On the simplest level, a computer network is created whenever two computers are connected to each other in such a way that allows them to communicate with each other. Of course, that used to strictly mean computers and telecommunication devices. Now, it can mean a wide range of devices, from refrigerators and other household appliances to cars.

The two primary types of network that we deal with on a day-to-day basis are as follows:

• Local Area Network (LAN): The Wi-Fi router and physical Ethernet connections at home are examples of LANs. If you are a gamer, you have likely heard the term LAN party, which is a good use of a LAN.
• Wide Area Network (WAN): This is a network that would allow someone in Seattle to communicate with someone in Italy. The Internet as a whole is considered a WAN, though it is a far less common term.

While computer networks have many different configurations, one of the most common networks is the client-server model. This network configuration allows a software developer to build a client application that runs on a user's computer or phone. Whenever the user uses the software, whether they know it or not, they are connecting to the server provided by the software company and offloading the heavy processing or file storage to a server on the network. This lets the client software weigh in at a far smaller size and as a result is far less CPU intensive. The downside is that unless contingencies have been made, the software will not work without the server.

This network model is the one we will use for this chapter. Microsoft has provided a service that can run on your computer as a server. When anyone on your network loads up software via the HoloLens or other UWP options, it will go through the process of automatically connecting to that software.