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Computer
network Design
Computer networking can simply
be described as a connection (with wire or
wireless) between two or more computers. Computer
networking has several benefits and most of
the businesses thrive of computer networking
where they have hundreds or thousands of computers
connected to each other. Computer networking
is also done at home as it helps you to connect
two or more computers that can use the same
printer, internet connection, CD-Rom, etc.
In simpler terms, computer
networking helps you get an access to another
computer from your own computer. The Internet
is the most common example of computer networking
that connects millions of computers all across
the world. In this article, we tell you about
the computer network design. Two of the most
popular ways of computer networking are Local
Area Networking (LAN) and Wide Area Networking
(WAN).
Local Area Networking
(LAN)
LAN connects computer in a local area such
as office, home, or any small space. The size
of LAN is usually 1000m2. LANs are smaller
and faster than WANs. The two common wiring
technologies for a LAN are Ethernet and Token
Ring. However, nowadays wireless technologies
are taking over as they help the user to have
an access while they are mobile. In LAN, the
computers are usually wired to a hub or to
a switch, which comprises the physical transport
mechanism. The Spanning tree protocol is often
used to maintain a loop free network topology
within a LAN, particularly with Ethernet.
You can also interlink LANs using routers
to form a WAN.
Wide Area Network
Wide Area Network is used when the computers
are placed at some distance unlike LAN where
computers are connected in one small building.
For example, if two colleges of the same university
are at two ends of a long road and they wish
to get their computers connected, they will
have to use WAN. For this, they will have
to take a dedicated line leased from a local
telephone company. The Internet is a popular
example of a WAN.
In WAN, at each end of the
leased line, a router connects to the LAN
on one side and a hub within the WAN on the
other. A number of network protocols may use
the basic physical transport mechanism including
TCP/IP. Other protocols like X.25, ATM and
Frame relay may also be used for WANs.
Other computer network designs
used are Personal area networks (PANs), Metropolitan
area networks (MANs) and Virtual LANs.
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