LAN (LOCAL AREA NETWORK) 9/21/2020 

INTRODUCTION • A local-area network (LAN) is a computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most often, a LAN is confined to a single room, building or group of buildings, however, one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves. 9/21/2020 

FEATURE’S OF LAN • Networking limited to a small geographical area (less than 1km radius) • High speed data transfer. • Data error rate is very less since data is transferred to limited distance. • Managing local area networks is easy as only a single technology and symmetrical topology is used. • Only limited number of computers can be connected in a LAN network. • Types of data supported is tailored to the application 9/21/2020 

COMPONENTS OF LAN • The hardware which is connected to form the LAN. • The software (or programs) which is accessed through the LAN. • The users, who create, work with and manage the various files. 9/21/2020 

HARDWARE COMPONENTS Networking Interface Card (NICs): A network interface card (NIC) is a circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network. Each networked device contains a Network Interface Card. The NIC may be a separate board installed into a computer’s slot, or it may be built into the motherboard. Server: A network server is a computer designed to process requests and deliver data to other (client) computers over a local network or the Internet.A server may be three types: • File Server: A file server is a computer that stores files, is attached to a network, and provides shared access of those files to multiple workstation computers. 9/21/2020 

• Print Server: A print server is a device that connects printers to client computers over a network. It accepts print request from the computers and sends the jobs to the appropriate printers over the LAN. • Communication Server: A communication server is a computer system designed to handle a wide range of communications-based applications. Station: • A station is a computer that is connected with a server computer over the LAN, and communicate with other devices connected with it. 9/21/2020 

HUB: • A common connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives atone port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all-packets. Switch: • A switch is like a hub in that it is a central point for connecting network cables; however, a switch is able to receive a packet and transmit it to only the destination computer. Router: • Routers make the connection to the Internet for LANs. They use a configuration table to decide where packets should go. 9/21/2020 

Access point: • A hardware device or a computer’s software that acts as a communication hub for users of a wireless device to connect to a wired LAN. Power Supply: • Both wired and wireless networks need a power supply. A wireless network uses the current to generate radio waves. A cabled network sends data interpreted as an electronic pulse Connector: • A network connector refers to any device that used to connect many LAN connection with the hardware of the computer. 9/21/2020 

LAN SOFTWARE • The operating system of each attached server: The server operating system is considered to be the brains of the network: • The operating system of each attached station: All PCs require an operating system to function. • Applications software accessed by LAN users: Applications software is those software, which are used to perform a specific task. The most common business applications are word processing, spreadsheet analysis and database management. • Groupware: A second type of application software has been introduced for the LAN environment— groupware. Groupware refers to programs that help people work together collectively while located remotely from each other. 9/21/2020 

MAINTENANCE OF LAN • The users: A user is defined as a person who makes use of the network resources. • Network Administrator: The network administrator is the individual responsible for maintaining the LAN. It is essential that the administrator have a good understanding of how the network is put together and how it functions. 9/21/2020 

USES OF LAN • LANs transfer data at much faster rates than telephone line connections, but are limited in the number of computers they can support and the distances they can transfer data. LANs can connect to other LANs over telephone lines, satellites or radio waves, creating what's known as a wide-area network (WAN). 9/21/2020 

LAN STANDARD • Distributed data interface networks A Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is an optical fiber-based local area network (LAN) that uses the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 3T9.5 standard for a media access control (MAC) protocol of token ring. • Ethernet networks Ethernet is one type of local area network (LAN) topology that the i5/OS operating system supports. i5/OS Ethernet provides support for the Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel Corporation, and Xerox standard (Ethernet Version 2) and the IEEE 802.3 standard. • Token-ring networks A token-ring network is a local area network (LAN) topology that sends data in one direction throughout a specified number of locations by using a token. • Wireless networks The more mobile your employees are, the more you should consider a wireless network. The portable transaction computers (PTCs) make the direct connection between the office and offsite locations possible. 9/21/2020 

9/21/2020 Aravali College of Engineering And Management Jasana, Tigoan Road, Neharpar, Faridabad, Delhi NCR Toll Free Number : 91- 8527538785 Website : www.acem.edu.in