What is Workstations?

A type of computer used for engineering applications(CAD/CAM), desktop publishing, software development, and other types of applications that require a moderate amount of computing power and relatively high quality graphicscapabilities.

Workstations generally come with a large, high-resolutiongraphics screen, at least 64 MB (megabytes) of RAM, built-innetwork support, and a graphical user interface. Most workstations also have a mass storage device such as a disk drive, but a special type of workstation, called a diskless workstation, comes without a disk drive. The most common operating systems for workstations are UNIX and Windows NT.

In terms of computing power, workstations lie between personal computers and minicomputers, although the line is fuzzy on both ends. High-end personal computers are equivalent to low-end workstations. And high-end workstations are equivalent to minicomputers.

What is Gateway?

A gateway is a network point that acts as an entrance to another network. On the Internet, anode or stopping point can be either a gateway node or a host (end-point) node. Both the computers of Internet users and the computers that serve pages to users are host nodes. The computers that control traffic within your company's network or at your local Internet service provider (ISP) are gateway nodes.

In the network for an enterprise, a computer server acting as a gateway node is often also acting as a proxy server and a firewall server. A gateway is often associated with both arouter, which knows where to direct a given packet of data that arrives at the gateway, and a switch, which furnishes the actual path in and out of the gateway for a given packet.

What Is Data Transfer?

Data transfer is the movement of digital information from place to another. Typical data is transferred to and from a computer system. Data transfer can be done using the Internet as well as devices that can connect to a computer. When a data transfer is occurring, the amount of data being sent and received is called the data transfer rate.

Internet When a browser is opened to connect to the Internet, data transfer is occurring. Data from a web page is being sent and processed by the browser to display each web page. Sending information online, whether via a web form or an upload, is another way to transfer data. Another example of data transfer over the Internet is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), such as services like Vonage.
 
Downloading When a file is downloaded on the Internet, the data is being transferred in packets that are being sent electronically and received by the cable or DSL modem. The packets are of data are saved on the computer until the entire file is received. Sometimes there are slowdowns and disconnections that can cause problems with the data transfer.
 
Cameras Data such as pictures that are stored in a camera can engage in data transfer when the device is connected to a computer. Data transfer occurs when the data is copied from the camera to the computer as well as when the data or pictures are viewed on the computer screen or display.

What Is the Difference Between WiFi® and Wireless Internet?

Wireless Internet is just one of the services that WiFi® optionally supports. WiFi® is a wireless communication standard used between computer devices to share files and resources. The WiFi® signal cannot travel long distances without loss of integrity, and it is therefore used for Local Area Networks (LANs). In the home, a wireless LAN might include a personal desktop system and laptop, while in the workplace, a wireless network commonly connects numerous computers within a commercial building. The WiFi® signal might also cover a small region within a city, creating hot spots or places where the WiFi® signal allows connectivity to the public through wireless access points (WAPs).

A WiFi® network is very easy to set up. The main computer acts as a server with a wireless network interface card (NIC). The wireless NIC features a small antenna that broadcasts and receives WiFi® signals. A router and switch direct traffic on the WiFi® network and are commonly built into a high-speed modem to integrate wireless Internet into the WiFi® LAN. Each computer connected to the network, referred to as a client, also requires a WiFi® NIC.

Personal digital assistants, cell phones, and other handheld electronics commonly have WiFi® ability built-in. This allows them to connect wirelessly to a WiFi®-enabled network to transfer files, access data, or surf the Internet.

What Is WiFi?

Wi-Fi, is a wireless networking technology used across the globe. Wi-Fi refers to any system that uses the 802.11 standard, which was developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and released in 1997. The term Wi-Fi, which is alternatively spelled WiFi, Wi-fi, Wifi, or wifi, was pushed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a trade group that pioneered commercialization of the technology.

In a Wi-Fi network, computers with WiFi network cards connect wirelessly to a wireless router. The router is connected to the Internet by means of a modem, typically a cable or DSL modem. Any user within 200 feet or so (about 61 meters) of the access point can then connect to the Internet, though for good transfer rates, distances of 100 feet (30.5 meters) or less are more common. Retailers also sell wireless signal boosters that extend the range of a wireless network.

WiFi networks can either be "open", such that anyone can use them, or "closed", in which case a password is needed. An area blanketed in wireless access is often called a wireless hotspot. There are efforts underway to turn entire cities, such as San Francisco, Portland, and Philadelphia, into big wireless hotspots. Many of these plans will offer free, ad-supported service or ad-free service for a small fee. San Francisco recently chose Google to supply it with a wireless network.

What is Pay as You Go Broadband?

Pay as you go broadband offers mobile broadband services on a pay-as-you-go basis. A subscriber might pay for a single day of use, for a week, or for a month of online access. Pay as you go broadband provides temporary connectivity to people who do not require or desire a contract for ongoing high-speed Internet access. It can also be used as an adjunct to a contractual service, used only when standard service or wireless hotspots are unavailable.

Pay as you go broadband offers instant access to the Internet from almost anywhere using cellular towers. It’s more expensive than many broadband plans, but highly convenient. With pay as you go broadband, you can get high-speed Internet access in the back of a Taxi, on a train, in a park, or anywhere that has cellular service.

To access pay as you go broadband, a user must first purchase a proprietary Universal Serial Bus (USB) dongle or PC Card that handles the connection protocols between your computer and the mobile broadband provider. Some laptops come with an integrated mobile broadband card, intended for a specific cellular provider. If you choose a different provider, you’ll require a dongle or PC Card branded for that service. Once the device is popped into the USB port or PC Card slot, just enter your credentials and advance payment for the desired block of time. Typically the smallest block allowable is 24 hours, which runs about $15 US Dollars (USD), with prices varying internationally. 

What Is 802.1p?

802.1p refers to an IEEE specification for giving Layer 2 switches the ability to prioritize traffic as well as perform dynamic multicast filtering. Basically, it provides a mechanism for implementing Quality of Service at the MAC (Media Access Level) level. Quality of Service (abbreviated QoS) is a mechanism that allows for better handling of data that passes through the network.

The prioritizing specification works at the MAC framing layer of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model. Layer 2 switches, to be compliant with 802.1p, must have the capability of grouping incoming Local Area Network (LAN) packets into separate traffic classes. So far, there are eight classes defined by the 802.1p and are expressed through the 3-bit-user priority field in an IEEE 802.1Q header under the frame. The manner in which the traffic is treated when assigned to any particular class is undefined and left to implementation, and therefore the network managers must determine the actual mappings. The highest priority is seven, and thus it might go to network-critical traffic such as Routing Information Protocol and Open Shortest Path First table updates.

Other priorities represented by values five and six might be for delay-sensitive applications such as interactive video and voice. Classes represented by four to one range from controlled load applications like the streaming multimedia and business critical traffic (such as that carrying SAP data, for example) down to “loss eligible” traffic. The last value (zero) is used as best-effort default, invoked automatically when no other value is set. When in operation, 802.1p requires the use of priority fields within the packet to signal the switch of the priority-handling requirements.

Parts of Computer System

Computer system in contemporary usage refers to a desktop system, including the computer itself ("The CPU" or "The Box") and all the peripheral devices needed to operate it, usually including:

Monitor

A monitor displays information in visual form, using text and graphics. The portion of the monitor that displays the information is called the screen. Like a television screen, a computer screen can show still or moving pictures.

There are two basic types of monitors: CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors and LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors.