Submitted By

Aina Raziq

BSSE 5th Section A

SE120182007

Submitted to
Sir Sajid Ullah
 Institute of Computing Kohat University of Science
and Technology, Kohat
Computer Network
A computer network is a group of computers connected with each other through a
transmission medium such as cable, wire etc. (1)

Types Of Computer Networks

LAN - Local Area Network

A Local Area Network (LAN) is a private network that connects computers and devices
within a limited area like a residence, an office, a building or a campus. On a small scale,
LANs are used to connect personal computers to printers. However, LANs can also extend to
a few kilometers when used by companies, where a large number of computers share a
variety of resources like hardware (e.g. printers, scanners, audiovisual devices etc), software
(e.g. application programs) and data. (2)

Advantages

 Costly resources such as printers can be shared by all of the computers. This means
that better quality printing is available to everyone because one or two expensive,
high specification printers can be bought instead of several cheaper, lower
specification models.

 Software can be shared, and upgrading is easier too.

 Data can be shared across the network. For example, this would allow several people
to work on the same project.
  Data transmits at a very fast rate as the number of computers linked are limited. 

Disadvantages

 Network security can be a problem. If a virus gets into one computer, it is likely to
spread quickly across the network because it will get into the central backing store.
 Users of the network have to have user names and passwords. Some users are not
very good at keeping passwords secret, or they may use passwords that are easy to
guess. Other people can then log onto the network.
 If the dedicated file server fails, work stored on shared hard disk drives will not be
accessible and it will not be possible to use network printers either.
 Cabling can be expensive to buy and to install. In a busy office situation, cabling must
often be placed under the floor so that people will not trip over it. If connecting
cables are damaged, some sections of the network can become isolated. They will
not be able to communicate with the rest of the network. (3) (2)

MAN - Metropolitan Area Network

The MAN or Metropolitan Area Network occupies a greater area than the LAN and a smaller
area relative to the WAN. It links two or more computers that are independent but reside in
the same or different cities. It covers a wide geographical area and can act as an ISP
( Internet Service Provider). MAN is designed for customers in need of high-speed
connectivity. MAN speeds range in Mbps.  It's hard to design and manage a Metropolitan
Area Network. (4)

Advantages

Below are some of the benefits of MAN:-

 Less expensive

 Sending local emails:

On MAN you can send local emails fast and free.
 High speed than WAN:
MAN uses fiber optics so the speed of data can easily reach upon 1000 Mbps. Files
and databases can be transferred fast.
 Sharing of the internet:
In some installation of MANs, users can share their internet connection. So multiple
users can get the same high-speed internet.
 Conversion from LAN to MAN is easy:
 MAN is a faster way to connect two fast LANs together. This is due to the fast
configuration of links.
 High Security:
MAN has a high-security level than WAN.

Disadvantages
 Difficult to manage:
If MAN becomes bigger then it becomes difficult to manage it. This is due to a
security problem and other extra configuration.
 Internet speed difference:
MAN cannot work on traditional phone copper wires. If MAN is installed on copper
wires then there will be very low speed. So it required the high cost to set up fiber
optics for the first time.
 Hackers attack:
In MAN there are high chances of attacking hackers on the network compared to
LAN. So data may be leaked. Data can be secured but it needs high trained staff and
security tools.
 Technical people required to set up:
To setup MAN it requires technical people that can correctly setup MAN. The
technical people are network administrators and troubleshooters.
 More wires required:
In MAN additional cables are required to connect two LAN which is another problem.
(5)

WAN- Wide Area Network

Wide area network provides long distance transmission of data. The size of the WAN is
larger than LAN and MAN. A WAN can cover country, continent or even a whole world.
Internet connection is an example of WAN. Other examples of WAN are mobile broadband
connections such as 3G, 4G etc.

Advantages
 Centralized infrastructure: One of the main advantage of WAN is the that we do not
need to maintain the backup and store data on local system as everything is stored
online on a data centre, from where we can access the data through WAN.

 Privacy: We can setup the WAN in such a way that it encrypts the data that we share
online that way the data is secure and minimises the risk of unauthorized access.

 Increased Bandwidth: With the WAN we get to choose the bandwidth based on the
need, a large organization can have larger bandwidth that can carry large amount of
data faster and efficiently.
  Area: A WAN can cover a large area or even a whole world though internet
connection thus we can connect with the person in another country through WAN
which is not possible is other type of computer networks.

Disadvantages
 Antivirus: Since our systems are connected with the large amount of systems, there
is possibility that we may unknowingly download the virus that can affect our system
and become threat to our privacy and may lead to data loss.
 Expensive: Cost of installation is very high.
 Issue resolution: Issue resolution takes time as the WAN covers large area, it is really
difficult to pin point the exact location where the issues raised and causing the
problem. (1)

Thick Ethernet
Thick Ethernet was the first commercially available form of cabling supported by Ethernet. It is
technically known as 10-BASE-5. Here, 10 is the maximum throughput, i.e. 10 Mbps, BASE denoted
use of baseband transmission, and 5 refers to the maximum segment length of 500 metres (1,600 ft).
This type of cabling allows 100 stations to be connected to it by vampire taps.

Thin Ethernet
Thin Ethernet, popularly known as cheapernet or thinnet, is among the family of Ethernet standards
that uses thinner coaxial cable as a transmission media. It is technically known as 10-BASE-2.

Here, 10 is the maximum throughput, i.e. 10 Mbps, BASE denoted use of baseband transmission, and
2 refers to the maximum segment length of about 200 metres (precisely 185 metres). This type of
cabling allows a maximum of 30 stations to be connected to it by BNC connectors with 50
centimetres minimum gap between subsequent stations. (6)

References
1. From https://beginnersbook.com/2019/03/types-of-computer-network-lan-man-and-wan/

2. From https://beginnersbook.com/2019/03/types-of-computer-network-lan-man-and-wan/

3. From https://www.tutorialspoint.com/difference-between-lan-man-and-wan#:~:text=LAN
%20stands%20for%20Local%20Area,stands%20for%20Wide%20Area
%20Network.&text=LAN%20is%20often%20owned%20by%20private%20organizations.

4. From https://revisionworld.com/gcse-revision/ict/networks-internet/computer-computer-
communication/lans-%E2%80%93-local-area-networks

5. From https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-of-area-networks-lan-man-and-wan/
6. From https://www.itrelease.com/2018/09/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-metropolitan-
area-network-man/

7. From https://www.tutorialspoint.com/thick-ethernet-vs-thin-ethernet