net working -- networking -- network 'ing

how is your network switched???

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google defines the word network like so. pretty simple as a basic concept. in fact, most of us take for granted how much of our enironment is networked.

stop and think about it. your phone, cell, car, music player, computer, pda, tv, maybe even your dvd player or fridge, are all networked these days. we often forget about this fact, or don't fully comprehend how pervasive this new paradigm is. our whole lives are being connected by networks, and little by little, we're forgetting how things work when they're not networked.

the simplest definition of a network is two or more objects or entities connected a such a manner as to allow communication or the sharing of resources. this doesn't necessarily have to involve computers. the pots (plain old telephone service) system is a network. the postal system is a network. your circle of friends is a network.

the method which the data and/or resources are conveyed or transmitted makes up the format, or protocol of the network. the hardware that actually connects the networked items can be referred to as the infrastructure.

okay, so, let's break this down just a little further. in the case of pots (the phone system), the protocol (at least on one level) is known as circuit switching. the pots system is a circuit switched network. the hardware, or infrastructure involved would be the wiring in your house or office, the bridge which connects your home's wiring to the phone company's wiring, the copper that runs to your local exchange, and so on and so forth.

now, on a bit of a side note, the public phone system is no longer circuit switched (and hasn't been for a long time) but the connection your phone makes to the exchange is still circuit switched. they now use what's called packet switching to actually route the calls around (it's how the internet works...) for efficiency's sake.

with circuit switching, an actual electrical circuit is formed between the point of origin (you) and the termination point (whoever you're talking to), which means it's not very efficient (because you have to have a dedicated physical connection all the way from the start to the end...) all the time.

so, somebody very much smarter than myself thought of the idea of packet switching. with a packet switched network, there is still a connection between you and whoever you're connected with, but it's not dedicated. in other words, it's not open all the time. the networking protocol (the method, remember?) basically chops up whatever you're sending into little chunks, called packets. now, this may seem kind of silly, at first, but there are certain distinct advantages you gain by utilizing packet switching. one of the most important (basically, the reason it was created) is that more than one connection can be made over the same pipeline.

confused, yet? okay, think about it this way--if you live in the boonies and have one neighbor next door, but only one phone line comes out that far, only one of you can be on the phone at a time (since it's circuit switched). whenever you're talking on the phone, the connection is being held open on your end. now, if that same line was set up to use packet switching, both of you could use the line at once. instead of the information flowing in a circuit, packets from your house and your neighbor's house can be alternated down the same line (much like red and blue cars using the same road). on the receiving end, the protocol takes all the particular packets that belong together and reassembles them in the correct order.

and the best part is, it all happens so fast, humans can't tell. it runs behind the scenes. a good example of how fast this process actually is, is your cell phone...

when you're talking on a cell phone, you perceive a constant stream of audio going from your phone to whoever you're talking to, and a corresponding stream coming from them to you. but actually, your phone takes samples of your voice (hundreds of samples every second) and sends these little chunks as packets. on the other end, they're put back together in the right order and it all happens so fast that to you, it sounds like a constant stream of voice. (a good analogy would be a film strip--lots of individual frames, run in order, fast enough, looks like a moving image to the human eye. this works the same way, but with audio... or anything else you like).

there are other benefits--one of the most useful of these benefits is error correction. using certain techniques, (all of which are beyond the scope of this post) the validity of each packet. if a bad one is detected, it's a simple matter to re-send the bunk packet rather than sending the whole thing again...

now, there are many forms a network can take, and many methods and hardware types which can be utilized to network devices. different methods have different stengths and weaknesses. certain techniques work better for some purposes and others work better for others. unless you're a nerdy von nerdberg, or a curious mind, most of that is more than you'll ever need to learn about. but, even if you never plan on setting up a network, or fixing a networking problem, or don't care what goes on behind the scenes, you should still get a basic understanding of what these networks actually do and some of the things of which they are capable.

we use various networks everyday of our lives (often without even thinking about it) and careless and ignorance are the two biggest ways to get into trouble. those who know, know, and those who don't fall victim. so pay attention.

hope this helped (or entertained) somebody out there. if you've got anything to say, please feel free.

--theAdmin