Introduction to Networking and Storage

Communication is involved in almost every aspect of daily life. In today’s world, computer networking plays a vital role in communication. Talking with family and friends, paying a bill, checking out at the grocery store, keeping up on the news, and, of course, all the things that go on at work. All of these depend on some form of computer networking. Computer networking is defined as the connection of people through the use of devices and cables, and sometimes wireless signals. This week, you will learn about the basic types and shapes of networks and how they are used. You will also learn about wired connections, wireless connections, and network devices. You will also learn about the basic instructions computers follow so they can connect us in ways we expect. You will understand how data is packaged electronically, which rules are used to send the data, how those rules are made, and how computers determine where to send those data packages.

One of the key components of communicating is understanding *how* to communicate. That includes knowing what enables communication, and what blocks it. This is just as true for computer networking as it is for person-to-person interactions. If you don’t understand the ways to get data from one point to another, the data will never arrive where you want it to.

This week you will learn about the physical connectors that transmit data. And you’ll learn the basic steps for setting up small office or home office networks—both wired and wireless. You’ll also learn more about wireless network types and mobile configurations.

As we’ve discussed, connection plays a vital role in communication. Another key component in communication is memory; information is not useful if it can’t be recalled. Network storage is where the memory is located in computer networking. This week you will learn about different types of network storage. You’ll learn about short-term and long-term memory, and the different ways that memory can be arranged to increase capacity and efficiency. You’ll also learn about local, offsite, and cloud memory and how all these different kinds of memory enable faster and more efficient interaction between people, devices, and software.