Preparation for Lecture 9

Read section A of chapter 7. This lecture will introduce you to computer networks. Networks are interesting both because they are an important component of most modern computer systems, and because "systems thinking" plays an important role in how networks are built. This lecture will teach three important points:

• How computer networks solve the problem of sharing physical links amongst different communications.
• What network switches do and why they are useful.
• What a best effort network is.

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