LAN
Local Area Network (LAN)
Today’s LANs offer tremendous opportunities to not only
control traffic flow – layer three through layer seven
routing, but also to monitor and shape the network traffic
by specific business requirements. Whether those requirements
are short term, such as seasonal business, or due to a manufacturing
upgrade; even application driven requirements, such as the
deployment of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution
can be handled by today’s LAN switches. Ideacom and it’s
experienced staff can design, install, and support LAN solutions
from many of the leading manufactures of this equipment.
LAN – defined
A LAN is a computer network that spans a relatively small area.
Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings.
However, one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any
distance via telephone lines and radio waves. A system of
LANs connected in this way is called a wide-area network (WAN).
Most LANs connect workstations and personal computers.
Each node (individual computer) in a LAN has its own
CPU with which
it executes programs, but it also is able to access data
and devices anywhere on the LAN. This means that many
users can
share expensive devices, such as laser printers, as well
as data. Users can also use the LAN to communicate
with each other,
by sending e-mail or engaging in chat sessions.
There are many different types of LANs Ethernets being
the most common for PCs. Most Apple Macintosh networks
are based
on Apple's AppleTalk network system, which is built into
Macintosh computers.
The following characteristics differentiate one LAN from
another:
LANs are capable of transmitting data at very fast rates,
much faster than data can be transmitted over a telephone
line;
but the distances are limited, and there is also a
limit on the number of computers that can be attached
to a
single LAN.
