[ Thanks to newsmaster for this link.
]
“Linux and computer networks are closely tied together.
Understanding some aspects of Linux without at least a basic
knowledge of network concepts is difficult; even for Linux on a PC
that is not connected to any network. This paper will provide
a general introduction to the complex world of computer networks,
without making reference to any particular network technology.”
“Computer networks are everywhere: neither big nor small firms
can live without them, not to mention computer departments, public
offices, and even private users. Many people in the last category
decide to connect a couple of home PCs using cheap network cards,
because the performance is better than with direct cable
connections (both serial and parallel).”
“The most famous network of the world, Internet, is nothing more
than a vast set of interconnected smaller networks. As we shall see
in a while, there is no conceptual difference between the two. In
this paper we will try and understand what a network is, how data
is exchanged through it, and how computers eventually manage to
“talk” to each other.”