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What Is A Computer Network

A computer network connects two or more computers together to share resources and information. Computer networks can be categorized based on their geographical reach and characteristics. Geographically, networks include local area networks (LANs) spanning a small area like a home or office, metropolitan area networks (MANs) connecting LANs within a city, and wide area networks (WANs) spanning large areas like countries. Other types include personal area networks (PANs) for an individual, campus area networks (CANs) for schools, and global area networks (GANs) connecting WANs worldwide. Networks also differ based on their characteristics, including the internet, intranets that are privately controlled, and extranets that allow limited external

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223 views9 pages

What Is A Computer Network

A computer network connects two or more computers together to share resources and information. Computer networks can be categorized based on their geographical reach and characteristics. Geographically, networks include local area networks (LANs) spanning a small area like a home or office, metropolitan area networks (MANs) connecting LANs within a city, and wide area networks (WANs) spanning large areas like countries. Other types include personal area networks (PANs) for an individual, campus area networks (CANs) for schools, and global area networks (GANs) connecting WANs worldwide. Networks also differ based on their characteristics, including the internet, intranets that are privately controlled, and extranets that allow limited external

Uploaded by

Ling-Ling Adial
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is a computer network?

A computer network is a group of two or more computers connected with each other
for sharing resources and information. A simple computer network can be built only
from two computers while a complex computer network can be built from several
thousand computers.

Types of computer network


A computer network can be categorized based on geographical location and
characteristic. Based on geographical location, computer networks are outlined below.

LAN (Local Area Network)

A LAN is a computer network which spans over a small geographical area such as home,
building, office, etc. In LAN, computers are placed relatively close. Since computers are
located within small distance, they do not need special devices and cables to connect
with each other.

MAN (Metropolitan area networks)

A MAN is a computer network which connects two or more LAN networks within same
city. When due to distance connecting two LANs is not possible, MAN network is used. It
is larger than LAN but smaller than WAN. It deploys special devices and cables to
connect the LANs.
WAN (Wide Area Network)

WAN is a computer network which spans over a large geographical area such as state,
region, country etc. WANs are typically used to connect two or more LANs or MANs
which are located relatively very far from each other. To provide connectivity, this
network uses special devices, cables and technologies.

Above categorization (LAN, MAN and WAN) of computer network is purely based on
geographical location. It has nothing to do with the number of computers in each
network. For example, if one computer is located in Delhi and other computer is located
in Mumbai, connecting these two computers is the example of WAN networking. Just
like this, if a company starts a new branch office with 500 computers and all these
computers are installed within a building, this network will be considered as a LAN
network.

There are three more types of computer network based on geographical location but
they are rarely used to define the network. In real life you may skip these but if you
preparing for job interview or for any networking exam, you should learn these also.
PAN (Pearson Area Network)

Same as LAN network, but it is limited to a specific person or location such as home
network. This network is usually setup for sharing resources such as internet and printer
within personal computers.

CAN (Campus Area Network)

Same as MAN network, but it is limited to a university or an academy. This network is


usually setup for educational activities such as classroom updates, practices labs, emails,
exams, notifications, polls, etc.
GAN (Global Area Networks)

Same as WAN network, but it covers unlimited geographical area. For example a
company has an office in Delhi and another one Washington D.C., connecting these two
offices will be considered as a GAN network. In other words, GAN is a computer network
which connects two or more WANs. This network is increasingly gaining popularity as
many companies are expending their working area beyond their native countries.
So far, we have discussed the types of computer based on geographical location. In
following section we will understand the types of computer network based on
characteristic.

Internet

This is the largest computer network ever created by mankind. It interconnects


thousands of millions of computing devices including PCs, Laptops, Workstations,
Server, Smartphones, tablets, TVs, Webcams, Environmental devices, Automobiles,
Security cameras and many mores. According to a report published in January 2018,
there were 2150 million end systems connected with the Internet. To connect these
devices, a lot of technologies and infrastructure are used. Internet is open for everyone.
Anyone can connect with it. Since anyone can connect with it, it is also considered as the
most insecure network.
internet

The internet sounds similar to Internet but it is different. The word Internet starts with
capital I, while the word internet begins with small i. Any group of network which is
connected with external network through a gateway such as BGP is considered
as internet. Usually this type of network is setup to provide the connectivity between
two companies.

Intranet

Intranet is a computer network which is controlled and administered by a single entity


such as company or organization. In Intranet, external users are not allowed to connect.
Usually in this network, proper authorization is required to access any resources. Further
each access is monitored and logged to ensure that only authorized users get access.

Extranet

An Extranet is an extended Intranet where external users are allowed to access a small
portion of network. Normally this access is filtered and secured by several security
implementations on both hardware and software levels.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

VPN is the cost effective solution to utilize the goodies of Internet. Companies which
can’t afford their own infrastructure for connectivity can use VPN. VPN provides a secure
connection over the Internet. For example a company has two offices; one in Delhi and
other in Mumbai. Now suppose, company can’t afford a dedicate line to connect these
two offices. In this case company can use VPN to connect both offices. VPN creates a
secure line over the Internet and uses it for data transmission.

Client/Server Network

In this network, a dedicate computer known as server provides sharing resources. All
other computers know as clients are used to access the shared resources. This type of
network is commonly used in company environment. It provides great security features
but requires special hardware and software to setup.
Workgroup Network

In this network, all computers are equal. Any computer can provide and access shared
resources. This type of network is usually used in small office or home network. It is easy
to setup and does not require any special hardware and software. The downside of this
network is that it provides very less security.
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