A network is the interconnection of two or more computers that allows them to share resources. There are three main types of networks: local area networks (LANs), which connect computers within a building; wide area networks (WANs), which span larger geographical areas like cities or states; and metropolitan area networks (MANs), which are between the size of a LAN and WAN covering a metropolitan region. LANs have low costs but limited distance and speed, while WANs can share resources over large areas but are more expensive to set up and require firewall security. MANs interconnect users and computers within a metropolitan area, larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN.

1. Dr B T Sampath Kumar
Professor
Department of Library and Information Science
Tumkur University, Tumakuru, INDIA
www.sampathkumar.info
Networks

2. Network
• Interconnection of two or more computers.
• A group of two or more computer system
linked together.
• Series of computer points or nodes
interconnected by communication path.

3. Types of networks
• Local Area Network (LAN)
• Wide Area Network (WAN)
• Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

4. Local Area Network (LAN )
• It consists of a computer network in an
individual office building, a
university/college/schools campus etc.

5. Advantages and limitations
Advantages
• Low cost
• Easy to configure
• Easy to manage
Limitations
• Limited number of devises
• Limited distance
• Less speed
• Safety and security is not high

6. Wide Area Network (WAN)
• It occupies very large area such as entire city,
district or even sate.
• It consists of multiple smaller networks such
as LANs.

7. Advantages of WAN
• Covers large geographical area.
• Shares software and resources with
connecting various workstations.
• Shares information/ data files over a larger
area.

8. Disadvantages
• Comparatively expensive.
• Need a good firewall to restrict outsiders.
• A firewall is a set of related programs, located
at a network gateway server, that protects the
resources of a private network from users
from other networks.
• Setting up a network is comparatively
expensive.

9. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
• A metropolitan area network is a network that
interconnects users with computer resources
in a metropolitan area.
• It is even larger than the local area network
(LAN) but smaller than the area covered by a
wide area network (WAN).

10. Cont..
• A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a large
computer network that spans a metropolitan
area.