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Linking park
The essence of Networking
by GAURAB RAJ UPADHAYA
| FROM ISSUE # 127 (July 2006) | IN THIS ISSUE | |||
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For most people looking for a career in Information Technology, Networking is an option to be explored. Though most understand networking as the ability to interconnect computers in offices to share files and a common printer, companies are using it to share Internet access also. 
There are multiple components even in a simple network. There's the cabling that connects computers. Cables are of various quality but they all follow a certain cabling standard set by Electronic Industries Alliance/Telecommunication Industry Association (EIA/TIA). There are connectors that look like a telephone jack that plugs into the back of the computer. These are called RJ45 connectors and the cables are crimped into them according to established standards. At the network's centre is the switch from where the cables fan out. The switch can have varying capacities like 8 ports, 16 ports, 24 ports or even 48 ports. The features of the switch can be different as some may provide management access and some may not.
The most common software used in networking is Microsoft Windows desktops, barring a few Linux/Unix servers and may be a few Apple computers. All these systems made by different groups can talk to each other thanks to the protocols such as TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/ Internet Protocol), which have been standardised by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
As the working world grows increasingly dependent on the Internet, companies are starting to replace modems and telephone lines with wireless and cable broadband. For broadband, a router is needed. The router connects two different networks so they can communicate. In big organisations, feature-rich routers are preferred whereas for homes and individual usage, smaller routers are used. some organisations also use Linux servers as router.
There are many aspects of Networking. People can specialise in one field and find plenty of work. What aspect is the most important? The answer is simple: in networking, you need to understand the fundamentals such as the EIA/TIA standards, the workings of Internet Protocol and associated products like TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). All equipment vendors must follow these standards otherwise their equipment cannot be included in the network. Developing expertise on basic topics will help you specialise later in any of the advanced options available. Cisco Systems, being an early player in networking, has over 70 percent of the worldwide router market, followed by Juniper Networks as a distant second. In the desktop market Microsoft Windows has over 90 percent dominance.
In 2001, Asia Pacific Development Information Program (APDIP) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in collaboration with Cisco Systems initiated the Cisco Networking Academy programme as a part of the least developing countries initiative. One of the countries covered under this project was Nepal. About six such academies are in operation in Nepal now. The online courses at all the academies are similar and are research- based. Apart from teaching students to make cables, create networks, configure routers, and high-level routing on the Internet, the programme provides basic networking knowledge. For more information, visit http://cisco.netacad.net