|  |  | Summary
In this chapter, you learned about the components of a computer and the role of computers in a networking system. More specifically, you learned that: Computers are vital components of every network. The more that we know about computers, the easier it is to understand networks. It is important to be familiar with the components of a computer and to be able to install a NIC. Also, troubleshooting PC's is a necessary skill for someone who works on networks. Software is the piece of the puzzle that allows the user to interface with the hardware. In networking, web browsers and email are commonly used software programs. In general, office applications, browsers, and email programs are used to perform business tasks. Computers can only understand and process data that is in a binary format, which is represented by 0s and 1s. The two main types of networks are LANs and WANs. WANs connect LANs together. LANs and WANs use protocols as languages to allow for computers and networking devices to communicate with each other. Bandwidth and throughput are measures of the speed or capacity of a network. In the next chapter, you will learn about the OSI reference model and how each layer of the OSI model performs certain functions as data travels through the layers.