Networking is a process of connecting two or more computer together for the purpose of sharing data. For the organizations, this can be a unique benefit. Instead of putting any given data into various computers, you can put it into one computer and then have that computer share the information with rest of the computers with the help of networking software and hardware. Networking make life easier and has proved to be exceptional time saving tools.

In order to set up a network of computers in your office, you will need networking hardware such as a file server, network interface cards, Ethernet cards, local talk connectors, a switch, a router, and/or bridges. Other than that you would also require the networking software. A Networking Software is a set of primitives that define the code of action between two or more computers. The network software allows all the computers in a network to connect and communicate with one other and share the data. It includes the all information that needs to be carried in a package containing a “header” and a “trailer”. The header and trailer hold information for the receiving computer, such as the address of that computer and how the information package is coded. Information is transferred between computers as either electrical signal in electric wires, as light signals in fiber-optic cables, or as electromagnetic waves through space.

A networking operating system differs from DOS based and Windows applications. Network operating systems are primarily classified in two types of networks- client and server network and peer-to-peer network. If you are planning to set up a small yet simple networking system then a peer-to-peer network could be the best solution and for larger systems, a client/server suits well.
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