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Technical basics
ELSA MicroLink Cable
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Network technology
This section will give you a brief introduction to the basics of network technology. These
descriptions do not cover all possible techniques, processes and terms associated with
network technology. They only cover the topic to the degree necessary to provide an
understanding of the product information.
The network and its components
Network,
transmission
medium,
interfaces
Whenever several computers communicate with one another, this connection is called a
network. For computers to be able to communicate, they need a physical medium
through which the information can be transmitted. This can be a cable or radio link, for
example, that is connected to the computers using special interfaces (e.g. network
adapters).
The term network cable (or simply cable) in the following text also refers to any other
physical medium that can take on the function of the cable, such as wireless links.
Packets
Cells
The individual bits of electronic information that are sent from one computer to another
through a medium are called packets or cells, depending on the process.
For most of the following explanations, the difference between packets and cells is
irrelevant. Therefore, we will use the term packet or data packet in a general sense and
only detail the special characteristics of cells as necessary.
Host
The computer and other terminal devices (e.g. the printer) in a network that generate or
process information are called hosts. Ideally, a host is not responsible for the task of
forwarding information. A host normally has exactly one interface to the network.
Router
The transport of packets between two hosts occurs indirectly through exchanges that
pass packets on to the target computer. These exchanges are called routers. A router
has at least two interfaces so that it can receive the data from a sender and pass them
on to a recipient. Apart from the exchange function, the router also has the properties of
a host so that it can also be the recipient of data packets, for configuration purposes for
example.
Connection modes
Point-to-point
connection
The connection of exactly two hosts via a medium is called a “point-to-point connection”.
In this case a host sends packets that can only be received by
one
specific recipient
(unambiguous connection).