Access Methods in Networking

Access Methods in Networking – Networking Terminology refers to the things that are used to communicate like Nodes, Media, Servers, Hosts, and Workstations. let’s take a brief look at each of them.

Nodes – (Access Method in Networking)

The PCs and the server are known as network devices or network nodes. In general, a device or node is connected directly to the network cable or data path.

Media

The media and data bus are collectively used to refer to the data path. Media can be

1. bounded, such as a cable or wire.
2. unbounded, such as free space.

Most LANs use bounded media, although there is current interest in developing unbounded radio broadcast LANs.

Server

The term server refers to any device that offers a service to network users. a server can be hardware, software, or both. The server can be PCs doing double duty, or they can be special-purpose devices. The most common ones are file servers, print servers, and gateways (also known as communications servers).

Host

The term host refers to the microcomputer attached to a network device. It may also refer to the native operating system on a workstation. Thus Windows XP is a host operating system, and an IBM PC or PS/2 may be host to a server.

Workstation

A workstation is a computer used as a node on a network primarily used to run application programs. in the IBM Token-Ring Network, any IBM PC-compatible computer can be used as a workstation.

Accessing Methods and Technologies Used in Networking.

There are three ways to access the Internet:

1. Students of schools and colleges can access the Internet at no cost through their school. they can usually use e-mail, chat, FTP, and telnet services.
2. Use a commercial online service like CompuServe, America Online, etc. to access Internet services that allow you to explore the internet as part of the monthly fee.
3. Use an Internet Service Provider (ISP), to access the internet for a monthly fee.

A major consideration in deciding which type of access to choose used to be how many hours you expect to be online each month until last year subscriptions were typically based on the number of online hours. you can purchase plans that include from five to twenty hours per month, with an additional fee for each hour over.

Many of the services also offer unlimited-use plans and include a discount if you pay for a year in advance. Because of the intense competition for subscribers, pricing plans rarely remain constant in today’s market. it is important to examine the pricing structure of the commercial online services and then compare them to a couple of ISPs before making a decision about which to choose. other questions you should consider in selecting a provider are:

1. What services do they provide access to (e-mail, Telnet, Usenet)?
2. What access rates can they support? A fast modem does no good if your service provider only supports slower ones.
3. How many incoming lines do they have-how often can you expect a busy signal?
4. Do they have access numbers in other cities so you can connect when you travel?
5. Whom do you call if you have a problem with the service? What hours is technical support available?

Special Consideration for the Blinds

With the help of the Internet, like a telephone, you can use your PC to talk, chat and send messages to anyone owning a PC or any other type of computer that is connected to the Internet. The Internet provides special services for blind people to express their views with others all over the world.

With Speech, Recognition Technique blinds can use the Internet and send their messages in voice to any other system which have multimedia facilities and a connection to the Internet. Dragon natural speaking software is one such software that converts speech into text.

Also, read

1. Domain Name System
2. network architecture in networking
3. Client-server architecture
4. Types of internet connection
5. Internet security threats