Lecture 03

Computer Network and its Catagories

 What is a Computer Network?
 Different Catagories of Network?
o LAN, WAN, MAN
 Internetworking, Internetwork.
 Intranet, Extranet.
 Internet and History.

Copyright © Munazza
What is a Computer Network?

A network consists of two or more computers (Host) connected together by using some kind of
media or intermediate system, to share resources and computer communication.

Different Catagories of network

There are two primary categories: local-area networks and wide-area networks.

The category into which a network falls is determined by its size.

1- LAN- Local Area Network

A local area network (LAN) is usually privately owned and links the devices in a single and
small geographical area like an office, building, or a campus.
LAN size is limited to a few kilometers
LANs are designed to allow resources (hardware, software) to be shared between personal
computers or workstations.
In addition to size, LANs are distinguished from other types of networks by their
transmission media and topology.
The most common LAN topologies are bus, ring, and star.

2- WAN- Wide Area Network

A wide area network (WAN) provides long-distance transmission of data, or information

over large geographic areas that may comprise a country, a continent, or worldwide.
WAN size is off to miles.
WANs are designed to allow resources (hardware, software) to be shared between multiple
LANs in multiple cities, countries or worldwide.

1
Copyright © Munazza
 3- MAN- Metropolitan Area Network

A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a network with a size between a LAN and a WAN. It
normally covers the area inside a town or a city. It is designed for customers who need a
high-speed connectivity, normally to the Internet
A good example of a MAN is the part of the telephone company network that can provide a
high-speed DSL line to the customer
Another example is the cable TV network that originally was designed for cable TV, but
today can also be used for high-speed data connection to the Interne

Today, it is very rare to see a LAN, a MAN, or a LAN in isolation;

They are usually connected to one another

Internetworking and Internetwork

1- What is Internetworking?

Internetworking is the process or technique of connecting different networks by using

intermediary devices such as routers or gateway devices

2- What is Internetwork?
Two or more networks connected together become an internetwork (see the diagram)

Intranet, and Extranet

1- What is Intranet?
 An Intranet is a private local network which is structured within an organization or a
company. It’s a private network because no other outsider to that organization can
access the intranet. Only the users (may be employees of the company) of the
network are allowed to connect the LAN with individual network passwords to access
the company’s intranet.
Or
 An intranet is a private network that allows employees and staff in an enterprise to
securely share knowledge and information easily within the company or organization.

Example:
A highly project centric IT Company provides an intranet to this team to emphasis on
project management. However, at the same time, it also allows centralized access to
important third party tools that IT workers need constant access to.

2
Copyright © Munazza
 2- What is Extranet?
 An extranet is a private network that allows sharing its technology,
telecommunication system or business's information over a secure system to
authorized public users outside of the organization.

Example:
A restaurant chain offers employees and extranet that allows them to view their
timesheets & other data.
What is Internet (or internet?)

 An internet (note the lowercase letter i) is two or more networks that can communicate
with each other.
 An Internet (note the uppercase letter I) is a collaboration of more than hundreds of
thousands of interconnected networks
Brief Internet history
As we know a network is a group of connected communicating devices such as computers and
printers.
An internet (note the lowercase letter i) is two or more networks that can communicate with
each other. An Internet (not the uppercase letter I) is a collaboration of more than hundreds of
thousands of interconnected networks

1960s and ARPA

In the mid-1960s, mainframe computers in research organizations were standalone devices and
Computers from different manufacturers were unable to communicate with one another.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in the Department of Defense (DoD) was
interested in finding a way to connect computers for their researchers to share their findings,
reduce cost and eliminate the duplication of efforts.

1967 and ACM

In 1967, at an Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) meeting, ARPA presented its ideas
for ARPANET, a small network of connected computers.

1969, ARPANET and NCP

1969, ARPANET was a reality. Four nodes, at the University of California at Los Angeles
(UCLA), the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), Stanford Research Institute
(SRI), and the University of Utah, were connected via the IMPs to form a network.
Software called the Network Control Protocol (NCP) provided communication between the
hosts.

3
Copyright © Munazza
1972, ARPANET Group and TCP
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) included the concepts such as encapsulation, the datagram,
and the functions of a gateway to the existing ARPANET Group (called Internetting Project)
by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahan.

TCP/IP Protocol Suite

After sometime authorities made a decision to split TCP into two protocols:
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internetworking Protocol (lP).
IP would handle datagram routing while TCP would be responsible for higher-level
functions such as segmentation, reassembly, and error detection.
The internetworking protocol became known as TCPIIP

Example: Internetwork

Consider an organization has two offices, one in Lahore and the other in Karachi.
 The established office in Lahore has a bus topology LAN;
 The newly opened office in Karachi has a star topology LAN.
The CEO of the company lives somewhere in the middle and needs to have control over the
company from his Horne

To create a backbone WAN for connecting these three entities (two LANs and the president's
computer), a switched WAN has been leased.

To connect the LANs to this switched WAN, however, three point-to-point WANs are required.

These point-to-point WANs can be a high-speed DSL line offered by a telephone company or a
cable modern line offered by a cable TV provider

4
Copyright © Munazza