What Is A Node?

Date First Published: 24th February 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Network Setups

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 5/10

CONTENTS

Categorisation

Learn more about what a node is in this article.

A node refers to any physical, electronic device, or system that is connected to a network. The proper definition is 'any communication endpoint in a network'. For example, if four computers are connected to a printer by a network, there would be five nodes on that network. Each device on the network has a network address, such as a MAC address address and an IP address that uniquely identifies it. They uniquely identify each device on the network by a hardware identification number (MAC address) and a string of unique numbers assigned to a network (IP address). This makes it easier to keep track of where data is being transferred on the network.

Note:

Nodes that are offline or without an IP or MAC address can no longer function as a node.

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Every node is capable of transmitting, receiving, and creating data over a communication channel, which may include Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The most common node is a personal computer. It is known as the computer node or internet node.

Categorisation

Nodes can be categorised by network topology. Network topologies are how nodes are arranged in a physical computer network. There are several different types of network topologies, which include:

Bus topology - A type of network topology where connected devices of the network are directly connected to a single cable, known as a backbone.
Ring topology - A type of network topology where every network device connects to exactly two other network devices. This forms a ring for the signals to travel.
Star topology - A type of network topology where every network device has its own cable that connects to a router or switch.
Mesh topology - Each node connects to every other node. It is a network setup where each computer and network device is interconnected with each other.
Tree topology - A combination of the features of star and bus topologies. Connected elements are arranged in a similar way to the branches of a tree. It is a network topology where there can only be one connection between any two connected nodes.