Network architecture is the design of a
computer network
A computer network is a collection of communicating computers and other devices, such as printers and smart phones. In order to communicate, the computers and devices must be connected by wired media like copper cables, optical fibers, or b ...
. It is a framework for the specification of a network's physical components and their functional organization and configuration, its operational principles and procedures, as well as
communication protocol
A communication protocol is a system of rules that allows two or more entities of a communications system to transmit information via any variation of a physical quantity. The protocol defines the rules, syntax, semantics (computer science), sem ...
s used.
In
telecommunications
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...
, the specification of a network architecture may also include a detailed description of products and services delivered via a communications network, as well as detailed rate and billing structures under which services are compensated.
The network architecture of the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
is predominantly expressed by its use of the
Internet protocol suite
The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suite are ...
, rather than a specific model for interconnecting networks or nodes in the network, or the usage of specific types of hardware links.
OSI model
The
Open Systems Interconnection model (OSI model) defines and codifies the concept of layered network architecture.
Abstraction layer
In computing, an abstraction layer or abstraction level is a way of hiding the working details of a subsystem. Examples of software models that use layers of abstraction include the OSI model for network protocols, OpenGL, and other graphics libra ...
s are used to subdivide a
communications system
A communications system is a collection of individual telecommunications networks systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole. Commu ...
further into smaller manageable parts. A layer is a collection of similar functions that provide services to the layer above it and receives services from the layer below it. On each layer, an instance provides services to the instances at the layer above and requests services from the layer below.
Distributed computing
In
distributed computing
Distributed computing is a field of computer science that studies distributed systems, defined as computer systems whose inter-communicating components are located on different networked computers.
The components of a distributed system commu ...
, the ''network architecture'' often describes the structure and classification of a distributed application architecture, as the participating nodes in a distributed application are often referred to as a ''network''.
For example, the
applications architecture of the
public switched telephone network
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the aggregate of the world's telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators. It provides infrastructure and services for public telephony. The PSTN consists o ...
(PSTN) has been termed the
Intelligent Network. There are a number of specific classifications but all lie on a continuum between the
dumb network (e.g. the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
) and the intelligent network (e.g. the PSTN).
A popular example of such usage of the term in distributed applications, as well as
permanent virtual circuits, is the organization of nodes in
peer-to-peer (P2P) services and networks. P2P networks usually implement
overlay network
An overlay network is a logical computer network that is protocol layering, layered on top of a physical network. The concept of overlay networking is distinct from the traditional model of OSI model, OSI layered networks, and almost always assum ...
s running over an underlying physical or logical network. These overlay networks may implement certain organizational structures of the nodes according to several distinct models, the network architecture of the system.
See also
*
Network topology
Network topology is the arrangement of the elements (Data link, links, Node (networking), nodes, etc.) of a communication network. Network topology can be used to define or describe the arrangement of various types of telecommunication networks, ...
*
Spawning networks
References
*
External links
Computer Network Architectsat the US Department of Labor
{{Authority control
Telecommunications engineering