Local Area Network LAN

• A LAN is a network that is used for communicating among computer devices, usually within an office building or home.
• LAN’s enable the sharing of resources such as files or hardware devices that may be needed by multiple users
• Is limited in size, typically spanning a few hundred meters, and no more than a mile
• Is fast, with speeds from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps
• Requires little wiring, typically a single cable connecting to each device
• Has lower cost compared to MAN’s or WAN’s
• LAN’s can be either wired or wireless. Twisted pair, coaxial or fibre optic cable can be used in wired LAN’s.
• Every LAN uses a protocol – a set of rules that governs how packets are configured and transmitted.
• Nodes in a LAN are linked together with a certain topology. These topologies include:
– Bus
– Ring
– Star
• LANs are capable of very high transmission rates (100s Mb/s to G b/s).

Advantage of LAN

• Speed
• Cost
• Security
• E-mail
• Resource Sharing

Disadvantages of LAN

• Expensive To Install
• Requires Administrative Time
• File Server May Fail
• Cables May Break