COMPUTER NETWORK
A computer network is a group of computers linked to each other that enables the
computer to communicate with another computer and share their resources, data, and
applications.
A computer network can be categorized by their size. A computer network is
mainly of four types:
o LAN(Local Area Network)
o PAN(Personal Area Network)
o MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
o WAN(Wide Area Network)
LAN (Local Area Network)
o Local Area Network is a group of computers connected to each other in a
small area such as building, office.
o LAN is used for connecting two or more personal computers through a
communication medium such as twisted pair, coaxial cable, etc.
o It is less costly as it is built with inexpensive hardware such as hubs, network
adapters, and ethernet cables.
o The data is transferred at an extremely faster rate in Local Area Network.
o Local Area Network provides higher security.
PAN (Personal Area Network)
o Personal Area Network is a network arranged within an individual person,
typically within a range of 10 meters.
o Personal Area Network is used for connecting the computer devices of
personal use is known as Personal Area Network. It can be wired or wireless
o Personal Area Network covers an area of 30 feet.
o Personal computer devices that are used to develop the personal area network
are the laptop, mobile phones, media player and play stations.
MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
o A metropolitan area network is a network that covers a larger geographic area
by interconnecting a different LAN to form a larger network.
o Government agencies use MAN to connect to the citizens and private
industries.
o In MAN, various LANs are connected to each other through a telephone
exchange line.
o It has a higher range than Local Area Network (LAN).
WAN (Wide Area Network)
o A Wide Area Network is a network that extends over a large geographical
area such as states or countries.
o A Wide Area Network is quite bigger network than the LAN.
o A Wide Area Network is not limited to a single location, but it spans over a
large geographical area through a telephone line, fibre optic cable or satellite
links.
o The internet is one of the biggest WAN in the world.
Network Devices
Network devices or nodes are computing devices that need to be linked in the
network. Some network devices include:
Computers, mobiles, and other consumer devices: These are end devices that
users directly and frequently access. For example, an email originates from the
mailing application on a laptop or mobile phone.
Servers: These are networking devices that connects multiple devices on a computer
network. A Switch contains more advanced features than Hub. The Switch contains
the updated table that decides where the data is transmitted or not. Switch delivers
the message to the correct destination based on the physical address present in the
incoming message. A Switch does not broadcast the message to the entire network
like the Hub. It determines the device to whom the message is to be transmitted.
Therefore, we can say that switch provides a direct connection between the source
and destination. It increases the speed of the network.
Routers: A router is a hardware device which is used to connect a LAN with an
internet connection. It is used to receive, analyze and forward the incoming packets
to another network. It determines the best path from the available paths for the
transmission of the packet.