TYPES OF COMPUTERS NETWORKS

A computer network (also called computer network, data communications network, computer network) is a set of computer equipment and software connected to each other by means of physical or wireless devices that send and receive electrical impulses, electromagnetic waves or any other means for the transport of data, in order to share information, resources and offer services.As in any communication process, a sender, a message, a medium and a receiver are required.

The main purpose for the creation of a computer network is to share resources and information in the distance, ensure the reliability and availability of information, increase the speed of data transmission and reduce the cost. An example is the Internet, which is a large network of millions of computers located in different parts of the planet interconnected basically to share information and resources.

The structure and mode of operation of current computer networks are defined in several standards, the most important and widespread of all of them being the TCP / IP model based on the OSI reference model. The latter structures each network in seven layers with specific but related functions; in TCP / IP they are reduced to four layers. There are many protocols distributed by each layer, which are also governed by their respective standards.

Types of computers networks:

LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN):

A local area network (LAN) supplies networking capability to a group of computers in close proximity to each other, like in an office building, school, or home. LANs are usually built to enable the sharing of resources and services like files, printers, games, applications, email, or internet access

METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK (MAN):

A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a computer network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic area or region larger than that covered by even a large local area network (LAN) but smaller than the area covered by a wide area network (WAN). The term MAN is applied to the interconnection of networks in a city into a single larger network which may then also offer efficient connection to a wide area network

  

WIDE AREA NETWORK(WAN):

A WAN (wide area network) is a communications network that spans a large geographic area such as across cities, states, or countries. They can be private to connect parts of a business or they can be more public to connect smaller networks together.

The easiest way to understand what a WAN is to think of the internet as a whole, which is the world's largest WAN.