What Is A Computer Network?


Introduction

Network applications are everywhere in today’s modern computing environment. If you use email, a Web browser, or a chat program like AOL Instant Messenger, you are using software applications powered by network technology.

This chapter serves two primary purposes. First, it gives you a broad understanding of key networking concepts and terminology. Here you will learn the difference between server software and server hardware, the meanings of the terms network, socket, port, packet, datagram, TCP/IP and UDP, how InputStreams and OutputStreams are used to transfer data between network applications, and how applications can be physically and logically distributed in a network environment. You will learn how client applications logically interact with server applications. And finally, you will learn the concepts associated with calling methods on an object across a network. This is referred to as Remote Method Invocation (RMI).

The second purpose of this chapter is to introduce you to the concepts of multi-tiered, distributed applications. Modern network applications are often logically tiered with one or more of the logical tiers physically deployed on different computers. It will be important for you to understand the terminology associated with these concepts as you learn to write network-enabled Java applications.

Upon completion of this chapter you will have a solid foundation upon which to successfully approach chapters 20 - Client-Server Applications, and 21 - Applets and JDBC. This chapter is not, however, a compendium on the topic of network programming or distributed applications. The subject is much too rich to adequately cover in one chapter and is quite beyond the scope of this book. If you are interested in pursuing something you learn here in more detail then I recommend you select one of the excellent sources listed in the references section and follow your interests. An excellent place to learn more about Internet programming is the Internet FAQ Archives: [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/]




Java For Artists(c) The Art, Philosophy, and Science of Object-Oriented Programming
Java For Artists: The Art, Philosophy, And Science Of Object-Oriented Programming
ISBN: 1932504052
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 452

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net