A computer network is a group of computer systems and other computing hardware devices that are linked together through communication channels to facilitate communication and resource-sharing among a wide range of users. Networks are commonly categorized based on their characteristics.
There are many types of networks, including:
Local Area Networks (LAN)
Personal Area Networks (PAN)
Home Area Networks (HAN)
Wide Area Networks (WAN)
Campus Networks
Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN)
Enterprise Private Networks
Internetworks
Backbone Networks (BBN)
Global Area Networks (GAN)
The Internet
Computer networks can be broken down historically into topologies. A topology is a technique of connecting computers. The most common topology today is a collapsed ring. This is due to the success of a network protocol called the Ethernet. This protocol, or a network language, supports the Internet, Local Area Networks, and Wide Area Networks.