<s>
Networking	B-Device
hardware	I-Device
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
network	B-Device
equipment	I-Device
or	O
computer	B-Device
networking	I-Device
devices	I-Device
,	O
are	O
electronic	O
devices	O
which	O
are	O
required	O
for	O
communication	O
and	O
interaction	O
between	O
devices	O
on	O
a	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Specifically	O
,	O
they	O
mediate	O
data	O
transmission	O
in	O
a	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Units	O
which	O
are	O
the	O
last	O
receiver	O
or	O
generate	O
data	O
are	O
called	O
hosts	O
,	O
end	B-Protocol
systems	I-Protocol
or	O
data	O
terminal	O
equipment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Networking	B-Device
devices	I-Device
includes	O
a	O
broad	O
range	O
of	O
equipment	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
classified	O
as	O
core	O
network	O
components	O
which	O
interconnect	O
other	O
network	O
components	O
,	O
hybrid	O
components	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
core	O
or	O
border	O
of	O
a	O
network	O
and	O
hardware	B-Architecture
or	O
software	O
components	O
which	O
typically	O
sit	O
on	O
the	O
connection	O
point	O
of	O
different	O
networks	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
common	O
kind	O
of	O
networking	B-Device
hardware	I-Device
today	O
is	O
a	O
copper-based	O
Ethernet	B-Protocol
adapter	I-Protocol
which	O
is	O
a	O
standard	O
inclusion	O
on	O
most	O
modern	O
computer	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
networking	B-Device
hardware	I-Device
used	O
in	O
computers	O
includes	O
data	B-Operating_System
center	I-Operating_System
equipment	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
file	B-Application
servers	I-Application
,	O
database	B-Application
servers	I-Application
and	O
storage	O
areas	O
)	O
,	O
network	B-General_Concept
services	I-General_Concept
(	O
such	O
as	O
DNS	B-Protocol
,	O
DHCP	B-Protocol
,	O
email	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
as	O
well	O
as	O
devices	O
which	O
assure	O
content	B-Operating_System
delivery	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taking	O
a	O
wider	O
view	O
,	O
mobile	O
phones	O
,	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
and	O
devices	O
associated	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
internet	I-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
things	I-Operating_System
may	O
also	O
be	O
considered	O
networking	B-Device
hardware	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
technology	O
advances	O
and	O
IP-based	O
networks	B-Architecture
are	O
integrated	O
into	O
building	O
infrastructure	O
and	O
household	O
utilities	O
,	O
network	B-Device
hardware	I-Device
will	O
become	O
an	O
ambiguous	O
term	O
owing	O
to	O
the	O
vastly	O
increasing	O
number	O
of	O
network	O
capable	O
endpoints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Device
hardware	I-Device
can	O
be	O
classified	O
by	O
its	O
location	O
and	O
role	O
in	O
the	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gateway	B-Application
:	O
an	O
interface	O
providing	O
a	O
compatibility	O
between	O
networks	B-Architecture
by	O
converting	O
transmission	O
speeds	O
,	O
protocols	O
,	O
codes	O
,	O
or	O
security	O
measures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Router	B-Protocol
:	O
a	O
networking	B-Device
device	I-Device
that	O
forwards	O
data	B-Protocol
packets	I-Protocol
between	O
computer	B-Architecture
networks	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Routers	B-Protocol
perform	O
the	O
"	O
traffic	O
directing	O
"	O
functions	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
data	B-Protocol
packet	I-Protocol
is	O
typically	O
forwarded	O
from	O
one	O
router	B-Protocol
to	O
another	O
through	O
the	O
networks	B-Architecture
that	O
constitute	O
the	O
internetwork	O
until	O
it	O
reaches	O
its	O
destination	O
node	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Switch	B-Protocol
:	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
connects	O
devices	O
together	O
on	O
a	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
,	O
by	O
using	O
packet	B-Protocol
switching	I-Protocol
to	O
receive	O
,	O
process	O
and	O
forward	O
data	O
to	O
the	O
destination	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
less	O
advanced	O
network	B-Protocol
hubs	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
network	B-Protocol
switch	I-Protocol
forwards	O
data	O
only	O
to	O
one	O
or	O
multiple	O
devices	O
that	O
need	O
to	O
receive	O
it	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
broadcasting	O
the	O
same	O
data	O
out	O
of	O
each	O
of	O
its	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bridge	B-Protocol
:	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
connects	O
multiple	O
network	B-Protocol
segments	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Repeater	B-Protocol
hub	I-Protocol
:	O
for	O
connecting	O
multiple	O
Ethernet	O
devices	O
together	O
and	O
making	O
them	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
single	O
network	B-Protocol
segment	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
multiple	O
input/output	B-General_Concept
