Networking Definitions and Examples

A Network is a group of two or more intelligent devices like computers, servers, mainframes, and network devices. We can connect these devices with transmission media like cables (UTP, Optic Fiber) or wireless connections. The key point is that the group of two or more devices that are connected with each other by using any means discussed above and sharing their data back and forth is called a network. Internet and telephonic network is a great example of the network as we can share our data worldwide by connecting with internet or we can talk to one another by connecting our mobile phones with a mobile service network. Networks may also be used for communications such as email, instant messages, chat rooms, printer sharing, input devices. The network can also be used for sharing storage devices locally or worldwide, for applications and software on remote computers.

Three very common types of networks:

- LAN (Local Area Network)

- MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

- WAN (Wide Area Network) 

Local Area Network:

Local Area Network also called LAN is generally limited to a small geographic area such as a floor of the building, an office building, it could be a home network, a school, a specific confined space.

Usually in a LAN; User computers, Server machines, and printers connect and share data and resources with one another by using transmission media twisted-pair cables for physical connectivity or wireless access points for wireless connectivity with the same LAN. Comparatively, LANs are characterized by high-speed communications because it uses one kind of cable which may be limited to less or more than 5 - 10 Km. 

A LAN consists of cables, access points, switches, routers, and other components that allow devices to connect to internal servers and web servers, etc.

WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network

A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a group of computers, laptops, mobiles, tablets, or other devices that build a network based on radio transmission instead of a wire. Wi-Fi network of home or office is a good example of WLAN. In this network, all connected devices communicate with one another or in some cases for internet access through base devices. To set up the basic infrastructure of WLAN we need a Wi-Fi router as a base device and client computers, laptops, and other wireless-based devices as mentioned above. Wi-Fi router also has the ability to directly connect to the internet itself and its connected devices through it.

Virtual LAN:

Here when we almost know the concept of LAN, now it’s time to take a step forward to the virtual LAN as it is the rapidly rising concept of virtualization, in which network administrators logically group network nodes and distribute their networks without even touching the infrastructure.

If we take an example of office, the computers or printers of different departments like Accounts, IT section, HR Admin, The purchase department can logically be connected to the same switch but behave as if they were separate, this is actually the logical grouping of network nodes and this logical group is called virtual LAN.

Advantages of LAN:

In a LAN or virtual LAN a single connection of internet will be enough for our whole LAN we don’t need to purchase the separate connection of the internet for all computers.

We could share a one or maybe two printers for the whole LAN as a network printer or through the print server.

We can share the single storage resource for whole LAN or some other resources like web server, mail server we don’t need to create them separately. 

Metropolitan Area Network:

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is such a network that covers a larger geographical area as compared to LAN but smaller than WAN. It may span over the area of a single large city or cities, two or more buildings blocks of the same office and it could be extended more than 100 Km. Multiple LANs formed a MAN by interconnected with one another. MAN is more efficient as compare to WAN and it may also combine multiple companies.

In this Network, a combination of different hardware and transmission media is used for connectivity between different LANs, like Fiber optic cable, network switches, and routers in some cases. The Metropolitan area network is usually used in Universities, Cable televisions, hospitals, etc.   

Wide Area Network:

The simplest way to define the Wide Area Network is that it is a network of networks, it is the largest network that connects different Local Area Networks or other networks that can communicate with one another by using the internet.

Wide Area Network (WAN) spans over a large geographic area, such as a country, a state or it could be the world. Networking devices that help in transmitting the data from one geographical area to another or we can say that from one LAN to another LAN are called routers, Network Gateway and security firewalls (for the secure transmission of data), etc.

A little bit important about LAN and WAN:

Till now we have discussed above-mentioned terms regarding the geographical areas, now it also mentioned that if we have two or more user computers or also called workstations placed either in one room or in one building or maybe in different places of a city or in a country, if they communicate with each other using the internet like chatting on Facebook or WhatsApp or other social media sites then it is a WAN. On the other hand, if the above-mentioned user computers communicate with each other but not through the internet it could just be a dedicated cable (UTP or Fiber) or another type of transmission media it will be LAN. So it was the difference and a key point between LAN and WAN.