NETWORK

NETWORK

A network is a group of computers and other devices, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or a printer, connected together with a medium, such as a cable. A network can be created to enable the devices communicate or share resources, such as a file or a printer. A network provides various features, such as:


Data sharing : You can access or share data stored on computers over a network spread across geographical locations.
 Resource sharing : You can share hardware peripheral devices, such as printers and scanners, over the network rather than investing in individual resources for each computer.

. Based on the size and coverage area, networks are categorized into following types:

• Personal Area Networks (PANs)
•  Local Area Networks (LANs) 
• Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) 
• Wide Area Networks (WANs)

A PAN is a small network established for communication between different devices, such as laptops, computers, mobiles, and PDAs. The network extends to a range of 10 meters. The following figure shows a PAN.

A LAN connects computers in a room, the floors of a building, or a campus to share resources and exchange information extending up to a few kilometers. For example, when computers used at your home are connected together and share a printer, it forms a small LAN.The following figure shows a LAN.

MANs are relatively larger than LANs and extend across a city or a metropolitan. This is how they derive their name. A MAN is created by two or more LANs located at different locations in a city. For example, when the network of computers at different colleges of a university is connected together, it forms a MAN. The following figure shows a MAN.

WAN provides network connectivity spanning across large geographical areas, such as across states, countries, or the globe. A WAN may consist of two or more LANs and/or MANs. One of the most prominent examples of existing WANs is the Internet. The following figure shows a WAN that connects different large networks together.