The Lan and Wan Network

The Lan and wan network.

A LAN (local area network) is a group of computers and network devices connected together, usually within the same building. By definition, the connections must be high speed and relatively inexpensive (e.g., token ring orEthernet). Most Indiana University Bloomington departments are on LANs.

A LAN connection is a high-speed connection to a LAN. On the IUB campus, most connections are either Ethernet (10 Mbps) or Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps), and a few locations have Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) connections.

A MAN (metropolitan area network) is a larger network that usually spans several buildings in the same city or town. The IUB network is an example of a MAN.

A WAN (wide area network), in comparison to a MAN, is not restricted to a geographical location, although it might be confined within the bounds of a state or country. A WAN connects several LANs, and may be limited to an enterprise (a corporation or an organization) or accessible to the public. The technology is high speed and relatively expensive. The Internet is an example of a worldwide public WAN.

What is a LAN?

So we know two things about a LAN just from from the name “Local Area Network”—the devices on them are networked and they’re local. And it’s that local part that really defines a LAN and distinguishes it from other types of networks like Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs).

LANs are typically confined within a small area—usually one building, but that’s not a firm requirement. That area might be your home or small business, and it could contain just a few devices. It might also be a much larger area, like an entire office building that contains hundreds or thousands of devices.

But regardless of size, the single defining characteristic of a LAN is that it connects devices that are in a single, limited area.

The advantages of using a LAN are the same advantages as having any devices networked together. Those devices can share a single internet connection, share files with one another, print to shared printers, and so on.

On bigger LANs, you’ll also find dedicated servers that host services like global user directories, email, and access to other shared company resources.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A wide area network (WAN) is a network that exists over a large-scale geographical area. A WAN connects different smaller networks, including local area networks (LANs) and metro area networks (MANs). This ensures that computers and users in one location can communicate with computers and users in other locations. WAN implementation can be done either with the help of the public transmission system or a private network

A WAN connects more than one LAN and is used for larger geographical areas. WANs are similar to a banking system, where hundreds of branches in different cities are connected with each other in order to share their official data.

A WAN works in a similar fashion to a LAN, just on a larger scale. Typically, TCP/IP is the protocol used for a WAN in combination with devices such as routers, switches, firewalls and modems.