Computer networking device
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Computer networking devices are units that mediate data in a computer network. Computer networking devices are also called network equipment, Intermediate Systems (IS) or InterWorking Unit (IWU). Units which are the last receiver or generate data are called hosts or data terminal equipment.
Some hybrid network devices:
- Multilayer Switch: a switch which, in addition to switching on OSI layer 2, provides functionality at higher protocol layers.
- Protocol Converter: a hardware device that converts between two different types of transmissions, such as asynchronous and synchronous transmissions.
- Bridge Router(Brouter): Combine router and bridge functionality and are therefore working on OSI layers 2 and 3.
- Digital media receiver: Connects a computer network to a home theatre
Hardware or software components that typically sit on the connection point of different networks, e.g. between an internal network and an external network:
- Proxy: computer network service which allows clients to make indirect network connections to other network services
- Firewall: a piece of hardware or software put on the network to prevent some communications forbidden by the network policy
- Network Address Translator: network service provide as hardware or software that converts internal to external network addresses and vice versa
Other hardware for establishing networks or dial-up connections:
- Multiplexer: device that combines several electrical signals into a single signal
- Network Card: a piece of computer hardware to allow the attached computer to communicate by network
- Modem: device that modulates an analog "carrier" signal (such as sound), to encode digital information, and that also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information, as a computer communicating with another computer over the telephone network
- ISDN terminal adapter (TA): a specialized gateway for ISDN
- Line Driver: a device to increase transmission distance by amplifying the signal. Base-band networks only.
