What is network NETWORK

Types of 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 examples of area network types are:

LAN - Local Area Network

WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
WAN - Wide Area Network
MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or sometimes
Small Area Network
CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, or sometimes Cluster Area Network
PAN - Personal Area Network
DAN - Desk Area Network

Note that these network types are a separate concept from network topologies such as bus, ring
and star.
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.
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
TCP/IP is arguably the single most important computer networking technology. The Internet and
most home networks support TCP/IP as the "language" computers use to find and connect with
each other.
A subnet is a logical grouping of connected network devices. Nodes on a subnet tend to be
located in close physical proximity to each other on a LAN.
Routers are small physical devices that join multiple networks together. Technically, a router is
a Layer 3 gateway device, meaning that it connects two or more networks and that the router
operates at the network layer of the OSI model.

A broadband router combines the features of a traditional network switch, anetwork firewall,
and a DHCP server. Broadband routers are designed for convenience in setting up home
networks, particularly for homes with high-speed Internet service. Besides easier sharing of a
home Internet connection, broadband routers also enable sharing of files, printers and other
resources among home computers.
PAN
A personal area network (PAN) is the interconnection of information technology devices within
the range of an individual person, typically within a range of 10 meters. For example, a person
traveling with a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a portable printer could
interconnect them without having to plug anything in, using some form of wirelesstechnology.
Typically, this kind of personal area network could also be interconnected without wires to the
Internet or other networks.
CAN
A campus area network (CAN) is a network of multiple interconnected local area networks
(LAN) in a limited geographical area. A CAN is smaller than a wide area network (WAN) or
metropolitan area network (MAN).
A WAN spans a large geographic area, such as a state, province or country. WANs often connect
multiple smaller networks, such as local area networks (LANs) or metro area networks (MANs).
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 routerconnects LANs to a WAN. 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
Residences typically employ one LAN and connect to the Internet WAN via an Internet Service
Provider (ISP) using a broadband modem. The ISP provides a WAN IP address to the modem,
and all of the computers on the home network use LAN (so-calledprivate) IP addresses. All
computers on the home LAN can communicate directly with each other but must go through a
central gateway, typically abroadband router, to reach the ISP.
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 WiFi 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 an 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 - links high-performance computers with high-speed connections in a
cluster configuration. Also known as Cluster Area Network.
Wi-Fi is the name of a popular wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide
wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. A common misconception is that the term
Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity," however this is not the case. Wi-Fi is simply a trademarked
term meaning IEEE 802.11x.
Basic Networking
Basic networking consists of two essential pieces of equipment: switches and routers. If you
know how this hardware works, you'll have a fundamental understanding of basic networking as
well. Knowing more about basic networking can help you make better decisions about the
network design, services, and features your business needs to implement in order to thrive.
Basic Networking: Switches
Switches and routers are what basic networking is all about. Though they look similar and
perform similar tasks, there is a difference.
Switches are the foundation of most business networks. A switch acts as a controller, connecting
computers, printers and servers to a network within a building or campus. Switches allow the
devices on your network to communicate with each other as well as with other networks.
Through information sharing and resource allocation, switches save businesses money and
increase productivity. There are two types of switches to consider as part of your basic
networking building blocks: managed and unmanaged.

An unmanaged switch works out of the box but can't be configured. Home-networking
equipment typically offers unmanaged switches.
A managed switch can be configured. You can monitor and adjust a managed switch locally or
remotely, giving you greater control over network traffic and access.
Basic Networking: Routers
Routers connect multiple networks together. They also connect computers on those networks to
the Internet. Routers enable all networked computers to share a single Internet connection, which
saves money.

A router acts a dispatcher, analyzing data being sent across a network, choosing the best route for
your data to travel, and sending it on its way. Routers connect your business to the world, protect
information from security threats, and can even decide which computers receive priority over
others.
Depending on your needs, you can choose from among routers offering different features, such
as a firewall, Virtual Private Network (VPN), or Internet Protocol (IP) communications system.

Hubs vs Switches
Hubs and Switches are two terms that are used interchangeably when referring to the network
component that connects all the nodes in network. Even if most devices in existence today are
switches, most people still call them hubs and get away with it. The difference between the two
types of devices is the overall speed that they can broadcast data across the network. Switches
are able to transmit data a lot faster compared to hubs.
Hubs are very simplistic devices that accept a single data packet then sends it out to all the
computers that are connected to it. This means that only one data packet can pass through the
hub at a time and all the data must wait for its turn. The overall bandwidth of the router is then
shared by all the computers and that degrades the speed. This method often leads to a collision of
data where a computer tries to send a packet of data to the hub while it is broadcasting. In order
to detect and correct such collisions, most hubs employ added hardware that could slow down
the total speed even more; an additional effect that it has is the limit on the number of elements
you can have on your network.
Switches do not broadcast the data to all the computers in the network. Whenever a computer
wishes to connect to another computer, the internal circuitry of the switch creates a bridge
between the two; very comparable to old telephone operators who operate switchboards. This
means that multiple paths can exist in the switch at the same time, making it possible for
computers to send data at full speed regardless of what other network elements are doing.
Collisions do not happen on switches, this lifts the speed and element limits seen on hubs.

The reason why hubs gained early prominence was the high price of switches. But today, the
prices of switches have gone down significantly that there is no longer any reason to choose a
hub over a switch. Because of that, hubs have become obsolete for all usual applications except
for a couple of specialized niches.
Summary:
1.
2.

Bandwidth
Collisions

is
dont

shared

among

happen

in

network

switches

but

elements

causing

slowdown

are

common

in

very

hubs

3. The number of elements are severely limited for hubs compared to switches
4. Hubs were cheaper in the past but switch prices have come down significantly
5. Switches have replaced hubs in most modern day applications

bandwidth is often used as a synonym for data transfer rate - the amount of data that can be
carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of
bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps). Occasionally, it's expressed as
bytes per second (Bps).

Short for modulator-demodulator. A modem is a device or program that enables a computer to

transmit data over, for example, telephone or cable lines. Computer information
is stored digitally, whereas information transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the
form ofanalog waves. A modem convertsbetween these two forms.