Chapter Summary

With this chapter, you've taken your first steps toward a clear vision of networking. A computer network might consist of a couple of PCs, some cables, and a little hardware and software, typically called a LAN. Alternatively, a network might comprise hundreds or thousands of computers in a large company, along with multiple and various cables and networking devices and numerous sites, typically called an enterprise network. Or a network might be the whole Internet, which literally includes hundreds of millions of computers, billions of people, most companies in the world, and untold numbers of networking devices and cables.

A network is a combination of hardware, software, and cabling, which together allow multiple computing devices to communicate with each other. Regardless of size, one of the great things about networking is that its basics apply to all these types of networks.

As promised in the Introduction, by the time you are finished with this book, you should have built a wide range of knowledge about networking technology, concepts, and terminology. You should also have a firm and accurate foundation of knowledge from which you can dive into networking to a deeper level.