(	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
)	O
ports	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
a	O
signal	O
introduced	O
at	O
the	O
input	O
of	O
any	O
port	B-Protocol
appears	O
at	O
the	O
output	O
of	O
every	O
port	B-Protocol
except	O
the	O
original	O
incoming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
hub	B-Protocol
works	O
at	O
the	O
physical	B-Application
layer	I-Application
(	O
layer	B-Application
1	I-Application
)	O
of	O
the	O
OSI	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Repeater	B-Protocol
hubs	I-Protocol
also	O
participate	O
in	O
collision	O
detection	O
,	O
forwarding	O
a	O
jam	O
signal	O
to	O
all	O
ports	O
if	O
it	O
detects	O
a	O
collision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hubs	B-Protocol
are	O
now	O
largely	O
obsolete	O
,	O
having	O
been	O
replaced	O
by	O
network	B-Protocol
switches	I-Protocol
except	O
in	O
very	O
old	O
installations	O
or	O
specialized	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multilayer	B-Application
switch	I-Application
:	O
a	O
switch	B-Protocol
that	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
switching	O
on	O
OSI	O
layer	O
2	O
,	O
provides	O
functionality	O
at	O
higher	O
protocol	O
layers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Protocol	O
converter	O
:	O
a	O
hardware	B-Architecture
device	O
that	O
converts	O
between	O
two	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
transmission	O
,	O
for	O
interoperation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bridge	B-Device
router	I-Device
(	O
brouter	B-Device
)	O
:	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
works	O
as	O
a	O
bridge	B-Protocol
and	O
as	O
a	O
router	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
brouter	B-Device
routes	O
packets	B-Protocol
for	O
known	O
protocols	O
and	O
simply	O
forwards	O
all	O
other	O
packets	B-Protocol
as	O
a	O
bridge	B-Protocol
would	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hardware	B-Architecture
or	O
software	O
components	O
which	O
typically	O
sit	O
on	O
the	O
connection	O
point	O
of	O
different	O
networks	B-Architecture
(	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
between	O
an	O
internal	O
network	O
and	O
an	O
external	O
network	O
)	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Proxy	B-Application
server	I-Application
:	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
service	O
which	O
allows	O
clients	O
to	O
make	O
indirect	O
network	O
connections	O
to	O
other	O
network	B-General_Concept
services	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Firewall	B-Application
:	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
hardware	B-Architecture
or	O
software	O
put	O
on	O
the	O
network	O
to	O
prevent	O
some	O
communications	O
forbidden	O
by	O
the	O
network	O
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
firewall	B-Application
typically	O
establishes	O
a	O
barrier	O
between	O
a	O
trusted	O
,	O
secure	O
internal	O
network	O
and	O
another	O
outside	O
network	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
that	O
is	O
assumed	O
to	O
not	O
be	O
secure	O
or	O
trusted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
translator	I-Protocol
(	O
NAT	O
)	O
:	O
network	B-General_Concept
service	I-General_Concept
(	O
provided	O
as	O
hardware	B-Architecture
or	O
as	O
software	O
)	O
that	O
converts	O
internal	O
to	O
external	O
network	O
addresses	O
and	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Residential	B-Application
gateway	I-Application
:	O
interface	O
between	O
a	O
WAN	O
connection	O
to	O
an	O
internet	O
service	O
provider	O
and	O
the	O
home	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Terminal	B-Device
server	I-Device
:	O
connects	O
devices	O
with	O
a	O
serial	O
port	B-Protocol
to	O
a	O
local	O
area	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
hardware	B-Architecture
devices	O
used	O
for	O
establishing	O
networks	B-Architecture
or	O
dial-up	O
connections	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Protocol
interface	I-Protocol
controller	I-Protocol
(	O
NIC	O
)	O
:	O
a	O
device	O
connecting	O
a	O
computer	O
to	O
a	O
wire-based	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wireless	B-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
interface	I-General_Concept
controller	I-General_Concept
:	O
a	O
device	O
connecting	O
the	O
attached	O
computer	O
to	O
a	O
radio-based	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modem	B-Application
:	O
device	O
that	O
modulates	O
an	O
analog	O
"	O
carrier	O
"	O
signal	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
sound	O
)	O
to	O
encode	O
digital	O
information	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
also	O
demodulates	O
such	O
a	O
carrier	O
signal	O
to	O
decode	O
the	O
transmitted	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ISDN	B-Protocol
terminal	I-Protocol
adapter	I-Protocol
(	O
TA	O
)	O
:	O
a	O
specialized	O
gateway	B-Application
for	O
ISDN	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
driver	O
:	O
a	O
device	O
to	O
increase	O
transmission	O
distance	O
by	O
amplifying	O
the	O
signal	O
;	O
used	O
in	O
base-band	O
networks	B-Architecture
only	O
.	O
</s>
