1 Network Communication and Types
1 Network Communication and Types
1 Network Communication and Types
• The word data refers to information presented in whatever form is agreed upon by
the parties creating and using the data.
• Data communications are the exchange of data between two devices via some form
of transmission medium such as a wire cable.
Figure 1 Five components of data communication
1. Sender
2. Receiver
3. Protocol
4. Medium
5. Messages
Data Representation and Flow Method
• The criteria of distinguishing one type of network from another is based on few
criteria such as size, geographical coverage, and ownership to make this
distinction.
• They are classified as:
Local Area Networks (LANs)
Wide Area Networks (WANs)
Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
Storage Area Networks (SAN)
Personal Area Networks (PAN)
Local Area Networks (LANs)
• A LAN is a group of computer and peripheral devices like hard-disks, DVD-ROM,
and printers.
• Work in limited area such as school, laboratory, home, and office building.
• Useful for sharing resources like files, printers, games, and other application.
• It is a private network.
• LAN operates at a relatively higher speed and follow standard of 802.3
• There are various kinds of media access control methods like token ring and Ethernet.
Wide Area Networks (WANs)
• WAN is spread across a large geographical area.
• WAN network system could be a connection of LANs or MANs.
• The LANs are interconnected using telephone lines and radio waves.
• The software is shared among all the users and all can access them.
• Any organization can form its global integrated network using WAN.
• It follows network standard as 802.11, 802.1, 802.3
Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
• Consist of a computer network across an entire city, college campus, or a small
region.
• Mostly used medium for communication is optical fibers cables.
• Data rates adequate for distributed computing applications.
• MAN network uses dual bus for both directions communication.
• It follows network standard as 802.11, 802.1, 802.3
Storage Area Networks (SANs)
• A SAN is a specialized, high-speed network access to storage devices.
• SANs are typically composed of hosts, switches, storage elements, and storage
devices that are interconnected using a variety of technologies, topologies, and
protocols.
• It uses virtualization to make storage available to every host connected.
Personal Area Networks (PANs)
• PANs are short-range wireless networks that work over a range of tens of metres.
• PANs main role is to eliminate cables that connect our devices to peripherals.
• The devices are cordless products, such as mouse devices and keyboards, that
use radio or infrared.
• Mode of communication is generally Bluetooth, which allows enabled devices
such as phones, mobiles, mouse devices, headsets, PCs, printers and keyboards to
connect wirelessly.
Summary
• Data Communication