimes referred to as a client), server, or a peer.

What is Workstation? 

These are computers that use network resources, but that do not host resources of their own. For example, a computer that is running Windows XP would be considered a workstation so long as it is connected to a network and is not sharing files or printers.

What is Server?

These are computers that are dedicated to the task of hosting network resources. Typically, nobody is going to be sitting down at a server to do their work. Windows servers (that is, computers running Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 Server, or Windows NT Server) have a user interface that is very similar to what you would find on a Windows workstation. It is possible that someone with an appropriate set of permissions could sit down at the server and run Microsoft Office or some other application. Even so, such behavior is strongly discouraged because it undermines the server’s security, decreases the server’s performance, and has the potential to affect the server’s stability.

A domain, in the context of networking, refers to any group of users, workstations, devices, printers, computers and database servers that share different types of data via network resources. There are also many types of subdomains. 

What is Peer-to-Peer network?

In its simplest form, a peer-to-peer connection means a device connected with another device directly. However, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network is created when two or more PCs are connected and share resources without going through a separate server computer. A P2P network can be an ad hoc connection—a couple of computers connected via a Universal Serial Bus to transfer files. A P2P network also can be a permanent infrastructure that links a half-dozen computers in a small office over copper wires. Or a P2P network can be a network on a much grander scale in which special protocols and applications set up direct relationships among users over the Internet.

The initial use of P2P networks in business followed the deployment in the early 1980s of free-standing PCs. In contrast to the mini mainframes of the day, such as the VS system from Wang Laboratories Inc., which served up word processing and other applications to dumb terminals from a central computer and stored files on a central hard drive, the then-new PCs had self-contained hard drives and built-in CPUs. The smart boxes also had onboard applications, which meant they could be deployed to desktops and be useful without an umbilical cord linking them to a mainframe.

 

What is the difference between host and node?

Host: For companies or individuals with a Web site, a host is a computer with a Web server that serves the pages for one or more Web sites. A host can also be the company that provides that service, which is known as hosting.

Node: In a network, a node is a connection point, either a redistribution point or an end point for data transmissions. In general, a node has programmed or engineered capability to recognize and process or forward transmissions to other nodes.

In short both are similar with a little difference, Host is something which offers services to other nodes connected in a network. Example: Server (all servers are host, but not all hosts are severs). Node is a device which participate in the networking connection for forwarding of packets.