Local Area Network
A network made from computers that are located physically near one another. They will usually be connected using the Ethernet protocol.
The entire Graded computer network is a LAN. As are all the computers in your personal home wifi network.
Associated technologies: Ethernet (protocol), switches (hardware that makes ethernet more efficient), routers (hardware that allows for connecting larger LANs to each other or the internet)
Wide Area Network
A network that is larger than a LAN and therefore needs routers to function. The internet is the widest of WANs!
Assocated technologies: routers, IP (protocol), UDP (protocol), TCP (protocol)
Virtual Local Area Network
A VLAN is a logical network that takes some computers from a large LAN and configures them to work together as if they were a smaller LAN. It is usually used to separate large networks into smaller “logical” networks.
Example: a large organzation make make a virtual LAN for all of their computer programmers, a different virtual LAN for all of their managers, and a third virtual LAN for all of their marketing department.
Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network or VPN is a way of connecting remote computers that are far apart together as if they were a single local network. More information about this will be discussed in a later notes page.
Personal Area network
A PAN is a network built from network connected devices that are in a very small, personal space. An example might be a network connecting a single person’s phone, ear buds, watch, and computer. This term is often associated with bluetooth.
Wireless Local Area Network
Do you see the definition of LAN up above? This is the same thing but wireless!
Associated technologies: Wireless access points (allow wireless devices to connect to an existing LAN), wireless routers (combine router technology and access point technology), Wifi (a series of protocols that emulate ethernet using radio waves)
Storage Area network
A special-purpose network whose entire job is to allow computers on a LAN to access and share a large block of storage.
It’s… the internet. A worldwide WAN, mostly public.
A special private network used by organizations to essentially create a “private internet” that can only be accessed from authorized devices and locations. It is not accessible by the larger internet, but uses internet protocols (making it distinct from a LAN).
A connection between individual devices that shares information between them where none of the computers have any more ‘power’ than any of the others - there is no server in a P2P network.
Examples: bittorrent, telegram(?),