Chapter 2
In Chapter 1, "Introduction to Networking," we examined the nature of a network. General terms were introduced that describe what networks are, how they are structured, and how they can benefit us. In this second chapter, we look deeper into the physical aspects of a network to learn about the cables and circuitry that connect one computer to another.
The information presented in this chapter builds on what you learned in Chapter 1. In particular, you need to understand the differences between local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), between peer-to-peer networking and server-based networking, and among the various network topologies.