Notes: The Basics of Networking Devices
Hubs, Switches, and Routers: what are they and why they make the Internet world spin.
Computer Networking is the name given to the full scope of how computers communicate with each other. Networking involves ensuring that computers can hear each other, they speak protocols other computers can understand, and that they repeat messages not fully delivered.
The two main models we use to describe the different layers at play with Computer Networking are the TCP/IP model that has five layers, and the OSI model, which has seven layers.
The protocols in each layer carry the ones above them to get data from one place to the next. This is because the protocol used to carry data from one side of the cable to the other is totally different from the protocol used to carry data from one side of the world to the other. But, both of these protocols need to work at the same time to make the internet work.
Networking devices also read those protocols, to determine where to forward traffic. In this story, we introduce the three basic networking devices that make the internet work: the Cables, the Hub, the Switch, and the Router.
This is the first in a series of “notes” stories. “Notes” stories are just this; my notes on various things I…
