COMPUTER NETWORK
AND ITS TYPES
Prepared by : Ahsan Jameel
What isNetwork?
• A network consists of two or more computers
that are linked in order to share resources (such
as printers and CDs), 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 ofNetworks
• 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)
Local Area Network(LAN)
• 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
• Has lower cost compared to MAN’s or WAN’s
Local Area Network(LAN)
Advantages ofLAN
• Speed
• Cost
• Security
• E-mail
• Resource Sharing
Disadvantages ofLAN
• Expensive To Install
• Requires Administrative Time
• File Server MayFail
• Cables May Break
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 toentire cities.
• A MAN might be owned and operated by a
single organization, but it usually will be used
by many individualsand 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 DSLto
customers and cable TV network.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Wide Area Network(WAN)
• 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 assatellites.
Wide Area Network(WAN)
• 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.
Wide Area Network(WAN)
Personal Area Network(PAN)
• 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
Personal Area Network(PAN)
The devices may or may not belong to the
person in question. The reach of a PAN is
typically a few meters.
Personal Area Network(PAN)
INTERNET
The internet is a network of computers linking many
different types of computers all over theworld.
It is a very large wide area network (WAN)
connecting computers and networks around the
world.
It makes it possible for millions of users to connect to
one another via telephone lines, cable lines and
satellites.
Internet
Basic services ofinternet
Electronic mail
FTP
The World Wide Web
Electronic mail
It is also known as e-mail
in short
It enables to send and
receive a mail (message).
It is Faster than paper
mail.
Images, audio, video can
be sent along with text.
File transfer Protocol(FTP)
It enables users to move a file from one computer to
another computer.
A file may contain:
Text document
Image
Artwork
Movie
Sound
Software
The World WideWeb
It is a most popular method of accessing internet.
It uses a concept called hypertext.
Hypertext documents on internet are known asweb
pages.
Web pages are created by using a special language
called Hyper Text Markup Language (html)
Uses of the Internet?
On-line communication
Exchange of views on topics of common intersest
Posting of information of general interset
Product promotion
Feedback about product
Customer support service
On-line journals and magazines
