networking

Networking is the practice of connecting computers and other devices to share data and resources. It enables communication, collaboration, and access to services across local and wide areas. The field covers design, deployment, operation, and ongoing management of networks.

Networks are organized using models such as the OSI reference model and the TCP/IP protocol suite. They can be categorized by scope: local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), and personal area networks (PANs). Common topologies include star, mesh, and bus, with physical media including copper, fiber, and wireless radio.

Key components include endpoints (hosts, servers), and intervening devices: routers (path selection), switches (frame forwarding), wireless access points, hubs, firewalls, and load balancers. Protocols and addressing: TCP, UDP, IP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SMTP; IPv4 and IPv6; DHCP for address assignment; NAT to conserve addresses.

Security and management: authentication, encryption, VPNs, firewalls, intrusion detection, and regular updates. Performance: metrics like latency, throughput, jitter, packet loss; Quality of Service to prioritize traffic; redundancy and monitoring for reliability. Management practices include configuration management, inventory, change management, and network virtualization.

Emerging trends include software-defined networking (SDN), network function virtualization (NFV), SD-WAN, cloud networking, and edge computing. The field supports both enterprise and service-provider networks, data centers, and home networks as technology evolves.