A network is a collection of computers and devices connected together via communications devices and transmission media. Many businesses network their computers together to facilitate communications, share hardware, share data and information, share software and transfer funds.
Networks facilitate communications among users and allow users to share resources with other users. Some examples of resources are data, information, hardware and software.
Networks usually are classified as a local area network, metropolitan area network or wide area network. The main differentiation among these classifications is their area of coverage.
LAN - a local area network is a network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area such as a home, school computer laboratory, office building, or closely positioned group of buildings. Each computer or device on the network,called a node, often share resources such as printers, large hard disks and programs. Often, the nodes are connected via cables. A Wireless LAN (WLAN) is a LAN that uses no physical wires. Very often, a WLAN communicates with a wired LAN for access to its resources.
MAN - A metropolitan area network is a high speed that connects local area networks in a metropolitan area such as a city or town and handles the bulk of communications activity across that region. A MAN typically includes one or more LANs, but covers a smaller geographic area than a WAN. Telephone companies, cable television operators and other organizations provide users with connections to the MAN.
WAN - A wide area network is a network that covers a large geographic area (such as city, country or the world) using a communications channel that combines many types of media such as telephone lines, cables and radio waves. A WAN can be one large network or can consist of two or more LANs connected together. The Internet is the world's largest WAN.
Source: Discovering Computers, Fundamentals 4th edition, Shelly Cashman Series, Thomson Course Technology
To know more about network, follow these links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/basicnetworkingconcepts/a/network_types.htm
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