Local Area Network – Overview
The local area network, also known as LAN, has been a major player in the industrialization of computing. In the last 20 years, the global industry has been invaded by new information technologies. With an ever-increasing need for improvement, it has had such an impact on the way we do business that it is a necessity rather than a luxury. LAN is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area, such as a school, laboratory, residential complex, or office building. The LAN is contrasted in principle with a wide area network, which covers a greater geographical distance and may involve leased telecommunications circuits, while the means for LAN are managed locally.
You may have come across references to these networks frequently if you have a LAN connection to the Internet at your home or office. With a single Internet connection, a typical use of LAN is to provide Internet connectivity to all users in a home simultaneously. In a LAN, all Internet-capable devices available in the home can be configured as nodes and can be connected to the Internet through computers designated for this purpose. It can also be used to connect workstations in an office environment in a similar way to provide access to shared resources such as printers. Use 10 base T twisted pair cables or wireless networks to connect computers on a network.
LAN connections used to be very simple before, but now they are different structures. With at least five computing standards for broadcasts and two standards for the information required to manage the network, these connections have become so complex that they require their own operating systems. There are some LAN features, as follows:
• Interconnected devices: Bridges and routers are used to connect them to distributed local area networks throughout an organization. For example, a router could be used to move information between Ethernet, Token Ring, and distributed fiber data interface networks.
• Backbones – These are also connected local area networks, but they provide high-speed transmission and control the flow of data between the various networks.
• High Speed Desktop LAN – Connects desktop devices directly to the fiber distributed data interface network and has access to full 100 MHz transmission speed.
The two most common local area networks are Ethernet and the International Business Machines token ring network. Ethernet networks use baseband coaxial cable or shielded pair cable and can operate at 10 MHz.
The LAN has become an essential component of the modern work environment. With an ever increasing need for technological advancements, it has also become a very profitable industry in its own right and will continue to grow for a long time to come.
