Types+of+Networks+Available

=**Types of Networks**= - 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. - typically owned, controlled, and managed by a single person or organization - tend to use certain connectivity technologies, primarily Ethernet and Token Ring.
 * Main Types of Networks:**
 * **//LAN - Local Area Network *//**

- a LAN based on WiFi (wireless network technology)
 * //**WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network**//

- spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth. - a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. A network device called a router connects 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
 * //**WAN - Wide Area Network** *//

- a network spanning a physical area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city - typically owned an operated by a single entity such as a government body or large corporation - connect multiple geographically nearby LANs to one another (over an area of up to a few dozen kilometres) at high speeds - lets two remote nodes communicate as if they were part of the same local area network - made from switches or routers connected to one another with high-speed links (usually fibre optic cables) **Other Networks:** - connects servers to data storage devices through a technology like Fibre Channel - links high-performance computers with high-speed connections in a cluster configuration. Also known as Cluster Area Network
 * //**MAN - Metropolitan Area Network** *//
 * //**SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or sometimes Small Area Network**//
 * Storage Area Network**
 * System Area Network**

- a network spanning multiple LANs but smaller than a MAN, such as on a university or local business campus.
 * //**CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, or sometimes Cluster Area Network**//

- introduced by Thomas Zimmerman
 * //**PAN - Personal Area Network**//

- the communication network established for the purpose of connecting computer devices of personal use - established by connecting phone lines to personal digital devices or PDAs (personal digital assistants)

- an interconnection of computer devices around the ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) - enables the network to share resources over the network - provides the access to foreign devices - enables to form A/V connection - works on a simple process - Ex: When you put a cassette into a VCR, it is automatically connected to the monitor. (VCR and other related devices are often connected to the network in order to built DAN (Desk Area Network))
 * //**DAN - Desk Area Network**//

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- LaJae Coleman