3.01 Networks: LANs and WANs Flashcards
What does LAN stand for?
Local area network
Who owns the hardware for a LAN?
Owned by the organisation that uses it
What is the geographical coverage of a LAN?
Covers a small geographical area located on a single site
Where can you find LANs?
Businesses, schools, universities, or in homes to connect various devices (e.g. computers, TV and printer)
Are LANs wired or wireless?
They can be wired (e.g. with ethernet cables) or wireless (e.g. with WiFi)
What does WAN stand for?
Wide area networkWhat
What is the geographical coverage of a WAN? Give an example
A WAN connects LANS that are in different geographical locations
E.g. a business with offices in three different countries needs a WAN to connect their devices
Who owns the infrastructure for a WAN?
Organisations usually hire infrastructure (e.g. communications lines) from telecommunications companies, who own and manage the WAN
Which of LAN and WAN is more expensive?
WANs are more expensive to set up than LANs
How can WANs be connected?
By fibre or copper telephone lines, satellite links or radio links
List the reasons for using a LAN or WAN.
- File sharing is easier - everyone can access the same files and work collaboratively
- Share the same hardware (e.g. printers)
- Share the internet connection between devices
- Can install and update software on all computers at once (rather than one by one)
- Can communicate with users cheaply and easily with instant messaging
- User accounts can be stored centrally, so users can log in from any device on the network
Give two advantages and two disadvantages of networking two business sites using a private WAN
Advantages:
1. Easy communication and file sharing between the two sites
2. Users can log in from either site and access their account
Disadvantages:
1. Expensive, as need to hire the infrastructure
2. May be difficult to maintain, and so require IT staff to do this
