A physical network is used by the hosts that reside on that network. Each host is a node on that network. A node is an addressable location in a communication network that provides host processing services. The intercommunication of these nodes gives rise to the concept of local and remote nodes. A local node pertains to a device, file, or host accessed directly from your system. A remote node pertains to a device, file, or host accessed by your system through the network.