Several computers linked to a central server so that they can share programs, storage space, and data together form what?

Introduction / Context:
Modern computing environments rarely consist of a single isolated computer. Instead, multiple computers are often connected to share resources such as files, printers, and applications. This connectivity is organised in a particular way and has a specific technical name. This question examines whether you know the correct term for a collection of computers linked to a server for resource sharing.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Several computers (clients) are linked to a server.
• The purpose of the connection is to share programs and storage space.
• The options include network, grouping, library, and integrated system.
• We assume basic understanding of networked computer systems.

Concept / Approach:
When computers are connected so that they can communicate and share resources, they form a network. In a client server network, a central server provides services such as file sharing, application hosting, and authentication, while client machines access these services over the network. Terms like grouping, library, and integrated system are general words and do not specifically refer to this computer communication structure. Therefore, the correct term for several computers linked to a server for sharing resources is network.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the core idea: multiple computers are connected to each other and to a server. Step 2: Recognise that resource sharing and communication over connections is the key characteristic of a network. Step 3: Consider the term network, which in computing refers exactly to interconnected devices that share resources. Step 4: Examine grouping. While this implies objects considered together, it does not describe communication links or resource sharing. Step 5: Examine library. In computing, libraries refer to collections of code or media, not connected computers. Step 6: Examine integrated system. This is a broad term that can describe combined components, but it is not the standard name for a set of networked computers. Step 7: Conclude that network is the correct technical term.

Verification / Alternative check:
Computer networking textbooks define a network as a collection of interconnected computers and devices that can exchange data and share resources. They give examples of small office networks, school networks, and enterprise networks, often with a server providing central services. Diagrams typically label the entire set of interconnected machines as a network. The other words in the options do not appear as standard labels for such diagrams, confirming that network is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Grouping: A generic term that does not imply connectivity or resource sharing. Library: In IT, usually refers to software libraries or media collections, not to connected computers. Integrated system: A vague term describing combined components, but not the specific concept of a computer network with a server.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may pick integrated system because it sounds technical or sophisticated. However, exam questions in basic computer knowledge usually use standard, widely recognised terms. Another pitfall is overthinking the word network, perhaps associating it only with the Internet. A local office network is still a network, even if it is not connected to the wider Internet. Remember that any group of computers linked for communication and sharing forms a network.

Final Answer:
Several computers linked to a server to share programs and storage space together form a Network.