Networking Flashcards
LAN (Local Area Network)
LAN has the word “local” in the title because it’s a network of connected devices localized in a single physical location, such as in a single office building, private residence, or other business.
A LAN can range in size from a few devices in someone’s home to thousands of users in a large company under the same roof.
LANs can connect devices by Ethernet cables or Wi-Fi.
Benefits:
Devices can share a single Internet connection
Devices can print to shared printers
Devices can share files with one another
Devices can access or control each other if needed
WAN (Wide Area Network)
Made up of a larger geographical area than a LAN.
It connects multiple LANs to create a much larger network. E.G. if you have a company that has a headquarters and branch offices spread across different cities, each branch will have its own LAN, and all these company LANs will be connected into the larger WAN.
A router is usually used to make the connection between a LAN and a WAN, but sometimes dedicated telecommunication lines are used as well.
Advantages:
Allows all users in a company to use the same applications, firewalls, and resources.
MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
A MAN connects smaller LANs into a larger, centralized network.
A MAN covers a larger area than a LAN, but is not as large as a WAN.
MANs are commonly used to describe networks in large university campuses, large cities, or a collection of cities and towns in a geographical area.
RJ-11 (Telephone cable)
The Registered Jack 11 interface (RJ-11) has four pins and a clip to hold the plug into a wall socket. RJ-11 is used to connect to a telephone line. In a DSL network, this interface connects the modem to the wall jack.
Many all-in-one devices that perform such services as printing, scanning, and faxing also have a RJ-11 connection. In these devices it is used for the faxing service.
RJ-45 (Ethernet cable)
The RJ-45 interface is much more common in today’s networks. These jacks have eight pins and are a little wider than RJ-11 connectors.
RJ-45 is used to create a wired connection between a computer and a network. It is most often used to connect computers with Ethernet cables.
