INTRODUCTION TO LANS, WANS AND OTHER KINDS OF AREA
NETWORKS
One way to categorize the different types of computer network designs is by their scope or scale. For historical reasons, the networking industry refers to nearly every type of design as some kind of area network. Common types of area networks are:
- LAN - Local Area
Network
- WAN - Wide Area Network
- WLAN - Wireless Local
Area Network
- MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
- SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network,
Server Area Network, or sometimes Small Area Network
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHh1AjyOW5NXwg8b_vXN8SzNULQfqT8lcVvVNJDyASbS1B4BBdrokCvmquJwhCiTFCliW5YwNKd8fBIt-8_s1sUtet3T-V06YNtKwTetmjrSAth0GcUMNYHsEx4k-ySG4-XLWRN57_Io/s1600/89.png)
- CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area
Network, or sometimes Cluster Area Network
- PAN - Personal Area Network
LAN and WAN are the two primary and best-known categories of area
networks, while the others have emerged with technology advances
Note that network types differ from network topologies (such
as bus, ring and star). (See also - Introduction to
Network Topologies.)
LAN: Local Area Network
A LAN
connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked office
building, school, or home usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one
building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally
a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings. In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is
often but not always implemented as a single IP subnet.
In addition to operating in a limited space, LANs are also
typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization.
They also tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet
and Token Ring.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIsMxwcT0G8UkTerLnyXL47OBq82PHD1DhcrwjEJbVcxXUbbB1QVcxrzId_CXllKkBXTX8sHN-UCxkg84HeH005qLyNOt7iTQ7Wqj7ROELUPDNqS01DcgHBkkeInn_yrEzHKqV3iTRmE/s1600/Picture5.gif)
WAN: Wide Area Network
As the term implies, a WAN spans
a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth.
A WAN is a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. A network
device called a router
connects LANs to a WAN.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12Z0gGMk-g3PjtHoN-4x_143aXevMYWzgQrF91qh4ruTGGW-aOBewNLBliIgnlDGk_-m_A5OlRjKtRLIiuPHwrmi9OScL_GnvtcDO-ery447SRcY0EJ7nQnGfqrhFKSMQQpHNjzgeWiY/s1600/I8.jpg)
In IP networking, the router maintains both a LAN address and a WAN
address.
A WAN differs from a LAN in several important ways. Most WANs (like
the Internet) are not owned by any one organization but rather exist under
collective or distributed ownership and management. WANs tend to use technology
like ATM, Frame Relay
and X.25 for
connectivity over the longer distances.
LAN, WAN and Home Networking
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxIf7ApMagafC9qhfa3h_5HIAGz_2QFK8_E5Q2rGPK5yqAMzvnCxgf5H5IfIKW8tVy-TjgxOym3FRiFYic6F1FRzbqm9KQJThlNXL_M9cJ9NvtaYzJx9aVSgv_DYl-cgcgBMFapEinD4/s1600/Picture7.gif)
Other Types of Area Networks
While LAN and WAN are by far the most popular network types
mentioned, you may also commonly see references to these others:
- Wireless Local Area Network - A LAN based on Wi-Fi
wireless network technology
- Metropolitan Area Network - A network spanning a
physical area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city. A
MAN is typically owned and operated by a single entity such as a
government body or large corporation.
- Campus Area Network - A network spanning multiple
LANs but smaller than a MAN, such as on a university or local business
campus.
- Storage Area Network - Connects servers to data
storage devices through a technology like Fibre Channel.
- System Area Network (also known as Cluster
Area Network) - Links high-performance computers with high-speed
connections in a cluster configuration.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQRWyLDVnHCLF8CuRNKdivnZTLUGY-DuxSzvavrhEkhedMaPYTihXbP2pG6-CZ-boqaM-rzMdmgnJhRWdSZKSq6rq0cvHfZ5d4ain0AsBi30cNqb3ayQISkZXp2QT1FjZsMPKR829fE0/s1600/images.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment