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A network consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share resources (such as printers and CD-ROMs), exchange
files, or allow electronic communications. The computers on a network may be linked through cables, telephone lines, radio
waves, satellites, or infrared light beams.
The three basic types of networks include:
~ ... Local Area Network (LAN)
~ ... Wide Area Network (WAN)
~ ... Wireless Fidelity Network (WiFi)
Local Area Network
A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network that is confined to a relatively small area. It is generally limited to a geographic
area such as a writing lab, school, or building. Rarely are LAN computers more than a mile apart.
In a typical LAN configuration, one computer is designated as the file server. It stores all of the software that controls
the network, as well as the software that can be shared by the computers attached to the network. Computers connected to the
file server are called workstations. The workstations can be less powerful than the file server, and they may have additional
software on their hard drives. On most LANs, cables are used to connect the network interface cards in each computer.
Wide Area Network
Wide Area Networks (WANs) connect larger geographic areas, such as Surrey, Canada, or the world. Dedicated transoceanic cabling
or satellite uplinks may be used to connect this type of network.
Using a WAN, schools in British Columbia can communicate with places like Tokyo in a matter of minutes, without paying
enormous phone bills. A WAN is complicated. It uses multiplexers to connect local and metropolitan networks to global communications
networks like the Internet. To users, however, a WAN will not appear to be much different than a LAN.
Wireless Fidelity Networks
The term wireless networking refers to technology that enables two or more computers to communicate using standard network
protocols, but without network cabling. Strictly speaking, any technology that does this could be called wireless networking.
The current buzzword however generally refers to wireless LANs. This technology, fuelled by the emergence of cross-vendor
industry standards such as IEEE 802.11, has produced a number of affordable wireless solutions that are growing in popularity
with business and schools as well as sophisticated applications where network wiring is impossible, such as in warehousing
or point-of-sale handheld equipment.
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