Network fundamentals

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• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• LAN

  Local area network
• WLAN

  Wireless local area network
• WAN


  Wide area network
• LAN


  • Uses cabling connectivity between attached devices
  • Provides full-time connectivity to local services
  • Connects physically adjacent devices like switches and APs
  • Attached devices can both send and receive at the same time
• WLAN


  • Uses radio frequency connectivity between devices
  • Provides connectivity to local services
  • Allows access to services through an access point (AP)
  • Connected devices generally take turns sending and receiving
• Campus area network


  LAN that extends over several buildings at a single site
• Campus area networks allow network access, resource sharing, and sharing of data storage across the entire site
• Campus area networks are usually locally managed, but may outsource connectivity and management services
• Common examples of WANs

  • The internet
  • The telephone network
• Service providers provide the infrastructure for WAN connections
• Service providers tend to be cable, cellular, and telephone companies
• Data rates available to customers in a WAN are generally lower than inside a corporate LAN
• Enterprise network


  Provides the benefits of network access, resource sharing, and access to data storage for the entire enterprise
• Enterprise networks


  • May provide security using tunneling and encryption for data transfer
  • May allow the adding of resources to existing network capacity (scalability)
  • Can consist of any or all types of networks including PANs, LANs, WLANs, CANs, MANs, SANs, and WANs
• Most aspects of enterprise networks are managed under a single administrative body with contractual services offered by a service provider for MANs, WANs, and, occasionally, CANs
• Examples of enterprise networks

  • Automobile manufacturer
  • Commercial airplane manufacturer
• Logical topology


  Refers to the path that signals take from source to destination
• Physical topology


  Refers to the way in which devices are cabled
• Bus topology


  • All devices receive the signal
  • All devices share the same physical bandwidth
• Bus networks work best with a small number of devices
• If more than a few dozen computers are added to a network bus, performance problems will likely result
• A major disadvantage of a physical bus topology is that if a single station fails, it may take down the rest of the network
• If the backbone cable fails, the entire network fails
• Star topology


  • All stations are connected to the LAN through a central point, usually a device called a hub or a switch
  • If a single station fails, it does not generally take down the rest of the network
  • It is much easier to add a new station to the network
• Multiple hubs or switches can be interconnected to form tree or hierarchical network topologies
• Star topologies are most often implemented with low-cost UTP cabling
• Hubs are no longer seen in industrial and corporate networks, though some hubs may still be in use in small office or home office environments
• Switches have replaced hubs as the central point of star topologies