Chapter 1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Networking History The idea of networking is probably as old as telecommunications itself. Consider people living in the Stone Age, when drums may have been used to transmit mes- sages between individuals. Suppose caveman A wants to invite caveman B over for a game of hurling rocks at each other, but they live too far apart for B to hear A bang- ing his drum. What are A's options? He could 1) walk over to B's place, 2) get a big- ger drum, or 3) ask C, who lives halfway between them, to forward the message. The last option is called networking.