QUOTE
1. How much distance can be covered?
2. What security issues are there?
3. How much traffic can it handle?
4. What was it originally designed for? (What problem was it designed to solve?)
5. Advantages/disadvantages?
6. What does the future hold for each?
2. What security issues are there?
3. How much traffic can it handle?
4. What was it originally designed for? (What problem was it designed to solve?)
5. Advantages/disadvantages?
6. What does the future hold for each?
I will say this though, that some of them are aware but others I find very interesting, but could see that most of them deal with the same ideas though.
1 LAN - Local Area Network
2 WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
3 WAN - Wide Area Network
4 MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
5 SAN - Storage Area Network, System Area Network, Server Area Network, or sometimes Small Area Network
6 CAN - Campus Area Network, Controller Area Network, or sometimes Cluster Area
7 PAN - Personal Area Network
8 DAN - Desk Area Network
LAN
1. A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A networked office building, school, or home
usually contains a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs (perhaps one per room),
and occasionally a LAN will span a group of nearby buildings. In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not always
implemented as a single IP subnet.
2. When it comes to security issues a LAN is very vulnerable due to the fact that all it takes one computer to
breach the network and that one computer doesn't need to be connected to that network. This can also include
employee's seeking revenge, company espionage, viruses and denial of service (DOS) attacks.
3. Depending on the size of the work and the speeds usually 100Mbps is the max. So it could go anywhere from 5-10
computer to several hundred. however, the more computers that are connected to a single LAN the more it will slow
down the connection and so you would have to set up several of these to get the most effective speed possible.
4. LAN's were design to network two or more computers to help communicate with each other thus being able to send
data back and forth.
5. To many to count but I would say the biggest advantage is communication with other people and the biggest
disadvantage would be security.
6. Has Bright Future
WLAN
1. the distance of a WLAN depends on the strength of the wireless signal, usually this is about a 25 foot radius
from the signal, but the bigger the antennae the longer it can go. There was one WLAN that stretched out to 125
miles.
2. About the same concern for a LAN, however, if a wireless signal is not secured, usually through a wireless
router then a person who has a computer that searches wireless signals can connect and then be able to hack their
way through the network that wireless signal is being produced from.
3. 11Mbps or 54Mbps
4. Able to make computer, PDA's, and cell phones more mobile and thus make it possible for a person to travel with a
computer and be connected without the need for a hard wire connection.
5. Biggest advantage would be that you can communicate with anyone regardless of were you are and that you don't
need a hardware connection. Biggest disadvantage would be security because not all WLAN's are secured.
6. Has Bright Future
WAN
1. A WAN spans a large physical distance. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth.
2. Pretty much everything you can think of DOS, viruses, Identity theft, crashing systems etc etc.
3. Usually requires high speed connection usually fiber optics and so it could from 1-4Mbps to the size of a T4
connection.
4. Basically to group Large LAN's together and so one person could connect to another person from a much large
distance.
5. To many to count but I would say the biggest advantage is communication with other people and the biggest
disadvantage would be security.
6. In terns of the Internet rumors are going on for years that the Internet is about to crash I would have to say
that WAN's are unknown.
MAN
1. The distance is usually the size of a two or a city and so it could be stretched out for miles such as the size
of New York City.
2. Again the same problems
3. Usually require T1-T4 connections with fiber optic cables
4. Basically to group large LAN's and WAN's together and be able to communicate within a redundant network without
the need for outside connections.
5. To many to count but I would say the biggest advantage is communication with other people and the biggest
disadvantage would be security.
6. As third world nations are growing so will the need for the best technology to help connect growing businesses
together and government buildings.
SAN
1. The distance of a SAN can go from a first floor building to another country in another part of the world since
this is where data is being stored on this type of network.
2. Due to how specific this type of Network is, the loss of data would be the biggest issue, however depending on
that data at least three levels of security are put into place and so you would have to a wizard level hacker to be
able to get into most SAN's.
3. Depending on the size of the SAN and to whatever LAN it is connected to usually p to 2-4Gbps.
4. Used to help store large amounts of data through several hard drivers and thus have a way to restore through a
backup if the data was to be lost in some fashion.
5. Being able to store massive amounts of data that is spread out over several hard drives and not stuck on one
location and again the biggest disadvantage would be security but also loss of data.
6. With the hard drive in the terabytes now SAN's will always keep on growing as the hard drive gets bigger.
CAN
1. It is usually the size of a school campus or military base and so it could be very large depending on the size
of the school or military base.
2. Again usually the same problems with LAN's, WAN's, MAN's.
3. Usually T1-T2 networks are used to set up the connection rates for this kind of network.
4. Military wise to set up a secured and non secured network and so top secret information and other vital data can
be view by those with clearances to do so.
5. To many to count but I would say the biggest advantage is communication with other people and the biggest
disadvantage would be security.
6. I doubt much will change because odds are school will be getting the hand me downs in terms of technology, but
unless your a MIT or Harvard then oyu got he money and government contracts then school networks be better then
some.
PAN
1. The distance of a PAN is usually within the distance of a person itself and so anywhere that person goes that
network follows.
2. For the security issue for this type of network it the theft of the actual devices such as laptops, PDA's and
cell phones and so the loss of the actual device is small compared to the loss of the private data on the computer.
3. from 28K to several hundred Mpbs.
4. Basically to help make electronic devices more mobile such as GPS systems.
5. Being able to transmit data from a computer to an Ipod and other such devices and being able to find someone
through GPS such as cell phones, computers and even GPS devices. Usually these are small enough that they can be
easily stolen or damage.
6. Will get better and better as technology gets better and better.
DAN
1. THe distance is usually the size of a room because each computer is connected to each other and so it could be
the size of two computers to several hundred.
2. Again usually the same problems with LAN's, WAN's, MAN's.
3. Because of the type of computers used for this kind of connection, Fiber optics with T1-T3 lines are the best
but could be as low some of the Gbps connections that are out there on the market.
4. Usually to help speed up projects with the use of the combine computer power such as 3D movies like Little Nemo
from Pixar.
5. If your producing movies then it would take less time to render images with a combination of several hi end
computers, but as for a disadvantage I would say that if computers were to go down then it would stall production
and people would lose money.
6. Same thing technology will gets better and better.
SOURCES
http://www.webopedia.com
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/basicne...twork_types.htm
http://www.itmanagementnews.com/itmanageme...agersToday.html
http://www.scmagazine.com/asia/news/articl...s-san-security/
http://www.comptechdoc.org/independent/net...ert/netwan.html
http://www.crn.com/hardware/53700048
http://www.devx.com/wireless/Article/11424
