Network Architecture

Network architecture is the design of a communications network. It is a framework for the specification of a network's physical components and their functional organization and configuration, its operational principles and procedures, as well as data formats used in its operation.

In computing, the network architecture is a characteristics of a computer network. The most prominent architecture today is evident in the framework of the Internet, which is based on the Internet Protocol Suite.

In telecommunication, the specification of a network architecture may also include a detailed description of products and services delivered via a communications network, as well as detailed rate and billing structures under which services are compensated.

In distinct usage in distributed computing, network architecture is also sometimes used as a synonym for the structure and classification of distributed application architecture, as the participating nodes in a distributed application are often referred to as a network. For example, the applications architecture of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) has been termed the Advanced Intelligent Network. There are any number of specific classifications but all lie on a continuum between the dumb network (e.g., Internet) and the intelligent computer network (e.g., the telephone network). Other networks contain various elements of these two classical types to make them suitable for various types of applications. Recently the context aware network, which is a synthesis of the two, has gained much interest with its ability to combine the best elements of both.