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Intro to Networking

A network is a collection of connected intelligent computing devices. The connection is not necessarily a fancy one. A connection between two computers by direct cabling is qualified to be a network. By this definition, a workstation which is loaded with a computer, a scanner, and a printer, is not treated as a network. I put LAN, MAN, WAN under the same category because the nature of them are very similar except their scales vary. Usually these networks are used within the organization and the employed protocols may vary from organization to organization. A Local Area Network (LAN) is a smaller network within one location or between several buildings A Metropolitan Network (MAN, politically incorrect, no WOMAN!) is a midsize network spanning the city. A Wide Area Network (WAN) is a gaint network spanning across several cities or even several continents. Usually the term "LAN" is used to generalize all of the above networks. For example, when one calls Netware a "LAN server," it does not imply that Netware isn't suitable for MAN and WAN. A Wireless LAN (WLAN) is is a variant of LAN. The preceding network type is classified by the magnitude of coverage (i.e. distance). Currently most WLAN standards (802.11.X) are based on the original Ethernet design, which is a broadcasting system and it is up to any client to grab the transmission. Since WLAN is said to be just like a regular LAN without cabling, one may question whether it could be a standalone category. Nonetheless, most wireless LANs are confined within a smaller area (e.g. 500 feet), which is even smaller than that of a wired LAN, and therefore the same criterion of classification (distance) may still be applied.