Computer Network

A computer network.

A computer network is multiple computers connected together using a telecommunication system for the purpose of communicating and sharing resources.
Experts in the field of networking debate whether two computers that are connected together using some form of communications medium constitute a network. Therefore, some works state that a network requires three connected computers.

For example, "Telecommunications: Glossary of Telecommunication Terms"states that a computer network is "A network of data processing nodes that are interconnected for the purpose of data communication", the term "network" being defined in the same document as "An interconnection of three or more communicating entities". A computer connected to a non-computing device (e.g., networked to a printer via an Ethernet link) may also represent a computer network, although this article does not address this configuration.


This article uses the definition which requires two or more computers to be connected together to form a network. Therefore, this does not include intranets, due to their not needing to be connected via two or more computers.The same basic functions are generally present in this case as with larger numbers of connected computers.