A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information.

Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics such as the medium used to transport the data, communications protocol

Communications protocol

A communications protocol is a system of digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications...

 used, scale, topology

Network topology

Network topology is the layout pattern of interconnections of the various elements of a computer or biological network....

, and organizational scope.

The rules and data formats for exchanging information in a computer network are defined by communications protocol

Communications protocol

A communications protocol is a system of digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications...

s.