Internetworking

Internetworking is the practice of <a href="/facts/Interconnect/3BMeTFXp">interconnecting</a> multiple <a href="/facts/Computer_network/3w5RM99p">computer networks</a>.: 169  Typically, this enables any pair of <a href="/facts/Host_(network)/HPNcFXHk">hosts</a> in the connected networks to exchange messages irrespective of their hardware-level networking technology. The resulting system of interconnected networks is called an internetwork, or simply an internet.
The most notable example of internetworking is the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a>, a network of networks based on many underlying hardware technologies. The Internet is defined by a unified <a href="/facts/IP_address/z9V22Sw9">global addressing system</a>, <a href="/facts/Network_packet/xCYf8SJu">packet</a> format, and <a href="/facts/Router_(computing)/Nh5cIyVf">routing</a> methods provided by the <a href="/facts/Internet_Protocol/Qq6VeEal">Internet Protocol</a>.: 103 
The term internetworking is a combination of the components inter (between) and networking. An earlier term for an internetwork is catenet, a short-form of (con)catenating networks.

Internetworking open-in-new

Internetworking