Type of Networks

 

1. Type of Networks?

Two very common types of networks include:

(i). Local Area Network (LAN)

(ii). Wide Area Network (WAN)

1.1. What is Local Area Network (LAN)?

                                    

Answer: A local area network (LAN) is a network confined to a small, localized area. Home WiFi networks and small business networks are common examples of LANs. Typically, whoever manages the LAN also manages the networking equipment it uses. A small business, for instance, will manage the routers and switches involved in setting up the LAN. A local area network (LAN) is a collection of devices connected together in one physical location. A LAN can be small or large, ranging from a home network with one user to an enterprise network with thousands of users and devices in an office or school.

• Usually privately owned.
• A network for a single office, building, or campus  a few Km.
• Common LAN topologies: bus, ring, star.
• An isolated LAN connecting 12 computers to a hub in a closet.

Workstations are called such because they typically do have a human user which interacts with the network through them. Workstations were traditionally considered a desktop, consisting of a computer, keyboard, display, and mouse, or a laptop, with an integrated keyboard, display, and touchpad. With the advent of the tablet computer, and the touch screen devices such as iPad and iPhones, our definition of the workstation is quickly evolving to include those devices, because of their ability to interact with the network and utilize network services.

On a single LAN, computers and servers may be connected by cables or wirelessly. Wireless access to a wired network is made possible by wireless access points (WAPs). These WAP devices provide a bridge between computers and networks. A typical WAP might have the theoretical capacity to connect hundreds or even thousands of wireless users to a network, although practical capacity might be far less.

For example, in an office with multiple departments, such as accounting, IT support, and administration, each department's computers could be logically connected to the same switch but segmented to behave as if they are separate.

                               

The advantages of a LAN are the same as those for any group of devices networked together. The devices can use a single Internet connection, share files with one another, print to shared printers, and be accessed and even controlled by one another.

LANs were developed in the 1960s for use by colleges, universities, and research facilities (such as NASA), primarily to connect computers to other computers. It wasn't until the development of Ethernet technology (1973, at Xerox PARC), its commercialization (1980), and its standardization (1983) that LANs started to be used widely.

Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two most common technologies in use for local area networks. Historical network technologies include ARCNET, Token Ring, and AppleTalk.

1.3. What is Wide Area Network (WAN)?

Answer:  

 

2. What is Networking?

Answer: 

2.1. What is Network?

Answer: