Computer network

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A computer network is a group of two or more computers connected to each other. Usually, this means that the speed of the connection is fast - faster than your connection to the Internet. In fact, two computers connected over the Internet is not considered a computer network. Some basic types of computer networks include:

• A local area network (often called a LAN) connects two or more computers in a house or an office.
• A corporate network enables communication among various offices of the same organization.
• An "internetwork", sometimes called a Wide Area Network (because of the wide distance between networks) connects two or more smaller networks together. The largest internetwork is called the Internet.

Computers can be part of several different networks. Networks can also be parts of bigger networks. The local area network in a department store is usually connected to the corporate network of the parent company, and may have privileges with the corporate network of a bank. Any connected machine at any level of the organization may be able to access the Internet, for example to demonstrate computers in the store, display its catalogue through a web server, or convert received orders into shipping instructions.

Microsoft Windows, Linux and most other operating systems use TCP/IP for networking. Apple Macintosh computers used Appletalk in the past, but it uses TCP/IP now.

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