Types of computer network

TYPES OF COMPUTER
NETWORKS

Amit Kumar Shaw
DRTC, ISI - BC

What is Network?
• A network consists of two or more computers that are linked in
order to share resources exchange files, or allow electronic
communications.

• The computers on a network may be linked through
cables, telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, or infrared light
beams.

Different Types of Networks
Depending upon the geographical area covered by a network, it
is classified as:

Local Area Network (LAN)

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Wide Area Network (WAN)

Personal Area Network (PAN)

• A LAN is a network that is used for communicating among
computer devices, usually within an office building or home.

• LAN’s enable the sharing of resources such as files or hardware
devices that may be needed by multiple users.

• Is limited in size, typically spanning a few hundred meters, and
no more than a mile.

• Is fast, with speeds from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps.

• Requires little wiring, typically a single cable connecting to
each device.

• LAN’s can be either wired or wireless. Twisted pair, coax or
fiber optic cable can be used in wired LAN’s.

• Every LAN uses a protocol – a set of rules that governs how
packets are configured and transmitted.

• Has lower cost compared to MAN’s or WAN’s

• Nodes in a LAN are linked together with a certain topology.
These topologies include: Bus, Ring, Star.

• Requires little wiring, typically a single cable connecting to
each device.

Types of LANs
The three most common types of LAN are:

• Cable based LAN

• Private Branch Exchange (PBX)

• Hierarchical networks

Cable base LAN
In the cable based LAN all the node are connected by cable
media and signals transmitted through the cables. Any type of
cable are used in LAN such as coaxial, twisted-pair and fiber
optical cable.

• Private Branch Exchange
In the private branch exchange many branches of a companies
connected by telephone lines.

• Hierarchical Network
In this network use of connecting media both cable and
telephone line.

LAN Standards
In February 1980 the IEEE formed a project called project
802 to help define certain standards. The 802 specifications
fall into 12 categories that are identified by the 802 numbers;

• 802.1 Internetworking and Management

• 802.2 Logical Link Control

• 802.3 Carrier Sense with Multiple Access and Collision
Detection (CSMA/CD)

• 802.4 Token bus LAN

• 802.5 Token Ring LAN

• 802.6 Metropolitan Area Network

• 802.7 Broadband Technical Advisory Group

• 802.8 Fiber-Optical Technical Advisory Group

• 802.9 Integrated Voice/Data

• 802.10 Networks Network Security

• 802.11 Wireless Network

• 802.12 Demand Priority Access LAN

LAN Transmission Methods
Commonly three LAN data transmissions methods are:

• Unicast
• Multicast
• Broadcast

Unicast transmission a single packet is sent from the source
to a destination on a network.

• Multicast transmission consists of a single data packet that is
copied and sent to the specific subset of nodes on the network.

• Broadcast transmission consists of a single data packets that is
copied and sent to all nodes on the network.

Types of LAN Models: Peer to peer

Advantages of LAN
• Speed

• Cost

• Security

• E-mail

• Resource Sharing

Disadvantages of LAN
• Expensive To Install

• Requires Administrative Time

• File Server May Fail

• Cables May Break

• A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a large computer
network that usually spans a city or a large campus.

• A MAN is optimized for a larger geographical area than a
LAN, ranging from several blocks of buildings to entire cities.

• A MAN might be owned and operated by a single
organization, but it usually will be used by many individuals
and organizations.

Metropolitan Area Network(MAN)
• A MAN often acts as a high speed network to allow sharing of
regional resources.

• A MAN typically covers an area of between 5 and 50 km
diameter.

• Examples of MAN: Telephone company network that provides a
high speed DSL to customers and cable TV network.

• WAN covers a large geographic area such as country, continent
or even whole of the world.

• A WAN is two or more LANs connected together. The LANs
can be many miles apart.

• To cover great distances, WANs may transmit data over leased
high-speed phone lines or wireless links such as satellites.

• Multiple LANs can be connected together using devices
such as bridges, routers, or gateways, which enable them
to share data.

• The world's most popular WAN is the Internet.

• A PAN is a network that is used for communicating among
computers and computer devices (including telephones) in
close proximity of around a few meters within a room.

• It can be used for communicating between the devices
themselves, or for connecting to a larger network such as the
internet.

• PAN’s can be wired or wireless.

• A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for
communication among computer devices, including telephones
and personal digital assistants, in proximity to an individual's
body.

• The devices may or may not belong to the person in question.
The reach of a PAN is typically a few meters.

Types of computer network

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