Networks Based on Coverage - LAN

Networks Based on Coverage - LAN

In the modern office environment, each worker is equipped with a personal computer, containing its own disk drives and processor. Each of these computers can communicate with another by the way of a local area network (LAN), which is a computer network that covers a small area, usually a single building or group of buildings. In addition, the LAN may also connect the network of computers with a series of printers, a mainframe computer or file server with even greater processing power and memory storage, and with other devices that can send messages from the network over telephone lines to another location.

The topic on our hand today is Local area network. We will discuss LAN in detail, understand some characters of land and its significant features. So, let's start our topic with what LAN means.


What is LAN?


 As the name suggests, a LAN is local, meaning that it is a proprietary system limited to a finite number of users. It generally serves an area of less than one mile. It is also a network, affording users both functional and communicative diversity through a distribution of resources. A LAN permits worker who are isolated in separate offices to operate off the same system, as if they were all sitting around a single computer.

One of the great attributes of a LAN is that it may be installed simply, upgraded or expanded with little difficulty, and moved or rearranged without disruption. LANs are also useful because they can transmit data quickly. Perhaps most importantly, anyone familiar with the use of a personal computer can be trained to communicate or perform work over a LAN.

But despite their great potential and capabilities, LANs have yet to demonstrate an increase in office productivity. They have certainly eliminated paper and speeded the flow of information, but in many cases they have also created additional work in terms of organization, maintenance, and trouble-shooting.

 

How does a LAN Work?


 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 through the means of Communication medias.

Just so you know, we have done a detailed analysis of Guided media and Unguided Media in our previous articles, you can use these links for further reference.

Guided media basically means that you will be using cables and wires to transmit data. This system guides the data signals along a specific path.

Just as guided media meant the use of cables, unguided media are quite the opposite.

Unguided Transmission Media consists of a means for the data signals to travel but nothing to guide them along a specific path. The data signals transmitted through this media are not bound to a cabling media.

 

 

Characteristics of LAN


The increasing demand and use of computers in universities and research labs in the late 1960s generated the need to provide high-speed interconnections between computer systems. As a result, LAN bears some basic characteristics accordingly to meet this demand. These are:

  1. LANs use a variety of telecommunications media, such as ordinary telephone wiring, coaxial cable, or wireless radio systems to interconnect microcomputer workstations and computer peripherals. A PC usually has a circuit board called a network interface card in order to connect to a LAN and communicate over the network,
  2. Most LANs use a powerful microcomputer with a large disk capacity as a file server or network server that contains a network operating system (e.g., Novell NetWare) that controls telecommunications and the use of network resources.
  3. LANs allow end users in a workgroup to communicate electronically; share hardware, software, and data resources; and pool their efforts when working on group projects.
  4. LANs on a distributed environment allow having our own independent processing stations while sharing expensive computer resources like disk files, printers and plotters.

 

Features of LAN


 Let's discuss some features a LAN provides to its users.

1. Security

 Security for programs and data can be achieved using servers that are locked through both software and by physical means. Diskless nodes also offer security by not allowing users to download important data on floppies/CDs or upload unwanted software or virus.

 2. Expanded PC usage through inexpensive workstation  

 Once a LAN has been set up, it actually costs less to automate additional employees through diskless PCs. Existing PCs can be easily converted into nodes by adding network interface cards.

3. Distributed processing 

Many organizations operate as if they had distributed system in place. If numerous PCs are installed around the office, these machines represent the basic platform for a LAN with inter-user communication and information exchange.

 4. Electronic mail and Message Broadcasting

 Electronic mail allows users to communicate more easily among them. Messages to other users can be dropped into the recipient’s mail-box and read by them when they log into the network.

 5. Organizational Benefits

 LANs provide numerous benefits that include reduced costs in computer hardware, software and peripherals, and a drastic reduction in the time and cost of training or re-training manpower to use the systems.

6. Data management benefits

 Since data is located centrally on the server, it becomes much easier to manage it, access it, as well as back it up.

7. Software cost and up-gradation 

 If the organization is concerned about using licensed software purchasing, a network version can save a lot of money since there would be no need to buy multiple copies of the same software for every machine in the organization.

Therefore, software upgrades are much easier as any given package is stored centrally on the server.

 

 

Well that’s it on Local Area Networks. We have discussed Metropolitan Area Networks and Wide area Networksin the earlier article. You can check it out with the link above.

And like always, if you have any concerns, doubts or suggestions just click on ask questions at the left panel of your screen.

Thank You.