TYPES OF COMPUTER

NETWORKS
 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)
 Local Area Network (LAN)
• A LAN is a network that is used for
communicating among 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.
• Requires little wiring, typically a single cable
connecting to each device.
 Local Area Network (LAN)
• Is fast , or 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 wireless. Twisted
pair, coax or fiber optic cable can be used in
wired LAN’s.
• Has a lowered cost compared to MAN’s
WAN’s.
• Nodes in a LAN are linked together with a
topologies: Bus , Star , Ring.
Local Area Network (LAN)
 Types of LAN’s
The three most common types of LAN are :

• Cable based LAN

• Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
• Hierarchical networks
 Types of LAN’s
• 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.
Advantages and disadvantages of LAN
Advantages Disadvantages

• Inexpensive • Expensive to install

• Resources can be shared • File server may fail

• Security • Cables may break

• Easy to control • Requires administrative

time
 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
• 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 high speed DSL to customers and
cables TV network.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
 Metropolitan Area Network
Advantages Disadvantages

• Less expensive • Difficult to manage

• Sending local e-mails • Hackers attack

• High speed than WAN • More wires requires

• High security • Technical people

required to set up.
 Examples of Metropolitan Area
Network
• Digital cable television
• Used to connect several branches of the local
school
• In hospital(for communication between
doctors , research offices, labs)
• Used in public libraries
• Networking between community colleges
within the country.
 Wide Area Network
• WAN covers a large geographical area such as
Country , continent or even the whole world.
• A wan is two or more LAN’s connected
together . The LAN’s can be many miles apart.
• To cover great distance WAN’s may transmit
data over leased high-speed phone lines or
wireless links such as satellites.
• The worlds most popular WAN is the Internet.
• Multiple LAN’s can be connected together
using devices such as bridges , routers , or
gateways , which enable them to share data
Wide Area Network
 Wide Area Network
Advantages
• Covers large geographical area – It covers area of
1000 km .
• Sharing of resources-We shares computer
resources among many websites.
• Distribute workload and decrease travel charges-
for example , you have an office in the U.S then u
can hire people from any other country and
communicate with them easily over WAN.
• Global business- Now everyone can do business on
the internet and expand his business globally.
 Wide Area Network
Disadvantages
• Security problems-It has many technologies
combined with each other which can create a
security gap.
• Needs firewall and antivirus- as data
transferred on the internet can be accessed
and changed by hackers.
• Setup cost is high- purchasing of routers,
switches , and extra security software.
• Disconnection issue- customers often face
connectivity issues or slow internet speed
issues.
 Wide Area Network
Examples
• Internet
• Railway reservations counter
• Satellite systems
• Large telecommunications companies like
Airtel store IT department.
• Airline companies.